Descriptive characteristics of leptoospermum, cultivation at home, advice on reproduction, difficulties in cultivation and ways to solve them, types. Leptospermum (Leptospermum) is also called Fine seed. This plant is part of the genus of woody flora, which scientists ranked in the Myrtaceae family. Their native habitat is on the territory of the Australian continent, in particular there are many such plants in the southern part of the mainland. Two varieties can be found in the lands of Malaysia, and the species of fine-seeded broom-shaped (Leptospermum scoparium) settled on the islands of New Zealand.
The plant bears its Latin name thanks to the words in Latin: "leptos" and "spermum", which means "thin" and "seed", respectively. Among the people, namely on the lands of the Polynesian islands, it is customary to call this representative of the green world "manuka" or "New Zealand tea tree".
All leptospermums are shrubs and never shed their foliage, and can also grow in the form of small trees, the parameters of which vary in height within 1–8 m, but occasionally some specimens reach a height of 15–20 meters. A distinctive feature of this plant is that it has a flattened crown shape. She is quite lush, thick and dense. And its parameters in width can even exceed the dimensions in height. All parts of the fine seeds contain essential oils. The leaf plates are arranged on the branches in an opposite order, and they are attached to the shoots in a spiral sequence. The leaves are small to medium in size, they are simple in shape with a serrated edge and a curved top. Stipules are present.
In the process of flowering, buds are formed that grow both singly and are collected in cymose inflorescences, that is, they are a set of axes of equal length, of an increasing order, on each of which an apical flower grows. The shape of the flowers is radially symmetric, usually they have five members, they can be male or bisexual. Also, there are five petals in the bud, the color of which can take on both a snow-white tone and please the eye with a pinkish or red color scheme. Stamens can grow from 5 to 55 units, carpels from two units to six pairs, they are usually spliced to form a lower ovary.
In natural conditions, leptoospermum is pollinated by insects, such a process is called entomophilia, or with the help of birds, ornotophilia.
After the flowering is completed, the fruits ripen in the form of dry bolls, in which the number of seeds can be both small and multiple. The seeds are quite light in weight and sometimes have wings, so these winged formations may not be present.
It is customary to grow this plant as an indoor and tubular representative of the green world of the planet, and in the southern regions, leptoospermum is cultivated as a garden plant. The thin-seeded plant adapts perfectly to the conditions of greenhouses. It has a rather slow growth rate and with indoor care it will only become a tree after many years.
Tips for caring for leptoospermum at home
- Lighting and location selection. The thin-seeded plant is a light-loving plant and for its normal growth and flowering it is necessary to put the pot on the east or west windows, on the south one will need shading. In winter, supplementary lighting with fluorescent lamps is used, otherwise the manuka will partially or completely fly around the foliage.
- Content temperature. In the summer, it is necessary that the heat indicators are room temperature - 20-24 degrees. With the arrival of autumn, the temperature gradually decreases and is maintained within 4-10 units, but the plant should be in a sufficiently illuminated place.
- Air humidity when growing a fine-seeded plant, it is maintained high, both in the spring-summer and in the autumn-winter period, therefore, regular spraying of the deciduous mass should be carried out (once every 2-3 days, and daily in the heat). Dry air can only be tolerated by a plant with constant ventilation.
- Watering. Soil moistening is one of the important parameters when growing a fine-seeded plant. It is necessary that the soil is always in a slightly moist state. It is impossible to allow both complete drying of the soil and its gulf. If, due to the forgetfulness of the owner, the earthen lump dries completely, then the plant will die within a few hours. When the substrate is swamped, rotting of the root system will occur almost at the same rate. Between waterings, the soil inside the pot should be moist, but on the surface its layer is slightly dry. This mode will be optimal when caring for manuka. Only soft and warm water is used for irrigation. If the water is very hard, soften it by adding a couple of citric acid crystals or a couple of drops of lemon juice. In summer, watering should be once every 7 days, and in winter, they should be reduced to once every 8-10 days.
