The Urban Gardener 2

2nd Issue Vol.1, No.2

ISSN

November 2008

GROWING MEDINILLA SPECIES by Norberto Bautista The Medinilla, or locally known as Kapa-Kapa is an interesting group of flowering plants of about 150 species, but some botanists report about 418 species, and they belong to the Melastomataceae plant family. The Medinillas are native to the tropical regions of the Old World from Africa through Madagascar and southern Asia to the western Pacific Ocean islands. There are 80 species of Medinilla in the Philippines, which are becoming rare because most of our forest are almost gone. The genus was named after J. de Medinilla, governor of the Mariana Islands in 1820. These plants are evergreen shrubs or lianas. The leaves are opposite or whorled, or alternate in some species. The flowers are white or pink, produced in large panicles. Medinillas can be epiphytes growing in the forks of tree branches, but oftentimes they are shrubs. Some of them are considered noxious weeds and are rather invasive.

A specimen plant of Medinilla myriantha and a closer look at its flowers. It’s certainly a handsome plant.

M. magnifica is the only species that is grown indoors. It is well named, as it produces magnificent drooping floral clusters, and thus became the logo of the Florikultura Expo which was held years back here in the Philippines. Many growers however reports that the plant is difficult to grow as it requires humidity and a cool environment, similar to its native habitat in high elevation mountains. Other interesting species includes M. multiflora, M. venosa and M. cumingii.

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A Medinilla magnifica plant with its magnificent flowers. One problem of this handsome shrub is that it eventually becomes bulky and takes up a good deal of space. However, many growers now, especially those in Baguio have successfully learned how to cultivate this plant. The plant grows about 8 feet tall in the wild, but indoors it is unlikely to exceed 4 feet in height, in a similar spread in 10-12 inch pots. The stems are woody, 4-angled, with numerous branches which carry course textured, strongly undulate, leathery leaves arranged in opposite pairs. The medium green leaves which are stalkless, are pointed oval in shape, up to 12 inches long and 5 inches wide. Drooping flower stalks up to 18 inches long are produced at the tips of branches. Every flower stalk carries a number of pinkish, papery bracts, each 2-4 inches long and 2 inches wide. The bracts are arranged in two or three tiers along the flower stalk, and between each tier hangs a cluster of abou 20 cherry red flowers. At the tip of the stalk, however, is a very large cluster of up to 40 blooms. Each bell-shaped flower is up to 1/2 inch long and wide and is borne on a short stalk of its own. Cultural Requirements. Light. Medinilla needs filtered bright light, but not direct sunlight. When growing plants inside the house, position plants near windows, where light can pass through a translucent blind or curtain. Temperature. Medinilla are usually grown in high elevation areas, and therefore needs a cool temperature to flower. However, cool and humid temperature can be made in the garden

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by placing plants in the shade of trees and placing a lot of companion plants. Water the surrounding occasionally to induce humidity. For plants grown inside the home, place pots on plastic/clay trays with pebbles and water to increase humidity. Make sure that the pot does not rest on water. Mist occasionally the leaves and place some companion plants between your medinilla plant. Watering. Water your plant moderately and regularly, usually every day. Water the plant enough in order to moisten the soil throughout and dont allow the soil to dry out completely. Potting mix. The best medium for Medinilla is an equal mixture of 1:1:1 ration of garden soil, compost and river sand, and the potting mix needs to be well-drained. Use 8 inch clay pots, and repot plants once every year to a pot one size larger than the previous, taking care not to damage the roots. After the maximum convenient pot size has been reached, top dress the plant every 6 months with fresh potting mixture. Fertilization. Apply about 1/2 teaspoon of complete 14-14-14 fertilizer on the pot every month or a handful of well-decomposed organic fertilizer (e.g. chicken manure). If you will be apply liquid fertilizers instead, drench a dilute amount of liquid fertilizer on the soil once every 2 weeks. Pest and Diseases. Medinillas are extremely susceptible to attack by red spider mites. Spraying leaves with water will control heavy infestation. Spraying plants with a dilute Perla soap solution will also hinder the pest. When spraying, pay particular attendtion to the underside of leaves, where mites tend to collect. For severe infestation, spray Lannate or Sevin insecticide. For fungal diseases, apply a propylactic spray of Dithane or Captan to protect plants, especially during the onset of the rainy season. Prune plants immediately after the last flower had faded and cut back unwanted spindly branches almost to the base and shorten by half all long branches in order to produce a compact plant. Propagation. Medinillas can be propagated through stem tip cuttings. Cut 4-5 inch stem tips, leave only about 4-5 leaves, dip the cut lower tip into a rooting powder and insert them into 6 inch plastic pots with the usual potting mixture and place in a shaded area. Cuttings will root in about 1 month's time. With this plant culture guide, one may try growing this challenging plant, which is has a high export potential. It is an ideal specimen plant grown in local and foreign botanical gardens. Since a lot of species are from the Philippines, it is worth growing and adding in our long list of quality garden plants for Filipinos to enjoy.

The Urban Gardener is an official electronic publication (in PDF Format) of the Plant Biotechnology Project, Research & Development Center, Rizal Technological University, Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. It is published monthly. For more information, please [email protected] or inquire thru email: [email protected] and landline

(+632) 534-8267 Local 135 or Fax (+632) 534-9710.

The Plant Biotechnology Project Committee is composed of: Alexander B. Quilang, Norberto R. Bautista, Jovita A. Anit & Carnette C. Pulma.

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