Care guide
Water
The Medinilla does not need much water, it is early enough to give the plant a glass of water when the leaves hang a little.
The Medinilla likes a spray from time to time, after all, the Medinilla originally comes from the tropics. A spraying is not necessarily necessary, but it does increase the humidity, which ultimately benefits the plant.
Location
Plenty of light in winter, preferably direct sunlight but not full sun in summer . This is to prevent burning of the leaves.
Temperature
Between 17 and 25 °
Nutrition
Do not feed during flowering. Feed once every two weeks after flowering. Use flowering plant food.
Flowers
The Medinilla is known for its beautiful and large flower clusters. The Medinillas are now available almost all year round. With proper care, these can bloom for 2 to 4 months.
Re-flowering
After flowering it is advisable to remove the old flowers to speed up the growth. The plant will then start to make new leaves where the flowers used to be. When these have grown, it is important to put the plant a little cooler (16 to 17 ° C) to initiate budding in the young leaves. Mind you, the plant continues to need light. If the buds are clearly visible, the plant can return to normal temperature, so that the buds can develop further into new flowers.
Pruning
If the Medinilla grows too large and you do not want to repot it, you can also choose to remove the last grown shoots. Then cut the stem at the bottom with pruning shears or a sharp knife.
Additional information
Toxicity
The Medinilla is not poisonous.
Diseases
Growth sugars are created during the flowering period. This is expressed by a white rash on the leaf. These growth sugars are not harmful to the plant.
Mealy bugs are uncommon and can be controlled by spraying the mealy bugs off with a fairly strong jet of water. Scale insects are best treated with a pesticide. This also applies to mealy bugs if the water jet has no effect. Multiple treatments are then necessary.
Repotting
In principle, repotting can be done all year round, only during flowering it is not advisable because of the fragility of the flowers.
You can try to propagate a Medinilla yourself. You can do this by cutting off a young stem at the base. Cut the leaves to about 5 cm from the stem. By placing this stem in cutting soil and then leaving it at a temperature of 20 to 25 ° for 6 to 8 weeks, the plant will be rooted and you can place it in a pot.
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