Emerald Tree (Hainan Bean Tree) Care Methods, Precautions, and Whether It Blooms
The emerald tree is also commonly seen among household potted plants. Its emerald leaves are uniquely varied in shape and its form is graceful, and it is very shade-tolerant, making it the top choice for indoor plants. So how do you care for an emerald tree? What are the care methods and precautions?
Emerald Introduction
The emerald, native to the tropical regions of South Africa, has the scientific name Philodendron, commonly known as “emerald”, also called long-heart-leaf philodendron or Hainan bean tree (Radermachera hainanensis). It is a foliage plant. It is not uncommon for it to bloom in its place of origin, but in the north it is very difficult to bloom, just like the cycad blooming, which is extremely rare. The emerald's gestation period is about two months, but the flowering period is only 12 hours, making it extremely precious, and its floral fragrance has a strong sterilizing effect. The emerald philodendron is a climbing species with thick stems and aerial roots at the nodes; the leaves are heart-shaped, 25-35 cm long and 12-18 cm wide, with an abrupt pointed tip, a deeply heart-shaped base, green, entire, and glossy. The young shoots and leaf sheaths are both green.
In China it is mainly distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi and other provinces and regions, at an elevation of 300-600 m.
Care Methods for the Emerald Tree
1. Warm, hot environment: The suitable growth temperature is 20°C-21°C during the day and 18°C-19°C at night. Even in midsummer, try to keep the temperature below 27°C. When the ambient temperature is very high, provide appropriate shading with a shed and increase the humidity of the environment and leaf surfaces. During the winter, it is best to maintain a greenhouse temperature of no less than 8°C, and the minimum must not be lower than 5°C to avoid frost damage.
2. Light: It is a light-loving plant that can also tolerate slight shade. Full sun or semi-shade environments are both acceptable. However, do not let direct sunlight hit it in summer; provide shade with a shed. When potted plants are placed indoors, it is best to place them by a sunny window or on a balcony to receive semi-shade or diffused light. If it is placed in a dim indoor area for a long time, it easily loses its leaves. For home potting during winter, place it by a window or in a higher position near the balcony so it receives more light.
3. Humidity: It likes relatively moist soil and growing conditions. Air humidity should generally be maintained between 70-80%, and should not exceed 85% at most. If kept at home, you can regularly spray the plant with slightly warm clean water to maintain its fresh appearance and also increase environmental humidity.
4. Growing medium: Use a loose, breathable, well-draining medium. You can use imported growing medium or a domestic mix of peat soil with perlite and vermiculite, or a mix of leaf mold and river sand. The cultivation method popular in the market now is to grow one or two plants per pot, with each pot's plant height above 70 cm.
5. Fertilizer: It grows relatively quickly and needs sufficient nutrients to ensure vigorous growth, so during the growing season it needs frequent fertilizing. Generally a compound fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 20-10-10 or 15-15-15 is suitable. You can also use diluted weak fertilizer water instead of clean water to water the potting soil.
6. Pests and diseases: The most common aphid is the green peach aphid. Symptoms include wrinkled and deformed leaves, usually accompanied by glistening honeydew spots. Aphids can be seen with the naked eye. Control method: Spray with zinc sulfophos, omethoate, deltamethrin, etc.
Precautions for Growing the Emerald Tree
When growing the emerald tree, pay attention to timely watering, keeping the potting soil moist but not waterlogged. In addition, the emerald tree likes fertilizer; during the growing season, apply liquid fertilizer once a week to make its leaves dark green and glossy, greatly increasing its ornamental value. Also, in winter the indoor temperature for growing the emerald tree at night should be kept between 15°C and 18°C.
What to Do If the Emerald Tree Drops Its Leaves?
① Leaf spot disease: In environments with high temperature, high humidity and poor ventilation, its leaves are prone to leaf spot disease, which causes the emerald tree to drop its leaves.
Control method: Strengthen ventilation and light transmission, and avoid prolonged water retention on leaf surfaces. When a small number of diseased leaves are found, promptly remove and burn them, and regularly spray with a 600-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder, once every half month, for 3-4 consecutive times. For home potting, for spots appearing on a small number of leaves of individual plants, you can apply miconazole nitrate cream.
② Scale insects: Under conditions of high temperature, high humidity and poor ventilation, especially when kept in a shed for a long time in autumn and winter, scale insects easily appear on the stems and leaves of the emerald tree, which can also cause leaf drop.
Control method for the emerald tree: Strengthen ventilation and light transmission, and pay attention to controlling environmental humidity. When a small number of live insects are found, promptly wipe them off with a damp cloth, or use clear tape to stick them off. In commercial cultivation, during the peak hatching period of the nymphs, spray with a 1500-fold dilution of 25% buprofezin wettable powder; other agents such as Guoguang Jie Bisi and methidathion also have good effects.
③ Mites: The main damage symptoms are wrinkled, curled new leaves and uneven leaf surfaces on the emerald tree. They generally occur from June to September. High temperature and dryness favor large outbreaks of this pest, while under relatively humid conditions the pest occurs less.
Control method: Mainly use miticides such as Miejing, Damanling, and Hexythiazox.
④ Aphids: The most common aphid is the green peach aphid. Symptoms include wrinkled and deformed leaves, usually accompanied by glistening honeydew spots. Aphids can be seen with the naked eye.
Control method: Spray with zinc sulfophos, omethoate, deltamethrin, etc.
Does the Emerald Tree Bloom?
The emerald's flowering period is in autumn. The flowers are borne singly in the upper leaf axils and consist of a spathe and a white spadix. The flower is plump, long and pointed like a pointed chili pepper, 15-20 cm long, with a flower stalk 12-15 cm long. When the flower opens, it is green outside and red or white inside, with a strong tea fragrance, and it also gives a refreshing, mind-clearing and eye-brightening feeling. Inside there is a single pistil column, milky white or white, about as thick as a middle finger and shaped like a corn cob.