Muraiya (Murraya) - a plant that has snow-white fragrant flowers and a rich fruit taste. Where the culture came from, what its properties are, what species it has, what it takes to plant and what care Murraya needs at home - below in the article.
Murraya: Description
Muraiya is a vivid representative of the Rutov family, relating to both trees and shrubs. You can see it in India and Central Africa. It has many varieties. Care is simple with proper seating and observing temperature conditions, lighting and watering.
Muraya flower
The origin and appearance of the Muraya plant
It is a shrub, a relative of lemon and mandarin. The plant was first discovered in the 18th century. Swedish naturalists in the Himalayas. It is named after Murray, the scientist who found the first copy.
For your information! Muraiya is a thermophilic plant, in its natural habitat can be seen in Sumatra and Taiwan. It also grows in China, India and Nepal. In addition, there are on the Australian continent.
Appearance can not leave anyone indifferent: a two-meter green plant with thin trunks covered with brown bark, with shiny smooth leaves. On each leaf there are buds, which in the spring turn into snow-white five-leafed flowers with ends wrapped back with a jasmine flavor. At the end of spring, red muraya fruits appear from the flowers, covered with an orange peel. Inside each is a yellow bone.
Tree of Japanese Emperors
Muraiya is called the tree of Japanese emperors, since from the beginning of the empire in Japan, the leaves and flowers of the plant were used for medicinal purposes. Each leaf of muraya is useful. Of these, tinctures with decoctions were prepared, which only representatives of the Japanese dynasty were allowed to drink to increase the hidden qualities of a person. The imperial drink improved sexual energy and masculine strength. Attempts to take the seed to the house and try to grow murraya at home ended in beheading.
Plant flower
Muraya - indoor flower. The plant buds have a snow-white or milky hue. Appear in an amount of 10 to 15 pcs. and grow with brushes. The diameter of the flowers is 2 cm. Inside each are yellow stamens, reminiscent of jasmine flowers in aroma.
Flower appearance
Types and varieties of muraya
Botanists have described over 10 varieties of an exotic flower, but today only two species are known as a houseplant - paniculata and Koenig.
The most popular flower varieties:
Murraya paniculata
Species bred specifically for home breeding. Leaves are smaller than Koenig's and reach 12 cm in length. Each has 11 plates. The flowers are cream colored. Fruits of Murraya paniclet scarlet color. Refers to dwarf plants.
Note! The height of the mature flower is 50 cm.
Muraya Paniculata (Murraya Paniculata)
Muraiya paniculata is the same paniculata muraiya. It is formed by a bush, a dwarf tree or like a bonsai. The peculiarity of the species is a strong aroma, which is used universally in cooking and cosmetology. In India, seasoning is made from it. Murraya paniculata as a capricious houseplant, requires constantly plentiful watering and a lot of light.
Muraya black-fruited Koenig
The second kind of muraya, which is used as a houseplant. Its habitat is the islands of the Pacific Ocean. In appearance, the black-fruited Keniga muraya is a green shrub with leathery dark green leaves and a gray bark of branches. Blossoms snow-white flowers. It differs from a panic in the size and color of the fruit. Koenig reaches 40 cm, the fruits are black.
Muraya Exotica (Murraya Exotica)
Muraia exotic differs from the species presented above in its origin, the number of blooms throughout life and the number of leaves in the group (Dutch has 11 leaves). Another name for the species is Dutch flower.
Muraya exotic
Muraya transplant after pot shopping
You need to transplant the flower into a slightly moistened soil, consisting of sand and sheet soil. The container for growing seeds must be covered with glass and placed in the sun. Transplantation of young shoots occurs a month after the appearance of hardened young shoots. Be sure to take into account the fact that there should not be a sharp change in temperature, otherwise the flower will die.
Note! Transplanting murayu is in a large pot 5-10 cm wider than the previous one and at a temperature of 15-20 ° C.
What you need for landing
In the description of Murraya it is indicated that for full development and timely flowering, it is necessary to take care of the soil before planting. The best soil is loose and filled with organic additives with acidity up to 7.5 pH. If you decide to buy ready-made soil in the store, you should choose a specialized one for citrus fruits. In this case, you must definitely add vermiculite - a substance to increase the friability of the earth.
If you want, you can create the soil for the plant with your own hands, and not buy ready-made. It is created by mixing:
- leaf and turf land;
- humus;
- coarse sand.
Important! The proportion of the components is 2: 2: 2: 1. A drainage layer in the form of expanded clay and small pebbles is necessarily laid at the bottom.
