MyDailyFlower - Friday Asoka📷🌼🌹🌺

Good Afternoon Blurtters,
Today I would like to share with you five photos of beautiful Asoka flowers. I found these beautiful asoka flowers were planted in the median of the road which is located in Karang Joang Sub-district, North Balikpapan District, Balikpapan City, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Photos taken using the camera of Sony Smartphone.

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The Rules:

• Photo/photos of yours 📷
• Use tag #mydailyflower

My Daily Flowers By Day:
@ Monday Frangipani / @ Adenium Obesum 🌼
@ Tuesday Allamanda
@ Wednesday Hibiscus
@ Thursday Bougainvillea
@ Friday Asoka / Ixora 🌼
@ Saturday Canna
@ Sunday Rose

Thanks For Coming By
Regards,
@bendotri

Soka, Asoka, Ashoka or Ixora Chinensis is shrubs, 0.8-2 meters high, glabrous; branchlets are dark brown and shiny at first, and gray with lines when old. The leaves of Ixora Chinensis are opposite, sometimes several into 4 whorls due to the extremely short internode distance, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, 6-13 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, blunt or apex Round, short pointed or round at the base; midribs are flattened on the top and slightly concave, convex on the bottom, side veins are 7-8 on each side, slender, conspicuous, connected to each other near the leaf margin, transverse veins are loose and conspicuous; The petiole is very short and thick or absent; the stipules are 5-7 mm long, the base is broad, and connate into a sheath shape, the tip is long and acuminate, and the acuminate part is tapered, longer than the sheath. The inflorescence is terminal, multi-flowered, with a short total pedicel; the total pedicel is 5-15 mm long, and the branches are red, and it is rarely powdery pilose. The base often has 2 small leaves supporting; bracts and bracteoles Tiny, born in pairs at the base of the torus; flowers with pedicel or no; calyx tube 1.5-2 mm long, calyx eaves 4-lobed, lobes very short, 0.8 mm long, short pointed or obtuse; corolla red or reddish yellow, long in full bloom 2.5-3 cm, 4 lobed apex, lobes obovate or nearly round, extended or reversed, 5-7 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, blunt or round at the tip; filaments are extremely short, anthers are oblong, approximately in length 2 mm, 2-lobed at the base; style short protruding outside the crown tube, stigma 2, initially close together, diverging when blooming, slightly curved downward. The fruit is subglobose, twin, with a groove in the middle, red and black when mature; the Ixora Chinensis seed is long and 4-4.5 mm wide, convex on the top and concave on the bottom. It's flowering from May to July.

Asoka is not resistant to low temperatures. The optimum temperature for growth is 23~32℃. When the temperature is lower than 20℃, its growth is weakened and the flowering is obviously reduced. However, if the sunshine is sufficient, there will still be a certain number of Flower buds; when the temperature is lower than 10℃, its physiological activity will decrease, Growth is slow; when the temperature is lower than 0℃, it will produce freezing damage. Ixora Chinensis likes acidic soil, the most suitable soil pH is 5~5.5. Soil with good drainage and good fertility retention can grow well. The best cultivation soil is sandy loam or humus loam rich in organic matter. If the soil is alkalescent, the growth of Ixora Chinensis will be blocked and the growth will be poor.

Watering and Fertilizing
These plants should be watered regularly and fertilized monthly especially at its early stages of development. Use a general fertilizer for plants, they will need to be watered once or twice a week, depending on what time of year. Avoid cutting off large portions of this plant’s leaves as they produce oxygen and photosynthesize energy from sunlight to make food for the plant.

Mulching, Pruning, and trimming
Mulch is an essential part of garden and landscape design. It is used to protect the soil from the elements, prevent weeds from growing, conserve water, and provide nutrients to the soil. In addition, when you mulch around the base of the plant, it will help the roots grow strong and prevent them from drying out. Ixora plant should ideally have a layer of organic mulch around it for a for successful growth.

Pruning and trimming are essential tasks for any gardener because it helps maintain plants’ health. The trimming process should be done at specific intervals to ensure that plants stay healthy and produce their best flowers. On the whole, Ixora plants do not require much pruning. You will only need to trim their branches when they start to look too bushy. This will make the Ixora plant appear more attractive and keep its size in check. If you notice that the plants are starting to look unkempt or if the flowers are looking tired or droopy, then you can prune them. Trim anytime during the summer months.

Sowing & Germination
Too much moisture can cause the seeds to rot and course poor germination. Seeds should be kept dry until sowing to ensure good germination and also soaked overnight before planting. It is best to use a container with holes for drainage to help prevent root rot. When planting, use a good quality potting mix that has been amended in order to improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration, and structural stability the ultimate goal is to create a more favorable environment for roots. Make sure that they are spaced evenly apart in the pot. Keep the soil or its environment around 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the germination period. The seedlings should be kept in a shaded location for the first few weeks until the plant has the strength to be moved outside.