We grow evergreen tamarind at home
Growing tamarind at home is not an easy task. This evergreen tropical plant lends itself to cultivation, but requires special conditions, similar to tropical climates. Good lighting, adequate watering and periodic feeding are important.
Appearance
Tamarind is an evergreen plant of the legume family that reaches a height of 20-30 meters. The birthplace of the majestic tree is the eastern part of the African continent and the forest of Madagascar. Now in the wild, it can be found in America, Sudan, the Caribbean, and Asian countries. In other countries with a tropical climate, the tree has been cultivated for many millennia.
Another common name for evergreen exotic is Indian date. It belongs to slow-growing, long-lived plants. Tamarind wood is red, dense, the crown is round, dense, spreading. The leaves are feathery, oval, light green, curl at night. The flowers are pale pink or yellowish with red stripes. The fruits are long, brown beans, slightly curved, with a brittle skin that does not open on its own. The pulp inside is reddish-brown, sweet-sour in taste, with a sweetish smell, edible, has smooth dense reddish-brown seeds. The number of seeds directly depends on the length of the fruit.
Fruit exot is a large tree, therefore, to breed it at home, you must use the bonsai technique. So the Indian date will retain its natural appearance, but will acquire a miniature size. Usually in indoor pots, it reaches a height of 1 meter, then the crown is cut.
In any case, an exotic plant is quite whimsical, it requires keeping conditions similar to natural ones. For its good development, sufficient moisture is needed, a lot of light and fertilizing with fertilizers.
Landing
Tamarind is grown from seeds. The planting process should be carried out as follows.
- Prepare the substrate: a mixture of peat and perlite. The soil should be light and loose, the pot shallow.
- Prepare the bone: remove the pulp, wash. Soak in a container of water for a couple of hours, then dry and rub a little on all sides with sandpaper.
- Stick the seeds into the prepared soil, sprinkle about 1 cm with earth (sand).
- Cover the pot with plastic wrap, put it in a place where the air temperature is within 20-25 ° C and good diffused lighting.
- The room must be ventilated every day, moisten the soil using a sprayer.
With proper regular moistening of the soil, the first shoots of tamarind will appear in 3 weeks. After the feathery leaves have begun to grow on the seedlings, they need to be transplanted into flower pots or separate containers with real soil. You can use ready-made soil or purchase loose soil, mix with a small amount of sand. It is important to provide the sprouts with good breathability.
Advice
Be sure to place drainage on the bottom of the pot. At the bottom, so that the water does not stagnate during watering, holes must be provided.
After transplanting the plant into the prepared soil, you should carefully cover it with a plastic bottle (cut off) or polyethylene. After a while, with good growth of the tree, the film can be removed. Do not forget about regular soil moisture.
Conditions of detention
The success of cultivation of Indian dates depends entirely on adherence to the recommendations for plant cultivation.
- Illumination
An evergreen tree loves sunlight, so it is best to place the pot on the windowsill on the south side.But at noon, during strong sunshine, it is not recommended to leave the plant on the windowsill.
Advice
In order for the crown of an African tree to develop symmetrically, it is necessary to periodically rotate the pot around its axis by 1/3.
With a lack of lighting, the exotic practically does not develop, its leaves become smaller or stop growing, the shoots grow upward, then the tree becomes ill.
- Temperature regime
Tamarind is a tropical tree, so it is thermophilic and tolerates high temperatures well. In the summer, it is better to maintain a temperature of 20-25 ° C indoors. With the onset of autumn, it should be reduced a little, but not reach the 10 ° C mark. It is advisable to keep the air in the range of 16-18 ° C. When airing, you need to hide the plant from drafts.
- Humidity
Indian dates are native to rainforests and therefore cannot stand dry air. Indoor humidity indicators should not fall below 60%. You can increase it by installing a pot of tamarind in a container with water and expanded clay, spraying a tree with a spray bottle or buying a humidifier. A slight deviation from the norm and pronounced dryness of the air are possible during the ripening of the plant's fruits.
Care
With proper home care, the plant blooms in 6-7 years.
- Watering
The soil in the pot should not be waterlogged, but always moist. In the warm season, the plant must be watered abundantly every 3 days, the earth should only dry slightly. In winter, the amount of moisture should be reduced. You also need to remember about the mandatory spraying of the crown of the Indian date: at least twice a day.
Water the tamarind with warm, settled water. Waterlogging of the soil can lead to decay of the roots, so do not water more often. Moistening with cold water is fraught with damage to the root system.
- Fertilizers
From spring to autumn, you need to fertilize once every 2-3 weeks. For these purposes, any organic liquid feed is suitable.
- Crown pruning
It is important to prune the tree crown during the spring months. So it will be symmetrical and thick.
Tamarind is a majestic evergreen tree in the rainforest. Lovers of unusual indoor plants can cultivate it at home. You just need to master the bonsai technique, which is translated from Japanese as "a tree in a tray."
Growing Indian dates is not difficult. It is important to provide an exotic plant with comfortable and familiar conditions. Compliance with the above recommendations will help indoor plant lovers to cultivate a tropical tree that will decorate any room with its extraordinary look.
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