Celosia argentea var’s scientific name is Celosia argentea var. Cristata Voss, Celosia argentea var. Plumosa belongs to the Amaranthaceae family. Chicken’s comb is also known as chicken’s comb, hoa gong millet, quan hoa millet, flower cot tu flower millet… The plant is long-lived, 30 – 45cm tall or more, with an upright and branched stem. Leaves are oval, gray-green mixed with red. The flower cluster spreads out at the top into a fan shape, looking like a rooster’s comb.

The shape of the cockscomb flower is also quite strange, the real flowers form a cylindrical part below the red crests. Flowers have many colors such as red, yellow, orange or pink, the most common is the color of fire, there are also other colors such as purple, orange-yellow, white, red-yellow. There are plants with very large flower clusters, twisted into crimson spheres. There is also a form with slender, elongated flower clusters, alternating red and yellow.

The plant is grown mainly for its flowers in the summer, but can be grown all year round. Often used for growing in pots, growing in flower gardens and cutting flowers in vases. It is also because the cockscomb flower has beautiful colors and strange shapes that many families like to plant it around the house. However, although the planting technique is very simple, not everyone knows it well. Below is the simplest way to plant and care for cockscomb flowers for your reference.

Suitable growing season and temperature

Chicken comb is an easy plant to grow. The cockscomb flower plant is grown in temples and pagodas, and is small in pots. Genuine cockscomb flower produced in India. They like heat, do not tolerate cold, grow in dry air, enough light, sandy soil, rich in humus. There are two main groups of chicken comb breeds: red and colored

Planting techniques

Choosing varieties: Normally, when growing cockscomb flowers, we plant seeds. Cocktail flower seeds are purple, easy to find at flower seed stores to choose for yourself the cockroach flower plant with the most satisfactory color.

Soil preparation: Cocktails are suitable for light, loose, fragrant soils with a pH of 6 – 6.5.

Sowing: The appropriate temperature for sowing seeds is 20 – 250C. Before that, you water and fertilize the soil, then sow seeds on a thin layer of soil and cover with straw or grass to shade the sun. After 3-5 days the seeds will germinate. During this time, you should not water too much because it will wash away the seeds. If the soil is dry, use a mist sprayer to spray.

Transplanting the tree: After the tree is 5 – 6cm, you should transplant the tree or transfer it to the ground depending on the purpose of use. The soil for growing seedlings is sandy loam combined with coconut fiber, ash or rice husk.

If you want big flowers, you must prune all the young shoots growing in the leaf axils and secondary flowers.  Purple black seeds. There are many types of flower colors, the most common is flame color, there are also other colors such as purple, orange yellow, white, red yellow.

Take care of

The cockscomb is a very “easy-going” flower that is not picky about the soil, does not take much care, but still produces flowers for many seasons, long-lasting, and brilliant. Chicken combs can be easily seen in pots and ornamental flower beds at home, in offices, hospitals, schools, etc.

Water the plants 1-2 times a day, in the early morning and late afternoon, depending on weather conditions. When the plant takes root, fertilize it with diluted microbial fertilizer or earthworms and filter the water to irrigate the plant. When the plant is 35 days old, you should pinch the top to create conditions for the plant’s axillary buds to develop, and the flowers will later be beautiful and large. Fire cockscomb is a type of flower with a horizontal root system, so you should only cultivate it when the plant is young. When entering the mature stage, you should not cultivate it.

It is necessary to prune the buds in the leaf axils when the plant has many small buds. You should prune the buds in the leaf axils, keeping only 1 bud in the main branch to concentrate nutrition on the big flower. After about 60-65 days, the fire cockscomb will bloom. It is also important to pay special attention to placing the flower pot in a place with plenty of light for the plant to photosynthesize and produce brilliant flowers.

Prevent strawberry diseases

Green caterpillars: Bite leaves, eat flower buds. Use drugs such as Sherpa, Fenbis…

Nematodes: After invading plant roots, nematodes cause cell tissue to swell into tumors. To prevent disease, it is necessary to remove diseased plants, destroy them, and spray them with nematodes like Mocap.

Brown spot disease: Circular braided spots, scattered and not adjacent. Severe disease causes leaves to wilt or puncture. Therefore, it is necessary to pick diseased leaves when the disease first appears, apply organic fertilizer, avoid water stagnation, and keep in a sunny and windy place. Or spray Topsin 0.2%. Benlat 0.2%.

Anthrax spot disease: Causes damage to leaves. Initially there are small dry yellow or brown dots, later becoming round spots. Severe disease can damage 1/3 of the leaf area, with dark brown edges and small black dots on the spots. Therefore, it is necessary to pick up and destroy diseased leaves or you can spray drugs such as Benlat 0.2%.

Yellow vein spot disease: The disease usually occurs at the leaf tips, the leaf edges first form small light brown spots, then spread into spots with concentric rings, the raised edges have dark brown edges, remaining yellowish white. , two leaves have brown moldy powder. Growers and caregivers should pick leaves and destroy them when the disease first appears, distribute flower plants openly, receive plenty of light, or spray chemicals such as Benlat 0.2% or Bordeaux 0.5%.