Muraiya is not only a spectacular decoration of the interior, but also a very useful plant. Any home grower can plant this unusual, abundantly flowering and fruiting tree at home. Caring for it at home is not difficult. An additional "bonus" is an amazing floral-citrus aroma that fills the room during the flowering of murraya.
Appearance and other characteristic features of murraya
Murraya (sometimes spelling "Muraya" is found) is a small genus of evergreen perennials belonging to the Rutaceae family. At the moment, according to various sources, there are from 8 to 12 of its representatives. Plants look like shrubs or neat little trees.
Since Murraya was named after one of the students of the famous Swedish botanist and systematizer Karl Linnaeus, Juhan Andreas Murray (Murray), from the etymological point of view, it would be more correct to call it Murray. But for some reason this option did not receive distribution, either in professional literature or in everyday life.
Johan Andreas Murray, in whose honor he received the name Murraya - one of the most famous students of Carl Linnaeus
Murraya is found in nature in India, Southeast Asia, on the islands connecting this continent with Australia. The tree reaches a height of 2-5 m, at home - 0.8-1.5 m.
In nature, murraya is a neat shrub or tree.
Murraya is very decorative in any form. Beautiful and creamy shoots covered with thin silver-gray hairs, and glossy saturated green leaves, and snow-white flowers, spreading an amazing aroma, and dark scarlet fruits, effectively contrasting with the foliage. And all this can be observed simultaneously. Murraya forms buds almost non-stop, flowers bloom and fall on it, berries ripen.
On the Murraya tree, buds, flowers and fruits can be observed at the same time.
Murraya leaves are complex, composed of 5-7 lanceolate or ellipsoidal segments. Botanists call this form of unpaired pinnate. The edges of the sheet are slightly corrugated.
Murraya leaves of complex shape, botanists call it pinnate
Murraya fruits are very healthy. Their tonic properties are similar to those of Chinese Schisandra berries. The taste for the medicine is quite pleasant, sweet and sour. Fruits strengthen immunity, have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and brain activity, prolong youth, are a good analgesic, increase efficiency and help to release hidden reserves of the body. Scientifically proven their positive effect in the presence of coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart failure. But do not abuse it - just eat 3-5 berries a day.
Murraya fruit - an effective tonic and restorative
According to widespread superstition, only Murraya, which is grown independently and with love, has healing properties.
Mankind has known the benefits of the fruits of Murray for a very long time. They were kept in the strictest secrecy by the Japanese emperors. According to legend, one of them, lying on his deathbed, a tree, just standing next to it, helped not only to recover, but also to acquire an heir at a very advanced age. Murraya was not intended for mere mortals - its presence in a private garden meant execution. Even the gardener Edo Famaguchi, who presented the art of ikebana, did not escape this fate.
Murraya is widely used in Japan to form bonsai
This plant was highly respected by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, with whom the priests prepared infusion from the leaves, called the "elixir of life." Before the decisive battles, the berries were eaten by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. Among ordinary warriors, it was considered a huge success to have several fruits with them, supposedly taking arrows and other weapons from a person.
Murraya flowers are snow-white, similar to asterisks or lilies with a diameter of 7-10 cm. Their rich aroma resembles the smell of orange, lily of the valley or lilac. In addition to delighting the sense of smell, it positively affects the bronchi and lungs, normalizes sleep, relieves stress and fatigue, relieves migraines, and alleviates the condition of weather dependence.
A few murraya flowers are enough to fill the room with a delicate aroma
The buds form plants that are only a few months old. In 2-3 years, with proper care, the murraya is dotted with inflorescences almost completely. On trees up to this age, it is recommended to pick them off so that the plant does not waste strength on them. Flowering continues from the beginning of spring almost to the end of autumn, in favorable conditions it is repeated twice a year.
Even very small murrayas can form buds
Then, without the participation of the grower (self-pollinating plant), berries with a diameter of about 2 cm are tied. To reach full maturity, they will need 3.5-4 months. Ripe fruits have a very rich color, ruby or pomegranate.
