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Southern states are full of gorgeous plant life , and warm - weather flowering shrubs are some of the most stunning . One of the prettiest of the warm clime shrubs is the natal plum tree .
Fast - grow and exceptionally adaptable , natal plum is an easy - to - grow dish . This lush , fragrant flowering shrub is an evergreen plant that can bloom throughout the yr .
While natal plums blossom heavily in the summer and periodically in the wintertime , there are twelvemonth - foresighted flowers and smart , small fruits on this sweet shrub . If you ’re interested in growing KwaZulu-Natal plum tree , let ’s dig in :
Get to Know Natal Plums
If you ’re not a native of USDA growing zones 9b-11 , you may not do it much about KwaZulu-Natal plums ( Carissa macrocarpaorCarissa grandifolia ) .
While they ’re popular indoor or out-of-door bonsai plants even in the north , natal plums ca n’t survive outside in areas where temporary consistently degenerate below 30 ° atomic number 9 . Established natal plum tree plants with protection can pull through a few angle of dip to about 25 ° fluorine . In temperature below systematically below freezing though , the plant will break down back to the roots .
Carissa macrocarpais aboriginal to South Africa ; that ’s how it got its name . The Natal region of South Africa is the orginal home of natal plums . This pretty shrub has dense , ovular , bright gullible leaves that farm thick together , often overlapping . Though a few cultivars are spineless , the stems and branches are ordinarily spiked with thorn .
The whole plant is sprinkle with small , whitened , whiz - shaped flowers . These lovely blooms emit a sweet , orange prime - similar smell . The olfactory property is more pungent at night , making them an ideal plus to patio borders .
Natal plums ordinarily grow to about 2 - 7 feet improbable . Some salmagundi can reach up to 30 feet , so it ’s important to get laid what sort you ’re getting if you do n’t want a gargantuan Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree instead of a cosy shrub .
Toxicity and Edibility
Natal plum tree fruit make exceptional jams and jellies . Though the fruits have a thick , waxy cutis , they ’re cherubic and flavorful . The taste is usually compare to cranberry because it ’s sweet-flavored and sharp . But the longer they mature , the scented they become .
Natal plums are eminent in Vitamin C , too . you may eat them stark naked or cook them down into preserves .
While the ripe fruit is good to eat and delicious to cook with , the remainder of the plant has a report for being toxic . That ’s potential a myth , belike founded on the fact that latex is contained within the works . rubber-base paint - containing flora are typically toxic .
But while the rest of the flora may or may not be toxic , it for certain does n’t smack good .
get ’s just say you should n’t eat anything but the berries , and keep this plant out of reach of young tike and pets who wish to sample everything around them .
Best Cultivars
There are so many assortment of KwaZulu-Natal plums to opt from . Pick a cultivar that fits your garden and your plan . Here are just a few of the most stand - out option .
Torry Pines
This cultivar is perfect if you ’re hoping to harvest fruit on a regular basis . It ’s also famous for its abundant pollen . If you ’re raising bees and desire to ensure they have year - round memory access to pollen , this is a swell cultivar .
Emerald Blanket
This low , spreading shrub makes a gorgeous ground cover . It ’s a dwarf variety of natal plum tree , and create a lush , greenish carpet in your garden . It spring up to about 24 column inch wide and 18 inches magniloquent when mature .
Tomlinson
‘ Tomlinson ’ is a spineless cultivar that is perfect for tight spaces . It grows to just three feet grandiloquent and extensive . If you ’re worried about growing KwaZulu-Natal plums too close to the porch because of the pricker , ‘ Tomlinson ’ is the mixture for you .
Propagating Natal Plums
The best room to start natal plum is by buying in young plants or by root prow cuttings . you’re able to take root word cuttings any meter of year . Cut a few four to six - inch piece of healthy stem from an established plant life . Treat these cuttings with a dependable rooting internal secretion and plant them in moist gumption or just put them in a glass of water .
When the roots appear , your film editing are quick for the next footstep . Keep them healthy and encourage plenty of root growth by planting them in a loose potting mix with a bit of sand .
Some people like to mimicbonsai soilfor growing natal plum tree plant life because it is so well - draining . This land calls for something like one part peat moss , one part gumption , and two parts loam . This stain is well draining and well-fixed for root to spread in .
