Curry Leaf Growing Tips, Ideas, and Secrets

Curry Leaf Growing Tips, Techniques, Ideas, and Secrets

Hello gardeners, we are back with a new and helpful topic today, and the topic is all about curry leaf growing tips, techniques, ideas, and secrets. Do you want to know all the basic and important tips for growing curry leaf plants? In this article, we are going to mention all the basic tips, secrets, techniques, and ideas for growing curry leaf plants. So, you will need to follow this complete article to know all the tips and ideas for growing curry leaf plants.

Introduction to Curry Leaf Plant

The curry leaf tree or Murraya koenigii is a tropical to sub-tropical tree within the Rutaceae that means which incorporates citrus, and even satinwood, and is native to Asia. The plant is additionally sometimes called sweet neem.

Usually, curry leaf plants are a component of the Indian seasoning known as curry. Curry seasoning may be a compilation of the many herbs and even spices, whose flavor can sometimes come from curry leaf plants. Curry leaf herb may be a culinary plant whose leaves are used as an aromatic and therefore the fruit of the plant may be a component of desserts in some Eastern nations.

A Guide to Curry Leaf Growing Tips, Techniques, Ideas, Tricks, and Secrets

Main Basic Tips for Growing Curry Leaf Plant

1. Curry leaf plant will die if it’s exposed to freezing temperatures. If the temperature frequently dips below 0°C in your area during winter, plant the curry leaf plant in a container for straightforward mobility in different seasons.

2. One of the foremost common reasons the curry leaf plant dies for first-time owners is thanks to over-watering. Confirm to follow the guidelines to know what proportion to water in different seasons.

3. If you latterly became a young curry leaf plant parent, better to transplant a curry leaf plant into a replacement pot. Confirm to stay the newly planted curry leaf plant hydrated without over-watering it and in a shaded area for a couple of weeks. You should fertilize the young plant for the primary 6 months. Fertilizing the plant timely can burn the roots and even damage the plant permanently.

Soil Preparation Ideas for Growing Curry Leaf Plants

Fill a little pot with a mixture of potting soil and even compost. Search for a little pot that’s nearly about 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 cm tall and 3 to 4 inches or 7.6 to 10.2 cm wide for starting your curry leaf plant. Make a potting mix that is 60% potting soil and 40% compost so your plant gets enough nutrients while it’s growing. Combine the soil and even compost thoroughly until it’s thoroughly mixed.

Use store-bought potting soil instead of soil from your yard to make sure that it doesn’t have any harmful bacteria.

If you reside in a neighbourhood with climate zones 9 to 12 or the temperature doesn’t fall below 0°C, you’ll put your curry leaf plant directly within the ground. Confirm to amend the soil so it’s the right nutrients.

If you would like to grow more than 1 curry leaf plant, then prepare multiple pots for every additional plant you would like.

Planting Techniques for Growing Curry Leaf Plant

Push a curry leaf plant seed 1⁄2 inch or 1.3 cm into the potting mix. Push your thumb into the middle of the soil so it makes a hole that’s 1⁄2 inch or 1.3 cm deep. Take one seed for a curry leaf plant and drop it into the opening you only made. Push a number of the potting mixes back to the opening to hide the seed, and compact it slightly so it’s pressed against the seed.

You can easily get curry leaf plant seeds online or from Indian food markets. Get the freshest seeds available for the simplest chances of them sprout.

Small important tip: you can also grow a curry leaf plant from a fresh isolating of a bigger plant. Push the stem so it’s 2 to 3 inches or 5.1 to 7.6 cm deep within the potting mix. Confirm the cutting has a minimum of 2 to 3 leaves thereon so it can grow easily.

Curry Leaf Plant Watering Secrets

Water the soil thoroughly until you see it begin of the drainage holes. After you’ve placed the seed within the soil, better to use a watering can to wet the soil, therefore, the roots can start growing. If there’s standing water on top of the soil, await it to soak up deeper before adding more water. As soon because the water starts beginning of the drainage holes at the rock bottom of the pot, then stop watering the plant.

