By planting a few tea tree seeds on the windowsill, in a year you will be able to brew tea from your own plantation. Its taste, perhaps, is inferior to Ceylon, but in terms of aroma, a home plant will give it a head start. Winter, by the way, is the best time for planting tea.

There are three main points when growing a tea tree at home. The first is the soil, it must be acidic. The second is humidity, the bush loves moist soil and frequent spraying. The third is a pinch to achieve more branching of the bush. Otherwise, the care of this evergreen plant is not much different from the agricultural technology of other indoor flowers.

The most comfortable windows for a tea bush are southeast, east. In summer, the plant needs to be shaded from direct sunlight, and in winter it does not require additional lighting.

Winter sowing of seeds

The easiest way to propagate a tea bush is by seeds. It is now easy to buy or write them out by mail and the Internet. Sow seeds in winter or early spring. A small pot is suitable for sowing, into which drainage from small pebbles and pre-prepared acidic soil are poured.

If you are seriously looking to provide yourself with tea, it is advisable to stock up on 4-5 pots at the same time, in which you can grow from 10 to 15 bushes. So you really feel like the owner of a real tea plantation.

So, the soil in pots is moistened and 2-3 seeds are sown in each to a depth of 3-4 cm. Shoots usually appear after 30-45 days. However, depending on the care and timing of sowing, their appearance can take up to 2.5 months. In the first year, the seedling reaches 20-25 cm.

IMPORTANT! SEEDS ARE STORED IN MOISTURE SAND AT A TEMPERATURE OF 4-5°C BEFORE SOWING. BEFORE SOWING, FOR 2-3 DAYS, IT IS DOWN IN ROOM TEMPERATURE WATER. ALL AVAILABLE SEEDS ARE REMOVED - THEY ARE UNSUITABLE. DO NOT USE WITH A DAMAGED COVER. GOOD SEEDS SHELL DARK BROWN AND THE KELL IS WHITE

Taming a sapling

If luck smiles at you, and you buy a ready-made seedling in a flower shop, do not rush to transfer it to a beautiful pot. Let the plant acclimate. Transshipment

seedlings and plants from a flower shop should be carried out in late February - early March, when it becomes obvious that the pot has become small, the plant has ceased to grow actively, and the growth of young shoots is not going well.

The day before transplanting, pour the plant well with settled water. Take a larger pot in which the plant fits easily and even around the perimeter of the pot there is a small gap of 3-S cm. Gently shake the bush and transplant, being careful not to disturb the earthen ball.

Two weeks after transplanting, feed the plant by alternating ready-made mineral and organic fertilizers for flowers.

FREQUENT ERROR! THE SOIL IN A POT SHOULD NOT BE LEAVE FOR A LONG TIME DRY, BUT ALSO IT SHOULD NOT BE OPERATED

Subtropics on the windowsill

Since the birthplace of tea is the subtropical zone, it needs high humidity in the air and soil. Therefore, spray your evergreen bush 2-3 times a week, depending on the dryness of the air in the room. For the successful growth of flushes (young leaves from which tea is made), 80% humidity is required.

Harvesting

Tea can be harvested already in the second year after planting, starting from late May - early June. Only 2-3 top young leaves are plucked. In Sochi, in open ground, they grow again in 7-10 days, and under room conditions in the middle lane, flushes will appear in 12-15 days. That is, every two weeks - harvesting, and so on until August, when the growth processes end. And the tea bush after that blooms with very fragrant delicate flowers resembling camellia.

THE SOIL

Acidic - pH 4.5-5.5, soil for azaleas or acidic peat is suitable, soil from under coniferous trees is allowed.

LIGHT

Light windows, but no direct sunlight.

WATERING

1-3 times a week depending on the temperature and humidity in the room. Rain or settled water is best.

SPRAYING

2-3 times a week.

FEEDING

1 time in 2 weeks with a solution of mineral and organic fertilizers from flower shops. In winter, food is reduced to once a month.

Europeans owe their acquaintance with the tea tree plant to the legendary Captain Cook: one of the members of his expedition brought the seeds of this bush to the Old World. With careful care at home, the tea tree grows well and even bears fruit. Of course, for brewing tea, the leaves of an indoor bush will only be enough for a couple of times, so they grow it as an ornamental plant.

tea bush plant (Thea) belongs to the tea family. Homeland - Southeast Asia.

In China and India, tea is harvested primarily by hand. Mostly young women and girls are engaged in this, although the collection of tea is physically hard and exhausting work. Leaves and buds are plucked and placed in baskets made of twigs, which are placed on the backs of the tea pickers. Along with the manual method of collecting tea, there are also mechanized methods. Special machines are used, as a rule, to collect the least valuable raw materials of tea branches and already mature leaves, which are used to make mainly pressed and extracted tea.