An additional plus of Murray is the ability to independently form a crown. The tree practically does not need pruning. It can also calculate its strength - as soon as a sufficient number of buds is formed, the growth of shoots immediately stops.
Murraya leaves are also used. In India and Sri Lanka, they are widely used in cooking, most often for the preparation of aromatic oils and as an integral component of the world-famous curry seasoning. Their taste is similar to laurel, sage and parsley, and the piquancy characteristic of red pepper has a positive effect on appetite.
Video: what murraya looks like
Views popular with amateur gardeners
From an already small family, only two species adapted to home conditions. Often found in stores, the so-called Dutch Murraya is not a separate variety, but just an indication of the country of origin of this instance. By the way, flower growers with experience do not recommend purchasing such plants - they have a more interesting leaf shape, but flowering has to wait 4-5 years, and the fruits are reluctant to set.
- Murraya Koenig (koenigii), she is black. In nature, grows up to 3-6 m in height. The leaves are elongated, individual plates are arranged in pairs. In total, there are 11-20 pairs. The flowers are snow-white or cream, small (1-1.5 cm in diameter). The plant is nicknamed blue-black fruits. They are edible, unlike poisonous seeds. There is another popular name - "curry tree". By this name it is due to the ignorance of the British colonialists. In Tamil (the language of the natives of Sri Lanka), the tree was called "karivepalai". They reduced it to "kari" and correlated it with a famous seasoning, to which Murraya Koenig, in fact, has nothing to do.
- Murraya paniculata (paniculata), it is also exotic (exotica) or foreign. There are many unofficial names - "Japanese myrtle", "orange" or "orange jasmine." The height of the plant in nature is 2-3 m, in captivity - 0.7-1.5 m. It does not differ in growth rate, adding 4-5 cm per year. The bark is embossed and strongly resembles marble. The stems are quite thin, so they need support, especially when they bend under the weight of inflorescences and fruits. Shiny dark green leaves in the sun are cast bronze-gold, effectively shading the whiteness of the flowers. Each consists of 3-5 separate leaflets. The buds are formed almost the whole year with a break of 2-3 months (November-January). Flowers with a diameter of 3-5 cm have a very strong pleasant aroma - they are often decorated with temples, married women, weave them in their hair or put on “live” necklaces. Fruits of ruby color, with a diameter of 2-3 cm, are edible. They are widely used in traditional medicine. Each has two seeds. Murraya paniculata is less demanding in care than Murraya Koenig.
- Murraya dwarf (nana). Natural variety of panicled murraya. The maximum height is 0.5 m. The new plant begins to bloom six months after rooting, reaching a height of 4-5 cm.
Photo gallery: Murraya species grown at home
- There is a place for dwarf murraya even in the smallest room
- Murraya dwarf - a hybrid of natural origin
- Murraya paniculata, where the climate permits, is widely used in landscape design
- Murraya paniculata flowers spread an amazing aroma
- Murraya paniculata are widely used in folk medicine, their benefits are recognized and officially
- Murraya König has rather large leaves
- The flowers of Murraya Koenig are quite small, they are collected in loose inflorescences in the form of a shield
- The nickname "black" Murraya König owes the color of berries
How to create a plant optimal microclimate
Murraya is a native of tropical rainforest. At home, you need to try as accurately as possible to reproduce the familiar microclimate. This is the key to well-being and abundant flowering.
