Muehlenbeckia

Family. Polygonaceae.

Origin. Australia, South America.

Description. Muehlenbeckia is a low ground cover evergreen or deciduous perennial plant - a shrub or subshrub. The shoots are creeping, branched, thin, tangled, burgundy or dark brown. Young shoots are pubescent. The leaves are small, round, arranged alternately, and green. The flowers are white or greenish, with a pleasant aroma, but are not of particular value. After flowering, small berries are formed. With age, muehlenbeckia forms a dense mat.

Height. 15 cm, stems can reach 3 m in length, grows quickly.

Caring at home

Propagation

Seeds sown in spring in loose, moist soil. Fresh seeds have a higher germination rate. Semi-ripe cuttings about 10 cm long, which are immersed in rooting powder and placed in a warm place. Rooting occurs within 6 - 8 weeks under a glass or plastic cover at a temperature of about 20 ° C. By dividing large plants during transplantation.

Planting and care 

Responds well to pruning, which can help control the size and shape of the bush, but it is not necessary. Long stems are cut in late summer. In the warm season, the pot can be taken outside, in partial shade. In the fall, the plant may begin to lose its leaves.

How to transplant

Muehlenbeckias need to be replanted annually in early spring.

When does bloom? 

Flowering time is summer months.

Diseases and pests

The bushes can shed their leaves at any time of the year, both during waterlogging and during prolonged drought. Pests appear rarely, but sometimes spider mites can be seen on the plants.

Watering

In spring and summer, it is necessary to maintain uniform soil moisture. Excess water in the tray should be drained within a few minutes after watering. If possible, the pot can be periodically immersed in a container with water at room temperature for half an hour in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, reduce the frequency of watering in accordance with the temperature regime, and keep the soil completely dry. Adult specimens tolerate slight drought.

Containment temperature

Muehlenbeckia is suitable for keeping warm all year round at a temperature of 18 - 21 °C. During the dormant period, the temperature is reduced to 4 - 10 ° C. 

Lighting

Representatives of this species prefer to be in a brightly lit place without direct sunlight. Shade the shoots and leaves in summer and spring. In autumn and winter, it sometimes suffers from a lack of light, in which case you can use additional lighting with fluorescent lamps.

Soil

Tolerates a wide range of soils as long as they have good drainage. It can grow in sufficiently nutrient-poor substrates with a high content of coarse sand - up to half the volume.

Fertilizer

During the growing season, feed the muehlenbeckia with regular liquid fertilizers 2 times a month, diluting them to half the recommended dosage.

Spraying

Can adapt to the dry air of heated rooms. 

Purpose

Suitable for growing as a hanging and groundcover plant. It grows quickly and fills the entire surface of the soil, and long shoots can cascade over the edges of the pot. Sometimes the stems are given support, and the vine quickly twines around it.

Note​

Plants sometimes lose their attractiveness as they age. The fruits of some species are edible.

Varieties:

Muehlenbeckia complexa

An evergreen ornamental perennial that is often grown as an attractive hanging or ground cover plant. The stems are rigid, colored in a reddish or brown tint, and bear many delicate, alternately arranged, rounded, light green leaves. Tiny creamy green flowers appear on this plant in late spring and early summer. Despite their very delicate and attractive appearance, these plants are able to quickly weave a support up to 5 m high.

Muehlenbeckia axillaris

A fast-growing vine with thin and tough shoots of a reddish or brown hue. The leaves are arranged alternately, on long petioles. The leaf blades are emerald green, round, glossy, reach a diameter of 1 cm, and in the autumn months they can turn bronze. The flowers are yellowish or white, axillary, inconspicuous. 

Muehlenbeckia platyclada

Interesting evergreen perennials up to 1 m high with flat, green phyllocladies, which many mistake for branches. The leaves are flat, consist of oblong segments curved in different directions, reaching a length of 2 - 7 cm. Small white or yellowish flowers appear between the segments alternately - on the right and left.