Hello. They gave me a small myrtle bush. I don't know how to care for it and it started to dry out. Tell me how to care for him? It would be a shame if the tree disappeared.
Irina Vasilyeva,
Novocherkassk,
Rostov region.
A very important condition for the normal growth and development of myrtle is maintaining constant moisture in the earthen coma. In room conditions, drying out of the earthen coma very quickly leads to the death of myrtle. Insufficient air humidity has an adverse effect, especially in winter, when when central heating is turned on, it drops to 15-20%. In nature, even during dry periods, this figure does not fall below 40-50%. Therefore, in the autumn-winter period indoors, myrtle can shed its leaves, even if the earthen ball was wet. In winter, plants must be kept in a cool place away from radiators. It is recommended to place wide trays of water next to the plants. Myrtle needs to be sprayed daily.
If, despite all efforts, the leaves dry out, there is no need to rush to throw away the plant. There is a chance that the root system has not died, and you can support the myrtle by continuing to water and spray. After 10-12 days, almost all axillary buds will begin to awaken, with the exception of those located on the uppermost shoots. You can quickly restore the decorative appearance of such a specimen by trimming the main shoots to 10-15 cm. In this case, after 1-2 months a bush 20-30 cm high will form.
Myrtle grows quickly; during the growing season, newly formed shoots grow up to 30 cm, so in 3-4 years you can get a beautiful bush with a leaf surface of about 0.5 m2. The growth of the bush should be limited by pruning. Frequent pruning can interfere with flowering, since buds form on annual growths of shoots.
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The myrtle tree will be an excellent decoration for any study, office or apartment. Usually these plants are quite small and reach only 60 cm in height. This tree is evergreen with leathery and shiny leaves. When it reaches the age of five years, the first flowers appear. They are single inflorescences of white, pale pink or cream color.
Each flower has a large number of long and thin stamens, creating a feeling of lightness and fluffiness. The plant has approximately 40 species. It has been known since ancient times and represents a symbol of peace.
Now this plant is becoming increasingly popular in the design of exquisite interiors in a classic and high-tech style; flower growers often begin to grow it. But, like all individuals, it needs careful care.
Unfortunately, sometimes diseases arise and pests infest it. Often gardeners notice that it is drying out and do not always know what to do in this case. First you need to find out the cause of this condition, and then eliminate it.
Why does myrtle dry out?
There may be several reasons for a tree to dry out.
Insufficient watering
It loves regular watering and does not tolerate a lack of moisture very well. At the same time, the leaves begin to turn yellow and the plant dries out. In this case, you need to immediately do the following: place the pot of myrtle in a container of water for 10–15 minutes.
After this procedure, the pot is placed in a tray to drain off excess water. The water from the pan is immediately poured out, otherwise the water will stagnate and the soil will be too wet.
Temperature violation
The myrtle tree is best kept at average room temperatures of 17-24 degrees. When winter comes, it enters a dormant period lasting up to 3 months. At this time, it is important to lower the temperature to 10 degrees Celsius.
If the temperature is too high during the dormant period, the tree will begin to dry out and shed its leaves.
To reduce the temperature, you need to move the plant to a cooler place or place a tray with ice cubes next to the pot.
Incorrect feeding
Excess fertilizers can cause significant damage to the tree. Excess nitrogen is especially dangerous, as it causes burns to the root system, causing the leaves to turn yellow and dry out.
Lighting
To prevent the tree from drying out, you need to create an optimal level of illumination for it. Often this phenomenon occurs due to excess light.
The plant does not tolerate sunlight on the foliage, which causes burns on the leaves. Therefore, to prevent drying, the room where it is kept should be well lit, but the light must be diffused.
Myrtle diseases and pests
This tree cannot be classified as capricious; ordinary care is sufficient for them. But if it is violated, then various problems arise. Violation of the irrigation regime has a particularly adverse effect. If there is a lack of moisture, the trunk and leaves begin to dry out, but as soon as regular watering is established, new leaves and twigs appear on it.
Excess moisture is much more destructive. Excess water in the pot causes waterlogging of the soil and the growth of bacteria and fungi. These fungi and bacteria attack the root system, causing it to rot. The disease spreads so quickly that most often the plant dies.
But you can try to save the tree. To do this, you need to remove it from the old pot, wash the roots in running water and cut off the rotting parts. After this, dry the sections, sprinkle with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal and transplant into new soil. In addition to diseases, the plant may be exposed.
Aphid
These insects are very small in size and come in green, gray and black colors. They settle on the back side of leaves and feed on their sap, thereby killing leaf cells and depleting them.
The leaves of such a tree curl and dry. Insects multiply quickly and aphids gradually spread throughout the entire perimeter, and if they are not dealt with, the plant may die.
