Lemon Eucalyptus - perennial with an expressive aroma, smells just like lemon. Thanks to the beautiful large leaves, it looks very impressive and, in addition, has a lot of healing properties. Growing lemon eucalyptus is considered a popular activity among gardeners, and even a beginner can take care of it.
Description and characteristics of the plant
Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Citriodora) - an amazing evergreen tree of the Mirtov family, whose homeland is Eastern Australia. Prefers to grow in a warm climate. Under natural conditions, growth can reach 100 m in height. At room content, the height of the plant can be easily adjusted using timely pruning and pinching. The leaves are rather dense, arranged on a stalk in a spiral. They have an oval-lanceolate shape, reach a length of 16 cm, a width of not more than 2 cm.
Indoor Lemon Eucalyptus
The bark of a eucalyptus tree is white with red-brown, sometimes orange stains. At the bottom of the trunk there are small growths.
Eucalyptus flower in a pot, grade Blue Baby
Varieties suitable for home growing
There are many types of eucalyptus (more than 500), but only some of them are suitable for growing as an ornamental crop. The most popular include:
- globular. It is distinguished by a beautiful, pyramidal crown and bluish-blue leaves, on the outer side of which there is a silver coating;
- Gunny. Young plants have rounded gray-green leaves, which, as the tree grows older, become oblong with a pointed tip;
- Blue baby. Refers to dwarf species of eucalyptus. It differs in small gray-blue petals;
- fig-leafed. It stands out among other varieties with rounded small leaves;
- silver or ashen. The main difference is gray oval or rounded leaves;
- Populus is a decorative eucalyptus that is able to form small berries.
Important! These varieties are not intended for planting in open ground, they can be grown only in indoor conditions.
There is also a very beautiful view - rainbow eucalyptus, with a bark of various colors, similar to a rainbow, but it is not suitable for growing as a houseplant.
Varieties of potted plants on the windowsill
Healing properties
Eucalyptus indoor produces volatile, which cleanse the air of viruses and bacteria.
The leaves contain essential oil, which has powerful antibacterial and antiviral properties. The leaves of the plant are used to prepare oil, infusions and alcohol tinctures.
Eucalyptus is a home plant that is often used to treat abscesses, furunculosis, purulent mastitis and various ulcers. Decoctions of eucalyptus leaves can be used for inhalation in acute respiratory infections and rinses for diseases of the throat and various problems in the oral cavity.
Note! The plant will benefit only if eucalyptus leaves and preparations prepared from them are applied externally in the form of lotions, ointments or rinses. Ingestion may result in poisoning.
Bright green eucalyptus leaves.
For your information! Eucalyptus was first grown in Australia in the late 18th century. The eucalyptus tree came to Russia thanks to the botanist A.N. Krasnov in the early 80s of the 19th century. For it to take root, breeders took more than 50 years.
Home care for eucalyptus as a houseplant
Eucalyptus lemon care at home requires a simple. It consists in ensuring the correct temperature regime, timely watering, making the necessary fertilizing, annual transplantation and periodic pruning.
Temperature
In summer, the most suitable temperature for eucalyptus is considered to be in the range of 20-25 ° C, in winter - 12-16 ° C. A tree needs a fresh stream of air, but during the period of ventilation in frosty weather it needs to be protected from a cold draft.
Lighting
It is best to place lemon eucalyptus in a potted house on well-lit places, for example, it can be a windowsill of south, southeast or southwest windows. If all the windows of the apartment face north, it is necessary to apply additional illumination, since a lack of light will lead to a slowed down growth of the flower.
In summer, when the weather is nice, the flower can be taken out onto the balcony or terrace. During heavy rain or wind it must be taken back to the apartment. With the advent of autumn, the tree must again be returned to the room.
Lush green bush
Watering
In summer, you need to ensure that the soil in the pot is always moist, it is worth watering the plant once every 2-3 days with a small amount of water. In winter, eucalyptus should be watered as the top layer of the earth dries up - once every 7-10 days.
Important! For irrigation use only purified water at room temperature.
Plant Type Eucalyptus Populus
Humidity
In the summer, indoor eucalyptus needs moist air, but since the plant cannot be sprayed, you can maintain the required humidity level by placing the pot in a pan with water. In this case, the tree will take as much water as it needs.
Priming
For proper development and good growth, eucalyptus must be planted in a soil rich in mineral components. Ready-made substrate can be bought, but can be prepared at home. The composition of the soil should include: humus (20%), turf (40%), river sand (20%) and dry peat (20%). The soil should be loose and well-drained.
