&Sowing and propagation are the main means of propagation for stone flowers. Of course, they can also propagate by cutting roots and dividing plants, but it is much more difficult for them to propagate by dividing plants into stone flowers. Moreover, the ramets basically come from large populations. Based on the slow growth and hard to separate, those large groups of stone flowers are rare and precious (it is not recommended to separate plants).
It's not hard to plant stone flowers. The seeds collected in the previous year and well preserved are the most qualified seeds for sowing, because fresh seeds often have many problems during germination and sowing. If the seed clip is kept in a dry and dark environment, the seed can still be full of germination vigor even after more than 10 years.
I choose organic free medium as the seeding medium. Pure volcanic rock is usually used for seeding. If you don't have enough volcanic rocks, you can also choose gravel or other small stones with a diameter of 1-4mm for sowing.
But don't let their pH value exceed 7. I don't use any organic media such as peat or garden soil because they often contain insects or harmful fungi.
In order to ensure that the seedling roots can directly penetrate into the medium instead of creeping on the medium, it is necessary to avoid the presence of fine particles and dust in the sowing medium. This is another reason why I don't use garden soil and peat.
And rigorous Germans prefer to do it without fail, because of this reason to ensure the high quality of plants.
Before sowing, we need to disinfect the medium to prevent the outbreak of diseases and insect pests. I usually use high-temperature disinfection, which is to keep the plant materials heated to 200 ℃ for an hour. (Note: because of my family's reasons, I only soaked the medium with potassium permanganate once. The friend that uses microwave oven to disinfect must avoid, must moist medium, prevent heating dry medium, easy to cause spontaneous combustion).
&Before sowing, put the sterilized medium into the sowing container, and then wet the medium completely with rainwater. You can also use tap water that does not contain salt, alkali and calcium. After that, the seeds are sprinkled on the surface of the moist medium, and do not cover the soil. The planting density is about 10000 seeds in 1 square meter. Of course, the density can reach a very long time without transplanting. Then cover the sowing container with a transparent sheet to seal the sowing environment and increase the humidity. Place the pot in the shadow, i.e. without direct sunlight. Keep the internal temperature above or below 15 ℃, not more than 20 ℃.
&The sowing on windowsill (home sowing) is generally better than that in warm room. Because the temperature in the greenhouse is too high, and the direct sunlight is too strong, family sowing can also bring good temperature difference between day and night, which can also help seed germination. After two weeks' cultivation, the germination stage is almost over, at this time, you can uncover the seedlings for ventilation management.
In the first few weeks after uncovering and raising seedlings, spray water several times a day. Do not let the surface dry out. At the same time, gradually increase the intensity of light, but during the first year of planting, do not take full sunlight in hot and sunny weather, which may bring devastating impact.
&Nbsp; try not to use chemicals, and do not use fertilizer for seedlings under one year. As the plants grow up, their light intensity and amount should be strengthened constantly, but don't forget to do a good job of shading in hot and sunny weather. (the author wrote a sentence here: I think it means that many tropical desert plants depend on the shelter around them to survive.) If your climate brings good light all year round, you don't have to do too much shading.
&By contrast, after a dark and long German winter, raw stone flowers are likely to die of spring sunshine within an hour.
Raw stone flowers can grow well under proper shade. Some large-scale culture gardens also use shade method to cultivate raw stone flowers. Plants cultivated by this method usually grow faster and fatter, but tend to grow higher and softer. In this kind of culture condition, the color performance of raw stone flowers is often poor. If you compare a large green rainbow with a small plant with bright red and black stripes and a yellow skin, you will find the great difference of good light. That's why I only shade plants when necessary.
&Raw stone flowers need little fertilizer. I use a liquid fertilizer with N: P: k = 8:8:8. I use it twice or three times a year during the growing season. I have also increased the frequency and quantity of watering for raw stone flowers like many farmers, but considering the safety factors, I suggest not to supply water in hot summer. And I'll be completely out of water in two to three months every year. (Note: I am also confused about the maintenance of this area. Compared with winter dormancy, many of us start to run out of water in December until March of the next year. In addition, under the condition of good ventilation, proper water supply in summer is no problem. This passage is for reference.
I only use insecticidal agent once a year for raw stone flowers in growing period, a kind of insecticidal agent named imidachloprid in Germany. Besides, I don't use any chemicals unless there is a serious pest problem.
In addition to the sowing stage, raw stone flowers like warm days and cool nights. In winter, I try to let raw stone flowers survive without heating at all, but it seems that there are individual deaths. However, in the case of two consecutive nights of six degrees below zero planting, my raw stone flowers also brought me a surprise of zero loss (should be part of the trial).
Under sufficient light, the flowers will bloom for the first time in three years after planting. Some may bloom in the first year, but they are less likely to continue to bloom in the second year. It is also easier for flowering plants to get seeds. If you want to surprise yourself, let the insects help you with the pollination. If you like to pursue pure varieties, then drive the insects out of your garden, and use a small brush to pollinate your plants (remember, one variety one brush) (Note: I once heard that a friend questioned the pollination problem of numbered plants when planting abroad. At that time, I remember that the friend said, "I don't believe that foreigners brush one variety one pen", so we should still believe that Their). Most of them can pollinate each other to get hybrid seeds, but the insects don't care.
&The raw stone flowers planted in a small basin need to be replaced in 2-3 years. However, the raw stone flowers planted in a large container can be kept for many years without replacing the basin. Basically, the water is supplied by watering instead of soaking the basin, and the water can flow out from the bottom of the container. Again, I use pure volcanic rock to grow my raw stone flowers. When the basin is changed, only 2-3cm main root is left, so that the stone flower can root more easily and the root can grow more straight in the new basin. If the root system of raw stone flower is too long, it will slowly bend the edge shape (I don't know if the root system is not straight or not).
You can clean up the shell of the old plant, but the lower half of the old plant is generally thin and brittle, so let the old skin stay on the plant, so it's safer, otherwise the raw stone flowers will easily peel off from the large group. If this happens unfortunately, immediately put the fallen raw stone flowers into the medium, and keep the medium moist. Do not let the temperature be lower than 15 ℃.