Spider mite
This insect is very small in size and it is impossible to see it on a tree without a magnifying glass. But traces of his presence are clearly visible. Pale dots appear on the leaves and increase in size. These are traces of tick bites that feed on the juice from the cells.
These pests reproduce very quickly, live in colonies and can infect nearby flowers. On the leaves, in addition to dots and spots, you can see a thin cobweb; over time, the plant is completely entwined with it, dries out and dies. Therefore, it is necessary to start fighting this pest as early as possible.
To prevent its occurrence, you should humidify the air, since mites love dry air and do not appear in humid conditions. In order to eliminate, effective ones are used.
Shchitovka
These insects multiply quickly and cover not only the leaves, but also the stems with dark spots.
To control pests, it is necessary to use special preparations - insecticides.
The sooner pests are noticed and destroyed, the less damage will be caused to the plant. Sometimes it happens that one treatment does not destroy all individuals, then it is repeated.
By identifying the cause of a tree’s disease in a timely manner, you can quickly begin to act correctly. But the best prevention of such a phenomenon as drying out of myrtle is careful, correct and timely care for it.
Then the myrtle tree will bloom beautifully, emit a wonderful aroma and delight the owners with its beautiful crown with green leaves. And for the crown to have a neat appearance, it needs to be trimmed correctly.
The plant tolerates pruning well, so it is considered very flexible for crown formation. You can give it any shape - spherical, tiered or bush. But you need to take into account that trimmed specimens will not bloom.
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Myrtle leaves are smooth, shiny, small. They delight the eye with a rich green hue that remains unchanged throughout the year, and if you pick one leaf and rub it between your fingers, you can feel a pleasant aroma. But often this capricious tree begins to lose its “decoration” - if measures are not taken in time, the owner will soon have to admire only the bare, dried trunk.
Why myrtle leaves fall: causes and solutions
Myrtle is quite picky - it requires adherence to a watering regime, does not tolerate a lack of humidity in the air, and is susceptible to various diseases. In winter, it enters a dormant period - during this time you need to move the flower to a cool place, reduce the frequency of watering and abandon fertilizers. If myrtle leaves dry out, the reason often lies in improper care of the plant.
By carefully trimming the myrtle leaves, you can form a crown of any shape.
If leaf fall has just begun, it is important to pay attention to the following parameters:
- The humidity level in the room - to maintain this plant it should be about 70%. It is recommended to use a humidifier, or place a fountain or vase filled with water near the flower, and spray it daily.
- Spider mites - this harmful insect can only be found under a magnifying glass; it often looks like tiny black dots on the leaves. In this case, only comprehensive pest control treatment will help save the plant.
- Soil mixture - when replanting, it is important to use the same substrate as the one that was before. Otherwise, the myrtle sheds its leaves - the plant reacts very sharply to changes in conditions.
This flower needs bright, diffused light - for the winter it is better to place it on the windowsill of a western or northern window. And with the onset of summer, you can even take the flower pot out onto the balcony - and the myrtle will feel great.
Treatment of the root system and rules for replanting myrtle
If it was not possible to save the flower, and the leaves of the myrtle fall off, despite all the manipulations carried out, it is worth studying its root system. To do this you will need:
- Carefully remove the plant from the pot along with the layer of soil.
- Remove the soil mixture from the roots, inspecting their condition.
- Trim off rotten or dried parts.
- Replant in the old pot, in the same substrate that was used previously.
After this, you need to actively continue to water the plant and spray its leaves daily. Within 2 weeks, the myrtle should recover completely. If this does not happen, you should carefully pry the bark of the plant with a sharp object - the brown color of the trunk underneath indicates that the flower has died, and manipulations to save it can be stopped. But the green tint makes it possible to hope that there is still a chance for recovery.
So, what to do if the myrtle leaves have dried up? You need to make sure that the conditions meet the requirements of this rather capricious house flower, check the humidity and try to find pests. Without finding the cause, it is worth trying to replant the indoor tree - in most cases, such a set of measures successfully helps in saving it.
Myrtle (or Arrayan) is an evergreen shrub with dense, bright green or variegated leaves of various shapes. An ancient legend says that Adam stole this symbol of purity and innocence from paradise and brought it to Earth. It is customary to give it as a wedding gift, as it is believed that the myrtle tree will bring prosperity and longevity to the marriage.
There are more than a hundred varieties of this plant, which has not only beauty and sophistication, but also many useful properties. Essential oils obtained from flowers and leaves are successfully used in medicine and cosmetology, and the fruits are used in cooking as a spice.
Despite its subtropical nature, Arrayan has taken root well in our apartments, however, when caring for it, it is necessary to take into account some features that are typical for all people from southern latitudes.
Drying and falling leaves of the myrtle tree can be caused by several reasons, related to improper care of the plant.
Typically, the most important cause of yellowing and leaf loss is violation of the irrigation regime. The subtropical nature of Arrayan speaks of its love for moisture. However, the winter and summer periods have their own characteristics.
