Distinctive features of mirsina and its characteristics, tips for growing, breeding steps, pests and diseases that arise during care, facts to note, types. Mirsina (Myrsina) belongs to the Mirsinov family (Myrsinoideae). All representatives of this genus, and their number reaches 80 units, grow in the south of the African continent, as well as in the Himalayas and China. That is, these plants can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the western and eastern hemisphere.
Mirsina is an evergreen perennial plant with a shrub or tree-like life. Its height rarely exceeds 3 meters, in terms of rooms up to a meter. The root system is characterized by a fibrous outline. Shoots are colored reddish. The leaf plates are not large, they rarely exceed 2 cm in length. Their shape is elliptical, the surface is leathery and glossy, the color is dark green on the upper side, and they are light greenish from the lower part. If you wrinkle a leaf in your fingers, then they exude a pleasant aroma. Leaves are often collected at the tops of the shoots and decoratively "stick around" the crown of the plant.
The flowers that form in myrsina are divided into two types: male and female. Plants can be monoecious, dioecious, or polygamous. Female flowers are usually smaller, their petals are painted in white, lavender or pink color, from which racemose inflorescences are collected. The size of male flowers does not exceed the parameters of female flowers, but they are clearly visible due to anthers with a bright red tone, petals in shades of a lilac palette. The buds are 4-, 5- or 6-dimensional. Sepals are located almost free or spliced up to half their length, can be ciliate. The petals are almost free or rarely can join up to half their length. They have cilia, glandular, pinpoint surface. Filaments are loose or can grow together at the base. The length of the stamens corresponds to the corolla. Anthers have ovoid or reniform outlines. The flowering process lasts from May to July-August. Inflorescences take umbellate, panicle, racemose or bundle outlines, they grow in the sinuses, on short scaly branches or spurs.
When fruiting, fleshy spherical berries of a purple hue appear, inside them there is one seed. The surface of the berry is leathery or crunchy. The seed is cylindrical, transverse. The berries remain on myrsin for several months, serving as a natural decoration for it. In indoor conditions, if you want to achieve fruiting, then artificial pollination is used.
Mostly myrsina is grown as an ornamental crop, but some varieties may have medicinal properties. In floriculture, despite almost a hundred species, only one species is actively used - Myrsina africana. However, the growth rate of all representatives is relatively low, but the plant is usually used for growing in the bonsai style.
Secrets of growing mirsina, home care
Caring for the plant is quite simple, it is just important not to violate the rules of maintenance.
- Lighting and choosing a place for the pot. Since the plant is quite light-requiring, the place in the room for it should be the lightest, practically on the windowsill of a window facing east or west. In the southern location, the solar insolation will be too strong and sunburn of the leaf plates may occur. However, with insufficient illumination, myrsin stops growing. But to solve this problem, you can use artificial lighting - phytolamps or fluorescent lamps. Then the pot with it can be placed on the windowsills of the windows of the northern location. With the arrival of spring heat, it is recommended to take myrsina out in partial shade to a balcony, veranda or garden, under the crowns of trees.
- Content temperature. If we take into account the fact that myrsina is a "native" of subtropical and tropical regions, then the heat indicators should fluctuate within 16-25 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn and winter it is recommended to lower them gradually to the range of 14-18 units.
- Air humidity when cultivating, myrsina should be medium, since the plant comes from tropical regions of the planet. In the spring and summer, it is better to spray the foliage of the crown. But if the heat indicators drop to 18 degrees, then such an operation is carried out less often in order to prevent decay.
- Watering. For the plant to feel normal, it is necessary to keep the soil slightly damp. However, waterlogging of the soil is unacceptable, as well as its complete drying. Humidification should be plentiful, every five to six days, while in winter it should be watered only once every 18-12 days. Water for irrigation is soft, free from lime impurities. Some growers collect rainwater or use river water. But if there is none, then you can filter the tap, boil it and put it to stand. After a couple of days, it is carefully poured into another container so as not to capture the sediment.
- Fertilizers. Mirsina will need to be fed regularly, especially in the spring-summer period, with a frequency of twice a month. In the autumn-winter time, the plant is fertilized only once a month, since it does not have a pronounced dormant period. It is recommended to use complex mineral preparations or organic products intended for growing bonsai.
