How to grow a coral tree? Detailed planting methods and care tips

The coral tree has profuse, showy flowers and is suitable as a courtyard ornamental tree or street tree. In the north it can be grown as a potted plant in a greenhouse for ornamental viewing. It is the national flower of Argentina. So, how should the coral tree be grown? Let's find out together now!

1. Planting requirements

The coral tree is suited to an environment with ample sunlight, high temperatures and good ventilation. It must be watered by the "dry then wet" principle, but it does not tolerate waterlogging. It is not cold-hardy; move it indoors in late October, keep the overwintering temperature at around 15°C, and it must not go below 4°C, and attention should be paid to controlling moisture. It tolerates poor soil and is not demanding about soil. For potted plants, hoof-and-horn pieces can be used as base fertilizer, and a soybean cake liquid fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing every 2-3 weeks, applying light fertilizer frequently. In open-field cultivation, young trees should be pruned carefully to develop a rounded tree shape.

For potted cultivation, a slightly larger pot should be chosen; for greenhouse potting, a large vat can be used. The coral tree's roots are highly lignified with few fibrous roots. If the pot soil drains poorly or water accumulates in the pot, the roots rot very easily, so loose, fertile sandy loam should be used as the growing medium, and poorly draining clay soil should be avoided. When potting or repotting, a medium-sized plant should generally be given 100-150 g of hoof-and-horn pieces per pot as base fertilizer.

From May to September, a decomposed organic liquid fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing once every half month. The coral tree does not like heavy watering; it is best to keep the pot soil semi-dry and semi-moist at all times. In summer, when temperatures are high and evaporation is great, water once a day. In the hot summer, it should be placed outdoors in a semi-shaded spot for care. In winter, it can generally be watered once every 2-3 days. For plants that have been pruned and pinched back before being moved indoors, water once every 10-15 days. Older plants should have their trunks appropriately cut back to help adjust the plant's shape. For overly long branches, pinching can be done after flowering to control branch growth, or branches that have already flowered can be cut off from the base; the new branches that sprout will flower even more profusely. Repot every spring.

2. Cultivation points

1. For the coral tree, take cuttings of branches in spring and autumn, 10-15 cm long, and insert them in sand in a hotbed, then shade them, taking care to water and maintain moisture; they root and become seedlings very easily.

2. Greenhouse potting requires a large pot; in spring and summer it needs ample water, ventilation and light.

3. When it is excessively hot, it should be placed in a semi-shaded spot for cultivation. From May to August, apply liquid fertilizer once every 2 weeks. In winter, watering should be controlled; keeping the pot soil moist is sufficient.

4. Older plants should have their trunks appropriately cut back; after they regrow branches and leaves, adjust the tree shape

3. How to grow the coral tree

Coral tree pot cultivation is relatively simple to manage, but before it is moved outside it should be repotted every other year. For the pot soil, it is best to mix 2 parts pond mud with 1 part compost and 1 part chaff ash. The plant needs heavy pruning: for first-year branches less than 1 cm in diameter, leave only 1-2 buds, and for those more than 1 cm in diameter, leave 2-3 buds. After heavy cutting back, dormant buds and axillary buds will be stimulated to send out strong new shoots, and once grown they can make the whole tree bloom profusely. Mulberry-like branches and weak branches at the roots should be removed promptly.

After being moved outside, it should be given ample light. In midsummer it can be slightly shaded. Water by the principle of alternating dry and wet. After new shoots emerge, apply cake fertilizer water once every 10 days. After flowering, in addition to normal fertilization, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer twice more as a top dressing to promote fuller branch development. Gradually stop fertilizing after October. After moving indoors at the end of October, place it in a sunny spot and keep the pot soil slightly moist.

4. How the coral tree propagates

The coral tree is suited to a warm climate, likes sunlight, and is not cold-hardy. It is mostly propagated by cuttings, by sowing or by cuttings; cuttings are taken from April to May and root in 1-2 months; it can also be propagated by air layering.

For cuttings, in April choose 1-2-year-old, full, robust branches and cut them into 12-20 cm segments as cuttings, and insert them into sandy soil. After insertion, be careful to water and maintain moisture; they root and survive very easily. The seedlings should be placed in a semi-shaded spot, keeping the pot soil moist at all times. When small red buds grow on the cuttings, it means they have already rooted. Cuttings that have successfully rooted can be branch-planted in the following spring.