Tea tree

The tea tree, or otherwise Melaleuca, is a whole genus representing the Myrtle family. It includes about 200 different subspecies of varietal evergreen trees and shrubs. In their natural environment, they grow in Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.

Tea tree - description and characteristics

Tea tree photo

Simple leaves of this plant are ovoid or lanceolate. They are located on the branches alternately most often. There are species that do not have petioles, but there are those that have rather short petioles. Inflorescences are rather loose and endowed with a cylindrical or spherical shape, consist of fairly fragrant flowers. Such inflorescences are very similar in appearance to a brush or a broom. The main distinguishing feature of these inflorescences is that each such inflorescence continues with the growth of a new one. The flowers of such inflorescences often consist of stamens collected in five bundles. In such a flower, the petals can fall off while the flowering period is just beginning. After a while, instead of flowers, capsules of a closed type are formed and are quite strong, they contain seeds. These capsules are strongly pressed against the stems. In this culture, not only the inflorescences differ in an unusual shape, but also the bark, which peels off and has a pale color. There are species in which the bark can flake off quite large, but in thin pieces, which is why this plant can be popularly found under the name paper-bark tree. It is worth noting that shrubs and trees of this genus are considered healing, and this was proven at the very beginning of the twentieth century. In absolutely any part of this culture there are essential oils, and in considerable quantities, they can destroy viruses, microbes and various fungi.

It should be said that alternate-leaved melaleuca can be quite simply confused with manuka (the scientific name is leptoospermum paniculata), which is also called the New Zealand tea tree. Very often you can even see a picture of this particular plant under the description of the tea tree. Although they are really quite similar in their leaves, their flowers are radically different. Also, these cultures differ from each other in their properties and use. Therefore, before preparing any folk remedy, you should initially be sure which plant is in front of you.

Tea tree: planting and care

This culture is considered quite unpretentious and its cultivation at home will not cause any particular difficulties. But, if you want constant and abundant flowering, then you need to make quite favorable conditions for this plant for growth.

• The soil

The best soil option for growing this plant will be neutral or slightly acidic, and quite loose. The soil can be prepared with your own hands, for this you just need to mix sod soil, peat and sand in a 1: 2: 1 ratio. In the case of planting beautiful melaleuca, the proportion of sand will be greater.

• Top dressing

This culture during the period of active growth requires feeding twice every 4 weeks. For this, complex fertilizers are used, specially made for indoor flowers.

• Watering

In its natural environment, this culture prefers to grow along river banks and in swampy areas. Therefore, growing it at home, it needs to be regularly watered well. When the soil is completely dry, the tea tree may die.Stagnation of moisture should also not be allowed, otherwise rotting of the roots of this culture may occur. Watering should be done with a settled and soft liquid. In order for hard water to soften, experts recommend adding a small amount of citric or acetic acid to it. In a rather cold winter season, the number and volume of irrigation should be reduced. At this moment, watering is performed only when the top layer of the soil dries up.

• Humidity

This culture requires high humidity. To increase it, you should regularly spray the plant, especially when the weather is hot and dry. Another way to increase humidity is to pour expanded clay into the pallet and pour water.

• Illumination

This culture is demanding on good and bright lighting, but at midday the plant needs to be protected from direct sunlight. Daylight hours for a tea tree should be approximately 10-12 hours, and with regard to the level of illumination, about 6500-7500 lux. With a lack of illumination, the culture should be provided with supplementary lighting from special phytolamps. If the plant receives good lighting all year round, then it will delight you with another flowering that occurs in the winter. With a lack of light, the stems of this culture stretch out and some of the leaves begin to fall off.

• Air temperature

If you cannot give the culture this additional illumination, then this plant should winter at an air temperature of about 10 degrees. In the summer, the tea tree grows well at high air temperatures, although at noon it is worth shading the culture from direct sunlight in order to avoid the appearance of burns on the leaves.

• Pruning

This plant requires a regular and year-round pruning procedure. It is absolutely easy for him to make any shape, and also shape him in the form of a shrub or tree. During this procedure, you can also cut off the stems that have finished their flowering, because the forming seed pods can spoil the appearance of this crop. At a young age, these plants are required in mandatory pruning, in order for the bush to branch well, for this it is pruned at about ten centimeters in height. Then each new branch is pruned until the desired branching occurs.

• Transfer

With a small age of the plant, this should be transplanted about once a year, and doing this in a container of a larger size than it was before. In adulthood, this culture is transplanted only if necessary. If the roots of this adult culture cease to fit into the container, you can do without replanting the plant, but simply cut them off and change the topsoil.