Table: optimal conditions for growing Murray
| Factor | Recommendations |
| Location | A window facing west or east. In summer, the pot is taken out to the garden or to the open balcony, protected from the sun, wind and rain, in winter they are removed away from working radiators and other heating appliances. The plant loves fresh air, but does not tolerate cold drafts. To make the crown neat and not “folded”, periodically rotate the pot around its axis, keeping the direction. |
| Lighting | Bright diffused light. The plant is taught to new conditions gradually. In winter, additional exposure will be required to extend daylight hours to 12-14 hours. You can use both conventional luminescent and special phytolamps. |
| Temperature | During the period of active vegetation - 24-26ºС. When Murraya is resting - 15-18ºС. The critical minimum is 12ºС. Low temperature negatively affects the leaves. Unwanted and its sharp changes. |
| Air humidity | The higher the better. The required minimum is 70%. In the heat, a non-flowering plant is sprayed 2-3 times a day from the spray gun. If there are buds, you can put wide containers of water next to the pot, put wet expanded clay, moss-sphagnum, coconut fiber in the pan. |
Be sure to place the murraya on the windowsill, a lack of light will lead to a lack of flowering
Planting and Transplantation Procedure
Murray under the age of five years need an annual transplant, then - as necessary, about once every 2-3 years. When the plant reaches such a size that it needs to be settled in a large tub, transplantation becomes problematic or impossible purely physically. In this case, the upper 5-10 cm of the substrate is removed every spring and replaced with fresh soil.
The diameter of the container increases slightly each time, by 1-2 cm, since the Murraya growth rate does not differ. As for the soil, a store mix for citruses is quite suitable, but you can cook it yourself. The main requirements of the plant to the soil are lightness, friability and a slightly acid reaction.
For the cultivation of murraya, storefront soil for citrus fruits is quite suitable.
- Fertile turf, leafy earth, coarse river sand, humus or rotted compost (2: 2: 2: 1). If the mixture is prepared for young plants, vermiculite, perlite, crushed moss-sphagnum or coconut fiber (up to 10% of the total volume) are added to it. The younger the murraya, the more baking powder will be needed.
- Soil for cacti and succulents, peat crumb, humus (3: 1: 2).
There is nothing complicated in the transplant itself. They use the transshipment method, preserving the earthen lump as much as possible. It will be easier to extract the plant from the old pot if it is plentifully watered for 30-40 minutes before transplanting. Do not forget about the drainage, which should fill at least a quarter of the volume of the pot. It needs to be covered with a fresh substrate, place an earthen lump on top and add soil at the edges. Take care not to deepen the root neck.
Murraya transplantation is carried out by transshipment method
The transplanted murraya is moderately watered and sent for 5-7 days at partial shade. Then they return to their usual place and take care, as usual. Fertilizing resume 4-6 weeks after the procedure.
Video: how to plant Murraya
Proper Murraya Care at Home
Proper care of murraya at home is the key to abundant and prolonged flowering. You don’t need to spend a lot of time on this - the plant needs only timely watering, competent dressing and a slight drop in temperature in order to “relax” in the winter.
Watering
During the period of active vegetation, Murraya needs a fairly rare, but plentiful watering. If you save water on it, those roots that didn’t receive it will simply die. The soil between the procedures should dry out, but not completely, by about 2/3 of the depth of the pot.
Murraya gratefully responds to spraying, you can raise the humidity in other ways
Murraya really does not like waterlogged and acidifying substrate. Therefore, it is better to forget to water the tree than to do it twice.
Water is used exclusively soft, warmed up to room temperature. Suitable bottled, filtered or thawed. If this is not possible, stand or boil the tap. To maintain the desired acid-base balance of the soil, add a little citric acid or juice, apple cider vinegar (a few granules or drops per 10 l) to it.
Fertilizer application
For Murray, complex liquid mineral fertilizers for flowering indoor plants or special preparations for bonsai are quite suitable. Be sure to pay attention to the composition - the plant categorically does not tolerate chlorine. Top dressing is carried out about half an hour after watering, preferably in the evening.
When choosing a fertilizer for murraya, be sure to study the composition - the product should not contain chlorine
One procedure in 15-20 days is enough. Overfeeding the plant is undesirable. In this case, it will direct all efforts to build green mass, and there will be very few flowers.
You can alternate mineral fertilizers and natural organics - for example, an infusion of fresh bird droppings, cow manure, banana peels. The finished product must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 (for litter) or 1:15.