- Fertilizers for leptospermum are introduced from the beginning of spring to autumn days with regularity every 14 days. Top dressing is used with no news. Manuka also responds well to organic preparations. You can use ready-made fertilizers for azaleas and rhododendrons, but the dosage should be greatly reduced. If this is not done, then the root system of a thin-seeded plant may simply burn out.
- Trimming. With the help of this procedure, you can form a crown of a fine-seeded tree of an arbitrary shape. But it is important to remember that the buds will form only on the growths of the current year (young branches) and if the shoots are cut too deeply, then flowering this year may not come. It is recommended to shorten the branches before the start of intensive growth or after the end of flowering.
- Transplantation and recommendations for the choice of soil. It is recommended that a transplant for a fine-seeded plant be carried out annually, as soon as the plant ends its flowering period. It is important that the root system is not injured during transplantation, therefore, the transshipment method must be used. In this case, the earthen lump is not destroyed. Leptospermum is planted in a new container at the previous level of deepening, since a deep planting will lead to the death of the manuka. The new container is selected 3-4 cm more than the previous one. In the bottom of the pot, holes should be made to drain excess liquid. Also on the bottom, before laying the soil, a layer of 3-4 cm of drainage material is poured.
As for all representatives of myrtle, the substrate should be with increased acidity, as well as be loose and permeable to water and air. These parameters will guarantee further lush flowering and health of the fine-seeded plant. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for rhododendrons and azaleas. Or, you can make up a substrate with similar qualities on your own from turf soil, peat, sand and humus (in a ratio of 1: 1: 0, 5: 0, 5).
How to properly propagate leptoospermum on your own?
For reproduction of manuka, the method of cuttings or sowing of seed material is used.
It is recommended to cut both apical and herbaceous cuttings in May, but blanks from semi-lignified branches - at the end of summer. For rooting, heat indicators of 18-20 degrees are maintained. The length of the cutting should be within 5–8 cm and should be cut from the side branches. The lower leaves must be removed, and the cut must be treated with a means to stimulate root formation (for example, Kornevin or heteroauxin). Then the workpieces are planted in pots filled with peat-sandy substrate. They need to be wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a glass vessel - this will create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. It is recommended not to forget to carry out regular ventilation to remove condensation and, if necessary, moisten the soil. After rooting has passed, young fine-seeded plants are transplanted into separate pots with a diameter of about 9-11 cm with a selected substrate. Such manuks begin to bloom approximately 5-7 years from rooting.
With seed reproduction, the sowing of the material is carried out in early spring. It is required to distribute the seeds on the surface of the substrate mixed from sand and peat. This must be done quickly, since they are very light and fly away easily. From above, the seeds are only lightly powdered with soil. It is recommended to wrap the container with plastic wrap or put it under a piece of glass, and the place for germination should be with diffused illumination and heat indicators not lower than 21 degrees. It is necessary to remove the shelter and ventilate the crops at regular intervals, as well as spray the soil with a fine spray gun. When the seedlings are sufficiently developed, then their crown should be formed in a timely manner, by pinching the shoot at the desired height. With this care, flowering can be expected 3-4 years after sowing.
Fight against pests and diseases of the fine seed
If we talk about harmful insects, then during cultivation, if the rules for keeping a plant are violated, it can be attacked by a mealybug, scale insects, aphids, thrips and spider mites. If the pests themselves or the products of their vital activity are found, treatment with an insecticidal preparation, such as Aktellik, Aktira or Fitover, should be carried out, other drugs with a similar effect are also suitable.
If there is a flooding of the substrate and stagnation of water, then root rot is affected. In this case, the bush should be removed from the pot, treated with fungicides and transplanted into a new container and sterilized soil. And when the substrate becomes calcareous, the leptoospermum suffers from chlorosis, then it is necessary to carry out root or foliar top dressing with iron chelate preparations. It is also recommended to periodically add a little citric acid or lemon juice to the water for irrigation, but so that the sour taste is not felt.
Facts about the thin-seeded plant
It is customary to grow some of the fine-seeded varieties as ornamental plants. There is evidence that the first settlers of the Australian continent, instead of tea leaves, brewed for themselves the foliage of some types of leptospermum for drinking. Since there is a large amount of essential oil in all parts of the plant, a drug is obtained from it that helps in curing herpes and fungal diseases, and it is also used for cosmetic purposes, while the skin becomes more elastic.