Caring for Cuttings
Keep your newly planted clipping affectionate . It ’s a honest thought to place them on a heating pad to keep up an ideal soil temperature of 65 ° atomic number 9 or more until your cuttings produce unexampled increment . At this stage , keep the soil moist . Do n’t overwater , but do n’t have the soil dry out out completely .
Once the cut produces new increase , it can be embed properly . They ’re truly small shrub now . you’re able to transplant them into the garden or pot them up to give as gifts .
Planting Natal Plums
KwaZulu-Natal plums are exceptionally tough plants ! Your natal plums will boom if you supply a warm , cheery environment and well - draining soil . Though not insensate - brave , natal plum are tough , fast - growing shrubs with few diseases or pests .
Choose a sunny spot with arenaceous , well - debilitate dirt . KwaZulu-Natal plums can handle almost any dirt , as long as it drains well , but they prefer a sandlike environment . These shrubs do n’t do well in soggy soil , so well - draining stain is all important .
In scorching and sunny emplacement , it ’s a good idea to plant your natal plums in an country with a snatch of afternoon shade .
Watering
Natal plum are idealistic shrubs for oceanfront garden . They thrive in salty , oceanside dirt and can withstand the salt spray uncouth in seaside positioning . With their thick , undimmed leave and fresh , white heyday , natal plum take care fantastic against the sand or rocky soil by the ocean .
Once your KwaZulu-Natal plums are transpose , they do n’t need to be watered often . Natal plums are stout , drouth - tolerant plants . They hate torpid stain . Overwatering will lead to issues with base rot .
Do n’t water system too often . allow the soil dry out out completely before watering . As long as the dirt is n’t too pixilated , natal plum can easily do by humid and wry weather . If you ’re growing them as bonsais and keeping them indoors during the wintertime , it ’s a good idea to mist the leaf daily and water them when the soil is dry .
Pests and Diseases
KwaZulu-Natal plums have few enemies . There is a tendency toward root rot when they ’re overwatered . Aphids sometimes infest natal plum . control out our guideto learn how best to trade with an aphid infestation .
once in a while , Florida redscale(Chrysomphalus aonidum ) can also smite natal plums .
All of these issues are signs that your works is accent and contend . When you have symptoms of tension , correspond your lacrimation first .
Make certain you are n’t overwatering , that your plant has plenty of sunshine , and that the weather is well warm for your plants . Comfortable temperatures are in the mid-60s and above during the day and 50 to mid-60s at Nox .
Harvesting Natal Plums
These little , red fruits mature individually throughout the year and only hive away for up to a week in the refrigerator . So gather enough to make jam , jelly , chutney , or any other preserve and use them straightaway . Otherwise , the bird will enjoy them for you .
Though natal plum tree are small – only about two or three inches in diameter , a few shrubs can bring about more than enough fruits to keep you baking pies , and canning preserves all year .
The yield themselves have ejaculate , not pits . Your plants will need about two old age of maturation before put forth fruit , but once they do , the fruits will proceed to mature all year .
Harvest the fruits when they ’re ripe – pinkish or red - skinned and soft . Then store them until you’re able to utilise them . They ’re great on salad , or slice up on a breakfast plate with duck’s egg eggs and toast .
Unfortunately , though they reek amazing – natal plum tree efflorescence are not safe to consume . Leave them on the plant to grow into tasty fruits .
Trimming and Pruning
Natal plum shrubs can spring up quite turgid . They ’re easy to cut back into hedges or barrier and take well to consistent pruning . That ’s why people like to trim them into bonsai . They do well in confinement and with shaping .
Do your major clipping in the fall . This is the meter to determine your natal plum tree into a structure , achievable embodiment .
Whether you ’re using it as a hedge or want well-fixed admittance to yield , a pruned shrub is a happy shrub .
Do n’t cut forth too much of the plant life , but if you over - prune , most intelligent natal plum tree plants will bud back quickly in the give .
If there are any dead subdivision , especially after winter , trim those forth when you see them . Natal plum tree outgrowth can become brickly when they die , and the sharp spikelet are teetotal and strong , making them easier to cut yourself on as you glean yield .
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