- Mirsina's crown formation. In order for a bush or tree to have a beautiful decorative crown, it is recommended to trim the elongated shoots. Thinning branches will require the removal of excess and strongly protruding tips of the shoots. When the crown of a young plant is being formed, one must not forget that in such specimens, the stem and branches do not become covered with strong bark for a long time and they do not hold the crown for a long time. Myrsina's shoots have excellent flexibility and elasticity, so they can be wrapped around a branch or some pre-installed support. This is how the trunk is strengthened and thickened. Due to this plasticity of the shoots, myrsina is excellent for the bonsai style. Often it is grown in the form of a broom turned to the top, so it looks very impressive. But at the same time, it will be necessary to regularly carry out targeted pruning work. Then you don't have to use wire when forming the crown.
- Transfer and selection of soil. When the plant is still young enough, it will need to be replanted annually, as the root system fills the entire volume of the pot. As Mirsina matures, the transplant is performed only once every 2 years, and rather large specimens only once every 4–5 years. If the decision is made to grow this small-leaved representative of the flora in the bonsai style, then the pot will need to be flat and wide. If myrsin is cultivated in the form of a stem, then the container is taken deep. In any pot in the bottom, you need to make holes for the drain of excess liquid, and in front of the substrate you will need to lay a layer of drainage material, which can be a medium fraction of expanded clay or pebbles. The layer is poured about 1-3 cm, depending on the selected capacity. The soil must be selected with sufficient looseness and permeability to water and air. Purchased substrates are required with an acidity index of pH 6, 5-7, 5. Some growers prepare the soil mixture on their own, mixing humus or peat, perlite or coarse sand, garden soil (all parts are taken in an equal volume), and they also add a small amount of fine lime there.
How to multiply mirsina with your own hands?
In order to carry out the reproduction of this evergreen plant, sowing of seed material or cuttings is carried out.
When cutting blanks for cuttings, parts of the tops of the shoots are used, the process is carried out at the end of winter and the very beginning of spring. In this case, the length of the workpiece should not go beyond the redistribution of 3–6 cm. However, it is recommended to be patient, since rooting takes quite a long time. The cut of the cutting should be treated with a rooting stimulator (for example, take Kornevin or heteroauxin). Cuttings are planted in a pot filled with peat with river sand, taken in equal proportions. When rooting, it is recommended to keep the bottom heating of the soil around 25 degrees. The container with cuttings is wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a glass vessel (you can use a cut plastic bottle).
Also, in order for rooting to be successful, some growers recommend putting the pot on a battery, but in this case it is important to ensure that the cuttings are not very hot. If your batteries are too hot, put a towel on top of them. When caring for cuttings, it is necessary not to forget about regular (daily) ventilation in order to remove condensation and, if necessary, to moisten the substrate. As soon as the cuttings show signs of rooting (young leaves are formed), then it is possible to transplant by the transfer method (when the earthen lump does not collapse) into separate containers of a larger diameter with a more suitable substrate.
If it is customary to grow myrsina from seeds, then they are sown in peat-sandy soil and also placed in a mini-greenhouse, that is, the container with seeds should be covered with either a piece of glass or plastic wrap. At the same time, the germination temperature is maintained at about 21 degrees. In this case, the pot is placed in a bright place, but shaded from the direct rays of the sun. As well as when rooting cuttings, regular ventilation and moistening of the soil is needed here (settled warm water and a finely dispersed spray bottle are used). As soon as the young seedlings hatch, then they are gradually accustomed to the conditions of the premises, removing the shelter and leaving, the young mirsins each time without it for an increasing amount of time. As soon as young real leaves appear and develop, the seedlings are transplanted in separate containers with a diameter of about 7 cm.
Difficulties in caring for mirsina and ways to overcome them
The most dangerous pests that cause significant damage to myrsine are scale insects, mealybugs and spider mites. If symptoms of these insects are found, such as: dark brown shiny plaques on the back of the foliage, whitish lumps that look like pieces of cotton wool or a thin cobweb on the back of the leaf plate or in internodes, then it is recommended to wipe the leaves with soap, oil or alcohol solution. If such measures do not bring a tangible effect, then it is required to spray the entire plant with insecticidal preparations, such as Aktellik, Aktara or Fitovir.
