Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Care Techniques for Mock Lime (Aglaia odorata)

Mock lime (Aglaia odorata), also known as Mizilan or Shulan. Meliaceae family, Aglaia genus. The mock lime tree has an elegant form, dense branches and leaves, bright green glossy foliage, and a fragrance like orchids; it is a potted flower deeply loved by people. Mock lime blooms from July to August, or flowers in all four seasons. Moreover, the flowers are yellow and carry a faint fragrance.

Mock Lime Planting Methods 

1. Potting   

When preparing the potting soil, use 2 parts peat soil plus 1 part sand, or choose 2 parts fertile garden soil and 2 parts compost soil, plus 1 part sand, mixed together.   

2. Temperature   

The temperature suitable for mock lime growth is 20°C to 25°C. Generally, this temperature is used as the standard, and when its flowering period arrives, if the temperature is maintained at around 30°C, the flowers it produces will have a strong fragrant scent.   

3. Fertilizing   

Mock lime relatively likes fertilizer, but more liquid fertilizer containing phosphorus should be applied. It is best to apply alum fertilizer water made by soaking and decomposing crushed bone meal, fish bones, chicken bones, etc., and often supplement with chemical fertilizers containing more phosphorus or fermented rice washing water, etc.   

4. Soil   

For growing mock lime, clay pots are generally used, and for the soil you can choose loose soil with good drainage and aeration, such as culture soil mainly composed of leaf mold. For repotting, it can be done once every one or two years; at other times there is no need to pay too much attention to the potting soil.   

5. Shaping and Pruning   

Shaping should begin from the seedling stage, retaining a section of main trunk 15-20 cm tall, and do not let the main branches cluster out from the ground. Because mock lime produces flower spikes in the leaf axils of new leaves, it is generally not pruned. If it is to control the tree shape and increase new branches, pinch the growing tips before new branches grow, or prune in combination with cuttings.   

6. Cold Protection and Overwintering   

According to the temperature requirements of mock lime, during the overwintering period, the room temperature should be kept at 10-12°C. Too high a room temperature easily causes continued growth, which is unfavorable for growth and development the following year. But if the temperature is too low and drops below 5°C, it easily causes cold damage. When mock lime overwinters indoors, the leaf surface easily collects dust, affecting its normal photosynthesis, so every once in a while it needs to be rinsed.

Mock Lime Pruning Methods

Mock lime should begin shaping from the seedling stage; retain only a section of main trunk 15-20 cm, do not let the main trunk cluster out from the soil surface, and make it branch and grow so that the plant shape is full. Because the lower branches of old plants grown for many years easily die off, starting from the seedling stage, prune once every other year during the high-temperature period to promote the adventitious buds below the main branches to grow new side branches, thereby maintaining a well-proportioned tree shape, strong tree vigor, and lush leaves and abundant flowers.

Timely pruning during the growing season can promote the sprouting of side branches, making the mock lime crown lush with appropriate spacing between dense and sparse areas. When the plant grows too tall or is out of proportion with the space where it is placed, the taller middle branches can be cut back short, causing the mock lime to grow horizontally and expand the crown. However, attention should be paid when pruning. The pruning time is generally within one week before and after each flowering, and at the same time, during the bud stage, appropriately remove the terminal buds and flower buds; generally no pruning is needed during the high temperatures of summer.