The quality of tea also directly depends on the time of collection of raw materials. Elite varieties of tea are made from unopened flushes and buds of the tea bush, which were collected in the early morning before sunrise or in the evening after sunset.

It is believed that tea harvested during daylight hours has greater astringent properties and a more pronounced bitter taste. In addition, this tea reduces the amount of caffeine and vitamins.

Tea tree in culture

The tea bush got its name by chance. In 1770, the legendary captain James Cook landed on the coast of Australia, and the sailors of the expedition, following the example of the natives, began to brew tea from the leaves of a shrub that grew on the coast. The expedition's naturalist Joseph Banks collected samples of the plant and brought it to London, christening it the tea tree. This name has taken root, despite the fact that the shrub has nothing to do with tea, and the essential oil contained in the leaves is even toxic. The official name Melaleuca was given by Carl Linnaeus, who thus described the appearance of the plant: mela in Greek means “black”, and leuca means “white”. The fact is that the bark of the shrub has an interesting property: it is constantly “peeling off”, exposing the light inner layers, while the outer layers look charred.

The tea tree is very water-loving, and therefore the inhabitants of Australia planted it in swampy areas to drain the soil - the roots of the trees drank so much liquid that the soil quickly became drier. At the beginning of the XX century. he was brought to Florida for this purpose. However, after several decades, tea tree plantations began to grow uncontrollably and changed the flora and biocenosis of many parts of the Florida swamps, which to this day is a serious environmental problem.

The tea tree is an evergreen plant, its leaves grow in peculiar panicles, very similar to those used for cleaning. Tea tree flowers are described as similar to bottle brushes. The Australian Aborigines believed that the strong and fresh scent of tea tree leaves kept the home clean and prevented infection. Indeed, as it turned out, tea tree leaves contain a specific complex - an essential oil with powerful antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. Thus, cleaning the premises with panicles of fresh tea tree leaves and flowers was akin to modern disinfection, in which surfaces are wiped with a disinfectant solution and exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

The tea tree bush is able to grow on scarce stony soils, rocks. This plant is hardy and quite unpretentious. The tea bush can adapt to a variety of climatic conditions, endures heat and cold. It is not subject to "epidemic" diseases, which pose a great danger to many tropical and subtropical crops. The plant is durable - bushes can live and bear fruit for more than 100 years.

In China, tea was introduced into culture in the middle of the 4th century, in Japan it became known only 500 years later, and around the same time it spread to Korea.

Tea came to Europe in the 16th century, and in different ways - to Western Europe from India, Sri Lanka and South China, and to Eastern Europe - from North China in 1638. Tea was presented to the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as a remedy for "colds and headaches." For a long time, a drink made from dried "Chinese leaf" was used as a healing potion. And the first tea bush was brought to Russia in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in the Crimea in 1817 and to Georgia in the middle of the 19th century.

In Western Europe, this drink was called "tee", as in the southern Chinese dialect, and in Eastern Europe it became known as tea from the northern Chinese "cha". In translation, both names mean the same thing: “young leaf”.

In the UK, with the light hand of the Duchess of Bradford, who decided that the break between traditional English lunch and dinner was too long, the tea ceremony since 1840 has become an obligatory nationwide ritual. At precisely 5 pm local time, known there as "fife o clock", the whole of Great Britain sits down at the tea tables; 200 million cups of tea, according to statistics, are drunk by the British in one day (an average of 4.5 cups per person). This is half of all the liquid they drink.

As for Russia and other East Slavic countries, a lot of time passed until our ancestors, accustomed to kvass and tinctures of various plants, truly appreciated this wonderful drink.

For a long time in different countries, only wealthy people drank tea, because it was not cheap. This sometimes caused displeasure of the population. So, protesting against the exorbitantly high prices for tea set by the British government, residents of the North American city of Boston, one of the centers of the then British colony in North America, seized an English ship that arrived there and threw all its cargo - bags of tea - into the sea. This episode went down in history as the "Boston Tea Party" and marked the beginning of the liberation war of the population of the British colonies in North America, which eventually led to the emergence of the current United States of America.

Nowadays, tea is cultivated on an industrial scale in more than 30 countries around the world.

The scientific name for tea is camellia sinensis.

Now 24 varieties of camellias are known and described, most of which are herbaceous plants. Some of their species are grown only for decorative purposes.

What does a tea tree look like: description, photo of leaves and flowers of a bush

The tea bush is a small evergreen tree, more often a shrub that grows up to 50 cm in room conditions. Young shoots are covered with delicate silvery hairs (in Chinese - "bai hao", hence the name of the tea being prepared - bai).

As you can see in the photo, the leaves of the tea bush are small (4-10 cm), with short internodes:

The flowers of the tea bush are white, with a delicate pleasant aroma and bright yellow, very beautiful stamens. The fruit of the tea bush is a box with rounded brown seeds.

