Orchid sage is also called a string of blue or blue silk thread; Perennial herbs, do more annual cultivation. Orchid sage is very similar to lavender. If you look at it from a distance, it will be regarded as lavender, and it has a wide range of uses, such as garden, flower bed, flower border, etc; Family is used for cut flower and potted flower cultivation. So how is such a lovely orchid sage cultivated? Interested friends might as well follow Xiaobian to have a look.
How to cultivate blue sage? How to cultivate blue sage? Before explaining the cultivation methods of sage, let's first understand its characteristics;
Rattail grassland is located in the south of North America. It belongs to Labiatae and Salvia. It is characterized by perennial herbaceous flowers, often used as annual flowers; The plants were clumped; The stem is tetragonal columnar and hairy, and the lower part is slightly lignified and sub low woody; The leaves are opposite, long oval, 3cm to 5cm long, grayish green, with concave convex texture on the surface of the leaves, wrinkled, grayish white, and pungent fragrance; It has long spikes and large flowers; Like warm, humid and sunny environment, strong cold resistance, but afraid of hot, dry.
Characteristics of Salvia series:
(1) The plant height of "ostrich" is 20 cm in pot and 30 cm to 35 cm in field. The plant shape is compact and short, and the whole inflorescence is dark blue;
(2) The plant height of "Victoria" potted plant is 35 cm, the plant height of ground plant is 45 cm to 60 cm, and the flower spike is blue purple.
Left: ostrich; Right: Victoria
Now let's take a look at the specific cultivation methods:
1、 Sowing and seedling raising
About 920 seeds per gram, generally choose 200 or 288 plug for sowing, medium generally choose imported seedling peat soil or sterilized domestic seedling peat soil, the pH value should be 5.5 to 5.8. After sowing, a thin layer of vermiculite should be covered, and then covered with film. The suitable temperature for germination is 20 ℃ to 23 ℃, and the germination days are 5 to 8 days.
In the first stage of germination, the radicle appeared and began to form. There is no need to apply fertilizer at this stage, but it is very important to keep the seedling medium moist, which requires a certain amount of light. The film was removed gradually after emergence. 1 000 times chlorothalonil or metoclopramide was used to prevent the disease every week, 2 to 3 times continuously.
In the second stage of germination, rooting continued, stem appeared and cotyledons expanded. In order to keep proper humidity and prevent excessive humidity, water-soluble fertilizer with 20-10-20 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium can be applied properly.
In the third stage of germination, the root can be inserted into the hole of the plug, and several true leaves appear. Increasing fertilizer concentration, controlling humidity and temperature, reducing the temperature to about 20 ℃, requiring certain light to prevent the seedlings from overgrowth at this stage.
In the fourth stage of germination, the root system formed clusters with 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves. The temperature and humidity are the same as those in the third stage, the water content should be controlled properly, and the ventilation should be strengthened. It is still necessary to prevent overgrowth and prepare for transplanting.
2、 Transplantation of upper basin
When the true leaves of the plant reach 2 to 3 pieces, the plant starts to be transplanted in the pot. Generally, 12 cm to 13 cm nutrition pot is selected for transplanting. The substrate is loose and ventilated garden soil with organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer.
When 4 pairs of true leaves were grown, 2 pairs of true leaves were removed to promote lateral branches.
3、 Cultivation management
The temperature dropped to 18 ℃ after going to the basin, and it could drop to 15 ℃ in a month. If the temperature is below 15 ℃, the leaves will turn yellow or fall off; When the temperature is above 30 ℃, the flowers and leaves will be small and the plants will stop growing.
It is better to apply ammonium sulfate diluted 1500 times in growth period to change leaf color. Do not apply urea at low temperature. In order to make the root system strong and the branches and leaves prosperous, it is very important to apply fertilizer continuously. 100ppm compound fertilizer containing calcium and magnesium is applied once a half month.
The light likes the environment with sufficient sunshine. In hot summer, it is necessary to shade properly, and strengthen the light at seedling stage to prevent overgrowth.
4、 Pest control
1. Pests: common pests of Salvia are whitefly and aphid, which need to be actively controlled.
2. Diseases: common diseases of Salvia are downy mildew, leaf spot, etc. When the disease occurs, it can be sprayed with 500 times of 50% tobramycin wettable powder.
Salvia farinacea