IXORA PLANT GROWING TIPS AND CARE ( How to grow and care for ixora flower)

Ixora flower

Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the family of rubiaceae, this flower plant is normally grown as an annual plant in temperate and warm, slightly cool weather conditions. Ixora shrubs has large corymbs of bright florets, the large flower clusters come in red, orange, yellow and pink, and it’s also known as jungle flame and flame of the woods.

Ixora flower grow up to 2 to 4 feet tall, and could grow up to 2 feet wide and looks untidy, unless it’s properly taken care of by pruning.

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It is a warm weather plant, although it could withstand any weather condition once it has grown, and is very compatible for drain soil with a little bit of alkaline and water also.

This flower plant is very suitable in USDA zones 9, and if you are living in a cooler region, it could be grown indoors in a container.

HOW TO GROW IXORA PLANT

The ixora flower plant is very easy to grow, no matter where you are!.

This flower plant is grown or planted in two ways, either by stem/cutting or the seed.

HOW TO GROW/PLANT IXORA BY CUTTING/STEM

Ixora plant is one of the plants that could be planted or grown by cutting the already grown or adult ixora plant and replanting the stem to grow new ixora plant. This is the easiest and fastest way to grow the flower plant and get result quicker.

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To grow with this method, go and cut already grown/matured ixora plants half way, take the stems you cut to your garden, or anywhere you wish to plant them, but make sure it is outside and where the sunlight is active, do not plant in very cold climate condition.

Make tiny holes of 2 to 5 inches, place the bottom of the cuttings in each hole, then cover with soil and apply 1 inch of water.

HOW TO GROW IXORA BY SEEDS

Apart from growing with cuttings or stems, another way of growing this plant is by using the seeds.

A healthy and matured ixora flower plant does grow berries (fruits) and each of the berries contain seeds inside it which does germinate in a suitable condition and grow into flower plant.

The berry is small and is dark green in color, but turns dark when it’s ripe.

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To grow with the seed, harvest the ripe seeds from matured plant, remove the soft part or the fruit and get the seed, put them in a container with soil that is very rich in organic matter, spray small water, cover the pot with light and transparent nylon and place the pot in a position that has good amount of sunlight.

If everything goes right, the seeds will germinate in a short while, and when it does, allow them to mature a little bit, before you can transplant them or you might decide to leave them to grow in the pot and keep them inside your house as a decoration.

WHERE TO GROW IXORA

The question, ‘ where can I grow ixora flower plant ‘ is very common among newbies that are learning or trying to grow this flower.

Ixora could be grown anywhere, for the fact the climate condition of such place is suitable for it.

It is both indoor and outdoor plant and so could be grown right inside your own house or outside at the garden, but like I mentioned earlier, this flower requires drain and fertile soil, good amount of sunlight.

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I once had this flower both in my garden and in my living room, and they did absolutely well untill I decided to do away with them and grow another flower for a change.
The reason why my ixora did very well is, i made use of very rich organic soil for growing them and also I regulated the amount of water I apply to them and also I made sure, they have enough access to sunlight.

With the above requirements, you could grow the flower anywhere, including on cold climate condition.

In my suggestion, the idea of growing indoors is best for people in very cold regions, as ixora plant could hardly survive in such weather condition.

CARE OF IXORA

Ixora is a very beautiful flower and easy to grow and also easy to care for.

Although the flower is beautiful, but if not properly taken care of, will become eyesore and untidy and might also under-grow or even die.

This plant as I mentioned need a fertile and we’ll drained soil to survive and is allergic to too much water or damp soil. This does not mean that it doesn’t require water, No! because every living thing, including plants requires water, but in the case of Ixora, it doesn’t require much.

For indoor growing, apply up to 1 to 3 inches of water on the plant at least once every week, depending on the weather and also the maturity stage. Apply less when they are small and more when they are matured.

For outdoor growing, watering them is not very necessary, unless in server drought, as they will get enough water by themselves from the soil.

Pruning/Cutting is another way to take care of ixora. We all know that the sole purpose of growing this plant is for beauty and decoration, but this flow might become the opposite of it’s purpose if pruning is not done, as they will grow much in wideness and scattered that they will become untidy, unless controlled.

It is recommended that once or twice in every 3 months, ixora should be pruned in order to stay in shape.

To prune, get pruner and cut according to the shape you want, and avoid cutting closer to the root in order not to kill them or retard their growth.

They also need fertile soil to survive on the long run, it is recommended to apply fertilizer or organic manure on them at least once every 3 months. In my own case, I apply fertilizer once in 4 months and they were doing alright.

Note follow the instructions on the fertilizer on quantity or ask the seller for quantity instructions.

Try as much as possible to mulch them once in a while if they are being grown outdoors. This will go a long way to knockout competing weeds and also maintain the soil nutrients and retain the water in the soil.

IXORA PESTS/DISEASES

Although Ixora is one of the much problems either by disease or by pest, but it does have few disturbing pests and diseases, although not fatal to it, they are :
fungal, spider mites and aphids.

For is one of the commonest diseases that do affect ixora, but it can be minimized by avoiding overhead watering.
Apply water on the root zone alone in order to prevent the foliage from getting wet.

Spider mites and aphids are common but are more of a nuisance than a serious threat, appy an insecticidal oil spray to combat these pests.

Conclusion

Ixora is very easy to grow if you follow my instructions.
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