Murraya is very predisposed to chlorosis. Therefore, for prevention, preparations containing iron chelate are added to the fertilizer solution (for example, Orton, Micro-Fe). Or you can just bury a few rusty nails in a pot when transplanting.
Video: Important Nuances of Plant Care
//youtube.com/watch?v=1ABaiotiRvI
Pruning
Murraya does not need formative pruning. The branches are shortened only for greater "bushiness", stimulation of bud formation and to give the plant a neat appearance. Of course, this does not apply to those specimens from which bonsai is formed.
Murraya is pruned mainly to make the bush look neater.
Every year before the start of the period of active vegetation, all shoots are shortened by a third, the longest - by half. Unsuccessfully located branches, directed down or deep into the crown, are cut to the point of growth.
Bloom
The lack of flowering and the formation of Murraya fruits is most often associated with low humidity in the room. In dry air, pollen becomes sterile.
Murraya flowering is a clear sign that the plant is satisfied with the conditions of maintenance and care
In favorable conditions, Murraya blooms and bears fruit almost all year round. Each of the flowers is short-lived (lasts 1-2 days), but new ones are constantly revealed.
Rest period
Murraya does not have a clearly expressed rest period. But she still needs to rest and gain strength. Therefore, from November to early February, the plant is watered more moderately and is not fed at all. Lighting requirements do not change. The wintering murrayae is looking for the brightest place. You can place it on the south windowsill so that the leaves do not touch the cold glass. Necessarily need some backlighting to create daylight hours of the required duration.
Common mistakes of a beginner grower
Murraya does not deliver any particular difficulties to the grower. It can transfer a lot without loss of decorative effect, but it reacts very painfully to dry air and intense heat. The first sign indicating that the plant is not satisfied with the conditions of maintenance and / or care - falling or missing buds and abundant "leaf fall".
Table: Leaves turn yellow, dry, fall and other Murraya reactions to improper care
| What does the plant look like? | What is the reason? |
| Leaves fall, not turning yellow. | Deficit of light. |
| Leaves turn yellow and fall, the tips dry. The buds also fall. | Too low humidity. Especially in combination with the heat in the street. |
| Leaves in places turn yellow, nickel. | Too low temperature. Or the plant is standing in a cold draft. |
| Translucent or colorless spots of irregular shape on the leaves. Then these patches of fabric dry. | Sunburn. Often the florist himself is to blame for this, having left the sprayed plant in the sun. Drops of water play the role of lenses focusing the rays. |
| The blackening bases of shoots and petioles of leaves. | Rot develops. The reason is regular waterlogging of the soil in combination with low temperature. |
Murray leaves dry with insufficient humidity and low temperature
Diseases and pests affecting the flower
Murraya suffers extremely rarely from viral and bacterial diseases. Fungal (in the first place, all kinds of rot) with proper prevention can well be avoided. But she is very susceptible to chlorosis. Do not forget about insect pests, although they pay attention to murraya infrequently.
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. A set of simple preventive measures will help minimize the risk of fungi and harmful insects:
- all newly acquired plants should be quarantined for a month;
- regularly examine your pets (you can even use a magnifying glass) and isolate the allegedly injured specimens at the first alarming symptoms;
- place bouquets of cut flowers and houseplants as far apart as possible, ideally in different rooms (especially roses and chrysanthemums);
- ventilate the room regularly, dust off leaves at least once a week;
- spray Murraya daily and increase air humidity in other available ways;
- use only clean pots, sanitized primers and tools;
- follow the recommendations for caring for the plant, especially those related to watering and top dressing;
- irradiate the leaves on both sides with a quartz lamp for 2-3 minutes each week.
