How to Grow Myrtus communis (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa): Methods and Precautions, and When Is the Right Time to Plant?

First, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa has certain temperature requirements, because its place of origin is in the tropics and it likes a high-temperature, high-humidity environment. The surrounding temperature must not be lower than ten degrees. So in summer, we can move Rhodomyrtus tomentosa outdoors and place it in a semi-shaded spot to enhance air convection, and spray it two to three times a day. When winter comes, we need to move it indoors and place it in a relatively warm, bright, and well-ventilated spot for growing. If it cannot be moved indoors, you can cover the plant with plastic film, but at noon the film should be uncovered to improve ventilation.

In addition, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa's "nutrition" must also keep up. Besides adding organic fertilizer when potting, fertilizer must also be supplemented during regular growing. In winter, you can follow the sequence of "Huabao" - clear water - clear water - "Huabao" - clear water - clear water in a cycle every 3-7 days. In spring, summer, and autumn, you can follow the sequence of "Huabao" - clear water - "Huabao" - clear water in a cycle every 1-4 days.

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is a healthy and delicious ingredient. If everyone is interested, you can buy some and try it yourself. The editor also recommends that people with strong hands-on ability can buy seeds and grow them themselves, which will bring even more rewards!

Can Rhodomyrtus tomentosa be grown artificially? Rhodomyrtus tomentosa growing techniques

Common question: Can Rhodomyrtus tomentosa be grown artificially? Rhodomyrtus tomentosa growing techniques

Expert answer: Yes! The key points of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa cultivation techniques are as follows:

1. Propagation methods

(1) Sowing

Before sowing, the seeds must first be selected. Whether the seeds are selected well or not directly affects whether sowing can succeed. It is best to use seeds collected in the current year. The longer the seeds are stored, the lower their germination rate. Choose seeds that are plump, not damaged or deformed, and free of pests and diseases. For household seed disinfection, it is common to soak the seeds in hot water at about 60°C for a quarter of an hour, then use warm water to promote germination for 12-24 hours. Disinfect the substrate used for sowing. The best method is to put it in a pot and heat it until hot; any pests and diseases will be killed by the heat. Soak the seeds in warm water (at a temperature similar to face-washing water) for 12-24 hours, until the seeds absorb water and swell. For very common seeds that germinate easily, this step can be skipped. For tiny seeds that are difficult to pick up by hand or with other tools, you can wet one end of a toothpick with water and stick the seeds one by one onto the surface of the substrate, cover with substrate 1 cm thick, then place the sowing pot into water with the water depth at 1/2-2/3 of the pot height, allowing the water to slowly soak upward (this method is called the "pot soaking method"); for larger seeds that can be picked up by hand or with other tools, place the seeds directly into the substrate and sow them in spots at a spacing of 3 x 5 cm.

After sowing, cover with substrate at a thickness 2-3 times that of the seeds. After sowing, use a sprayer or a fine-hole watering can to moisten the sowing substrate. Later, when the potting soil is slightly dry, water again. Still be careful not to water too forcefully, so as not to wash the seeds up; after sowing in late autumn, early spring, or winter, when encountering a cold wave and low temperatures, you can wrap the flower pot with plastic film to help keep warmth and moisture; after the seedlings emerge, promptly uncover the film, and let the seedlings receive sunlight before 9:30 every morning or after 3:30 in the afternoon, otherwise the seedlings will grow very weak; after most seeds have emerged, appropriate thinning is needed: pull out the diseased and unhealthy seedlings so that the remaining seedlings have a certain amount of space between them; when most seedlings have grown 3 or more leaves, they can be transplanted.

(2) Cutting propagation

When carrying out softwood cuttings, during the vigorous growth period from late spring to early autumn, select strong current-year branches as cuttings. After cutting the branches off, choose the robust parts and cut them into sections 5-15 cm long, with each section bearing more than 3 leaf nodes. When cutting the cuttings, note that the upper cut should be made horizontally about 1 cm above the topmost leaf node, and the lower cut should be made at an angle about 0.5 cm below the lowest leaf node. Both the upper and lower cuts should be smooth (the knife must be sharp). When carrying out hardwood cuttings, after temperatures rise in early spring, select healthy and strong branches as cuttings. Each cutting usually retains 3-4 nodes, and the cutting method is the same as for softwood cuttings.

2. Humidity:

It likes a moist climate environment and requires the relative air humidity of the growing environment to be 70-80%. If the relative air humidity is too low, the lower leaves turn yellow and fall off, and the upper leaves lose their luster.

3. Temperature:

Because Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is native to tropical regions and likes a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, it has very strict temperature requirements in winter. When the ambient temperature is below 10°C, growth stops, and when frost appears, it cannot overwinter safely.

In summer:

(1) Strengthen air convection so that the heat inside the plant can be released;

(2) Place it in semi-shade, or provide it with 50% shade;

(3) Spray it appropriately, 2-3 times a day.

In winter:

(1) Move it indoors to a bright spot for care;

(2) Outdoors, you can wrap it with plastic film to overwinter, but every two days at noon when the temperature is relatively high, uncover the film to let it breathe. Light: It likes a semi-shaded environment. In autumn, winter, and spring, it can be given plenty of sunlight, but in summer it should be shaded by more than 50%. When keeping it indoors for care, place it in a place with bright light as much as possible, such as a well-lit living room, bedroom, study, and similar places. After keeping it indoors for a period (about one month), move it outdoors to a shaded place (with insulation conditions in winter) for care for a period (about one month), and alternate back and forth in this way.

4. Fertilizer and water control

For potted plants, besides adding organic fertilizer when potting, appropriate fertilizer and water management should also be carried out during regular care.

Spring, summer, and autumn: These three seasons are its peak growth periods. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of "Huabao" - clear water - "Huabao" - clear water, with an interval of about 1-4 days.

Winter: During the winter dormant period, the main task is to control fertilizer and water well. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of "Huabao" - clear water - clear water - "Huabao" - clear water - clear water, with an interval of about 3-7 days. On sunny days or during high temperatures, the interval is shorter; on rainy days or during low temperatures, the interval is longer or no watering is done. For plants grown in the ground, in spring and summer, according to drought conditions, apply fertilizer and water 2-4 times: first dig a small circular trench 30-100 cm away from the root collar (the larger the plant, the farther from the root collar), with the trench width and depth both 20 cm. Sprinkle 25-50 jin of organic fertilizer into the trench, or 1-5 liang of granular compound fertilizer (chemical fertilizer), then water thoroughly. After winter begins and before spring begins, apply fertilizer once more according to the above method, but do not water.

Comment: For children in the hilly areas of southern China, the wild fruit they most like to pick when going up the mountains is probably Rhodomyrtus tomentosa. However, now in many hilly areas the wild grass on the mountains grows taller than people. Many people from the 1970s and 1980s probably have not eaten it for many years and especially miss its taste. In fact, Rhodomyrtus tomentosa can also be grown artificially. The specific methods have been provided for you by the editor of First Agricultural Economics, and we hope they are helpful to you.