Summer is usually characterized by fairly high temperatures and low air humidity, so at this time of year, myrtle needs to be provided with abundant daily watering and regular spraying. When the soil substrate dries out greatly, the plant begins to turn yellow and eventually loses its foliage.
In winter, the tree requires a period of rest in a cool room, at a temperature of about +10° C. At this time, it needs minimal watering, in such an amount that the earthen ball does not dry out completely. Spraying should be stopped at this time. Excess moisture in the substrate at a sufficiently low ambient temperature can lead to the appearance of root rot, which provokes not only the loss of foliage, but also the death of the entire plant.
If myrtle is kept at room temperature in winter, and even in conditions with central heating, then most likely it needs the same humidity conditions as in summer. However at rest, Arrayan extremely poorly tolerates temperatures above +15° C. It may react by wilting and even drying out the foliage, despite all your efforts.
To maintain lush and vibrant foliage During the growing season, myrtle necessarily requires weekly feeding. fertilizers for indoor flowers. Moreover, if you are interested in its flowering, then phosphorus should predominate in the mixture of minerals, and for more lush vegetation you should choose options with a high nitrogen content. If you do not fertilize at all, then with the onset of the growing season the plant will begin to “starve”, which will certainly immediately affect the appearance of its foliage.
Myrtle is a very light-loving plant, so it is usually placed on southern window sills. This location in the summer is fraught with the risk of foliage getting sunburned. Therefore, if the leaves of your tree suddenly turn partially yellow and dry, it may be due to exposure to direct sun. The flower should either be shaded or moved away from the window.
Myrtle trees are found in the wild in the Mediterranean, on the Florida Peninsula, with a dry and seasonally humid subtropical climate typical for these regions. The summer months are warm and dry, with occasional thunderstorms, but winter accounts for almost all of the year's precipitation. Temperatures in the winter months rarely drop below zero, and winters are mild and humid.
If your evergreen plant suddenly begins to lose leaves, you need to understand the reason for what is happening.
- In an apartment it is very difficult to recreate the natural conditions for the normal development of myrtle. The plant needs a sufficient amount of sunlight, because there is a lot of sun in the Mediterranean regions. At the same time, myrtle bushes grow under the canopy of evergreen trees, where sunlight is scattered by their foliage. Homemade myrtle will grow best on eastern and western windows; at midday, the pots with the plant should be shaded from direct sunlight.
- Myrtle trees do not tolerate heat well; they will grow better in a cool room; in summer the temperature should not exceed 17-20 * C, in the winter months - no higher than 10 * C. This is most often the main difficulty when growing myrtle. In summer, our apartments are usually hot (unless, of course, there is air conditioning), and even more so in winter, hot radiators do not allow the temperature to drop below 20*C.
One of the reasons for leaf fall may be precisely the unsuitable temperature, especially in the winter months. If your apartment has a cool windowsill, place the myrtle tree there.
- Dry air can harm myrtle. In summer, the plant responds very well to spraying; you can place the pot on a wide tray with pebbles, pour a little water, but so that the bottom of the pot does not touch it. This will slightly increase the humidity around the plant. In winter, myrtle does not need to be sprayed.
- The myrtle root system cannot withstand even short-term drying out of the soil, so it is important to regulate proper watering. The substrate in the pot should always be slightly damp. If the plant is watered abundantly and often, the roots may rot, which can also cause leaf loss. Therefore, watering is carried out after the top layer of soil has dried a couple of centimeters. At the bottom of the pot there must be a layer of drainage made of expanded clay, broken bricks or shards. After watering, excess water must be drained from the pan.
What to do when leaves fall
First of all, check the plant for pests. Myrtle is very problematic in this regard; all imaginable and inconceivable “animals” love it. It can lose foliage when attacked by spider mites, thrips, mealybugs, and scale insects.
If you do not find any pests, you regularly spray the myrtle, it is not exposed to direct rays of the sun, the temperature is maintained within the required norm, most likely there is something wrong with the root system. It is advisable to remove the plant from the pot, shake off the soil and carefully examine the roots, not only the external ones, but also those inside at the base. Healthy myrtle roots are usually white, but if there was a lot of peat in the soil, they may turn a little yellow. There should be no soft, brown rotten roots. They need to be trimmed back to healthy tissue. It is advisable to rinse the plant in the shower and dip the roots in a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Then powder all the cuts with crushed coal.
Replant only in fresh soil; the pot must match the size of the root system; do not take a large one, so that the soil does not turn sour when watering. You can take a universal soil mixture; a substrate for palm trees or ficuses is also suitable; the alkaline reaction should be neutral or slightly acidic (pH 5.0 - 6.0). After replanting, water very carefully, just a little; if the soil was slightly damp, it is better not to water at all, and cover the pot with a plastic bag.