Growing a tea tree at home, as practice shows, is not difficult. Indoors, this plant can regularly bloom and bear fruit. Blooms in September - November, the seeds ripen the next year

Grows well at home

Assamese tea (Th. assamica)

Chinese tea (Th. sinensis).

Chinese tea bush (Thea sinensis L.) is a small shrub, which is a low, not very densely branched tree.

This plant belongs to the tea family (Theaceae). Chinese tea tree can be Chinese and Japanese varieties.

The height of this shrub is on average from 60 to 100 cm. In China, specimens of the tea tree reach a greater height. For example, in Gaolis County, they grow up to 16 m. The trunk of such a tea tree is very powerful. Of course, the leaves of such trees can no longer be used in high-grade tea compositions, but it is quite possible to get aesthetic pleasure from contemplating this plant.

See what a tea tree looks like in these photos:

The tea leaves are leathery, oval in shape, their edge is sharp-toothed. Young, only unfolded leaves are covered with a barely noticeable silvery fluff. Since the tea tree belongs to the category of deciduous, therefore, its leaves live no more than one year, and then fall off. But during the entire period of their growth and maturation, the leaves remain green in color, almost do not change their color. Young leaves are lighter in color, while mature leaves become a rich green color over time.

Tea tree flowers are white, sometimes pink, with numerous stamens. Flowers spread a light fragrant aroma, which does not even remotely resemble the smell of a drink prepared from the leaves of this tree.

Tea tree fruits ripen in October-November, almost a year after the start of the first flowering. The fruit is a box that can be opened along the wings. Inside each box is a small number of seeds (from 1 to 6 depending on the size of the fruit and the age of the tree). Tea tree seeds are about the size of a hazelnut, covered with a hard rind.

The following describes how to grow a tea bush at home.

How to grow a tea tree at home and how to care for a bush

Like all subtropical plants, the tea tree houseplant needs a lot of sun, fresh air, careful and plentiful - in the summer. In good conditions, the tea bush grows well, blooms and bears fruit.

When caring for a tea tree, do not forget that this culture is photophilous, and tolerates a weak shadow well.

Clay and loamy soils, not very loose, but nutritious, are most suitable for growing a tea bush. The substrate should be nutritious, fertile, acidic: soddy land, humus, peat, sand (1:1:1:1), pH 4.5-5.5. You can use ready-made soil for azaleas.

How to grow a tea tree: home care

In summer, watering is plentiful, in autumn and winter - moderate.


To take care of the tea tree as carefully as possible, during the growth period, from April to September, the plants need to be fed twice a month with a complete mineral fertilizer.

Transshipment of a plant up to 5 years is carried out annually, in the future, the topsoil is replaced.

For better tillering, when the seedlings reach 15-20 cm, they are cut to a height of 10 cm from the soil. To prevent the bush from growing, annually in the fall it should be cut by 5-7 cm. To obtain a beautiful shape, you need to cut it in spring and early summer, forming a bush. To increase the yield of tea leaves, the bushes are given a compact wide crown.

This video shows how to care for a tea tree at home:

To breed a tea tree, as practice shows, it is enough to sow the seeds in the soil mixture immediately after harvesting. Can be propagated by cuttings in early spring.

Tea Tree Essential Oil: Properties and Uses

Essential oil destroys pathogens not only on treated surfaces, but also in the air due to the fact that it consists of volatile compounds. This property of the leaves was used, of course, in traditional medicine: heated and soaked tea tree leaves were used as dressings for wounds, to treat burns. Tea tree essential oil has also been known to be used to treat snake, insect, and animal bites.

Modern research has shown that tea tree leaf extract (essential oil) is similar in composition to the leaf extract of another Australian plant - eucalyptus. It contains a lot of eucalyptol, a compound that was considered unique to eucalyptus, as well as terpenes - terpinene, terpineol, terpinolene and other compounds. Back in 1920, the Australian chemist Arthur Penfold proved experimentally that tea tree oil is 11 times superior in its disinfectant properties to carbolic acid. It was then that the history of the use of this ingredient in cosmetology began. In 1949, tea tree oil was included in the British Pharmaceutical Code. The antibacterial effect is provided primarily by 4-terpineol, which, according to the standards adopted in Australia, must be at least 30% in the oil.

Tea tree (Tea tree) is a genus of low-growing evergreen shrubs and woody plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family. But contrary to popular belief, this name has nothing to do with the industry of growing and producing tea. The second name of the genus is Melaleuca. These representatives of the flora are valued for their unusual appearance and are popular in room culture along with the coffee tree. From this article, you will learn how to grow a tea tree at home, and what varieties of this exotic plant exist.