Top dressing
During the period of active vegetation, room eucalyptus must be fertilized periodically. As fertilizing, you can use complex mineral fertilizers and organics. Top dressing should be done every 14-20 days. Feeding is carried out immediately after watering. The amount of fertilizer applied is calculated according to the instructions.
Important! Do not fertilize the flower in winter during dormancy. In addition, it is not recommended to make top dressing immediately after transplantation, as well as if the flower is sick or affected by pests.
When and how it blooms
In the natural habitat, eucalyptus blooms in spring and summer with small snow-white flowers with a huge number of stamens collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences. Indoor lemon eucalyptus at home blooms very rarely.
Blooming Eucalyptus White Flowers
Home pruning
If you do not prune the shoots, the tree will stretch very high. To form a lush, beautiful crown, annual spring pruning is performed. In the process of trimming, the central trunk is shortened to the required height. After pruning, eucalyptus will produce young sprouts, forming a lush bush. Pinch young shoots, it is necessary for the formation of young shoots. Using this method, you can form the crown of the plant of the required size and shape. Adult plants need root pruning during transplantation, this will help limit the extension of the trunk in height.
How to propagate yourself
Lemon eucalyptus can be grown from seeds, as well as by rooting apical cuttings.
Seed germination
How to grow lemon eucalyptus with seeds:
- Pour a drainage layer at the bottom of the landing container, and soil on top.
- Sprinkle the seeds of eucalyptus lemon Ozone, gently squeezing them into the ground, pour warm water.
- Cover the container with glass or film, put in a warm place for germination.
- Every day, plantings need to be ventilated by removing cover and removing accumulated condensate.
- The first sprouts can be seen after 7-10 days. When the first shoots hatch, the shelter must be removed.
- When 3-4 real leaves appear, dive in separate small pots.
- When young plants grow to a height of 15-20 cm, transplant into a large pot.
Grown seedling
Rooting cuttings
Step-by-step process of rooting cuttings:
- In an adult plant, several young shoots 10-12 cm long are cut, all side leaves are removed.
- The slice is treated with a root growth stimulator.
- Sprouts are planted in prepared soil.
- Cover with a film and place in a warm place.
- It takes 3-4 weeks to root.
- When the stalk takes up small roots, it is transplanted to a permanent place.
Transfer
During a period of active growth, young eucalyptus needs an annual transplant. The most suitable time for this is spring, when there is an active growth of new leaves.
Note! Adult plants that are more than three years old are transplanted once every three years using the transshipment method.
The transplant is done as follows:
- Eucalyptus is watered in advance to facilitate its extraction from the old pot.
- Prepare a larger pot.
- At the bottom of the container, drainage is about 5 cm thick, and a small layer of earth is poured on top.
- The tree is removed from the former pot, slightly shaking off the old soil from the roots.
- Inspect the entire root system, cutting off all damaged and rotten roots.
- The cut points are sprinkled with charcoal or activated carbon.
- The plant is placed in a pot vertically, add soil.
- Watered with warm purified water.
An overgrown plant needs a new spacious pot so that the roots do not suffer due to the cramped space. After transplanting or planting, the plant goes through a period of adaptation, so it needs to be removed away from bright sunlight and not to be fed for one week.
Transshipment transplant
Possible growing problems
Improper care can cause illness and even death of the plant. If the process of caring for eucalyptus is broken, the following problems may appear:
- with insufficient lighting, the stems will stretch strongly in height, the leaves will decrease in size and change their color to a less saturated color. To solve the problem, it is necessary to transfer the flower to a more lighted place or organize additional lighting, especially in winter, when daylight hours are short. It is also worth doing in the summer in cloudy weather;
- with insufficient watering on the eucalyptus, the leaves will dry and fall off. In this case, it is necessary to adjust the watering mode;
- Direct sunlight on the leaves and insufficient watering can cause burns. During the midday heat, it is worth shading eucalyptus and moisturizing in a timely manner;
- Excessive moisture can lead to stagnation of water in the soil, decay of the root system, softness, and leaf decay.
Diseases and Pests
Due to its high phytoncide content, lemon eucalyptus is highly resistant to various types of diseases. Also, due to the smell, many insect pests bypass it. But if you do not follow the rules of care, spider mites or scabies may appear. You can fight them with a damp sponge dipped in soapy water. If such actions have not led to anything, you need to treat the plant with insecticides.
Lemon Eucalyptus is a fragrant evergreen plant that is great for home growing and does not require special care. It is easy to grow eucalyptus at home, because the rules of care are extremely simple. This flower can create a pleasant aroma in the room and purify the air, as well as quickly cure winter colds.