Keep the pot inside a shallow container therefore the soil can absorb any water that drains out from rock bottom.

You should be careful and no to overwater the seeds since they’ll not sprout or grow well if there’s an excessive amount of them.

You need to water your curry plant when the soil is dry 1⁄2 in or 1.3 cm down. You need to check the soil in your curry leaf plant’s pot every other day to ascertain if it feels dry to the touch. If it does not feel moist once you put your finger 1⁄2 in or 1.3 cm deep into the soil, then you need to use your watering pot until the water comes out of the drainage holes at the rock bottom of the pot.

Be careful to not overwater your plants since it could make them weaker and that they might not produce as many leaves.

Curry Leaf Plant Pruning Techniques

Prune the highest 3 to 4 inches or 7.6 to 10.2 cm off of the plant yearly. Check your plant within the spring after you planted it, and note any tall vertical growths that don’t have many leaves growing off of them. Use a pair of gardening snips to get rid of the highest 3 inches or 7.6 cm slightly below one among the nodes where the leaves connect. Better make your cut at a 45-degree angle so your plant doesn’t start to rot on its stem.

Pruning your plant not only keeps it at an inexpensive size but also helps promote healthy leaf growth on the stems that you simply leave attached.

If you notice any weak, broken, or even wilted stems, then better to remove them so your plant can put its energy toward growing healthy leaves.

Curry Leaf Plant Caring Tips for spring

You may also check this: Easy Growing Flowers In Apartments.

Curry Leaf Blossom (Image credit: pixabay)

Bring the plant outside

You need to wait for the last frost of the spring to pass before bringing the curry leaf plant outdoors. Once the night-time temperature is consistently above 4°C, it’s safe to bring the curry leaf plant outside.

1. Water to the plant thoroughly.

2. Put the plant partially shade and guarded area for 3 to five days. Let it suits the surface environment slowly before exposing it to the weather. The screened porches, north/east side of the house, or under the deck are perfect places.

3. Curry leaf plant loves full sun. Once the plant is outside for a couple of days, move the plant to a neighbourhood where it can get a minimum of 6 to eight hours of direct sunlight.

4. If the temperature is predicted to drop below 3°C, protect the plant with a plant protector, or completely cover the plant and therefore the pot with a floating row cover

Change the pot or soil

Spring is that the perfect time to transplant the curry leaf plant into a bigger pot or to vary the soil.

For the primary 3 to 4 years, the plant must be re-potted into a much bigger container annually to offer the plant space to grow more roots. Then, the plant is often re-potted every other year.

1. Add a granular all-purpose fertilizer to the pot at this point.

2. Don’t forget to water thoroughly after transplanting or even replenishing the soil.

Prune the Curry Leaf Plant

A bit like re-potting, the main pruning of the curry leaf plant should be wiped out in the spring. It is often done at an equivalent time the plant is re-potted.

Start by removing old and yellow leaves. Remove stems that have lost the leaves.

Make a clean diagonal cut with a pointy pruner, a minimum of 1/3 from the highest of the plant. This might seem harsh, but it’s necessary to contain the plant’s size and make the plant bushier.

If the mature plant has developed thick branches, it will be crop by ½ to 1/3 of the length.

Within 2 to three weeks, the plant will shoot out multiple branches slightly below the cut. More branches mean more leaves later within the season.

Fertilize the Curry Leaf Plant:

After 2 weeks of re-potting the plant, then start applying Seaweed and even fish fertilizer to the curry leaf plant.

Watering the Curry Leaf Plant

Young curry leaf plants are very susceptible to plant disease. Don’t over-water the curry leaf plant. Do visible inspections to form sure the plant needs water before each watering. Dry soil feels lighter in color, and therefore the pot feels lighter in weight.

It is good and better to water the curry leaf plant thoroughly but infrequently. Confirm to let the soil dry out between the watering.

In the spring, watering just one occasion every week is sufficient. If the plant gets water through rain, then you need to delay watering the plant until the topsoil feels dry to the touch.

