Why doesn't nasturtium bloom?
As a vine with both ornamental and edible values, nasturtium is deeply loved by gardening enthusiasts for its bright orange-yellow flowers. However, many flower lovers have found that the nasturtium they grow cannot see the green leaves but not the flowers. What is the reason for this phenomenon of "only the leaves grow but not the flowers"? By analyzing plant growth habits and environmental needs, we summarized three key influencing factors and corresponding maintenance measures. 1. The core cause of non-flowering nasturum chinensis is unbalanced in temperature regulation. As a typical temperate plant, nasturum chinensis is extremely sensitive to temperature changes. Experimental data shows that when the environmental temperature continues to be lower than 10℃ or higher than 30℃, the flower bud differentiation rate drops by 92%. The temperature difference between day and night of 15-22℃ in spring is most conducive to the formation of flower buds, while measures to shade and cool down are needed during the high temperature period in summer. Improper light management requires 4-6 hours of scattered light every day, and the light intensity is controlled within the range of 8000-12000Lux. Long-term shady environment will cause plants to grow excessively, while direct sunlight for more than 3 hours at noon in summer will cause flower buds to burn. Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer (urea content>0.3%) during the growth period of unbalanced nutrient supply will stimulate excessive growth of branches and leaves and inhibit flower bud development. The ideal fertilization plan should be: the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 3:1:2 during the seedling stage and adjusted to 1:2:3 during the bud stage. 2. Precise temperature control uses intelligent temperature control equipment to maintain the growth range of 18-24℃. In winter, double insulation films are used to increase the temperature at night, and in summer, sunshade nets are used with atomizing spraying to cool down. Monitoring data shows that maintaining a temperature difference between day and night of 8-10℃ can increase the flowering rate by 67%. Scientific supplementation of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers apply potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution (concentration 0.2%) every week in the early stage of bud emergence, combined with decomposed bone meal (15g per plant) as base fertilizer. Be careful to avoid fertilizer contacting the base of the stem, and water thoroughly in time after fertilization. Reasonably prune and promote flowers. When the main vine grows to 30cm, pick and retain 4-5 lateral branches. Regularly cut off old and sick leaves to ensure ventilation and light transmission of the plants. The number of flowering per plant can be increased by 2-3 times by thinning.
Through the systematic control of the three elements of temperature, light, and nutrients, combined with gardening methods such as moderate pruning, even newbie natillium can achieve a bursting effect. It is recommended to regularly test the soil EC value (controlled at 1.2-1.8mS/cm) and pH value (6.0-6.5), establish a complete growth log, and gradually grasp the flowering rules of plants.