One of the plants that you can have in your garden is the nerium oleander. Its care is very easy to comply with and in return it offers you a beautiful image with its flowers.
But do you really know how to take care of the nerium oleander? If you want to have a guide, here we present it so that you do not miss anything.
How is he nerium oleander
This scientific name 'hides' what it is commonly known as oleander, baladre, or rose laurel. It is native to the Mediterranean area and even China. The reason why it has that name that is more reminiscent of an "olive" is because the leaves it has are very similar to those of an olive tree, but its flowers are not.
This bush can grow to 4 meters. Its trunk is quite smooth, of a color between brown and gray. The branches, however, are usually green or somewhat reddish.
But the most striking thing about this plant are its flowers. From April to October, flowering occurs and you will see that they are born in small bouquets at the end of their branches. These are pink and will measure between 3 and 5 centimeters. In addition, they can be single, semi-double or double.
After the flowers will come the fruit of the pink laurel. This will look like a pod between 8-16cm and brown in color. Inside will be the seeds that will be covered with fluff.
Know that Oleander is one of the most toxic plants that exists. It can cause nausea, vomiting, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, dizziness, and even lead to death. For this reason, it is a plant that you must take special care of because it cannot be ingested.
nerium oleander: most important care
The time has come to focus on caring for the nerium oleander so that, if you want to have it in your garden, you can do so and enjoy its flowering and everything it can show you.
Location
As we have mentioned before, the nerium oleander It is an outdoor plant. Usually, It gets full sun to semi-shade, since if you place it in full shade it may not develop in the same way.
Our advice is to put it in full sun as long as the temperatures are not too hot in spring and summer. If so, better in semi-shade.
What you should look for is put it as far away as possible from pets and children or the elderly, so that this plant, due to its toxicity, does not affect them or is within their reach.
Temperature
The oleander is one of the plants that best resists the Mediterranean climate because it is native to this area. So you shouldn't worry too much about the heat.
As for the cold, it is resistant to -7 degrees Celsius, temperatures that are very rare to reach in the Mediterranean area.
Even so, if you live in other colder places, it is recommended that, instead of planting it in the garden, it is done in pots. In this way, when the temperature drops too much, it can be protected.
Substratum
The truth is that the pink laurel is not picky about the land to use. In fact, with a universal substrate mixed with perlite is enough so that it has good nutrients and develops properly.
Irrigation
Although, due to the location, it will suffer a lot from the sun, the truth is that its irrigation is rather scarce. In fact, withstands droughts perfectly but it is necessary a little in summer.
In winter, if you live in a area where it rains from time to time you will not have to water it because it is nourished by rainwater.
Now, in the event that you have it in a pot, then the irrigation changes. Yes, you will have to water both in summer and winter and several times. The reason is that the roots cannot find water on their own because they are limited to the space in the pot.
This watering should be enough so that the substrate does not dry out.
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During the summer months, you should You pay it every 15 days. Always use a mineral fertilizer to do this.
Pruning
Pruning is one of the cares of the nerium oleander more important. This must be done always after its last flowering, in autumn. The reason is that in this way you will make new shoots appear and have several months to flower again the following year.
Another of the pruning to be carried out is the formation or maintenance. It is about maintaining the shape you want to give it as a hedge, so that the leaves and branches do not get out of that formation.
Plagues and diseases
Although in many places they say that the nerium oleander it is resistant to pests, the truth is that it is not. Among those that most affect it are aphids, Red spider, mealybugs, slugs, caterpillars, snails…
As for diseases, it is true that they do not usually affect it, but there is one with which you must be careful: olive tree disease, caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringae, which will cause tumors and deformations to appear on the plant.
Multiplication
If you want to play your nerium oleander, then you can do it in two different ways:
- By cuttings. It is always done in summer although some also apply it in other seasons. But you will have more success in the most active time of the plant. When taking roots from the cuttings, you can put it in water, water and perlite or directly in a universal substrate.
- By seeds. From the fruits of the oleanders come the seeds. It is advisable to let them dry and store them in a dark and dry place throughout the winter to plant them later in the spring.
- By air layering. This is a technique for the nerium oleander horizontally, you can do it with this technique, which involves taking one of the lower branches of the plant and, without cutting it or anything, plant it a few centimeters in the ground so that the roots appear.
As you can see, the care of a nerium oleander they are not complicated. So as long as you have it in a place that won't endanger your loved ones, you can have it.