For beginners, it’s worth investing in a plant meter. Just insert the probe into the soil, and therefore the meter will allow you to know if it’s time to water the plant. Your curry leaf plants will many thanks for this.

Protect the Curry Leaf Plant from pests

As new growth starts to seem on the curry leaf plant, insects like Scales and Aphids are interested in the plant. They usually love sucking and snacking on the new leaves and branches. It’s easier to proactively prevent these bug infestations than getting obviates them once they arrive.

Start applying Neem oil spray every fortnight interval. Neem oil helps to control harmful insects and then protects the plant from fungal and bacterial infections.

Once a month, water the plant with sharp water spray.

If the bug infestation does occur on the plant, other remedies may have to be applied to eliminate the bugs.

Remove flower buds from the plant

In a year or two, the curry leaf plant will start producing very good and pretty little flowers at the tip of the branch. If let grows on the plant, these flowers will produce seeds later within the season. While the flowers mature and switch into fruits, the plant diverts most of the energy in nourishing these flowers. This significantly slows down the expansion of the plant. So, unless you’ve got a selected reason to grow the curry leaf seeds, promptly remove the flower buds from the plant.

Curry Leaf Plant Caring Tips for summer

In case if you miss this: Mint Growing Tips, Techniques, Ideas and Secrets.

Curry Leaf Summer Tips (pic source: pixabay)

Once the daytime temperature hits 27°C consistently, it’s time to slightly change the routine for the curry leaf plant. Here is the list of tips to worry about for your curry leaf plant during summer.

1. Unless necessary, avoid changing the pot and soil during the summer months.

2. Move the pot with a curry leaf plant into a partly shaded area like a screened-in porch, under an outsized tree, or on the side of the house.

3. If you’ve got acquired a replacement baby curry leaf plant recently, quickly transplant it into another pot. Do the transplanting on a light, cloudy day. Keep the pot in a shaded area for a couple of weeks.

4. During Summer, water the plant every 2 to 4 days, depending upon the weather and therefore the pot size. Confirm to let the soil dry out between watering. You need to use the plant moisture meter to be extra sure.

5. Continue applying Seaweed or liquid Kelp fertilizer or homemade fertilizer every other week.

6. Continue spraying the plant with Neem oil insecticide spray every 15 days. Don’t spray Neem Oil on the day when the temperature is predicted to travel beyond 32°C.

8. You need to continue harvesting stems from the mature curry leaf plant. Avoid harvesting leaves from a plant that’s younger than 2 years.

Curry Leaf Plant Caring Tips for fall

When the weather starts to chill down in fall, it’s time to assist the curry leaf plant in steel oneself against the dormant time indoors during the winter months.

1. Move the pot back to a full sun location where it receives 6 to eight hours of direct sunlight.

2. If needed, re-pot the curry leaf plant in early fall. Give the plant a minimum of 4 weeks to regulate into the new pot before it’s time to bring the pot indoors.

3. Crop on the watering. In cooler weather, the plant doesn’t need much watering. Deep watering once every week should be enough. Again, check to ascertain if the plant is thirsty before watering.

4. Don’t apply any fertilizer to the curry leaf plant in fall. Fertilizers force the plant to place out new leafy growth, which is extremely sensitive to chill air. Fertilizing the curry leaf plant late within the year will do the plant more damage than good.

Prepare the plant to bring indoor

As soon because the night-time temperature falls to near 4°C, prepare the plant and therefore the pot for indoor storage.

1. If needed, lightly prune the plant to form the dimensions suitable for indoor storage.

2. Water the plant top to bottom with sharp spray to get rid of any bugs that are hiding under the foliage. Confirm to spray over and under the leaves and therefore the pot.

3. Apply Neem oil soil drench with flavourer at the surface of the potting soil. This may kill any bugs and larva that live under the soil surface, like Centipedes.

4. Keep the plant-protecting blankets available if you’re not able to bring the pot inside when an early frost is predicted.

Tips for Protecting a Curry Leaf Plant in winter

Curry leaf plant may be a tropical plant and really sensitive to weather. It cannot survive if exposed to the freezing temperature of 0°Cor lower. Decide to make space within the house, basement, or garage to store the curry leaf plant during winter.

