The evergreen myrtle tree, which, along with other ornamental plants can be grown in apartment conditions, attracts the attention of flower growers with a spectacular appearance and pleasant aroma. Despite the fact that the flower is rather capricious and whimsical, having carefully studied all the nuances and subtleties of its content, you can grow a beautiful ornamental shrub that pleases the eye for many years. How to properly care for the culture and what it needs to create conditions for a comfortable living, let's figure it out.

Botanical description of the plant

The myrtle tree is an evergreen shrub of the Myrtle family, whose homeland is considered to be the Mediterranean states, in particular, Southern Europe and North Africa. The plant has small oval-pointed opposite leaves of a dark green color, leathery in structure. Shoots - strong, flexible, well branched. The pillar is erect, thin, but rather strong.

Did you know? All parts of the plant, in particular, the flowers and leaves of the myrtle tree, contain the same name oil. If you look through the leaflet through the rays of light, you can see the small dots and veins in which this product is located. During flowering, axillary flowers are formed on the shrub, consisting of five petals of white or cream colors. The flowers are fixed on a long and thin peduncle, have a pleasant aroma. The flowering period of the crop falls in June-July. After flowering, the plant produces fruits - round or elongated berries (nuts) of dark green, dark blue or light green color. Edible fruits, in their composition have 10-15 seeds, ripen in late November - early December.

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Under natural conditions, myrtle flowers are pollinated by insects. In apartment conditions, they should be pollinated independently using a cotton swab or a small brush.

Since myrtle is valued not only for its appearance, but also for its medicinal properties, they like to use it to treat ailments in traditional medicine. In particular, essential oil has healing, anti-inflammatory, general strengthening properties, due to which it is used in the treatment of colds, flu, acute respiratory viral infections, inflammation of the female genital organs and urinary tract. Medical decoctions and infusions are prepared from the leaves and flowers of home myrtle, which are taken orally to get rid of allergic reactions, headaches, and inflammation of the respiratory system.

It is believed that myrtle is poisonous. Indeed, its leaves contain a small portion of a toxic substance, but there is no danger from it for a healthy person. However, you need to understand that the use of a flower for the treatment of ailments should be strictly dosed, and most importantly - agreed with the attending physician.

Purchase and adaptation

The key to a beautiful, magnificent flowering and long life of the myrtle is considered to be a healthy and strong plant. Therefore, when choosing a culture in a flower shop, it is recommended to pay attention to:

• leaves - they should have a shiny surface, elastic, strong structure, have a rich dark green color;
• branches - should be strong, flexible, without yellowness and dryness;
• soil - should have a slightly moistened structure.

The presence of dry, yellowed leaves, too dry and stagnant soil indicates that the basic rules for growing a flower were violated, in particular, non-observance of the irrigation and dressing regime, lack of lighting, etc.

Immediately after the purchase, the flower needs a transplant with a complete replacement of the earthen coma. The new soil enriched with valuable components will allow the plant to adapt more quickly to new conditions and shoot.

How to transplant myrtle after purchase

An obligatory step after the acquisition of myrtle is its transplantation into a new capacity. For planting, it is recommended to use a soil mixture, which necessarily includes equal parts of turf land, peat, humus and fine river sand. Culture transplantation is carried out by the classical method, with the complete replacement of the earthen coma.

Transplantation activities are carried out according to the following scheme:

• at the bottom of the new tank, which should be 2-3 cm in diameter larger than the previous one, line the drainage layer using expanded clay or pebbles;
• cover the drainage layer with a small layer of the prepared substrate;
• gently, holding the lower part of the trunk, stretch the plant and examine the root processes. If dry, damaged, rotten roots are present, remove them with a sharp knife. Sprinkle places of cuts with crushed activated or charcoal. Completely rid the root system of old soil;
• place the myrtle in a pot, carefully aligning the root processes;
• sprinkle the culture with the remaining soil, while leaving the root neck above the soil;
• Water the planted plant, and be sure to drain the moisture remaining in the pan.

The planted flower is placed in a well-lit place, provide him with peace of mind for 7-10 days, so that it can quickly get used to new conditions.