Characteristics of the tea tree

Melaleuca has a tart, pleasant aroma. Woody forms can reach a height of 25 m. The plant has a branched rhizome, branches and trunk are covered with thin gray or light brown bark, which is easily damaged and peeled, resembling a paper wrapper. Leaves of bright green color resemble needles. Buds of yellow, pink or cream color are collected in oval or spherical inflorescences. The tea bush emits essential oils in large quantities, which are widely used in cosmetology and medicine.

Popular types of tea tree

More than 200 species of melaleuca are currently known, but only a few are widely grown. Here are the most popular varieties with photos:

  • Melaleuca bracteata - the tree grows up to 8 m, has a gray bark with cracked vertical stripes. The color of the leaves is dark green, with a grayish tint. Cream-colored inflorescences, cylindrical;

  • Heather Melaleuca is a dense shrub with brownish or pale white “papery” bark. The leaves are dark green, linear type, the flowers are creamy white;

  • Alternate - is a beautiful tree up to 8 m tall. It is this variety that is grown for the production of essential oils on an industrial scale. The trunk is covered with the thinnest flaky bark, and young branches contain snow-white flowers and bright green leaves;

  • Nesophila is a spreading shrub with oval-shaped leaves. The main difference between the species is bright pink inflorescences in the shape of a ball.

You can buy a tea tree seedling in a nursery or an online plant store. The price will depend on the type of melaleuca, its height and the volume of the pot. For example, the cost of a bush, from a rooted cutting 10 cm high in a square pot 9x9 cm, starts from 300 rubles.

How to care for a tea bush

A green pet is not at all capricious and it is very easy to take care of it at home. To provide him with lush regular flowering, you must follow some recommendations.

Earth mix and fertilizer for the tea bush

For melaleuca, neutral or slightly acidic soil, very loose, is well suited. To independently prepare the desired earth mixture, we combine sand, peat and soddy soil in a ratio of 1: 2: 1.

During the period of intensive growth, the homemade tea tree is fertilized a couple of times a month with a complex fertilizer for indoor plants.

Humidity and watering for melaleuca

Tea tree loves high humidity, so care for it includes constant spraying (especially in the heat).

  • To increase the humidity, water is poured into the pan and expanded clay is poured;
  • The tree requires generous systematic watering. When the soil layer dries out completely, the plant usually dies. Stagnation of water in the soil is also undesirable, it can lead to rotting of the roots;
  • Settled soft water is best for irrigation. To soften hard water, on the advice of flower growers, add a little citric or acetic acid to it;
  • In the cool winter season, the bush is watered less often and less. This process takes place after a slight drying of the top layer of the substrate.

Light and temperature for the plant

The "green resident" cannot do without bright lighting and is shaded from direct sunlight. The illumination level should be - 6000-7800 lux, and the light period - 12 hours. In case of insufficient light, such specimens are illuminated with the help of special fitolamps. If they have enough light all year round, the plants may re-bloom in the winter. But if there is not enough light, the shoots will become elongated, and a lot of foliage will fall.

If it is not possible to make additional lighting for melaleuca, it should winter at a temperature of 10 degrees. In the summer season, the plant is comfortable even at high temperatures, but in direct sunlight, the leaves dry and burns remain on them.

Pruning and features of tea tree transplantation

The plant needs regular pruning throughout the year. It can be shaped like a shrub or like a tree, or shaped as you like. When pruning, you can get rid of branches that have faded, because they negatively affect the spectacular look.

  • Young green specimens must be cut at a height of ten centimeters, so the bush will branch better. Next, each new stem is cut and this is done until the desired branching occurs;
  • A young tea bush is transplanted once a year. For this procedure, a pot is selected in diameter larger than the previous one. Adult plants are transplanted as needed if the root system does not fit in a pot. But if it is not possible to make a transplant, they simply cut the roots and replace the top layer of soil.
Melaleuca breeding methods

Melaleuca propagates not only with the help of seeds, but also with annual lignified cuttings.

  • Seeds are scattered on moist soil, and they do not require deepening;
  • The box is covered with glass and placed in a bright place. After 1-1.5 weeks, the first sprouts will appear;
  • If the temperature is less than 20 degrees, this will take up to four weeks.

At first, seedlings grow very slowly, a large number of plants die. A tea bush grown from seeds will bloom for the first time in the sixth year of life.

Semi-lignified cuttings reach a length of 7-8 cm, and take root not only in the soil, but also in a glass of water. To increase the rooting process, funds are taken to help stimulate the growth of roots.

tea tree pests

If the bush is grown indoors, spider mites or mealybugs can settle on it. To destroy them, they are treated with insecticides such as Fitoverm, Aktellik or Akarin.

Video: Tea Tree Oil for Hair Health

Treatment of thrush at home Cocoa candles tea tree and not only

Candidiasis is a fairly common and very unpleasant disease that usually affects the female half of humanity. The worst thing is that you never know if she will catch up or not. And often medications do not work. How to treat thrush at home? With essential oils and more...

