Morphological characteristics of zebra flowers
Zebra flower is named after the stripes on its leaves are similar to the patterns on zebras, and it is also called silver vein single vanilla flower. They are evergreen shrubs or perennial herbs and single herb flowers of Acanthaceae.
The stems are erect and square, and the plants are stout and slightly fleshy. Leaves opposite, ovate or elliptic-ovate.
, the apex is sharp, the stalk is short, the leaf length is15cm to 30cm, and the width is about10cm. The leaves are sharp, dark green and shiny, and there are obvious white striped veins on the leaves, and the edges of the veins are undulating. Spikes are terminal or axillary. The flower clusters are pyramid-shaped, the bracts are yellow, and sometimes the edges are red. They are alternately wrapped with pedicels, a bit like roof tiles. The flower is lip-shaped, with five sepals, pale yellow, and can be opened all year round under suitable conditions.
The Origin and Habits of Zebra Flowers
Zebra flowers are native to tropical and subtropical areas of South America. They like warm and humid semi-cloudy environment, are not cold-resistant and afraid of drought. Although they like plenty of sunshine, they are afraid of strong direct sunlight. They can be stored in bright light and no direct sunlight. The optimum growth temperature is 65438 08℃ to 25℃. Because of the large leaf area, the evaporation of water is also large. In the growing season, in addition to watering a lot, water should also be sprayed on the leaves frequently to improve the air humidity and prevent the leaf edge from burning. It needs loose and fertile soil. Fear of direct light, avoid cold and heat, higher than 35℃ or lower than 6℃ will cause leaf damage. I like fertile and loose soil, but I'm afraid of stagnant water.
Breeding method of zebra flower
Zebra flowers are native to tropical and subtropical areas of South America. I like warm and humid semi-cloudy environment, not cold-resistant, afraid of drought, although I like plenty of sunshine, but I am afraid of strong direct sunlight, so I can put it in a place with bright light and no direct sunlight for maintenance. When planting, you should master the following techniques:
(1) lighting
Usually indoor culture can be placed in front of a south-facing window with sufficient light. Pay attention to proper shading around noon in summer to avoid direct sunlight.
The optimum growth temperature is 20~25℃, and flower buds can be formed above 20℃. The indoor temperature in winter should not be lower than 65438 00℃. If the room temperature is too low, it is easy to suffer from freezing damage and even cause the leaves to fall off.
(3) Fertilizer
From early summer to early autumn, from flower bud differentiation to pregnancy, compound liquid fertilizer of 1 time can be applied every half month to promote its flourishing growth.
(4) Humidity
Zebra has large mosaic area and large water evaporation. In the growing season, in addition to watering a lot, they often spray water on the leaves to improve the air humidity and prevent the leaves from burning. Apply decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer or compound fertilizer once every 10 day. In winter, put it in bright indoor light, reduce watering appropriately, and keep the room temperature above 10℃. If there is heating in the room, spray it with water close to room temperature to avoid affecting plant growth due to air drying. After flowering, the plants have a dormancy period of 4 ~ 6 weeks, so it is advisable to control watering and stop fertilization. Too much watering can easily lead to rotten roots and fallen leaves. After the dormancy period is over, change the basin once. Pot soil should be rich in humus and have good air permeability.
(5) Soil
Potted soil needs rich humus and good air permeability. Can be mixed with humus soil or peat soil and 1/3 vermiculite or perlite. After changing pots, put the plants in a warm and semi-shady place, keep the soil and air moist, and wait for the new branches to sprout.
(6) Pruning
Because zebra flowers rarely grow lateral branches on their own, heading or pruning can be carried out in cultivation to control the height of plants, maintain the beautiful shape of plants, promote lateral buds and achieve the purpose of more flowers. After the flowers wither, the residual flowers should be cut off in time to avoid consuming too much nutrients and affecting the plant growth.
Key points of zebra flower cultivation
The conventional propagation method of zebra flowers is cutting, which can be carried out by cutting stems with leaves in early summer or by cutting roots or buds in winter and spring. After cutting, the soil remains moist, the air humidity is high, and it is easy to take root at 25℃. If the temperature is not suitable, the germination ability is not strong and the reproduction rate is low. It can also be propagated by in vitro culture technology, and the effect is good. The specific method is as follows: take buds from vigorous plants, disinfect them with 0. 1% mercuric chloride, inoculate them into Ms culture medium, and add cytokinin 6? BA 1.0？ 2.0 mg/L, and the auxin IBA is about 0.4 mg/L. The proliferation pathway is bud formation or callus differentiation into seedlings. When the bud grows to about 2 cm, it can be moved to 1/2MS+IBA0.5? 1.0 mg/L rooting medium can take root in about 40 days. Except in the hot summer season, it can be transplanted in one year, and the survival rate is over 90%. The matrix should be loose fine sand, perlite and vermiculite. Transplanted seedlings grow rapidly and can meet the requirements of commercial potted flowers in about half a year. Care should be taken to keep the leaves clean during maintenance, otherwise it is easy to get leaf spot, which will cause the leaves to fall off and affect the ornamental effect. For deciduous plants, it can be compensated by retraction and pruning to promote the germination of new buds at the base.
Matters needing attention in breeding zebra flowers
Pest prevention