Duranta Plant Care

Duranta Palnt Care

Nature is beautiful. It is a perfectly ordered system that makes human life possible. The beauty of nature is unmatched by human inventions and design, no matter how much we advance in our lives.
That is why human beings turn to natural solutions when their artificial ways fail. We try to make our buildings and our spaces beautiful, but we forget to incorporate nature into them. And when we realize that our indoor spaces have become bland and boring, all we can do is introduce some natural elements to brighten them up again.
This is where plants come in. These are a symbol of natural beauty and elegance that we humans can only marvel at. Many people love to grow plants inside their homes, and one of the primary intentions while doing so is to add color in the home. While there are many plants that can be grown indoors to add color and life, the Duranta plant is one of the most attractive.

About the Duranta Plant

The Duranta plant (Duranta erecta) is naturally found in the American tropics. More than 30 species of the plant are native to this region. This evergreen plant belongs to the Verbena family, and grows from 2 to 15 feet tall.
The Duranta is a flowering plant, which produces flowers all year round, except during heavy frost. The plant resembles a shrub and its branches droop down a little. The flowers are like orchids of light blue to light purple colors, and attract butterflies and birds when the Duranta is planted outside. This way, one single plant can bring a whole lot of nature to your backyard thanks to its height and the clumps of beautiful flowers.

You’re in luck if you are in an area where the Duranta is an annual plant because you can easily grow it in a large container and keep it outside. You would only have to bring it inside when the weather gets chilly, and placing it in front of a south-facing window will help it stay healthy and colorful throughout the winter.

Duranta plants prefer sunny environments. They like plenty of light to grow to their full potential. If placed outside, they should be placed in the full sun. The plant can be grown in partial sun as well as in dry areas. This, however, causes its growth to be affected in a negative way.
When placed inside, you can keep it in front of a south-facing window that lets in plenty of light. Placing it in front of a south-east or south-west window without curtains would work better in case you want to control the height from getting too much for an indoor space.

The Duranta plant (Duranta erecta) is naturally found in the American tropics. More than 30 species of the plant are native to this region. This evergreen plant belongs to the Verbena family, and grows from 2 to 15 feet tall

Use a balanced fertilizer four times throughout the growing season. Feed it starting in early spring and continue to fertilize till late fall. This will ensure that the Duranta grows healthy and displays its flowering prowess to the fullest.
A newly planted Duranta needs to be watered weekly, or when the soil dries out. Once the plant turns into an established adult, you need to water it only when an extended period of dry weather hits.

A rich and organic soil, which drains well, is best suited to grow the Duranta plant. Soil that does not drain well is a major cause of root rot in many plants, and it is a risk no one should knowingly take.
Propagating the Duranta Plant
In order to propagate your Duranta, you need to use a hardwood cutting. Hardwood cuttings should preferably be taken during early spring or early winter. The reason for doing this is to incur as little damage to the parent plant as possible.
Take the following steps to successfully propagate your plant:
• After you have a hardwood cutting, trim it at a point where a leaf bud would grow.
• Leave at least two buds above the one at the bottom, and cut the top of the cutting.
• Strip off the leaf buds at the bottom, and take off the bark about two inches on top of this.
• Dip this end of the cutting into a rooting hormone and then place it into damp soilless mix.
• Cover the pot with plastic, making sure that the plastic does not touch the cutting itself but still covers the whole thing.
• Place this in indirect sunlight so it stays warm.
• Keep checking the pot for root development. You can remove the plastic and start treating it like an adult once the roots have developed.

This plant generally resists a lot of diseases. It can, however, be infested by pests such as scales, mealy bugs, and nematodes.
In case of a scale infestation, use a horticultural oil to spray the plant with. Mealy bugs are easy to spot, thanks to the cottony masses they grow as, and can easily be gotten rid of by spraying the plant with water from a gardening hose.

One thing to note is that the leaves and berries of this plant are poisonous to humans. So if you have young children in your house, you would want to be careful of that. The plant, if taken care of, will live for about 15 years and give you beautiful and fragrant flowers that add both a visual as well as an olfactory quality to your home. If you are looking for a plant that speaks of nature through and through, from its beautiful colors to the fragrance of its flowers, the Duranta plant is a worthy contender.