Thrush (in Latin Candida albicans) is a fungus that mainly affects the mucous membranes, and the intimate organs most often suffer from it. It has already been established that the Candida fungus always lives in a woman's body, and is activated only in situations that are critical for the body - stress, infectious diseases, and immunological or hormonal failures. At http://sana-med. com. ua/ you will find a lot of useful information about it and other women's diseases, as well as their treatment with modern methods.

Treatment of thrush at home: what you need to know

Since Candida is a fungus, antibacterial drugs against it are powerless, and antifungal drugs are very active against it. However, for some reason, it often turns out that you heal candidiasis, and it starts again, or in general, medications do not help from this scourge. The reason for this can be anything - chronic stress, systematic infection (for example, if the carrier is an unsuspecting partner), poor immunity, hormonal contraceptives that "upset" the body, and even the use of ordinary toilet soap. Treatment of thrush during pregnancy is very often chronic, and after childbirth, candidiasis disappears. Essential oils and folk methods that Womensplay offers on its page will help reduce unpleasant manifestations.

Treatment of thrush at home: aromatherapy procedures

These procedures include:

  • Warm baths
  • Massage
  • Applications
  • Tampons with essential oils
  • Candles from thrush

Essential oils that are used to combat candidiasis:

  • Tea tree
  • Lavender
  • Myrrh

You can try to put a drop of lavender essential oil on the pad (literally one drop). In mild forms, it helps a lot.

Treatment of thrush at home: cocoa suppositories from thrush

Why cocoa butter? It's simple - it is the most easily hardening and melting oil, that is, the best transport oil that can help treat affected areas with antifungal elements, in particular, essential oils. In addition, pathogenic bacteria do not accumulate and multiply in it, and its gentle and soft consistency is not washed off, as it would be, say, with an ordinary herb decoction. If desired, you can melt cocoa butter (90%) with sea buckthorn oil (10%)

Recipe: take 10 disposable syringes of 2 ml and cut off their “spouts” with the upper part of the body. Melt 30 ml of cocoa butter in a water bath in a clean, disinfected container, remove from heat, cool. Quickly, before the oil has set, stir 20-30k of tea tree essential oil into it and pour into syringes. When the oil hardens, you just have to hold the syringe in your hand so that the walls “thaw out” and squeeze the candle into a specially prepared foil case (wrap for storage in the freezer). For 5 days of treatment, you have candles for thrush ready.

In addition to tea tree, you can use essential oils of yarrow, thyme, lavender (look at the proportions), as well as honey (a little bit literally).

Use them as directed twice a day.

Treatment of thrush at home: how to lubricate?

In parallel with the main treatment, it is good to lubricate the affected areas with the following mixtures:

- cumin oil 10ml + 5k lavender + 5k tea tree;

- sea buckthorn oil with tea tree or lavender (5ml oil + 5k ether);

Compositions for douching (2-3 times a day):

- Dissolve 5k tea tree / chamomile / lavender in 0.5 ml of propolis tincture, dissolve the mixture in 1 liter of boiled water;

1 l decoction of chamomile and calendula;

Soda solution (5 tsp per 1 liter) (only for acute inflammation and not often!)

Folk remedies
  • Tibetan milk mushroom (douching + inside)
  • Sea buckthorn oil
  • Honey (natural antiseptic)
  • Tampons with chlorphyllipt
  • Baths with greenery
  • Tampons with sea buckthorn oil with tea tree and lavender (5ml oil + 5k ether)
Pay attention to food

The patient's diet should contain fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir), as well as moderately sweet fruits, vegetables, stewed and boiled food over fried food. However, overdoing it with sour milk is also not worth it - it can provoke an exacerbation. In addition to medical drugs "aimed" at treating thrush (and, by the way, herpes), take yogurt preparations containing beneficial bacteria that prevent the fungus from multiplying. Exclude smoked, salty, fried, as well as products with yeast in the composition. Boost your immunity. At the time of treatment, "refrain" from intimate relationships.

And, of course, visit the appropriate doctor, since the nature of the disease can be different, and the treatment of thrush at home can be delayed to adverse circumstances, and there will be very few folk methods and suppositories from thrush ...

How to grow a tea tree

Prepare small containers with soil, and plant the selected seeds there, deepening them into the soil by 2-5 cm. Lightly sprinkle them with loose earth, spray the planting site with water, cover it with a cut plastic bottle (for additional insulation) and put it on the window, avoiding areas where direct sunlight falls. The place for the pot should be well lit and warm. Do not forget to periodically spray the ground (it must be constantly wet) and ventilate it. You can easily loosen the soil around the seeds with a fork.

Bonsai karmona description of home care

Karmona can be used to produce any style of bonsai. With the help of wire, 1- and 2-year-old branches easily take on a given shape. For older and stiffer branches, special tensioners are used to prevent damage to the bark.

