Caring For Ming Alaria

Ming Alaria is an beautiful ornamental evergreen shrub which, in order to grow properly, needs some basic attention and caring for. If you succeed, the Alaria will reward you with beautiful foliage and small inconspicuous flowers during summer. It can be kept as a shrub or you can train it as a bonsai; the bonsai form requires the same maintenance steps as the dwarf tree, but is a bit less tolerant of over watering and feeding.

This Indian shrub should be kept in a humid climate, in a general potting mixture added to peat moss, loam and sand – really, almost any kind of soil works as long as it’s kept well-drained and rich in nutrients. You can use a bit of lime dust to avoid acidity and, as for nutrients, add liquid fertilizers thrice during the growing season; during winter you could use farmyard compost.

It’s a partial sunlight loving plant; if kept indoors, make sure you place it in a sunny window. During winter you could use artificial light if you live in a generally cold region. The plant itself should receive 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, because below 60 would make it ill and you can use a room humidifier for appropriate humidity levels for it. Between watering sessions, the uppermost soil should be kept moist – during winter, lower the frequency since the plant is inactive anyway.

Propagation is done by stem cuttings or root cutting and air-layering, and they can be repotted at any time during summer months. Pay attention to the roots because they are delicate.

In time you might run into problems like leaf staining – this means that the soil is too dry or it’s too cold for the Ming. Different pests could also lead to its destruction so apply pesticides, in appropriate concentrations or solicit the help of a horticulturist and apply the pesticide he/she recommends.

artificial light, humid climate, liquid fertilizers, ming alaria, ornamental evergreen shrub