Correa

Family. Rutaceae.

Origin. Southeastern Australia, Tasmania.

Description. The genus "Correa" contains 11 species of dense, evergreen, flowering shrubs. The branches are thin, with brown fluff. The leaves are elliptical, spear-shaped or rounded, spoon-shaped, dark green, up to 5 cm long, and when damaged they emit a pleasant aroma. The leaf blades often have attractive brown pubescence. The flowers consist of 4 fused petals, bell-shaped, up to 3 cm long, shades vary from white, pale pink to dark orange and red, collected in small axillary inflorescences.

Height. This attractive shrub reaches 1 m in height.

Temperature conditions

Moderate - cool content at a temperature of 15 - 20 ° C from spring to autumn. In winter there is a cool dormant period at a temperature of about 10 ° C. When kept warm all year round, correa continues to grow in winter and its stems become thin and weak. 

Lighting

Choose a location for the bush where it can receive bright sunlight in the morning and evening. During the day in the spring and summer, hide from the scorching rays of the sun.

Care

Quite hardy plants, withstanding a wide range of temperatures and quite severe droughts. Prune stems after flowering to encourage bushy, attractive, compact form. Tolerates pruning well.

Substrate

Correa acclimatizes well to any soil - from one that is quite poor in nutrients to one containing a large amount of organic matter. The main condition for the substrate is that it must allow water to pass through well. The soil pH should be in the range of 5.5 - 5.7. 

Feeding

Feed with liquid complex fertilizers in moderation every 2 weeks from spring to fall.

Purpose

With regular pruning, a dense, ground cover plant is formed.

Flowering time

From May to November, but may bloom intermittently throughout the year.

Air humidity

Periodically spray with soft water if the air in the room has become too dry. 

Soil moisture

Regular, abundant watering during the growing season allows young plants to form a large root system. Adult specimens tolerate drought well. In the fall, gradually reduce the frequency of watering and water moderately in the winter. Use soft water for watering.

Transfer

In the spring, as they grow, they are transplanted into pots of larger diameter. 

Reproduction

Propagated by stem cuttings at least 7 cm long, taken during pruning in spring and summer. The bases of the cuttings are sprayed with growth hormones. Young seedlings are covered with glass to maintain humidity or placed in plastic containers with a lid.

Pests and diseases

Correa is susceptible to root rot if there is no drainage or water stagnates in the pan.

The main pests are mealybugs, spider mites, and scale insects.