Spring and autumn are the best seasons for leaf cutting. According to the experience of leaf cutting on the balcony at home, I will share some with you. The first step is to choose healthy leaves. First choose to find leaves from healthy plants. You can choose strong leaves on the lower part of the stem, and shake them from side to side. Pick out the unhealthy leaves that are obviously yellow or damaged in the roots. Otherwise, they will be mixed and planted. The unhealthy leaves are easy to mold and rot and infect other leaves. While selecting healthy leaves, be sure to shake them gently to keep the leaves near the roots, otherwise they will not grow out no matter how healthy they are.
The second step is to dry the leaves. Put the healthy leaves under scattered light for 3-5 days. The wound will heal. At the same time, the leaves may slightly collapse or wrinkle. , But still did not grow roots and shoots, it also shows that the leaves are not very healthy, of course you can stay and continue to observe. If the air humidity is right (40%-50% during the day and more than 75% at night), the leaves will begin to germinate and root in the air.
The third step is to choose a container that is not too deep, but a pot with a certain width. If you want the balcony to look professional and tidy, you can choose a seedling box similar to the one used for sowing, or use a bonsai pot for a smaller one and a seedling pot for a larger one. . Of course, vacant dwarf flowers at home, even egg trays, and fast food boxes are all fine.
In the fourth step, I have seen some people use pure red jade soil and pure vermiculite, but combining my own experience and some reference materials (see the end of the article), the seedlings after the leaf cutting cannot be removed immediately, and they still need to be removed. It grows for half a year to a year, so it is recommended that it can be used for leaf cutting and seedling growth. The reference still recommends German peat: vermiculite: rice husk ash: perlite=1:2:1:1, actually many It doesn’t matter if you have a little less, just pay special attention to increasing the proportion of vermiculite. After the soil is prepared, use a water spray can to lightly spray water before the leaf cutting, without soaking it like sowing.
The fifth step is to adjust the air humidity. It is especially emphasized here, because when you visit other people’s succulent greenhouses, you can see the pots, and the leaves of the planting seedlings grow well, so why not go to your own home. There is a big difference between the environment of the balcony at home and the environment of the greenhouse. The air humidity will kill the balcony. Air humidity≠soil humidity, air humidity≠soil humidity, air humidity≠soil humidity, it is important to say three times! !
The air humidity in the flower room at night can usually reach 90%, 95% or even higher is very likely. The above picture is the humidity in the flower room in the afternoon, 88%. In such a high-humidity environment, plants can germinate roots in the air. For the northern balcony where there are not too many plants, it is good that the air humidity can reach 60% at night, 20%-30% during the day is normal, the humidity in the south may be higher, and it may reach 80% during the rainy season. This is the difference! ! So how to increase the balcony air humidity, humidifier? I don’t know. But personal experience is that you can grow some other green leafy plants on the balcony, such as Chlorophytum, Asparagus, Pennisetum fern, etc. The frequency of watering may be higher, but it can effectively increase the humidity of the balcony. Take Beijing as an example, the balcony humidity can reach 75%-80% after 9 o’clock in the evening, and it may drop to 40% at 8 o’clock in the morning. Under such conditions, leaf cutting can already be successful. The sixth step is to place the leaves as long as the humidity of the fourth step is achieved. As for whether the leaves are inserted into the soil, or whether they are laid flat on the soil surface, the roots germinate and then buried in the soil, it feels that the difference is not too great. Therefore, in order to save trouble, it is good to insert the dried leaves directly into the soil obliquely, instead of inserting them too deeply, just bury them in the soil a little bit so that the leaves can be stabilized.
After that, wait patiently. One week, two weeks, or one month is possible, as long as the leaves are not dewatered, dry, or mildewed.
The seventh, very important step, maintenance after leaf insertion, basically does not need to be watered before the leaves grow buds and roots. Pay attention to creating relatively high air humidity; when the small buds and roots of the leaves are slightly out, the main When there are roots, you can start to give a small amount of water, once a week is almost the same. (It is not possible to water the soil a lot at this stage, mainly because it may cause leaf hydration or mold rot.)
A complete leaf disc begins to grow in about two months. After the root system has grown, it can be used as a seedling for maintenance. Gradually, you can start to be exposed to full-day sunlight, water 1-2 times a week, and a well-ventilated outdoor terrace. It can be twice a week, once a week indoors, and learn to observe and adjust according to the growth state. This is particularly important, and it is also the intention of people who like plants. For example, if the seedlings are thin and thin, you must pay attention to increasing the light. Appropriately reduce watering.
