What are the key points to note when growing Myrtus? These few points are crucial
First of all, Myrtus 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 Myrtus 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 grow it in a relatively warm, brightly lit and well-ventilated place. 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, Myrtus's "nutrition" must also keep up. Besides adding organic fertilizer when potting, fertilizer must also be supplemented during ordinary growing. In winter, you can follow the sequence "Hua Bao" - clear water - clear water - "Hua Bao" - clear water - clear water in a cycle every 3~7 days, while in spring, summer and autumn you can follow "Hua Bao" - clear water - "Hua Bao" - clear water in a cycle every 1~4 days.
Myrtus 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 skills can buy seeds and grow them themselves, so you will harvest even more!
Can Myrtus be grown artificially? Myrtus cultivation techniques
Image: Myrtus
[Common question] Can Myrtus be grown artificially? Myrtus cultivation techniques
[Expert answer]
Yes! The key points of Myrtus cultivation techniques are as follows:
1. Propagation methods
(1) Sowing
Before sowing, the seeds must first be selected. Whether the seeds are well chosen 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, have no defects or deformities, and are free of pests and diseases. For household disinfection of seeds, it is common to soak the seeds in hot water at about 60°C for a quarter of an hour, and then use warm water to promote germination for 12-24 hours. To disinfect the sowing substrate, the best method is to put it in a pot and heat it until hot; any pests and diseases will be scalded to death. 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 with your hands or other tools, you can moisten one end of a toothpick with water, stick the seeds one by one onto the surface of the substrate, cover with substrate 1 cm thick, then put the sowing pot into water, with the water depth at 1/2-2/3 of the pot height, and let the water slowly soak upward (this method is called the "pot soaking method"); for larger seeds that can be picked up with your hands or other tools, put the seeds directly into the substrate and sow them in spots at a spacing of 3×5 cm.
After sowing, cover with substrate, with a covering thickness of 2-3 times the size of the seeds. After sowing, use a sprayer or a fine-hole watering can to moisten the sowing substrate, and later water again when the potting soil is slightly dry. Still be careful that the force of watering is not too strong, so as not to wash the seeds out; 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 weakly; after most of the seeds have come up, appropriate thinning is needed: pull out the diseased and unhealthy seedlings so that the remaining seedlings have a certain amount of space from each other; when most of the seedlings have grown 3 or more leaves, they can be transplanted.
(2) Cutting propagation
When carrying out softwood cuttings, at the time of vigorous plant growth from late spring to early autumn, select robust current-year branches as cuttings. After cutting off the branches, choose the sturdy parts and cut them into sections 5-15 cm long, each section bearing more than 3 leaf nodes. When cutting the cuttings, note that the upper cut should be made straight 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, with both upper and lower cuts smooth (the knife must be sharp). When carrying out hardwood cuttings, after temperatures rise in early spring, select healthy and robust 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 temperature 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 gloss.
3. Temperature:
Because Myrtus originates from 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 brightly lit place 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 warmth-preserving 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, in addition to adding organic fertilizer when potting, appropriate fertilizer and water management must also be carried out during ordinary care.
Spring, summer and autumn: These three seasons are its peak growing seasons. Fertilizer and water management follows the cycle of “Hua Bao”——clear water——“Hua Bao”——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 “Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water——“Hua Bao”——clear water——clear water, with an interval of about 3-7 days. On sunny days or during high temperatures the interval is shorter, and 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 open a small trench in a ring 30-100 cm away from the root crown (the larger the plant, the farther from the root crown), with the trench width and depth both 20 cm. Scatter 25-50 jin of organic fertilizer, or 1-5 liang of granular compound fertilizer (chemical fertilizer), into the trench, then water thoroughly. After winter begins and before spring begins, apply fertilizer once more in the above way, but do not water.
[Editor's comments] For children in the hilly areas of southern China, the wild fruit they most liked to pick when playing on the mountains is probably Myrtus. However, now in many hilly areas the wild grass on the mountains grows taller than people, and many people from the 1970s and 1980s probably have not eaten it for many years and especially miss its taste. In fact, Myrtus can also be grown artificially. The specific method has been presented to you by the First Agricultural Economics editor, and I hope it is helpful to you.
How many jin of fruit does one mu of Myrtus yield? What is the prospect of growing Myrtus?
[Common question 1]How many jin of fruit does one mu of Myrtus yield?
[Editor's answer]Myrtus is a wild fruit in southern regions. One tree has about 5 jin of fruit, and one mu of Myrtus can produce 400 jin of fruit.
Image 1: Myrtus
[Common question 2]What is the prospect of growing Myrtus?
[Editor's answer]As a wild resource, Myrtus has unique plant advantages. Whether for landscape greening, food processing, development of health products, or medical drug research, it has broad development prospects, so the prospect of growing Myrtus is also very good, and more and more people are choosing to grow Myrtus.
Image 2: Myrtus fruit
[Editor's message]Myrtus is a wild fruit native to tropical regions and is more suited to growing in a high-temperature, high-humidity environment, so when growing Myrtus, pay attention to climate changes and even more to cultivation methods.