As for water, you need to water it with settled water at room temperature.
Choosing the best place
In order for the flower to develop normally, you need to choose the right pot. Its diameter should be larger by a few centimeters of the previous one. Too large a pot is also not necessary to pick up, since water will accumulate under the roots, which will lead to their decay. As for the place of cultivation, a windowsill, well lit by the sun, is suitable.
Step-by-step landing process
The step-by-step process of planting a plant in a pot includes the following steps in turn:
- Preparation of a pot, plentifully fertilized soil, settled warm water and prepared or purchased seedlings.
- Loosening the soil, removing the topsoil and abundant watering.
- A neat flower transplant along with the land in which it was previously grown.
- Powder with a new layer of earth and a small compaction of the soil.
An important condition for proper planting is the location of the neck of the root system. The main thing is to prevent excessive deepening of the roots into the ground, otherwise the question will arise why the muraiya flower does not bloom.
Landing of muraya
Murai propagation
Muraya can reproduce using seeds and cuttings. Amateur gardeners note that the latter method is more unreliable than the first, since not all seeds will grow, and if they germinate, it is not a fact that they will survive.
Propagation by cuttings
To propagate a flower by cuttings, you need:
- take the most mature shoot and cut it in half;
- to root it in disinfected potassium permanganate soil or standing water.
The stalk takes root after a month. After this, leaves and full seedlings appear, which need to be transplanted into a pot.
Seed cultivation
To do this, you need to purchase seeds in a store or collect them from another flower yourself, and then place them in the ground and actively water as they dry. Shoots appear in a month at a temperature of 25 ° C.
Growing a flower from seeds
Muraya: home care
Despite the fact that many attribute muraya to moody plants, she does not present special requirements for care. It is necessary to adhere to certain rules of watering, top dressing and temperature conditions, so that a beautiful and healthy shrub grows.
Watering mode
During the period of active growth of the plant, it is important to provide it with regular watering with purified or settled water. When colds come, the frequency of watering should be significantly reduced. In a period of rest, you can completely stop.
Top dressing
You need to feed the plant with mineral and organic fertilizers from March to September. This is the period when the plant is actively growing and flowering, and then gives fruit. Feeding should be carried out once a month. You can loosen and add specialized additives sold in the store for citrus plants to the soil, or you can do them yourself. From mineral top dressing, it is better to opt for urea or urea because of the high nitrogen content, and from organic - to manure or chicken droppings.
Note! It is impossible to combine both fertilizers together. Their input should be gradual. The time difference is 10 days.
During the rest period, it is impossible to feed a citrus plant. It will not be assimilated by muraya. In addition, you can not fertilize the flower if it is sick with something. Fertilizers are applied to slightly moist soil.
Muraya care
Features of care during the flowering period
Flowering occurs 12 months after transplanting the flower into a permanent pot. Care at this time should be enhanced. It is necessary to pick off the first buds for preventive purposes, actively fertilize the soil with organic and mineral additives, and also monitor the general condition. If the leaves begin to fade, you need to try moving the plant to another place, watering with other water.
Important! If the care is correct, small white flowers will appear in the spring, and in the summer, the berries are saturated red or black.
Features of care at rest
The flower does not have a pronounced resting period. According to gardeners, it lasts from November to February, although the timing may be shifted. Muraiya is not capricious in quitting during her rest. At this time, no top dressing is needed, it is enough to provide moderate watering, put the pot in a bright but not sunny place.
Winter preparations
Muraya winters on the southern windowsill, without touching the leaves with cold glass. To artificially increase daylight hours, you will need to illuminate with an ultraviolet lamp.
Muraya in winter
Murai leaves turn yellow: what to do
The leaves may turn yellow if the soil has a high alkalinity or there are no useful trace elements in it. Also, the plant discards leaves due to a sharp temperature drop, natural aging, lack of sufficient watering, excessive saturation of fertilizing, improper care. The plant may turn yellow, fall and drop leaves due to improper transplantation, for example, into a too spacious pot. Yellowing of the leaves may be due to the action of chlorosis (a common disease of shrubs).
So that the plant does not hurt, you need to provide moderate watering with standing water, monitor the beneficial additives for the absence of chlorine in the composition.
In general, an exotic citrus plant can decorate any room with its appearance. It is not difficult to take care of it, the main thing is to plant it in a large pot, water it in time and do preventive measures against diseases, otherwise it can lose its beautiful leaves and flowers.