Table: what diseases and pests threaten murraya
| Disease or pest | External manifestations | Control measures |
| Root rot | The blackening bases of shoots and petioles, dark brown spots on the leaves, mold on the surface of the soil, an unpleasant putrefactive odor. |
|
| Chlorosis | Yellowing leaves shrink in size and curl around the edges (veins remain green), drying buds and tops of shoots. |
|
| Spider mite | Thin translucent cobwebs, braiding petioles and shoot bases, blurry pale spots on the back of the leaf. |
|
| Shield | The rounded bulges are gray-brown in color on the plant, rapidly increasing in volume, and tissues of an unnatural yellow-red hue around them. |
|
| Aphid | Colonies of yellow-green or black-brown insects clinging to the tops of shoots, buds and leaves from the inside. |
|
| Whitefly | Small whitish butterflies that rise from the plant at the slightest touch to it. |
|
Photo gallery: what diseases and pests will you have to fight when growing Murray
- Whitefly is for some reason very indifferent to yellow, this feature is used in the manufacture of home-made traps
- Aphids - one of the most "omnivorous" houseplants, she will not disdain murraya either
- Folk remedies against scale insects are practically useless - they are reliably protected by a durable shell
- The spider mite is not an insect, therefore, special drugs - acaricides are used to combat it
- The development of chlorosis is provoked by disturbances in the normal course of the photosynthesis process.
- Root rot is a disease that can be treated only in the early stages of development
Murraya breeding at home
Murraya at home reproduces both vegetatively and generatively. There will be no problems with planting material - the plant is regularly pruned, and, under appropriate conditions of keeping, willingly sets fruit.
Getting Murraya seeds at home is no problem.
Seed germination
Murraya seeds quickly lose their germination, so they are sown immediately after picking ripe berries.
Murraya seeds are rooted in a light, loose substrate
- Fill plastic cups or small pots with a mixture of sheet soil and coarse river sand (1: 1). A 2-3 cm thick drainage layer is required. Moisten the soil.
- Plant several seeds in them, previously soaked in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes.
- Cover the containers with plastic bags, creating the effect of a greenhouse. Provide a constant temperature of 23-25ºС, bright diffused light.
- Ventilate the plantings daily for 10-15 minutes. As it dries, spray the soil with a solution of any biostimulant, reducing the concentration of the drug by half compared with the recommended manufacturer.
- The first seedlings will appear in 12-15 days, mass - in 30-40. Wait until the bushes form two pairs of real leaves, and transplant them into the soil for adult plants. Take care as usual.
Murray seedlings appear quite quickly
Video: growing Murraya from seeds
Rooting cuttings
Cuttings are a simpler and faster way to propagate murraya, but it is only suitable for plants aged from one year. The best time to get planting material is the beginning of autumn.
Murraya cuttings are most often rooted in the ground.
- Cut off the top of the shoot 7-10 cm long. Sprinkle the base with any powdery root stimulant.
- Immediately plant the cuttings in pots filled with peat or sand. An alternative is rooting in water or a weak (2-3 ml per liter) solution of any biostimulant (Epin, Zircon, Heteroauxin). Water needs to be changed every 2-3 days.
- Provide the same conditions as germinating seeds. Only a higher temperature is needed - 26-28ºС. Bottom heating is also desirable.
- When the first pair of new leaves appears, transplant the cuttings into soil suitable for adult plants.
Florist reviews
How to choose the right murraya? In our plants, a complex leaf consists of 3-7 leaves, and in Dutch - from 7-11, ours have bloomed from 2-4 months of age, and Dutch after five years if they bloom - well. Our willingly branch and squat, and the Dutch usually grow a twig and a large "horse".
TaSo//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?t=328
I don’t know how about unpretentiousness, but for me this shrub turned out to be difficult. Maybe I took care of him incorrectly (the same as dracaens, they have similar conditions of detention), but my murraya endlessly strewed leaves, and when she became ugly a few years later, I just got angry, got courage, and threw it away. And of the cuttings that I previously cut, not one took root, not to mention flowering and fruiting.
