The manuka plant enchants with its month-long bloom. With the right care, the small pink-white flowers will start shining as early as March.
The Manuka plant, also known as South Sea myrtle, is actually native to New Zealand. There it grows in both shrub and tree form. Planted as a tree, the Manuka plant can reach a remarkable height of 15 meters.
In Germany, however, the plant did not become famous because of its size, but because of the special honey that is extracted from it - Manuka honey. This contains a healing effect that the inhabitants of New Zealand discovered in the 18th century. Even then it was used to treat chronic wounds, skin infections and colds (source: naturinstitut.info).
But not only the honey is a well-known remedy of the Manuka plant, the bark and the leaves are also used as household remedies. Crushed and brewed as a tea, it helps against gastrointestinal diseases and bladder infections.
The fact that the plant can be found more and more frequently in gardens and on terraces in this country is probably not only due to the magical flowers, but also to the healing effect. However, the Manuka plant can only thrive here if it is planted under the right conditions and, above all, cared for. You can find out exactly what is important here.
Growing Manuka Plant - Important Planting Tips
Location and soil conditions
In Germany, the South Sea myrtle is often planted as a shrub or in tubs. The evergreen plant can reach a height of 1 to 3 meters here.
If you want the Manuka plant to shine in full bloom in your garden, the location plays a very important role. The plant loves a sunny spot. So it is best to place the plant on the south side of your garden. Here she finds the best conditions.
The soil should be sandy and very permeable when sowing. The Manuka plant does not tolerate waterlogging at all. A soil pH of 5.5 is ideal. This can be easily determined with a pH value test. We recommend the testby Neudorff. All the tools are included here so you can start testing right away.
» Video instructions for the test
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Care Instructions for the Manuka Plant
❀ Keep plant moist
During the growth phase, the Manuka plant needs water regularly. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out. The leaves would turn brown and the plant would gradually die. To avoid this, you should maintain constant humidity.
For watering, you should only use low-lime water or decalcified water or rainwater. The plant tolerates this best.
You can add some fertilizer to the irrigation water every 14 days. Normal flower fertilizer in half the concentration has proven best here. But beware! Fertilizer is only used during the vegetation phase between spring and autumn. Do not fertilize in the winter months!
❀ Manuka plant is not hardy
The Manuka plant does not like cold temperatures at all. It must therefore be kept frost-free in winter. A bright location with temperatures between 7 and 9 degrees is suitable for this. If you have a conservatory, that's the perfect place for the plant.
As mentioned above, the plant does not need to be fertilized during this time. However, make sure that the soil is evenly moist. Even in winter, the Manuka must not dry out.
❀ Regular pruning for better branching
You can cut the South Sea myrtle without any problems. It is even advisable for young plants so that they branch out better.
The older plants only need pruning once a year. The best time for this is after flowering.
❀ Simple propagation possible
If you can't get enough of the magical, fragrant Manuka flowers, you can easily multiply them. To do this, you only need cuttings of the plant. Simply cut them off in summer and plant them in a pot with fresh soil. After the plant has formed roots, you can prune them vigorously again to achieve bushy growth.
❀ Pest infestation
Normally, the manuka plant is very robust. Nevertheless, it can sometimes happen that mealybugs or mealybugs settle on it. Mealybugs can be recognized by their white, cotton-like bodies. Inin most cases they are found on the stems, shoots and leaves. They take the lifeblood of the plant and also secrete a poisonous secretion and a sticky honeydew. All this affects the plant so much that you should act quickly. Otherwise, the plant will slowly but surely lose its leaves and die.
If you have discovered such mealybugs on your plant, you should quarantine them as soon as possible so that the small animals do not spread to other plants. Rubbing the leaves with alcohol can help fight mealybugs. Farm animals such as ladybugs, parasitic wasps and lacewings (e.g. available here) are also considered to be very helpful with mealybugs.