Myrtle family. Homeland - Southern Europe, North Africa. The myrtle plant "Myrtus communis" is an evergreen tree or shrub growing about 3 metres tall under natural conditions. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, small, 1-1.5 cm long, located opposite, on very short petioles. It blooms for 4-5 years with small flowers about 2 cm in diameter, the corolla of the flower is five-petalled, white. Fruits are dark blue berries of oblong shape.
Translated from ancient Greek, myrtle means - "balm, myrrh." And no wonder, because essential oils obtained from myrtle leaves are effective for treating a number of diseases. And phytoncides secreted by myrtle leaves are able to disinfect indoor air, freeing it from pathogens.
In ancient Greece, myrtle was a symbol of purity and chastity. Myrtle wreaths decorated the heads of brides.
The ancient Greeks planted whole myrtle groves, and constantly used the wonderful properties of myrtle in everyday life and medicine: they washed themselves with infusion of myrtle leaves, added myrtle fruits to wine, treated lung and blood diseases, wounds and burns with fresh leaf juice.
Myrtle is one of the most common and simple plants among bonsai lovers. Myrtle shoots are quite plastic, easily formed by wire. But most importantly, myrtle has a dense crown and small leaves, perfectly tolerates pruning.
Myrtle care
Temperature: moderate, in winter the optimal temperature is 8-10 ° C. In general, myrtle is not entirely suitable for home, rather it is a plant for a winter garden, but many, nevertheless, grow it in apartments. The difficulty in growing myrtle at home is that it needs cold wintering. Room myrtle tolerates a decrease in air temperature in winter to + 7 ° C, but reacts very poorly to dry air, lack of light at high temperatures. In summer, it is advisable to keep it outdoors - on the balcony or in the garden.
If you have an insulated balcony, veranda, terrace or winter garden, where there is enough light, and in winter the temperature does not drop below + 6-7 ° C, you cannot imagine better conditions. Fresh air, cool wintering, enough sun in the morning or evening, and myrtle will live with you for many years .
The myrtle tree grows vigorously with good care, and can reach about 1-1.5 m in height in 3-5 years. Such an instance is not transplanted into a pot, but a small tub.
Lighting: Myrtle is light-loving and requires good lighting at home. He needs to be given the brightest and sunniest place. With a lack of light, especially in autumn and winter, the shoots stretch out, acquire a light green tint, the twigs are very thin, grassy, the leaves are small and rare. If the plant is forced to stand in a cool place in winter, you need to install lamps nearby (fluorescent or LED). Myrtles grow well on the sunny east window, on the southeast - ideally, on the south and west, you may need shading during the hottest hours in summer. On the north side, myrtles grow, but more slowly, and provided that the windows do not shade houses and trees from the street.
Watering: plentiful from spring to autumn, drying the top layer of the earth. Periodically loosen the soil in the pot closer to the edges. In winter, with a decrease in temperature, they water less often, drying more, but not allowing complete drying. Myrtle has a good guide to the need for watering: watch the very tips of the shoots, when the ground begins to dry out, they descend. If you miss this moment, the twigs may finally droop and dry. The plant suffers heavy drying, shoots and leaves are not restored. The root system is fibrous, quickly consumes moisture and dries up. But excessive watering is also fraught with rot decay and plant death. Myrtle do not like watering with hard and chlorinated water.
Top dressing: during the period of active growth with complex fertilizer for indoor plants. Feeding is carried out every two weeks. If the plant was transplanted, you need to refrain from feeding for a month or a month and a half.
Humidity: all myrtle love high humidity - optimal 60%, so if your hygrometer shows less than 40%, it's worth starting to spray. From time to time, plants can be rinsed under a warm shower. If the humidity is below 30%, turn on the humidifier.
Myrtle transplant
Transplantation of young myrtle bushes is carried out annually. An adult myrtle tree is transplanted after 3-4 years, but the upper layer of the earth is changed annually or if necessary, if a salt deposit appears - a gray-red effusion on lumps of earth. The soil 2-3 part turf, 1 part peat land (or leaf), 1 part humus, 1 part fine gravel (very coarse sand) or vermiculite, 1 part chopped pine bark.
Growing problems
The main problem with myrtle is dry air and too high temperatures in winter - while the plant begins to turn yellow and fly around the leaves, dry branches. Such a plant is easily affected by the scale and spider mite.
If you do not have the opportunity to transfer the myrtle to a cooler room, you need to fence off the edge of the windowsill, where there is a pot of warm air with a greenhouse film - pull it along the entire edge to a height of 50-60 cm. Periodically spray the leaves, and if the shoots are pulled out, then shine. Instead of a film, you can install a glass frame on the very edge of the windowsill, or better from thin plexiglass or polycarbonate. This design allows you to maintain the temperature on the windowsill about 18-20 ° C, and if the frames are wooden, then even lower.
Another problem of myrtle is pests. Mealy worms and ticks can clearly and seriously harm it. Both of them, if they are not detected in time and not taken measures, can destroy a small bush in 3-4 weeks. Worms are similar to white cotton lumps, destroy with the help of the drug actara or confidor (other means are also effective), and ticks need to be excreted with the help of acaricides - phytoverm, actellic, apollo, vermitek, etc.
About growing a myrtle tree, lessons from masters and details of the formation of myrtles - read Myrtle tree
Myrtle reproduction
Traditionally, myrtle is propagated by cuttings. In spring, cuttings are cut about 10 cm long and rooted in water, there is no need to add growth stimulants. Usually in bright and warm seasons, cuttings form roots very quickly. When they grow 3-4 cm, they can be planted in pots. Soil for young plants is needed looser and lighter than for adults: take 3 parts of store soil (for example, Terra Vita), 1 part of well-rotted manure (humus), 1 part of chopped pine bark. Humus can be replaced with garden land taken from a vegetable bed where manure was introduced. But whatever soil you make up, the prerequisites are: a slightly acidic reaction (pH 5.5-6) and mandatory sterilization in the oven (30 minutes) or in the microwave (5-7 minutes).
After planting, pour the rooted cuttings, and put in a warm, bright place. When the growth of shoots begins, you can estimate the shape of the future tree or strain and form the plant by pinching and pruning.