Leadwort ∗ The 10 best care and planting tips (Plumbago)

Plant lead root properly

The quality of the soil largely determines the successful course of lead root cultivation. You should therefore invest in a structurally stable compost-based potted plant soil that contains little or no peat. Add a handful of quartz sand (€ 14.90 at Amazon *) and lava granulate (€ 10.95 at Amazon *) for best permeability. A few potsherds above the floor opening act as drainage to prevent ominous waterlogging. Fill in a first layer of the potting soil so high that the planting depth of the growing container can be maintained. Now pot the young plant out, insert it in the middle and fill the cavity with soil. A pouring edge of 2-3 cm ensures that nothing spills over later. Water on the day of planting itself and regularly thereafter so that the roots spread quickly.

Care tips

Your efforts to produce a profuse blooming lead root will be successful if you follow the care regimen below:

Keep the substrate constantly moist during the summer
Fertilize weekly from April to September
Consistently clean or cut out withered (very sticky) flowers
Extensive pruning in autumn or late February / early March

If the leadwort lingered on the summer balcony or on the sunny patio in the garden, it moves to winter quarters in autumn. It's not too dark there and, above all, cool, at 6 to 10 degrees. Until the end of February you only water now and then. There is no fertilization during the resting period.

Which location is suitable?

So that the tropical beauty can demonstrate its floral power, the location should be as sunny as possible. In the partial shade, the flower pile is a little sparse. Since the cascading overhanging branches can break quickly, we recommend a sheltered location. Choose a well-drained, nutrient-rich compost-based potted plant soil as the substrate.

When is the flowering time?

The flowering period of a lead root extends from the end of spring to autumn. Look forward to dense carpets of flowers from May to October, underlined by small, green leaves that turn golden yellow in autumn. In order to maintain a well-groomed appearance and to regularly make space for new flowers, clean up withered and faded items as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the plant does not shed the slightly sticky flowers on its own.

Cut lead root properly

The scissors play an important role in nursing. In order for the vigorous lead root to retain a compact and bushy stature, cut off shoots that are too long during the year. For a distinctive ornamental shrub in the tub on the balcony, shorten the branches to 40 cm in length. Either before clearing or at the end of February / beginning of March, you can cut the shape and maintain it by up to two thirds. At the same time, thin out the shrub thoroughly, whereupon vigorous shoots begin in April. In order to raise the wood into an elegant high trunk, determine a strong shoot for the trunk. All superfluous side shoots are regularly cut down to the level of the crown.

Pour leadroot

Keep the substrate evenly moist over the course of summer. Avoid both waterlogging and drought stress, because lead root resents both. It is beneficial for the floral vitality to use calcareous tap water and soft rainwater alternately. During the winter break, reduce the amount of water given to the lower need.

Fertilize lead root properly

An ample supply of nutrients is one of the pillars of professional lead root care. From April to September add a liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water every week. If that's too time-consuming, use fertilizer sticks (€ 1.45 at Amazon *) with a long-term effect. These are pressed into the substrate every 3 months, where they gradually release the nutrients.

Overwinter

If the mercury column falls permanently below 10 degrees Celsius in autumn, it is time to pour in the lead root. This is how you can hibernate without any ifs or buts:

Put in a not too dark room at 6 to 10 degrees
Water every now and then so that the root ball does not dry out
Do not use fertilizer from October to March
Repot in fresh substrate in early spring

If the space in the winter quarters is tight, cut back the ornamental shrub before putting it away. Otherwise, the end of February / beginning of March is the ideal date for a comprehensive shape and maintenance cut. Don't be afraid to act boldly, because the tropical beauty only blooms on this year's shoots. Following the pruning, the plumbago moves to a lighter and warmer location in order to prepare for the next season.

Propagate leadwort

Once you have discovered your joy in the lavishly blooming lead root, you can breed further specimens with cuttings. To do this, cut non-blooming head cuttings with a length of 10 to 15 cm in summer. These are defoliated in the lower half and planted in pots with poor substrate. Put a transparent hood over and place your pupils in the partially shaded window seat at 20 degrees Celsius. While you keep the potting soil constantly moist, the rooting proceeds quickly. If the first shoot sprouts, the hood can be removed. By next spring, the cuttings will have turned into strong young plants, fit enough for planting in the tub on the summer balcony.

Is lead root poisonous?

The tropical lead root contains plumbagin, which emerges as a sticky flower sap. If you have an allergic reaction to this ingredient, you should protect yourself from skin irritation while planting and caring for it with gloves. Otherwise, the exotic ornamental plant poses no health threat, so that nothing contradicts cultivation in the family garden.

Trivia

The leadwort owes its clumsy-looking name neither to its filigree flowers nor the easy care. In fact, the sap turns human skin a lead-gray, which was used in earlier times for body paints and tattoos. The Latin name for lead is plumbum, from which the botanical genus name Plumbago results - in English lead root.

Nice varieties

Caerulia: beautiful lead root with sky-blue flowers from May to autumn; perfect ground cover
Burma lead root: Thrives as a knee-high ornamental shrub with bright blue flowers all summer long
Alba: Cape leadwort with drooping branches, dotted with white flowers; the ideal variety for the summer hanging basket
Royal Cape: Elegant cape lead root that sets itself in scene with dark blue flowers and reaches up to 200 cm as a high trunk