Mailout//forum.bestflowers.ru/t/murrajja-murajja-murraya.3137/
Murraya appeared with me at the end of the 80s, and since then, despite the changing passions, I have not been squeezed by any new hobby among the plant kingdom. The tree can be called self-forming (in Murray, all shoots with buds stop their growth and begin to grow with new branches until they, in turn, bloom). By the way, you don’t need to pollinate the plant - it is self-pollinating and perfectly understands how many flowers to tie, so that the offspring are left and not harm yourself - the extra ovary will be discarded. I do not know a more hassleless stone plant than that. The only condition is a bright location. It grows on my window of the western exposition, but it will grow even on the northern window, maybe only there will be problems with flowering. Naturally, you need to periodically rotate the pot with the plant to ensure uniform growth in all directions. By the way, the shoots stretched over the winter can be cut, thereby stimulating the appearance of new ones. Of the pests, it is only affected by the scabies and then when the plant is forgotten. I admit, I do not often pamper Murraya with spraying, although she always gratefully responds to this with flowering. One flower is enough to fill the whole room with the subtlest aroma.
TatyanaK//frauflora.ru/viewtopic.php?t=1499
Murraya herself is two inches away from the pot, but it is already blooming. And how it smells! I read that many pick buds on small plants, but I couldn’t ... Well, and it seems to me that once a flower grows, it relies on its strength.
Mullet//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?p=88958
I bought Murraya berries on March 10th, and in July it already bloomed. And it's a bit late, I read that they usually bloom in the 3rd month. The aroma of a flower like that of a lily of the valley or lilac. She decided to bloom a bouquet, and the growth of this baby is only 5 cm! I never cease to be surprised! And I don’t know, maybe it’s a coincidence or self-hypnosis, but my heart stopped pushing (it is in my bedroom).
Tatyana//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?p=88958
Murraya from the seed of eight months later bloomed, and did not want to grow much, for 8 months from the earth only 6-10 cm. I noticed that she blossoms reluctantly in the bright sun. I gathered my buds back in the winter and sat with them like that, then the summer came, a bright sun, and the buds did not want to grow and open. As soon as I removed it from the sun, I set it a meter from the east window and it bloomed literally in a day from me!
Mary. 86//forum-flower.ru/showthread.php?p=88958
Murraya loves bright lighting, but without direct sunlight. Watering should be plentiful, during drying it can drop leaves. Top dressing 2 times a month, for example, Ideal. You can spray, but I do not.
Ejik//forum.bestflowers.ru/t/murrajja-murajja-murraya.3137/page-2
Like the vast majority of plants, murraya does not require a large pot - it must be matched to the size of an earthen coma. Unnecessarily pulling the plant and replanting is also not necessary. Watering should be plentiful (moderate leads to the fact that part of the roots, which does not get wet, just dies), but not too frequent, do not have to wait for the earth to become like in a desert, but it should not be constantly wet. I use fertilizers for citrus fruits - these are related plants. Murraya is good at spraying (I don't pamper her at all), but not in the sun, of course. However, she should not be at all in the open sun. There are many inflorescences; a lot of new branches also grow in the growing season. I periodically prune the plant, I also remove excess inflorescences - all this is too much strain on the plant. Flowering pleases the eye. But the sense of smell ... The aroma, of course, is wonderful - it looks like jasmine. But imagine what it feels like when the whole plant is in bloom ?! The smell has nowhere to go, words to describe! The plant is clearly not for allergy sufferers. After flowering, small fruits are formed. I read about their great health benefits, so I ate more than once. They are quite edible, only the bones are very bitter. The pulp is juicy, has a sweet-sour taste, essential oils are felt.
NatalyaM12//irecommend.ru/content/uboinyi-aromat-0
By “settling” a murraya at your home, you will not only demonstrate originality, but also acquire a very healthy and unpretentious plant. The abundant flowering of the tree pleases the eye, the buds spread a pleasant aroma, the fruits strengthen the immune system and the cardiovascular system. If you follow the simple rules of caring for a plant, it will delight you for a very long time.
