How to grow Ixora? A full breakdown of the latest care methods
Ixora is also known as Shandan flower, Longchuan flower and so on. It is an evergreen shrub of the genus Ixora in the family Rubiaceae. It can bloom all year round, but blooms most profusely in summer and autumn. The flowers are terminal, with 4 petals, clustered into balls. The flowers are delicate and charming, drought-tolerant and high-temperature-tolerant, and the plant is robust and strong-growing, suitable for garden landscaping and potted cultivation. Now let us take a look together at how to grow Ixora!
Growth habits of Ixora
Ixora is native to the tropical regions of Asia and has more than 20 varieties. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree, with opposite, entire leaves. It can bloom all year round, but blooms most profusely in summer and autumn. The flowers are terminal, with 4 petals, clustered into balls. The flowers are delicate and charming, drought-tolerant and high-temperature-tolerant, and the plant is robust and strong-growing, suitable for garden landscaping and potted cultivation.
Propagation methods of Ixora
1. Cuttings: Best done in June to July. In the rainy season, take one-year-old branches, cut them into sections 10 to 15 cm long, remove the leaves at the base, and root them at a room temperature of 24 to 30°C, inserting them in a sand bed (pot) or directly into a sandy soil field bed. If, before rooting, the base of the cuttings is soaked in a 0.5% indolebutyric acid solution for 3 to 5 seconds, the rooting period can be shortened and the root system will be especially well developed. After insertion, water every day to keep the sandy loam moist; roots will form in about 30 days, and 10 days after rooting they can be transplanted or potted.
2. Sowing: Collect seeds in winter and sow in spring the following year. The suitable germination temperature is 22 to 24°C. Sow in indoor seedling trays, and germination takes about 20 to 25 days. When 3 to 4 pairs of true leaves have grown, the seedlings can be moved into 8 cm pots. However, the period to reach maturity is relatively long. When there are many dense branches, layering can also be used: at 20 cm from the top, make a ring cut in the bark, bind it with peat and plastic film, and after about 2 months or more it will heal and root.
How to grow Ixora
1. Temperature: Ixora likes sunlight and warmth and is not cold-tolerant. It is best placed in a sunny courtyard, rooftop garden, or a south- or west-facing balcony. When the minimum winter temperature drops to 5°C, it should be moved indoors and kept in a sunny spot inside a windowsill. Keeping the room temperature above 5°C allows it to overwinter safely, and in the following spring, once the temperature is steadily above 10°C, it can be moved outdoors.
2. Potting soil: For potted Ixora, choose a clay pot with good permeability, or if using a less permeable but more attractive purple clay pot or plastic pot, line the bottom of the pot with broken tiles or broken hard plastic foam blocks to improve air and water drainage. The potting soil should be rich in humus, loose, fertile, acidic soil, with a pH of 5.0 to 6.5 being suitable. Do not use saline-alkaline soil or heavy clay soil. The growing medium can be prepared with 4 parts leaf mold, 4 parts sandy loam, and 2 parts river sand, mixed with an appropriate amount of already decomposed soybean cake powder or sesame oil residue. A small amount of hoof powder can also be placed at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer.
3. Fertilizing: Ixora likes fertilizer. During the growing period, apply a small amount of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer about once every half month. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer alone, otherwise the branches and leaves will grow excessively and there will be few flowers. From mid-April to early May, apply decomposed soybean cake water twice as a top dressing. From mid-May until flower buds appear, apply 2 to 3 times a decomposed liquid fertilizer mixed with nitrogen and phosphorus. During the flowering period, 2 to 3 applications of decomposed phosphorus liquid fertilizer are also needed.
4. Watering: The potting soil for Ixora should be allowed to dry and then be watered, and watered when dry and stopped once thoroughly watered; do not let water accumulate. In spring, water once every 4 days; in summer, generally water once every 1 to 2 days, and sprinkle water around the potted plant once each morning and evening to raise air humidity. In summer, soft water is preferable for irrigation; hard water is harmful to Ixora growth, causing yellow leaves in mild cases and death in severe cases. To overcome the alkalinity of the soil and water, water once a week with alum fertilizer water during the growing season, so as to keep the leaves dark green.
5. Pruning: In early winter, the plant should be shaped and pruned, retaining healthy branches and cutting off diseased, pest-damaged, weak, and overly dense branches. When pruning Ixora, attention should be paid to pinching: when the seedlings are 15 to 20 cm tall, pinch once to encourage more branching and make the plant shape fuller. After flowering, pruning should also be carried out several times. Each spring, when repotting and changing the soil, overwintered old plants should be heavily pruned, leaving about 20 cm.