On the Growth and Overwintering of Sedum in Two Places in Japan Climate Zone 8

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to experimentally clarify the growth and cold hardiness of the Sedum species in Zone 8 of the Japanese climate. Two such places that were examined were Kanagawa prefecture (Tsukui-machi, 8b) and Miyagi prefecture (Matsuyama-machi, 8a). The study evaluated the growth state of the species based on the fresh weight of the plants, their number of shoots and the length of the stems.
As a result, the following three observations were recognized for the growth state of the species under direct sunlight conditions in both areas. I) The species over wintering in both areas were S. potosinum, S. sarmentosum, S. spurium and S. tahesimense.
II) Over wintering was possible in Tsukui-machi for S. makinoi and S. mexicanum but their growth declined in Matsuyamamachi. III) Growth of S. oryzifolium declined in both areas. Under shading conditions with a 30% relative light intensity, Sedum types II and III grew in Matsuyama-machi.
This study also clarified the application effect of nitrogen (N), phosphoric acid (P) and potassium (K) on S. mexicanum under cold hardiness conditions in both areas. From the study, it can be concluded that the plants developed high responses under the N-P application. The plants that had experienced declining growth in a cold environment had an improvement in growing conditions under the N-P factor in Matsuyama-machi. This study demonstrated that over wintering might be enhanced by promoting growth through adjusting light intensity and fertilization.