Video: Myrtle Transplant

Prerequisites and proper care

In order for a myrtle indoor plant to please with its beautiful flowering, it is necessary to create certain growing conditions and follow the rules of care, which are to maintain a high level of humidity, comfortable temperature and high-quality lighting.

Lighting

One of the main requirements of a plant for growing in a home environment is lighting. Myrtle belongs to photophilous cultures and prefers bright, but diffused lighting. The best habitat for the tree is the window sills on the south, south-west or south-east side of the apartment.

When the flower is located on the east side, it is necessary to establish additional light sources, since due to its deficiency, foliage will turn pale and fall. The optimal daylight hours should be at least 10 hours. As additional lighting, experts recommend the use of special, fairly powerful phytolamps.

It should be noted that a tree can easily tolerate direct sunlight, but should not be exposed to them for a long time. In summer it is recommended to take the flower out into the air, but protect it from drafts and sudden gusts of wind.

Temperature and humidity

Myrtle does not like too hot climate and in summer feels great at air temperature +18 ... + 20 ° С. In winter, when the plant is at rest, it needs coolness. At this time, it is enough to maintain the temperature indicators in the apartment at the level of +5 ... + 10 ° С.

Important! If in winter you do not take care of lowering the temperature parameters in the room, then the myrtle can partially, and sometimes completely, discard the foliage. You also need to remember that at a low temperature, flower buds are laid in the plant. Since the natural habitat of the shrub is subtropics, then in apartment conditions it needs to be organized similar: indoors, regardless of the season, humidity should be maintained at 60–70%. In the summer, when dry air prevails, you need to install additional moisture sources close to the flower, for example, water containers, decorative fountains, aquariums with fish. To ensure proper moisture, the flower must be sprayed using a spray bottle and soft, settled, but not cold water. If the air is too dry, the tree begins to lose its aesthetic appearance, discards foliage, becomes lethargic and lifeless.

In winter, when low temperatures prevail in the room, it is better to refuse spraying.

Watering

Myrtle tree, as an inhabitant of the subtropical climate, requires frequent and plentiful watering. Before watering myrtle, it is necessary to analyze the condition of the soil - it should always be moderately moist. It is not recommended to allow excessive dryness or waterlogging of the soil, as this negatively affects the appearance of the crop. Irrigation measures should be carried out according to a strictly developed scheme.

The need for watering is determined by drying (but not completely drying) the top layer of the earth. To moisten the flower, they practice the lower watering method, when water is poured directly into the pan. After 10-15 minutes, excess moisture is poured from the pan to prevent its stagnation, which can cause rotting of the root system. Important! The complete drying of the earth can lead to the death of the flower, in which it will be impossible to revive the plant. When the top soil layer dries up, it is recommended to water the flower by immersion, placing the pot in a container with water for 5–7 minutes.

To moisturize the tree, soft, settled or filtered water of room temperature is used. In winter, the frequency of irrigation is reduced and irrigated as necessary.

Top dressing

In order for the bush to be able to fully develop, to maintain intensive growth and flowering processes, it is recommended to fertilize it regularly. In a warm period of dressing should be applied every 10-14 days. In winter, fertilizing the plant is not recommended.

Read more about the proper nutrition of indoor plants.

As a top dressing, it is allowed to use any universal universal means intended for decorative-leaf or flowering crops. The feed mixture is always applied in liquid form. To do this, it must be dissolved in warm water and shed the plant only the next day after traditional watering.

Experts advise choosing the type of fertilizer based on the ultimate goals of growing the plant. For good flowering, phosphorus-based products should be used, and for a compact, neat tree, complexes with a high nitrogen content should be used.

Pruning

Pruning is very well tolerated by the plant - with its help, you can give the tree the desired decorative shape, creating various compositions.

The procedure is recommended not more than once a year, in early spring, after a period of winter dormancy. It is better to combine pruning with a tree transplant - this will rejuvenate the plant and stimulate its active growth. To find out how to prune myrtle properly, you should decide on the desired shape of the tree. If the main goal is to get a beautiful shrub at home, then you need to trim the upper shoots. To form a tree with a lush crown, you should trim the sides. If you do not take any cropping actions, then the plant will eventually take the form of a pyramid.

