With its intense fragrance, the spice bark is a small star in the garden. To keep the fragrance for a long time, you must water and fertilize the spice bark regularly.
The spice bark (Senna corymbosa) is a real "heavy drinker" and does not cope well with dryness. The need for nutrients is also high and regular fertilization during the growing season is essential. So you must not leave the plant to itself. When you get a spice bark, you need to be aware that it requires quite a bit of maintenance. In addition to watering and fertilizing, you must also regularly cut and repot the spice bark.
How to water the spice bark correctly
The spice bark has a high water requirement. Regular watering is the first duty of a hobby gardener so that this beautiful plant can develop its full bloom. The root ball must not dry out under any circumstances, because the spice bark reacts very quickly to a lack of water by losing leaves. In addition, it will then no longer form flowers.
In an ideal location in full sun, two waterings per day may be necessary in the warm summer months, which you should then give once in the morning and once in the evening. You won't harm the spice bark if you water during the day, but it will increase your workload. In the heat, a large part of the water evaporates from the substrate without getting into the spice bark. If watering at noon or in the afternoon is unavoidable for practical reasons, you should definitely put the water directly into the bucket. Drops of water on flowers and leaves act like magnifying glasses in the blazing sun and can actually burn the spice rind.
Important: create drainage and avoid waterlogging
Despite the high water requirement, the spice bark does not like waterlogging. You can tell very easily whether you have overdone it when watering if the water in the saucer sits for a long time. In this case the substrate and the root ball are still sufficiently saturated and you can pour the water away.
Drainage made of coarse material such as pebbles, pumice or expanded clay in the bucket will help you to protect the spice rindto protect against waterlogging. This is important because waterlogging can lead to root rot. Water that reaches the drain runs freely out of the drain hole in the bucket and cannot rise up either.
Water the spice bark in winter
The water requirement of the spice bark is significantly reduced in winter. The plant then typically loses some of its leaves. The darker and cooler your spice bark's winter quarters, the more pronounced leaf loss will be. Fertilizer does not require spice bark during winter.
How to properly fertilize the spice bark
Not only the water but also the nutrient requirement of the spice bark is high. Therefore, choose nutrient-rich pot plant soil as a substrate and fertilize every two weeks with liquid fertilizer. During the flowering period, you can shorten the time interval to seven to ten days.