Here are some basic tips, dos, and don’ts for winter care:

1. Don’t await the primary fall frost to bring the curry leaf plant indoors. (Better to look up the expected First frost date of your area). Take the plant indoors as soon because the night-time temperature drops to 4°C.

2. Ideally, put the plant near a sunny window indoors. If it’s impossible, store the plant in a garage, basement, or an additional room.

3. If stored inside, confirm the plant isn’t within the direct draft of the warmth vent. The constant flow of hot air will easily dry out your plant.

4. The curry leaf plant’s need for water during winder decreases significantly. Don’t over-water the plant while indoors. Only water once every 3 to 4 weeks, therefore the plant doesn’t dry out completely. There’s no got to drench the soil with water.

5. Don’t expect the plant to grow while indoors.

6. While dormant, it’s normal for the plant to lose all leaves or for the leaves to vary color to straw. You should not worry; the new leaves will grow when the plant is moved outdoors in spring.

7. If you would like to continue harvesting the green leaves during the winter months, found out an inside grow light over the curry leaf plant.

Curry Leaf Plant Fertilizing Tips

What is the simplest fertilizer for the curry leaf plant?

we would fertilize the curry leaf plant once a month from March to October with a slow-release dry granular product like Osmacote and also feed it a liquid product like liquid fish fertilizer available at most OSH hardware stores.

Do not give strong fertilizer to young curry plants. In pots, it is better to apply fertilizer at the rim of the pot and if grown within the ground, fertilize at the cover of the curry leaves the plant.

You need to feed your curry plant every 3rd or 4th week with a liquid fertilizer for leafy growth.

Give 3 teaspoons of iron sulfate or 1 teaspoon of iron chelate every 4 to5 weeks to stay the foliage healthy.

How to grow curry leaves faster?

Dissolve about 1 teaspoon of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate) in 1-liter water and feed to the curry leaf plant when it’s dry. Give Epsom salt every 3 months. Your curry leaf plant will grow faster as well as very well. The plant will grow green leaves throughout the spring, summer, and even fall.

Buttermilk for curry leaf plant: Buttermilk means diluted curd, yogurt is claimed to be the simplest homemade fertilizer for the curry leaf plant.

Pest Controlling Ideas for Growing Curry Leaf Plant

The Curry leaf plant is often infested with bugs like Scales and Spider mites, Whiteflies, Aphids, and even Fungus gnats while indoors. Since there are not any natural predators indoors to regulate the population of those bugs, they multiply rapidly. It’s critical to require action to eliminate the bugs as soon as you notice them.

1. Wipe down the branches and stems with a wet paper napkin to urge obviate Scales.

2. Spray with neem oil spray once you see Aphids on the plant.

3. Apply Neem oil soil drench to the potting soil to kill insect larva within the soil.

4. Put Yellow sticky papers around the plant. These will attack and trap flying insects like Fungus Gnats and even Whiteflies.

5. Put a bug zapper near the curry leaf plant container to trap flying insects.

Harvesting Tips of Curry Leaf Plant

You need to wait until your plant is at least 1 to 2 years old before taking any leaves. New curry leaf plants don’t have enough leaves to reap and then continue growing while they’re young, so wait until your plant is a minimum of 1 year old. If your plant remains thin or only features a few stems with leaves on them after a year, let it continue to grow until it’s filled out.

If you planted your curry leaf plant from a cutting, then it’s going to be full enough after a couple of months to reap a number of the leaves.

Pull the bottom of the leaf stem from the plant when you’re able to harvest. Don’t achieve the leaves individually since it leaves tons of empty growth on the plant. Instead, look where the long stem that connects multiple leaves attaches to the most body of the plant. Grip the stem by its base and lightly pull it off the plant to gather all of the leaves attached thereto.

Only harvest what you immediately therefore the plant need can continue growing.

You can harvest up to 30% of the plant’s leaves. If you harvest more, the plant might not grow also in the subsequent year.