Important! Frequent pinching of the top of the tree will lead to the fact that its size will become much smaller. Immediately after cutting the shoots, experts recommend applying fertilizers in full dosage. Top dressing will stimulate the growth of shoots and improve the adaptation of the plant to a new form. Cropped shoots can be used as cuttings for propagation.

How to propagate

Florists who grow indoor plants should know how to grow myrtle at home. Two methods are used to propagate the culture: cuttings and using seeds.

Seeds

Breeding myrtle tree with the seed method is a very complex, time-consuming and time-consuming process, therefore it is not suitable for beginner growers. However, if you want to grow a culture at home, you can still using material purchased in specialized stores.

To get a new myrtle from seeds, a number of complex measures are performed:

• 8-10 cm thick soil is poured into the container for future shoots, which includes peat and river sand mixed in equal proportions;
• seeds are evenly sown on the soil surface, not tamped, sprinkled on top with a layer of the remaining substrate (3-4 cm);
• the soil surface is moistened, and the container is covered with a plastic film;
• after the appearance of the first shoots - after about 1-2 weeks - the film is removed;
• as soon as the sprouts grow and get stronger, they are dived into separate containers.

When the root system completely fills the pots, then the plant can be transplanted into constant containers. When cultivating the myrtle tree with the seed method, flowering occurs after 5 years.

Did you know? Common myrtle and other varieties are widely used in cooking as an additive to various dishes. In particular, berries are used to make jams, jams, liquor and wine. Leaves are used as seasoning in marinades and pickles, meat and fish dishes.

Cuttings

Compared with the seed method, the vegetative method of reproduction requires less effort and time. Moreover, flowering during cuttings occurs much faster. The procedure is carried out in February or March, or in the summer in July.

To propagate the myrtle tree using the vegetative method, the following steps are taken:

• 5–8 cm semi-lignified shoots are cut from a healthy, strong plant from the lower or middle part. To prevent evaporation of moisture, part of the leaves are removed from the stalk;
• the soil mixture is poured into the tank, which consists of equal parts of sheet soil and fine sand;
• cuttings are planted in the soil to a depth of 4-5 cm at a distance of 5-10 cm from each other;
• the surface of the earth is sprayed with water from a spray gun;
• to form a greenhouse effect, the container with cuttings is covered with a film or glass;
• the container is placed in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of +18 ... + 20 ° С;
• To prevent root decay, a container with processes is periodically opened and ventilated.

Rooting cuttings occurs approximately 30 days after planting. A sign of successful rooting is the formation of young leaves on the shoots. Further, grown and matured cuttings are transplanted into separate pots and provide them with proper care. The first flowering can be observed after 3-4 years.

Possible growing difficulties

When growing a culture, flower growers may encounter such difficulties:

• the color of the leaves becomes less intense, the leaves become smaller, the stem stretches in height - indicates a lack of lighting;
• the leaf plate turns yellow, brown spots appear on it, the edges of the leaves dry and curl - indicates an excessive amount of light and lack of moisture;
• leaves fall off - the reason may be a high temperature in the room in the winter or lack of lighting;
• drying of branches - is a consequence of too low humidity in the room;
• lack of flowering - the causes of this phenomenon may be too frequent and abundant pruning or lack of ventilation in the room.

Violation of the rules for growing myrtle tree can also lead to its defeat by pests.

The plant can be attacked by parasites such as:

• spider mite - its effect is expressed as the formation of a white web from the bottom of the leaf plate;
• scabies - adversely affects the foliage of the bush, sticky mucus and brown spots appear on it;
• aphid - settles on the underside of the leaf plate, eats juice, which is manifested by drying and darkening of the leaf.

To destroy parasites capable of modern insecticides, which are recommended to process the foliage and stem of the myrtle. In addition, for pest control and prevention, experts advise wiping the leaves with a soap solution, garlic tincture or a weak tobacco solution.

Myrtle is a cult evergreen tree that delights gardeners with a spectacular appearance and the presence of a number of unique healing qualities. The flowers and leaves of the plant contain essential oil, which has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-cold properties and is used to treat various ailments.