The following reasons for plant problems are also distinguished:
- If the root system begins to rot, then the substrate is constantly in a waterlogged state. To solve the problem, the myrsina is removed from the pot, all the affected roots are removed, the entire remaining root system is treated with a fungicide and the plant is planted in a new disinfected pot with a pre-treated substrate.
- With insufficient watering, the foliage begins to wrinkle and dry out.
- If the illumination level is low for myrsina, then it will grow poorly.
Mirsin facts to note
Mirsina has the property that when dry, its foliage does not fall off and it has to be removed from the shoots by hand.
Types of mirsina
- Mirsina adamsonii is a tree-like plant with flowers of a creamy yellow color. A distinctive feature of the species are berries of a dark red hue.
- Mirsina African (Myrsina africana) grows in the form of a low tree, which in indoor conditions can reach one and a half meters in height. Shoots are thin with a reddish tint, they reach 0.5–2 mm in diameter. The size of the foliage is small, the shape is obovate, the length of the leaf plate does not exceed 1.5 cm. The color of the leaf plate is dark green, the surface is leathery. The top of the leaf is blunt, rounded. In flowers, the shade of the petals can be red, lavender, light pinkish, yellowish-white. The diameter of the flower is 2–2.5 cm. The buds are collected in umbellate or panicle axillary inflorescences. Sepals are free, taking a shape from broadly ovate to elliptical, equal to 0.3–0.5 mm in length. Sepal edge whole, ciliate, apex from acute to obtuse. Corolla is 0.8-1 mm, spliced, at least half the length. The lobes are lanceolate, 0.8–1 mm, the tips vary from obtuse to sharp. The stamens are longer than the petals. The strands are connected at the base into a tube that is spliced with the rim tube. The flowering process occurs in February-January. When fruiting, spherical berries are formed, red or purple-black in color, reaching 5 mm in diameter. The fruits ripen from November to January. Natural distribution occurs in the territory of rare mixed forests, open mountain slopes, sunny and dry areas, fields and roadsides. Plants usually settle at an altitude of 1000–3600 meters above sea level in the lands of India, the Azores, the African continent and southeast Asia. In culture, the most common variety.
- Mirsina changeable (Myrsina variabilis) is a tree-like plant with a dense crown. The flowers have a light yellow tone. The berries are purple-colored.
- Mirsina semiserrata (Myrsina semiserrata). This species has an evergreen crown, a type of shrub. Shoots in height can reach 4 meters. The leaf plates have an asymmetric shape, the edge is jagged, the veins stand out. Flowers with white-yellow or cream color. The flowering process stretches from February to April, and the tree bears fruit from October to December. The resulting fruits are initially red in color, but as they ripen, they become purple-black. This species has medicinal properties.
- Spreading Mirsina (Myrsina divaricata). A variety that takes the form of a shrub, and its branches are quite long and often grow down to the soil. When blooming, they are covered with pale yellow or red flowers. The fruit is a drupe with a dark purple or black tint.
- Mirsina cicatricosa (Myrsina cicatricosa) has a bushy form of growth and can reach 2 meters in height. Shoots are thin with a diameter of no more than 2-3 mm, their surface is smooth, with a reddish tinge. The shape of the leaf plate is obovate, with parameters 1–2, 5x7–9 mm. The surface is leathery, glabrous, wedge-shaped at the base, the apex is obtuse and notched. The bracts have ovoid outlines, they are ciliate. Flowers 3- or 5-dimensional, up to 2 mm in diameter. Corolla from oblong to oval, approximately 2 mm, its surface is smooth. The sepals are ovoid, they grow almost freely, ovoid, with a length of 0.8–1 mm, with a bare surface and a solid edge, pointed. The flowering process occurs in December, and the fruits ripen in August-September. Fruits have a spherical shape, are a drupe. The plant comes from the province of Yunnan (Vietnam) and occurs naturally in shrub areas, on calcareous slopes at an altitude of 2000 above sea level.