Often novice hobbyists buy a tree with an already outlined bonsai style, which can later be improved. It takes at least a year to form.

When removing old branches, the place of circumcision is treated with garden pitch. Already strengthened shoots that have grown to 10-20 cm should be shortened to 1-3 leaves. It depends on the stage of development and the state of health of the tree.

reproduction

Bonsai karmona propagated using seeds or cuttings. During pruning of an annual tree, cuttings up to 10 cm in size are obtained. They can be planted in a small greenhouse made into which a mixture of peat and sand is poured. It is very important to maintain high humidity and temperature around + 18ºС, moderate watering. Often, special stimulants are used for the rapid growth of roots, which increases the chance of getting cuttings with a developed root system. When cuttings, the plants completely repeat the maternal characteristics.

Propagation by seeds is a longer and laborious process, in which the qualities of the tree from which they are obtained are not always transferred.

Pests bonsai karmona

As with any carmona bonsai plant, home care requires proper watering, fertilizing, etc., besides, the tree is highly susceptible to various diseases and pests. It can be mealy worms, scale insects, in summer the plant often suffers from the attack of aphids, chlorosis and spider mites.

The most common pests:

  • Plant aphids that feed on sap from leaves and stems usually appear on the underside of leaves. The easiest way to fight: soak a piece of cotton wool dissolved in water with laundry soap, which removes all aphids from the leaves. Then treat the tree with an insecticide to control aphids.
  • Shchitovka - you can guess about the damage to the plant by this pest when the shoots stop developing, the leaves dry up, turn brown and fall off. Most often, these brown-brown insects create colonies at the base of the trunk. To combat the scale insect, the growths on the trunk should be removed, wiped with alcohol and sprayed with an insecticide.
  • The spider mite is very small and therefore difficult to detect. Ticks are round in shape and yellow-green in color, live on the leaves from the underside, braiding them with cobwebs. The leaves dry out, turn pale and crumble. The tick is a very dangerous pest. To prevent its occurrence, high humidity should be maintained, the leaves should be sprayed, the cobweb should also be wetted, because the tick does not like water very much. These insects are caught with tweezers, and the leaves are treated with alcohol. You can apply acaricides (use the attached instructions).
  • The most typical manifestations of diseases or pest attacks experienced by karmona bonsai are leaves falling, turning pale or brown, and losing color. All these signs indicate that it is necessary to look for the cause and the tree urgently needs to be saved.

    Bonsai diseases

    Diseases that affect bonsai carmona:

    • Downy mildew and powdery mildew are the most common problem among these plants, in which spots with gray fluff appear on the leaves, over time the leaves darken and deteriorate. You can cure a tree by cutting off the affected leaves (which are then burned), after which they should be treated with a fungicide. The plant itself is quarantined so as not to infect the rest.
    • Chlorosis is a disease in which the plant loses color from lack of sun and loss of nutrients. For treatment, the tree is placed in a sunny place and fed with fertilizers.

    With the right care, the karmona bonsai will grow into a magnificent beautiful tree that will become an evergreen mini-masterpiece standing on a tray.

    tea tree oil for whitening teeth at home

    Whitening pastes contain small abrasive elements that allow you to lighten the enamel, but do it aggressively. They remove the discoloration along with its upper part, which can lead to the onset of tooth decay.

    Independent teeth whitening with activated charcoal or tea salt is built on the same principle. The oil acts gently and, unlike other methods, does not cause much harm to the teeth. It gently affects the enamel and whitens it no worse than in a solarium with ultraviolet radiation.

    Rinsing or rubbing gruel with aloe can be used for a long time without harming the teeth. Here, tea tree oil works just as well as banana peels, a mixture of which also whitens teeth when rubbed in. Only this method works much more slowly.

    In addition to being the most effective means for obtaining a whitening effect, tea tree heals the oral cavity. It carries out the prevention of periodontal disease, helps to get rid of tartar, does not allow plaque to form, eliminates bacteria and inflammation.

    Side effects of the oil

    This folk remedy has its own contraindications and possible side effects, they must be taken into account:
    People who are allergic to celery and thyme may have problems using tea tree oil, so it is best for them to refrain from using it. It contains potential allergens for them.

    Method not suitable for breastfeeding and pregnant women, it is not recommended to use it during this period.

    Children and teenagers under the age of 16 it is also better to refrain from using tea tree oil.
    If the recommended course time is not observed, enamel thinning is possible, with the exception of the aloe vera option.

    It is important to use only high quality tea tree essential oil for teeth whitening. It is recommended to purchase it in a pharmacy, and not in a cosmetic store or supermarket.

    Fixing whitening

    A white diet after teeth whitening will help to prolong and keep it for a long time, it is also called transparent because of the ban on the use of coloring products. It is recommended to be observed during the course and for a week after its completion.

