King Kongwan Sowing Records and Case Summary
An introduction to the succulent plant King Kongwan, including sowing records and case summaries, detailed introduction as follows:
Sowed at the end of July 2009:
Small spines started to appear at the end of August 2009:
First potting on December 12, 2009:
Kept in a heated storage box over the winter until February of the following year:
Re-potted in April to a single room:
Current photos:
Individual cases of ball care:
Such sowing usually results in a diameter of about 3cm in the second year, and the management is almost the same as that of a mature ball. According to my experience in ball care, a mature ball refers to one that is 3-4cm or larger, most of which can bloom. This is my first King Kongwan, the spines are ordinary, but the size and condition are well maintained. Due to record-keeping, the photo from June when I got it is no longer available. Here is the appearance from September 2009 when it started to recover:
After a winter of dormancy, the body is well rested and many flower buds have emerged in the spring:
The flower buds are growing:
The flowers bloom beautifully, with slightly green petals that are very appealing:
Condition in June 2010:
Recovery of a problematic King Kongwan with wild spines: This is my favorite King Kongwan, which I received at the end of the previous year. At that time, I was quite worried. The ball and spines are very appealing, but the lower part of the ball has a yellowish orange color, which doesn't seem like sunburn and feels hard to the touch, not like an internal injury or disease. I consulted some experts, some said it was risky and would recover slowly, others said that the green at the top of the ball was not a big deal. Since I really like it, I think it might have been caused by strong light and less water during the previous cultivation, resulting in a robust King Kongwan that should be over 5 years old, not the type that is cultivated with a lot of water. Of course, it is also possible that previous Japanese gardeners used medicine, so I took a risk and started to cultivate it.
Now it is slowly recovering, becoming hard and green, which makes me very happy. Let's first look at its appearance when it came back, although it has a logo, the orange color still makes me feel uneasy:
Look at the roots, you can guess that it was cultivated in a very bold way:
Kept in a dry state over the winter and planted after the New Year. The photo on March 28 has already started to recover slowly:
The photo in July, it has turned much greener, now it feels very hard and solid, and the ridges are also turning green. I plan to strengthen the root care, increase sunlight, and make it solid:
Changes in a favorite small-bellied King Kongwan: It is important to cultivate what you like and to cultivate it well. After half a year of cultivation, this is how it looked when it was just planted in early March:
In late March, new spines started to appear after watering:
The photo in May, almost one spine seat has emerged:
The photo taken on July 27, the pot is almost full:
Current photo:
Let me talk about my approach:
1. Soil mixture: Basically granulated, as my home conditions are limited, I can only cultivate balls on the inner balcony and windowsill, with poor ventilation and sunlight. Using granular soil makes it more breathable and easier to dry, compensating for the lack of conditions. It also compensates for my habit of overwatering. Sometimes I overwater, but it usually doesn't rot the ball. The soil mixture is still the usual akadama, rainbow stone, nikkou stone, orchid stone, and other mixtures, with some peat, rice husk ash, and base fertilizer added at the bottom, with larger particles at the bottom and smaller particles where the roots touch. Everyone can flexibly apply this according to their environment. For example, if the environment is good, you can increase the proportion of peat and other water-retaining media. Some experts have said that soil mixture is just a carrier, the most important thing is watering and other management such as sunlight, but for新手 friends, a good soil mixture is laying a solid foundation, starting with granular soil is still useful.
2. Watering: The space between the ridges of King Kongwan is relatively large, so watering can be slightly relaxed, but once the ridges have swelled, it is important to pay attention to the timing of watering and the ventilation and sun exposure after watering, especially during the plum rain season and in hot, humid, and poorly ventilated weather, otherwise it is easy to burst the ball. For strong spined and wild spined King Kongwan, it is still necessary to control the water and make the ball solid, as a tight ball can better highlight the strong spines.
3. Sunlight: I feel that King Kongwan has a high elasticity in its need for sunlight. Photos from the native area show that although it grows in grass, the sunlight should be relatively strong, with wetness in the grass and good ventilation. Different King Kongwan show different states under different lighting conditions. From my own experience with some King Kongwan, those with a brighter green color are not very resistant to sunlight and can easily turn yellow or red, while those with a dark green color are more resistant to sunlight and do not change color significantly. Under less intense sunlight, King Kongwan will show a round and lustrous state, which I like very much. It looks like polished oil, very beautiful. However, for strong spined King Kongwan, good sunlight is still needed to match, flatten the ball, compress the ball, and make the growth rate of the spines faster than that of the ball, which can achieve good results, but attention should be paid to control, as too much yellow or red can look unattractive.
Cases of failed care: Of course, there are also cases of failed care, such as this favorite 5-ridged pot that was overturned, injured roots replanted, and new spines became smaller after recovery. Also, this favorite white-spined King Kongwan cracked a small opening at the bottom ridge due to insufficient ventilation after watering during the plum rain season. These balls have also summarized some small experiences.
Failure case 1: Degeneration of spines
Failure case 2
Some personal experiences:
1. Transplanting and pruning roots are best done before new spines have germinated, otherwise, just after the roots have been moved, the nutrition cannot keep up, and new spines will emerge immediately, usually in a state slightly worse than the old spines.
2. It is best to buy King Kongwan during the dormant period, prune the roots when you get it, so that the roots and new spines grow at the same time. The worst thing is to buy a ball with new spines already sticking out a bit, as the roots will shrink after pruning and the new spines will be thinner.
3. Be careful during the plum rain season. King Kongwan is a variety that is prone to cracking. After watering indoors, it cannot be exposed to sunlight without ventilation, otherwise it will crack immediately at the bottom of the ridges. It is fine to be exposed to rain all day outdoors because of good sunlight and ventilation. I have had a decent King Kongwan crack here, but King Kongwan grows relatively fast and can still be flipped over.
4. The sunlight for King Kongwan, which is native to grassland areas, does not have a significant need for sunlight. Wild ones are sunburned yellow, and if overexposed to sunlight during home cultivation, they will also turn yellow or red, which can look unattractive. With moderate and weak sunlight, King Kongwan will look like jade with a waxy luster, which I like very much. However, for strong spined King Kongwan, sunlight should still be strong, with attention to control, making the ball look dry and the spines will look better even if they do not become thicker.
5. The problem of degeneration in strong spined King Kongwan, some strong spined ones will degenerate after being cultivated at home, and I have had two King Kongwan balls like this. One reason is that the new spines look smaller after the ball swells, and the other is that I feel the roots have not grown well yet, and the spines are growing based on the previous nutrition of the ball rather than the strength of the roots, so they become weak. Generally, new spines will be good after the roots grow well. For example, the King Kongwan below.
6. The necessity of dormancy, as the saying goes, the way of life is to alternate between tension and relaxation. Normal dormancy helps with blooming and growth the following year. King Kongwan can endure temperatures as low as minus 4-5 degrees Celsius over the winter. One of my friends in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai has kept King Kongwan outdoors over the winter without any problems, and the second year, it bloomed six flowers and the new spines became thicker. This is a pleasing change. Generally, in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, indoor balcony temperatures are sufficient for overwintering. The trouble is for friends in the north with heating, who need to find a suitable place for it to hibernate, which is also more convenient for them.
The above is the specific introduction of the sowing records and case summaries of King Kongwan, hoping everyone will like it!