Growing Duranta in Pots

 

There are a lot of duranta varieties you can grow. The duranta plants are also known as pigeon berry, golden dewdrop or skyflower. The plant is a member of the Verbenaceae family. Actually, there are more than seventeen different tropical perennial durantas, which originated in sub-tropical North America, Mexico and parts of South America. The duranta plants are easy to grow and they are hardy in USDA zones nine through eleven. The purple-blue or gold flowers that actually adorn the duranta plant attract bees and hummingbirds, while the fruit of the plant provides food for birds.

 

Growing Duranta in Pots

The following are the steps on how to grow duranta in pots;

Step 1: Start by soaking the duranta seeds in a bowl of warm water for about ten10 minutes. This will help to soften the seed coat, which actually promotes germination.

Step 2: You need to cover the drainage holes in a 1-gallon-size pot with a coffee filter. This will actually allow the water to drain but keeps the soil in the pot. You need to fill the pot with potting soil, leaving the soil ½ inch below the rim.

Step 3: Place the duranta seed in the center of the pot, and then push the duranta seed into the soil with a finger or a pencil to a depth of about two inches. Cover the duranta seed hole with the soil and then tamp down gently with your fingers.

Step 4: You need to irrigate the soil until water drains out the bottom and then place the pot in a sunny location. If the weather remains sixty-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit, the pot can be placed outdoors. Otherwise, place the pot indoors in a sunny window where the temperature remains sixty-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5: You need to inspect the soil for moisture every day. You can stick a finger into the soil to the first knuckle. Make sure you water the soil if it is dry. The soil should dry out between watering or the duranta seed could rot. Normally, the soil actually needs watering every other day, although it depends on the heat of the day, humidity and how sunny the days have been. It takes about 1 month before the duranta seed germinates; however some can take as long as 3 months.

Step 6: You can fertilize the duranta plant with a slow-release, balanced fertilizer once every 3 months. Make sure you mix and apply the fertilizer according to label directions. You can easily transplant the duranta into the ground or into larger pots after the first year. 

 

Some of The Things You Will Need

How to make duranta grow faster depends on the care and growing conditions. The following are some of the things you will need;

-         Slow-release, balanced fertilizer

-         Coffee filter

-         1-gallon pot

-         Potting soil