When buying a plant, you need to pay attention to its foliage. If it is completely dry, then there will be no gloss on it, and when the surface is matte, it means that the leaf is dry. Also, the branches of the plant are subject to careful study. The color of the young twigs of Leptospermum has a reddish tint. If they are dry, then this color scheme changes to a gray tone. When you acquire a shrunken thin-seeded plant, it is not possible to bring it back to life, no matter what steps are taken.
Attention!!! When buying Leptozpermum paniculata, which is often called Manuca or New Zealand tea tree, it should be borne in mind that the malaleuca plant (Australian tea tree) is quite similar to each other, but they are completely different representatives of the flora, despite the fact that both of these representatives are part of the Myrtle family.
Types of leptospermum
Leptospermum paniculata (Leptospermum scoparium). This variety is the most common in floriculture. It is a rather large plant, which reaches 2 meters in height. Possesses an evergreen crown. This representative of myrtle will reach a tree-like form after many years after acquisition. Has a crown of beautiful outlines. Popularly named as Manuka or New Zealand tea tree.
The shoots of the plant often grow straight or with a slight upward bend, so the outline of the crown becomes graphically attractive. The leaf plates are small, painted in a dark green color, their shape is oblong-pointed. Their length does not exceed 1 cm. The foliage contains a lot of essential oil. This aroma is clearly audible if you rub the leaf with your fingers. During flowering, flowers are formed, also small in size - 1 cm. But their appearance is quite attractive. They are located mostly singly. The flowers have graceful shapes, at the base of the petals there are beautiful dark spots that effectively emphasize the center of the bud with stamens. This makes them both original and surprisingly quite catchy in appearance. Such "eyes" only add more grace.
The flowering process of this variety will take 3-4 months. Its activation occurs at the beginning of the spring period and lasts until June. Even in spite of flowering, manuka shows good adaptive properties and it is recommended to transfer the plant to the open air during this period. This allows you to admire the flowers of a thin-seeded plant for a couple of months in the conditions of rooms, and then decorate your garden plot or flower bed with a plant.
Also, this variety is distinguished by a rather large color range of shades. You can find both plants with red flowers and leptoospermum with pink petals. But recently, most often you can see in the collection of flower growers manuka with snow-white color of flowers. Often, the petals of the buds can be decorated with mottling or stains of a pinkish tint and a catchy spot of black color. In addition to the familiar simple forms, the flowers of this variety also take on double outlines, while their flowering looks simply bewitching. Most of all varieties are in demand:
- "Rode Glory" has leafy plates of a brown hue and flowers of a bright pinkish color;
- Album Flore Pleno it is distinguished by the double shape of flowers and a snow-white shade, the leaves are dark in color;
- "Decumbens" - is a rather delicate variety, in which flower petals are cast in a light pink tone;
- "Ruby Glow" the flowers of this plant are bright red with a ruby tint;
- "Nanum Gaiety Girt" with dwarf sizes and pink petals of buds.
Leptospermum thymifolia (Leptospermum thymifolia). Plant of miniature compact size. The foliage is even smaller in size, there is a lemon scent and snow-white flowers. At the moment, the variety is combined with a variety of Myrtle seedlings (Leptospermum myrsinoides).
Leptospermum creeping (Leptospermum gregarium). Also has more compact parameters. In the southern regions, it can be cultivated as a ground cover. It is rarely found in a pot culture; it can create quite picturesque pillows from shoots of a reddish tint and dark foliage. The flower petals are also snow-white.
Leptospermum myrsinoides. It has a shrubby form of growth, reaching a height of 1–2 m. The leaves of a plant vary in length from 5–10 mm with a width of up to 1–3 mm. Their shape is narrow. The flowers are white or pink in color. The flowering process occurs in October or November.
An endemic plant (it does not grow anywhere else in natural conditions) of Southeast Australia, settling there, in the southeastern regions of New South Wales and Victoria.
What leptoospermum looks like, see the video below:
