How to grow a Duranta repens bonsai? Detailed care methods and tips
Temperature and light: Duranta repens likes a warm growing environment and is not cold-tolerant. The suitable growing temperature is 18°C to 26°C. When the winter temperature drops below 5°C, it is prone to frost damage, and it needs to stay above 5°C to overwinter safely. Duranta repens likes light and is also fairly shade-tolerant. During its growing period, it should be given sufficient light
Temperature and light
Duranta repens likes a warm growing environment and is not cold-tolerant. The suitable growing temperature is 18°C to 26°C. When the winter temperature drops below 5°C, it is prone to frost damage, and it needs to stay above 5°C to overwinter safely. Duranta repens likes light and is also fairly shade-tolerant. During its growing period, it should be given sufficient light to grow well. Some of the variegated varieties especially need more exposure to sunlight to develop bright, beautiful colors. With insufficient light, the colors fade and the ornamental value decreases.
Watering and fertilizing
Duranta repens likes moisture and is not drought-tolerant. During the growing period, keep up a sufficient water supply to meet the plant's growth needs. Be careful not to let water accumulate in the pot, especially in the rainy season, when drainage matters. In winter, keep the potting soil dry and water sparingly. Duranta repens consumes a large amount of nutrients during the growing period, and flowering and fruiting also require considerable nutrients, so it needs frequent fertilizing. During the growing period, apply a nitrogen-based fertilizer once every half month to promote plant growth; before the flowering period, apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flowering; after flowering, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to increase the ornamental value of the fruit and extend the fruit-viewing time.
Duranta repens Duranta repens illustrated guide: how to grow Duranta repens / how to propagate Duranta repens
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How to grow Duranta repens and precautions: an introduction to Duranta repens
Duranta repens belongs to the Verbenaceae family, genus Duranta. It is native to Mexico, Brazil and the Indian Ocean islands. It is an evergreen shrub. The branches are long, drooping or prostrate, with two leaves opposite each other, ovate-elliptic or obovate, with a short-pointed or rounded tip, a wedge-shaped base, and serrated edges above the middle. The racemes are axillary, arranged into a terminal panicle, usually borne on one side of the axis, with a blue-purple or white corolla. The drupe is fleshy, ovate, borne in strings enclosed within the calyx, yellow and glossy. Duranta repens is a plant grown for its flowers and fruit. It opens small blue-purple or white flowers all year round, and after autumn the fruit changes color and hangs on the drooping long branches, very charming. It can be potted to decorate halls, or planted in the ground as a garden hedge or clump, or planted as a shrub mass.
Ornamental category: foliage plants.
Morphological features: evergreen trailing shrub, flowers blue-purple, flowering in summer, autumn and winter, flowering and fruiting at the same time, drupe yellow and glossy when ripe.
Growth habits: likes light, tolerates partial shade, likes a warm and humid climate, tolerates pruning.
Landscape uses: hedges, ornamental.
Resource distribution: native to tropical America.
Morphological features of Duranta repens
Duranta repens is an evergreen shrub, 1.5-3m tall. The branches often droop, with or without thorns, and the young branches are hairy. Leaves are opposite, rarely whorled; the petiole is about 1cm long, with soft hairs; the leaf blade is papery, ovate-elliptic, obovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-6.5cm long, 1.5-3.5cm wide, with a wedge-shaped base, serrated edges above the middle, a short-pointed or blunt tip, and soft hairs. The racemes are terminal or axillary, often arranged in a panicle; the calyx is tubular, hairy, about 5mm long, with 5 ridges and 5 lobes at the tip, twisting at the tip when fruiting; the corolla is blue or pale blue-purple, about 8 mm long, with 5 lobes at the tip, the lobes spreading flat, hairy inside and out; the style is shorter than the corolla tube, the ovary is hairless, and the drupe is spherical, about 5mm in diameter, red-yellow when ripe, glossy, completely enclosed within the enlarged persistent calyx. Flowering and fruiting period is May to October.
Evergreen shrub. The stem can reach 6 meters long, usually 2-3 meters. It is much branched, not upright, semi-climbing, and the branches have thorns or no thorns. Leaves are opposite, with serrated edges. The flowering period is long, from mid-April to mid-December, opening successively, with May to September as the main flowering period. The flowers are small, salver-shaped, blue-purple, quiet and delicate, much loved. The fruit is round or nearly ovate, with a pointed tip, borne all year round, with June to November as the peak ripening period.
Ecological habits of Duranta repens
It likes a warm and humid climate and has low cold resistance. With long-term low temperatures of 5-6°C or short-term frost, the plant suffers cold damage. In the vast areas from northern South China to Central China and North China, it is only suitable for pot cultivation, overwintering in a greenhouse or indoors with protection, with the room temperature not lower than 8°C.
It likes light and also tolerates partial shade. It has strong adaptability to soil, and sandy soil, heavy clay soil, acidic soil or calcareous soil are all suitable. It prefers fertilizer, and grows poorly in poor soil. It tolerates waterlogging but not drought.
Whether potted or planted in the ground, it is suitable to apply sufficient base fertilizer, and afterwards apply compound fertilizer 1-2 times each year during the vigorous growth period. It has strong sprouting ability. According to ornamental requirements, the branches can be bent and twisted, or a heavy pruning can be carried out each spring to facilitate the sprouting of new branches that year and avoid a loose, messy crown shape. The old stems can also be cut off to cultivate a stump bonsai.
It likes a warm, sunny, cool and ventilated environment. It tolerates slight shade and has poor cold resistance, and the overwintering temperature must be above 5°C. It can grow well in ordinary soil. It has strong sprouting ability, tolerates pruning, and grows fast, with a suitable growth temperature of 18-28°C. In warm weather it can bloom all year round.
Cultivation techniques for Duranta repens: site selection and land preparation
For raising forsythia seedlings from seed, choose a wind-sheltered, sunny, well-drained sandy loam or loam with deep, loose and fertile soil. Apply 1000kg of decomposed chicken and sheep manure, 50kg of superphosphate and 30kg of diammonium phosphate per 667 sq m, plow deep and harrow fine, and make raised beds 100-120cm wide, 20-30cm high and 5-10m long; for raising seedlings by cuttings, choose sandy land that is easy to irrigate and has good permeability; for planting, choose a gentle slope facing away from the wind and toward the sun.
Cultivation
Mainly by sowing and raising seedlings, but also by cutting propagation.
Seeds can be collected throughout the year. After collection, soak them in water and compost them for about 1 week. When the fruit skin turns black and rotten, put them in a basket, rub them in water, and wash out the seeds. The fruit seed yield is about 16%, and the thousand-grain weight of the seeds is about 7.5 grams. After drying slightly, they can be sown. They must not lose water, and cannot be sun-dried or stored exposed for a long time. The seeds have no dormancy period and are best sown fresh. The temperature needs to be above 20°C for germination; generally they germinate about 10 days after sowing, with a germination rate of about 50%. Seedlings generally need to be grown for 2 years before being potted or leaving the nursery.
Cuttings are taken in late spring and early summer. Choose 1-2 year old young branches, cut them into sections 15 cm long, and insert them into a wet sand bed. They root after about 1 month, can be moved to the nursery for cultivation after about 1.5 months, and can leave the nursery the next year or the third year.
For those used for bending branches into shapes, it is best to start when the seedlings are in their second year.
Propagation methods of Duranta repens
Mainly by sowing and raising seedlings, but also by cutting propagation.
Seeds can be collected throughout the year. After collection, soak them in water and compost them for about 1 week. When the fruit skin turns black and rotten, put them in a basket, rub them in water, and wash out the seeds. The fruit seed yield is about 16%, and the thousand-grain weight of the seeds is about 7.5 grams. After drying slightly, they can be sown. They must not lose water, and cannot be sun-dried or stored exposed for a long time. The seeds have no dormancy period and are best sown fresh. The temperature needs to be above 20°C for germination; generally they germinate about 10 days after sowing, with a germination rate of about 50%. Seedlings generally need to be grown for 2 years before being potted or leaving the nursery.
Cuttings are taken in late spring and early summer. Choose 1-2 year old young branches, cut them into sections 15 cm long, and insert them into a wet sand bed. They root after about 1 month, can be moved to the nursery for cultivation after about 1.5 months, and can leave the nursery the next year or the third year. For those used for bending branches into shapes, it is best to start when the seedlings are in their second year.
Growing seedlings from seed
In winter, after the fruit turns yellow, wash the seeds clean and dry them, and they can be sown. They germinate after 2-3 weeks; when they have 2 pairs of true leaves, transplant them into flower pots for cultivation.
Choose excellent individual plants that grow robustly, have short and thick internodes, bear dense and plump flowers and fruit, and are free of pests and diseases as mother plants for seed collection; in September-October, pick the ripe fruit, dry it and thresh it, then store it in sand. That is, dig a storage pit 1.2m deep and 0.8m wide (the length depends on how many seeds there are), mix the forsythia seeds thoroughly with wet sand in a 1:3 ratio; the moisture of the sand should be such that it forms a ball when squeezed in the hand and falls apart when released, without dripping.
Then bury the seeds in the pit in layers of soil and sand, with the covering soil slightly higher than the ground; sow in early to mid-March in the south and early April in the north; the sowing rate is about 150kg/hectare. When sowing, open shallow furrows 4-5cm deep at a row spacing of 25cm, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 2cm of soil and press lightly, and seedlings emerge in about 20 days; after the seedlings come up evenly, loosen the soil, weed and fertilize in time.
When the seedlings are 5-6cm tall, start thinning; when they are 10-15cm tall, thin for the second time. During the seedling stage, loosen the soil and weed frequently, water in time, and keep the soil moist, but forsythia also fears waterlogging, so open ditches for drainage in time during the rainy season to avoid root rot from standing water. During the seedling stage, apply thin fertilizer frequently, each time topdressing 30-75kg/hectare of urea or 75-100kg/hectare of ammonium sulfate to promote stem, leaf and plant growth. Generally after 2 years of cultivation, when the seedlings are more than 60cm tall, they can leave the nursery.
Growing seedlings by cuttings
Both old and young branches can be used as cuttings. Insert them into sandy soil and keep the humidity at about 80%; they root very easily and have a high survival rate. After rooting, they can be planted in flower pots as single plants or 2-3 plants together. If the young seedlings are grown outdoors and uneven growth or overly long branches are found, pinch or prune them in time to adjust.
It is best to choose a semi-shaded, ventilated and cool environment. In summer, the light should not be too strong, as it easily scorches the leaves. Prune overly dense branches in time and strengthen water and fertilizer management to encourage the plant to bloom more.
After autumn begins, increase light and maintain good plant vigor. After the weather turns cool, it needs to be moved to a greenhouse to overwinter. Repot and carry out shaping and pruning in April. During the growing period, sufficient water is required, and from spring to autumn apply liquid fertilizer once every 10-15 days.
In dry seasons, pay attention to watering to keep the air humid. After flowering, prune appropriately to encourage new branches and another round of flowering.
In early summer, cut 1-2 year old young branches from excellent mother plants into cuttings 20-25cm long (with 3 nodes). Soak the lower 1/3 of the cuttings in a 500×10E-6 rooting powder (ABT) or indolebutyric acid (1BA) solution for 1min, take them out and let them dry slightly, then in a previously prepared bed, use an iron rod or small wooden stick to make holes at a plant and row spacing of 5cm×20cm, insert 2/3 of the cuttings into the holes, cover with soil and firm it, then water. They root and sprout in about 1 month, can grow into 50cm tall plants the same year, and are transplanted to the field the following spring.
Layering propagation
Forsythia has many drooping branches, so in spring from March to April, bend the drooping branches of the mother plant down into the soil, cut a notch in the buried part with a knife and cover it with fine soil; the cut part will root and form a new plant. In winter or the following early spring, cut it away from the mother plant, dig up the seedling with its roots and transplant it to the field.
Division propagation
Forsythia has a well-developed root system and extremely strong sprouting ability. After leaf fall in autumn or before sprouting in early spring, dig up the root suckers around the plant's root zone and transplant and plant them separately.
Pest and disease control of Duranta repens
The common pests and diseases of Duranta repens are mainly aphids, caterpillars and sunscald. For aphids and caterpillars, biological control is the main method; combine with autumn pruning to cut off diseased branches to reduce the occurrence of aphids and caterpillars; a 1000-fold omethoate solution can also be sprayed on the leaves. Sunscald is mainly avoided in the hot summer by avoiding direct strong light, with appropriate water spraying and shading.
Duranta repens should be protected against two insect pests.
(1) Borers
The larvae bore into the xylem pith of the stems and cause damage. In severe cases, the affected branches cannot flower or fruit, and even the whole plant dies. Control methods: in winter, clear away dead branches, fallen leaves and weeds to destroy overwintering eggs; promptly cut off and burn affected branches; use a 500-fold 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or undiluted 80% dichlorvos on a cotton ball to plug the bore holes and kill the pests.
(2) Snails
They mainly damage flowers and young fruit. Control methods: scatter lime powder around the plant in the early morning, or catch them by hand.
Distribution range of Duranta repens
It is native to tropical Central and South America, from the West Indies and Mexico to Brazil, and has been introduced and planted in many tropical regions of the world. In China, it is widely cultivated in the vast areas from northern South China to Central China and North China.
Ecological environment: commonly cultivated or naturalized in southern China.
Resource distribution: native to tropical America. Produced from Mexico to Brazil and the West Indies, widely cultivated in southern China, and mostly potted in the north.
Medicinal or dietary therapeutic value of Duranta repens
The medical information and health dietary information on Huahua Net is for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. For any health problem, consult professional medical staff, and for the treatment of any disease, follow doctor's orders.
Ultimate flower-protecting mission: to love yourself, start from reality and strictly follow doctor's orders. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field in your heart with your heart.
Medicinal value
Duranta repens is a commonly used bulk medicinal material in China. When the fruit first ripens in autumn and is still green, it is harvested, impurities removed, steamed and sun-dried, and called "green qiao"; when the fruit is fully ripe, it is harvested, air-dried and impurities removed, commonly called "old qiao"; forsythia fruit contains forsythia phenol, alcohol compounds, saponins (non-hemolytic) and flavonoid glycosides, lignins, triterpenes, coumarins, etc. Its taste is bitter and its nature is slightly cold; it can dissipate nodules and purge fire, reduce swelling and discharge pus, relieve pain and promote urination; modern pharmacology shows that forsythia has antibacterial, antiviral, liver-protecting, anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing effects. It mainly treats carbuncles, scrofula, breast abscess, erysipelas, wind-heat common cold, early stage of warm disease, warm heat entering the nutrient level, high fever and thirst, delirium and spots, heat strangury and urine retention, etc. The fruit is used as medicine to treat malaria, and the leaves can be pounded and applied to treat painful swelling.
Duranta repens (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine) [Synonyms] Fanzi thorn, fence tree, yangci, flower wall thorn (Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine).
[Source] The fruit of the Verbenaceae plant Duranta repens.
[Collection] Can be collected throughout the year.
[Chemical composition] Contains alkaloids, steroids, glucose and fructose.
[Nature and flavor] Sweet and slightly pungent, warm, slightly toxic.
[Functions and indications - effects of Duranta repens] Treats malaria, induces abortion.
[Cautions] Contraindicated for pregnant women.
[Selected formulas]
① To treat malaria: 15 to 20 Duranta repens fruits, taken with boiled water two hours before the attack.
② To treat chest pain from trauma: 5 qian of fresh Duranta repens, pounded, taken with hot wine.
Uses and purposes of Duranta repens: ornamental and applications
The racemose fruit clusters of Duranta repens hang at the tips of the branches, orange-red or golden yellow, glossy, like strings of golden grains, and do not fall off for a long time. They are extremely gorgeous and make it an important fruit-ornamental plant. It is suitable for planting as hedges, green walls, flower corridors, or climbing on flower trellises, or hanging over stone walls or brick walls, all very beautiful. The branches are soft and tolerate pruning, and can be bent into many shapes, planted as bonsai, or pruned and cultivated as stump bonsai, with especially good results. The fruit is used as medicine to treat malaria, and the leaves can be pounded and applied to treat painful swelling.
Ornamental value
Duranta repens has a beautiful tree form and vigorous growth; it flowers before the leaves in early spring, and has a long flowering period and abundant flowers. When in full bloom, the branches are golden and fragrant, pleasing to the eye, and it plays an important role in the seasonal changes of early spring. It can be planted as flower hedges, flower clumps, flower borders, and flower beds beside houses, by pavilions and steps, at wall corners, under hedges, or along roadsides, streamsides and pond edges. It is widely used in greening, beautifying and perfuming cities, and is a rare excellent tree species for sightseeing agriculture and modern landscaping.
The racemose fruit clusters hang at the tips of the branches, orange-red or golden yellow, glossy, like strings of golden grains, and do not fall off for a long time. They are extremely gorgeous and make it an important fruit-ornamental plant. It is suitable for planting as hedges, green walls, flower corridors, or climbing on flower trellises, or hanging over stone walls or brick walls, all very beautiful. The branches are soft and tolerate pruning, and can be bent into many shapes, planted as bonsai, or pruned and cultivated as stump bonsai, with especially good results.
Soil and water conservation role
Duranta repens has a well-developed root system; its main roots, lateral roots and fibrous roots can form a dense network in the soil layer, with strong absorption and water-retention capacity; the lateral roots are thick and long, and the fibrous roots are numerous and dense, which can pull and hold the soil and prevent soil blocks from sliding; forsythia has strong sprouting ability and the canopy coverage increases quickly, which can effectively prevent raindrops from striking the ground and reduce erosion. It has a good soil and water conservation effect and is an excellent ecological tree species recommended by the state for returning farmland to forest and the best economic plant for controlling soil erosion on the Loess Plateau.
Development and utilization
In today's society that advocates green, environmental protection and "returning to nature", forsythia has broad prospects for development and utilization. Forsythia leaf tea has the effect of scavenging free radicals and antioxidation. As a pure natural drug for preventing and treating various diseases caused by active oxygen (such as aging, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, high blood lipids, senile dementia and even cancer) and a new natural food antioxidant, it has a wide range of applications; forsythia has a long flowering period and its flower color does not fade for a long time, making it a resource-rich source of yellow food coloring; forsythia is a very good honey plant, and placing bees during the flowering period can both increase income and raise the cross-pollination rate, which is beneficial to fruit setting; forsythia seed oil is rich in nutrition and has a fragrant oil taste. Under the current situation of rapid growth in China's vegetable oil consumption, developing forsythia seed oil sources and making full use of China's rich wild oil plant resources has important practical significance for improving people's living standards and promoting economic development in mountainous areas.
Landscape uses of Duranta repens: indoor pot cultivation
The racemose fruit clusters of Duranta repens hang at the tips of the branches, orange-red or golden yellow, glossy, like strings of golden grains, and do not fall off for a long time. They are extremely gorgeous and make it an important fruit-ornamental plant.