• Reproduction

There are several methods of propagation of this plant: seeds and woody cuttings one year old. In the case of the seed method, you should simply scatter the seeds over the surface of the wet soil, and they are not required in deepening. Then the container should be covered with transparent glass and placed in a sufficiently lighted place. After 8-10 days, you can already observe the first shoots, but at an air temperature of less than 20 degrees, you will see the first shoots in a month. Initially, the growth of seedlings will be rather slow and it may happen that a lot of young plants will die. You will be able to observe the first period of flowering with the seed method after five years of the plant's life. If propagated by semi-lignified cuttings, they should be approximately 70-80 millimeters long. They can take root both in a glass of liquid and directly in the ground. In order to improve rooting, it is recommended to use a root growth promoter.

Pests and diseases

Often, mealybugs and spider mites can appear on such crops that are grown at home. To combat them, the plants are treated with insecticides, for example, Fitoverm or Actellik. But the culture gets sick often due to poor quality and untimely care for it. In this case, the culture may get burns on the leaves from direct sunlight, all the leaves may fall off, the roots may rot, or completely die.

Tea tree: varieties

Let us consider in more detail those subspecies of this plant that are most common when grown indoors. Here they are:

- Melaleuca is alternate-leaved. This plant can also be found under the name of the Australian tea tree. Basically, this type of plant is grown at home. And this culture appeared initially in the northeastern part of Australia. This species is a tree of small stature, which has a rather slow growth and narrow elongated green leaves, outwardly they are compared with spruce needles. Also, these leaves have an average length of up to three centimeters and a width of about one millimeter. The flowering period of this species comes in late spring and lasts until the summer season, and it blooms quite luxuriantly. The inflorescences of this culture are quite dense and have a pure white shade, and are also endowed with a length of up to five cm. By their external data, these inflorescences resemble cylindrical brushes of a small size.

Melaleuca alternate-leaved photo

- Linseed melaleuca. The homeland of this culture is considered to be the east coast of South Queensland and New South Wales. This species is a small evergreen tree. It has the main difference in its rapid growth. The leaves have a regular arrangement and a gray-green tint, outwardly they look like linseed. They can be up to 40 mm long and up to 4 mm wide. The color time begins in summer, while the blossoming flowers are quite reminiscent of the feathers of birds. These flowers are collected in inflorescences, rather short, up to 40 millimeters long, having a pure white color. Outwardly, these inflorescences look like panicles. The flowering period is very magnificent, due to the fact that the blossoming flowers almost completely cover the entire culture. Because of this fact, in some countries, this plant is called summer snow. Among the most popular and beloved varieties of this species, there is such a subspecies as Snowstorm, which is a form of dwarf flax melaleuca.

Melaleuca linseed photo

- Melaleuca is nesophila. This culture is also called honey pink myrtle. It looks like a tall shrub native to Western Australia. The leaves of this plant are gray-green in color and can reach a length of 20 millimeters. The inflorescences are spherical and small in size, can reach 30 millimeters in circumference. These inflorescences consist of pink-purple flowers. The flowering period begins in late spring and lasts until mid-summer. The subspecies Little Nessie, which is a dwarf shrub with a rather spectacular and beautiful appearance, has earned strong love.

Melaleuca nesofila photos

- Diosmolytic melaleca. This species can also be found under the name of honey green myrtle. This species is widespread in home cultivation. Western Australia is considered the birthplace of this plant. It is a small shrub with green leaves, oval in shape and small in size, about one centimeter long. The arrangement of these leaves on the branches in a spiral and rather dense. The inflorescences are small, with an approximate length of up to 50 millimeters, consist of lemon-green flowers. These inflorescences have a cylindrical shape and are located on the lateral short branches.The flowering period begins in late spring and continues until the very beginning of autumn.

Melaleka diosmolistnaya photo

- Melaleuka is beautiful. The second name of this species is honey clawed myrtle. Western Australia is considered the birthplace of this plant. This species is a low growth creeping shrub. The leaves of this plant have a dark green color and an oval shape, they are quite small in size, they can reach a length of only up to 6 millimeters. The inflorescences of this culture are quite rare, consist of purple-pink flowers and have an unusual, interesting shape. These flowers have five groups of elongated stamens fused with each other, located near the sepals. The flowers are dominated by an inwardly curved shape, which makes it seem that you see fingers with claws in the form of anthers. That is why this culture is also called the Claw Flower.