    The following products are excluded:

    • Strong black tea and coffee, any drinks with cocoa
    • Chocolate
    • Juices, wine, desserts containing dyes
    • Various sauces with natural colors
    • Coloring fresh vegetables like carrots and beets

    This food is excluded for 2 weeks, if you still had to eat something from the list, you should immediately brush your teeth with regular toothpaste to preserve their color. For smokers, it is recommended to limit the number of cigarettes for this period or completely refuse them if possible.

    Tea tree oil helps to whiten teeth without harming the enamel if all recommendations are followed. It is easily accessible and suitable for most people. You can choose the most suitable method of enamel whitening and enjoy a snow-white smile.

    Tea tree (Tea tree) is a genus of low-growing evergreen shrubs and woody plants belonging to the Myrtaceae family. But contrary to popular belief, this name has nothing to do with the industry of growing and producing tea. The second name of the genus is Melaleuca. These representatives of the flora are valued for their unusual appearance and are popular in room culture along with. From this article, you will learn how to grow a tea tree at home, and what varieties of this exotic plant exist.

    Characteristics of the tea tree

    Melaleuca has a tart, pleasant aroma. Woody forms can reach a height of 25 m. The plant has a branched rhizome, branches and trunk are covered with thin gray or light brown bark, which is easily damaged and peeled, resembling a paper wrapper. Leaves of bright green color resemble needles. Buds of yellow, pink or cream color are collected in oval or spherical inflorescences. The tea bush emits essential oils in large quantities, which are widely used in cosmetology and medicine.

    Popular types of tea tree

    More than 200 species of melaleuca are currently known, but only a few are widely grown. Here are the most popular varieties with photos:

    • Melaleuca bracteata - the tree grows up to 8 m, has a gray bark with cracked vertical stripes. The color of the leaves is dark green, with a grayish tint. Cream-colored inflorescences, cylindrical;

    • Heather Melaleuca is a dense shrub with brownish or pale white “papery” bark. The leaves are dark green, linear type, the flowers are creamy white;

    • Alternate - is a beautiful tree up to 8 m tall. It is this variety that is grown for the production of essential oils on an industrial scale. The trunk is covered with the thinnest flaky bark, and young branches contain snow-white flowers and bright green leaves;

    • Nesophila is a spreading shrub with oval-shaped leaves. The main difference between the species is bright pink inflorescences in the shape of a ball.

    You can buy a tea tree seedling in a nursery or an online plant store. The price will depend on the type of melaleuca, its height and the volume of the pot. For example, the cost of a bush, from a rooted cutting 10 cm high in a square pot 9x9 cm, starts from 300 rubles.

    How to care for a tea bush

    A green pet is not at all capricious and it is very easy to take care of it at home. To provide him with lush regular flowering, you must follow some recommendations.

    Earth mix and fertilizer for the tea bush

    For melaleuca, neutral or slightly acidic soil, very loose, is well suited. To independently prepare the desired earth mixture, we combine sand, peat and soddy soil in a ratio of 1: 2: 1.

    During the period of intensive growth, the homemade tea tree is fertilized a couple of times a month with a complex fertilizer for indoor plants.

    Humidity and watering for melaleuca

    Tea tree loves high humidity, so care for it includes constant spraying (especially in the heat).

    • To increase the humidity, water is poured into the pan and expanded clay is poured;
    • The tree requires generous systematic watering. When the soil layer dries out completely, the plant usually dies. Stagnation of water in the soil is also undesirable, it can lead to rotting of the roots;
    • Settled soft water is best for irrigation. To soften hard water, on the advice of flower growers, add a little citric or acetic acid to it;
    • In the cool winter season, the bush is watered less often and less. This process takes place after a slight drying of the top layer of the substrate.


    Light and temperature for the plant

    The "green resident" cannot do without bright lighting and is shaded from direct sunlight. The illumination level should be - 6000-7800 lux, and the light period - 12 hours. In case of insufficient light, such specimens are illuminated with the help of special fitolamps. If they have enough light all year round, the plants may re-bloom in the winter. But if there is not enough light, the shoots will become elongated, and a lot of foliage will fall.

    If it is not possible to make additional lighting for melaleuca, it should winter at a temperature of 10 degrees. In the summer season, the plant is comfortable even at high temperatures, but in direct sunlight, the leaves dry and burns remain on them.

    Pruning and features of tea tree transplantation

    The plant needs regular pruning throughout the year. It can be shaped like a shrub or like a tree, or shaped as you like. When pruning, you can get rid of branches that have faded, because they negatively affect the spectacular look.

    • Young green specimens must be cut at a height of ten centimeters, so the bush will branch better. Next, each new stem is cut and this is done until the desired branching occurs;
    • A young tea bush is transplanted once a year. For this procedure, a pot is selected in diameter larger than the previous one. Adult plants are transplanted as needed if the root system does not fit in a pot. But if it is not possible to make a transplant, they simply cut the roots and replace the top layer of soil.