Hedges and topiary
Duranta repens has fine, soft, spreading branches, elegant blue-purple flowers, and blooms continuously all year round. In autumn the fruit turns golden yellow, borne on drooping inflorescences, long like strings of golden beads, charming and lovely, making it an excellent flower-and-fruit ornamental plant. It is suitable for pot cultivation, decorating halls and meeting rooms, or as a hanging pot for fruit viewing, and can also be used for clump planting in parks and courtyards, or as flower hedges, or planted in color blocks. Its flowers and fruit can both be used as cut flower materials. The fruit can be used medicinally.
Cultural background of Duranta repens: plant toxicity
The ripe golden fruit of Duranta repens hangs on the branches like strings of jewelry, very gorgeous and charming, but this fruit has an abortifacient effect and can induce nasopharyngeal cancer. Landscape experts advise residents not to "keep" this good-looking but toxic plant.
Fine by the roadside, do not plant indoors
In fact, if Duranta repens is planted outdoors, as long as it is not touched, picked or eaten by mistake, it is basically harmless to people. However, Hu Xiancong, director of the municipal landscape research institute and senior landscape engineer, also reminds citizens, "if such plants are grown in the home, it is possible to cause cancer due to long-term inhalation of pollen, dust particles and other reasons." Citizens who love growing flowers and plants should not grow cancer-causing plants at home.
The flower language of Duranta repens
The flower language of Duranta repens is evil and witchcraft.
The fruit of Duranta repens is very beautiful, hanging on the branches. When ripe, the fruit is orange-red or golden yellow and glossy, like strings of golden jewelry. The fruit lasts a long time and does not fall off, very gorgeous and charming, and it is an important fruit-ornamental plant in the Lingnan region.
It is especially suitable for planting as hedges, flower corridors, green walls and other places, and can also hang over stone walls or brick walls in the yard, all appearing generous and beautiful.
The branches are very soft, suitable for making various shapes, and tolerate pruning, so it can be planted as a bonsai plant. However, although the fruit of Duranta repens is very beautiful and charming, its fruit has an abortifacient effect.
It contains substances that can activate the EB virus, and long-term contact may induce nasopharyngeal cancer, so children must stay away.
Duranta repens pictures
Duranta repens flower language:
Evil and witchcraft
Duranta repens belongs to the Verbenaceae family, genus Duranta. It is native to Mexico, Brazil and the Indian Ocean islands. It is an evergreen shrub. The branches are long, drooping or prostrate, with two leaves opposite each other, ovate-elliptic or obovate, with a short-pointed or rounded tip, a wedge-shaped base, and serrated edges above the middle. The racemes are axillary, arranged into a terminal panicle, usually borne on one side of the axis, with a blue-purple or white corolla.
The fruit of Duranta repens is very beautiful, hanging on the branches. When ripe, the fruit is orange-red or golden yellow and glossy, like strings of golden jewelry. The fruit lasts a long time and does not fall off, very gorgeous and charming, and it is an important fruit-ornamental plant in the Lingnan region. It is especially suitable for planting as hedges, flower corridors, green walls and other places, and can also hang over stone walls or brick walls in the yard, all appearing generous and beautiful. The branches are very soft, suitable for making various shapes, and tolerate pruning, so it can be planted as a bonsai plant.
Not only is its flower language so naughty, it is actually toxic too. Let's learn about it together.
Is Duranta repens toxic?
Although the fruit of Duranta repens is very beautiful and charming, its fruit has an abortifacient effect. It contains substances that can activate the EB virus, and long-term contact may induce nasopharyngeal cancer, so children must stay away.
If Duranta repens is planted outdoors, as long as it is not touched, picked or eaten by mistake, it is basically harmless to people. If such plants are grown in the home, it is possible to cause cancer due to long-term inhalation of pollen, dust particles and other reasons. Citizens who love growing flowers and plants should not grow cancer-causing plants at home.