When it comes to flowers that look festive, many people will think of flowers such as firecracker vine, trumpet creeper, forsythia and cyclamen, but the plant below whose flowers look particularly like firecrackers is little known. It's not because it is not beautiful or difficult to maintain, but because few people know about it.

The left side of the picture above is the firecracker flower, and the right side is the trumpet creeper

The firecracker flower is often called "explosive flower" or "auspicious grass". It is now used in landscape decoration in many places, but it is rarely grown in potted plants.

The picture above shows the firecracker flower, also known as the lucky grass

The history of cultivation of firecracker flower is not long, and it is a relatively new plant. It is relatively common in Central America. Its stems and leaves are very slender, and its branches are particularly slender with many small branches. It does not grow very tall, and will not take up too much space when planted in the yard.

The picture above shows the firecracker flower in full bloom

The key factors affecting the planting of firecracker flowers are temperature and humidity. It likes a warm and humid environment all year round. It is necessary to avoid too low a temperature for maintenance, and also pay attention to maintaining humidity and more light so that the firecracker flowers can maintain vigorous growth.

The picture above shows the potted firecracker flower

What I like most is the blooming of the firecracker flower. Its flowers are delicate and small, but there are many of them. It can keep blooming continuously from late spring to autumn every year. The bright red flowers hang on the branches, which looks very festive and warm. You can even grow it into a potted plant on the balcony, or grow it into a hanging pot flower.

If you observe the firecracker flower closely, you will find that this plant has no leaves. On the slender branches are tiny scales. It can be said that all its leaves have degenerated and turned into scales growing on the branches.

The most attractive thing about the firecracker flower is its long cylindrical flowers. The flowers are small and cute, and the flowering period is particularly long, usually blooming from May to September.

Logically speaking, since the firecracker flower plant is so small, it should be grown into a potted plant. If it is not taken care of in the yard, it will grow into a large clump and occupy a large space. If it is not pruned carefully, the amount of flowers will become less and less.

The firecracker flower is particularly suitable for growing in pots. You can choose a larger container with larger drainage holes at the bottom and prepare some loose, breathable and well-drained slightly acidic soil. It is originally a tropical flower, and the soil contains a lot of humus. You must also pay attention to keeping it breathable and drained, add more compost soil and river sand, and add a layer of decomposed organic compost to the bottom of the pot.

If you want the firecracker plant to bloom frequently every spring and summer, you should pay attention to regular pruning. It has a characteristic that the flowers only bloom on young branches. If the branches are too scattered or there are too many old branches, the flowering will decrease. After the flowering period, you must pay attention to pruning. Do not choose to prune when the spring is warm, otherwise the flower branches will be cut off and the growth of flowers will not be promoted.

Firecracker flower is particularly suitable for planting in southern regions. It can be grown outdoors all year round in places like Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan where there is no frost all year round. One thing needs to be emphasized, firecracker flower is very afraid of cold, especially very afraid of cold, and can only accept short-term low temperatures. The maintenance temperature should be kept above 7 degrees. If the temperature is too low, it will get frostbite.

If you are growing firecracker flowers in a greenhouse, it is best to keep the maintenance temperature above 12 degrees in winter. Too low a temperature will easily cause the firecracker flowers to wilt and turn yellow, and in severe cases they will die.

This is also the reason why the firecracker flower is not so common. It is impossible for such a cold-sensitive plant to become a popular plant if it is not grown in a pot.

The firecracker flower needs sufficient light when grown in a flowerpot to bloom. It is best to grow it on a south-facing or east-facing balcony and give it more direct light every day. If it is late autumn or winter and the temperature drops, it should be moved indoors and attention should be paid to supplementing it with more scattered light.

Another key point is that the firecracker flower does not need the soil to be moist all the time. You should pay attention to watering it normally. You can only add water to it after the soil is slightly dry. Generally, you should wait until the bottom 3 to 5 cm of the soil is dry before adding water to it. The firecracker flower will not die if it is slightly dry, but if the soil is wet for a long time, the roots and stems will rot soon.

Although the firecracker flower is slightly drought-resistant, it prefers higher air humidity and will not grow well in dry air. The firecracker flower is so contradictory that it needs to be sprayed with water around it regularly to increase the air humidity. This is also because its leaves are degenerating, so the need for humidity increases.

The good thing about raising firecracker flowers is that they are heat and sun resistant. It doesn't matter if they are exposed to the sun all day in the summer. If there is good ventilation and plenty of sunlight, just pay attention to replenishing water in time. If you want it to bloom more, you can add organic liquid fertilizer every two weeks in spring and summer, and occasionally add phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, which can promote the growth of firecracker flowers and bloom more.

The firecracker flower grown in a pot grows very fast and has a well-developed root system. It usually needs to be repotted every one or two years, and new potting soil needs to be added every year to keep it fertile enough for growth. It is best to repot after the flowering period is over to avoid affecting flowering.