    Melaleuca breeding methods

    Melaleuca propagates not only with the help of seeds, but also with annual lignified cuttings.

    • Seeds are scattered on moist soil, and they do not require deepening;
    • The box is covered with glass and placed in a bright place. After 1-1.5 weeks, the first sprouts will appear;
    • If the temperature is less than 20 degrees, this will take up to four weeks.

    At first, seedlings grow very slowly, a large number of plants die. A tea bush grown from seeds will bloom for the first time in the sixth year of life.

    Semi-lignified cuttings reach a length of 7-8 cm, and take root not only in the soil, but also in a glass of water. To increase the rooting process, funds are taken to help stimulate the growth of roots.

    tea tree pests

    If the bush is grown indoors, it can settle or start. To destroy them, they are treated with insecticides such as Fitoverm, Aktellik or Akarin.

    Video: Tea Tree Oil for Hair Health

    The tea tree belongs to the tea family. Its homeland is Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree.

    Tea is the oldest cultivated plant in the world. The cultivation of the tea bush began in China in prehistoric times, in Japan in the Middle Ages, and in India and Ceylon since ancient times.

    The history of the tea drink has more than one millennium. According to legend, a certain Chinese sage was the first to drink tea, who appreciated the aroma of the leaves of the tea bush, which accidentally fell into a pot of boiling water. Since then, this tonic drink has been prepared for at least 4000 years, it is the most common hot drink in the world.

    The Dutch brought the drink to continental Europe in 1610 and to England in 1664. Since then, London has been considered the tea capital of the world. The Briton drinks on average about five cups of this drink a day. In America, tea was first sold in Boston in 1714. In the 1880s, tea was successfully grown in North Carolina and Texas, but because of the high cost of labor, this culture did not take root there. Before the Second World War, the tea bush was grown on large areas in China, India, Japan, Ceylon, Taiwan, Java and Sumatra, and after it, commercial tea plantations appeared in many other countries.

    At the beginning of the 20th century, it was found that the essential oil contained in tea tree leaves has a strong bactericidal, antiseptic and antiviral effect. It is thirteen times greater than the action of carbolic acid, which was used for this purpose in former times. These properties began to be effectively used during military operations on the fronts. Tea tree oil was included in the first aid package.

    Tea leaves contain 1-3% caffeine, that is, more than two times more than coffee beans, but in a cup of coffee this substance is usually more than in the same cup of tea (it is believed that 40 servings of the first coffee are obtained from a pound of raw materials). drink and 250-300 servings of the second). In addition, tea leaves contain tannin, vitamins, which are 3-4 times more than in lemon fruits.

    The flowers of the tea are white, with a delicate pleasant aroma and bright yellow anthers. Budding in a tea plant begins in July, and flowering - at the end of September and continues throughout the autumn until frost. The fruit of the tea is a 3-4-, less often 5-folded box of dark green color, ripened seeds are brown, rounded, 10-20 mm in diameter. Tea plants live for over 100 years.

    In room conditions, the tea bush grows well, blooms amazingly beautifully and regularly bears fruit. Ornamental Chinese tea bush is a small evergreen plant, reaching 40-50 cm in height in an apartment. The leaves are small (4-10 cm) with short internodes. Young shoots are covered with delicate silvery hairs.

    Tea is propagated by seeds, which are sown immediately after they are collected to a depth of 3-4 cm. It can also be propagated by annual lignified cuttings in early spring and summer.

    In spring, when a tea seedling reaches 15-20 cm, it is pruned at a height of 10 cm from the soil surface to enhance tillering. The next year, at a height of 15-30 cm, a second pruning is done. The third and subsequent pruning is carried out annually in order to expand the crown of the bush, raise its height and increase shoot formation.

    In apartments, the tea bush tolerates shady places as well as lit ones. In late autumn and winter, it is better to keep it in rooms with a temperature of 5-8 ° C. If there is no such place, then the plant can be in ordinary rooms at a temperature of 18-25 ° C. In this case, the plant must be sprayed frequently with water. To increase the humidity of the air, the pot is placed on a pallet with gravel, where water is poured.

    Watering plentiful in summer, moderate in autumn and winter. During the growing season, the plant should be fed regularly - once every 15 days. It is best to use liquid concentrated fertilizer for feeding flowers. The substrate for tea should be loose and acidic (pH 4.5-5.5). When transplanting, which is carried out annually at a young age, and after 2 years at an older age, it is best to use medium acid flower soil. In summer, it is advisable to take the tea plant out into the garden, onto an open balcony or veranda.

    Pests and diseases of tea trees- scale insects, tea moth, tea aphid. A sooty fungus settles on their secretions. In some years, the leaves are affected by brown and gray spots.