Curry leaf plant is also known as Murraya koenigii, which is native to India. It is used to prepare delicious south Indian food. Curry leaves have a great aroma, which will always be a special ingredient for your food.
To make curry leaves grow faster, pruning is necessary, this encourages multiple branches and gets more leaves for harvesting. Fertilizing (liquid fertilizer) is necessary every 3rd to 4th week to give enough nutrients to the curry leaves plant. For faster growth plant on the ground instead of a pot.
small young curry leaves plant don’t like much direct sunlight in summer and they also don’t like too wet soil.
Here are the steps that you can follow to get more curry leaves in your curry leaves plant.
1. Pruning curry leaves plant
To make curry leaves bushy pruning the curry leaves plant branches is one of the important things to do. If you prune the plant you will get more branches, more branches result in more leaves.
pinch the tips of the branch when they are young to have multiple branches, that will encourage the curry leaves the plant to grow curry leaves plant busy and fast.
Obviously, you will get more leaves at the time of harvesting.
To maximize the growth of leaves prune the curry leaves plant during spring, the more you harvest the bushier the plant will become.
2. Applying Fertilizer for curry leaves plant
Don’t give strong fertilizer to young curry plants. If you are applying fertilizer for the pot, apply at the rim of the pot.
If it is grown in-ground, fertilizer at the canopy of the curry leaves the plant.
Apply fertilizer to curry leaves plant every 3rd to 4th week with a liquid fertilizer for growing more leaves.
To keep foliage healthy give 3 teaspoons of iron sulfate or 1 teaspoon of iron chelate every 4-5 weeks.
To grow curry leaves faster prepare fertilizer by dissolving 1 teas spoon of Epsom salt in 1 liter of water and feed. Try to give every 3 months by doing this plant will grow green leaves throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
You can use Buttermilk as fertilizer, diluted curd is said to be the best homemade fertilizer for curry leaf plants.
3. Plant curry leaves plant on the Ground for faster growth
The potted plant has less growth compared to the one which is planted on the ground.
The bigger the plant, we get more branches and leaves.
Still pruning and fertilization is required even if it is planted in pot or ground.
4. Pluck the flower bud to give more energy to curry leaves plant
pluck the flower buds when they grow in branches of the plant.
This will conserver curry leaves plant energy and uses that energy to grow new leaf.
Otherwise, the plant will be growing more flowers than leaves (which we don’t want).
5. Repot Curry leaves plant to a bigger pot to grow bigger
If you repot in the next size pot you are giving the plant enough room to grow well.
Fertilizer is needed, if you potted your plant more than 4 months ago, put that fertilizer even there are no leaves on the plant (only left with bare stem).
It’s gonna survive a couple of winters, It will be strong enough to withstand other coming winters.
Things to consider while you repotting the curry leaves plant.
We need to put a good potting mix for a pot that will drain well.
You also should consider the next pot size while you are repotting and make sure it has a drainage hole at the bottom.
If you are pruning roots use sanitized tools, otherwise your plants may affect by a previous plant that was suffering from some disease.
6. Take good care during winter
1. Winter Dormancy
Curry leaves plants will go to a resting state in the winter season which is commonly known as winter Dormancy.
Curry leaf plant doesn’t get full sunlight due to winter; Due to low temperature (more cooling), the major problem is for leaves.
Leaves may turn yellow color (chlorosis). This is one of the signs that it is moving to the Winter Dormancy state.
Due to more cold, all leaves may fall down from the plant and there may be no leaves left in the plant (the only stem is left in the plant), This is one of the common things regarding Curry leaf plant in winter Season. To fix this here you go.
Preparing Curry plant for Winter Dormacy
1. Cut down on watering until the winter season ends
The major thing you need to consider cut down the watering to plant until the winter season end.
This will help the plant to stay in a resting state.
2. Move your plant Indoor
If you move your plant indoor or increase the temperature by any means you can save the curry leaves in the plant.
The better option is to move the plant indoors and place it near the south-facing window. This will give a warm temperature and enough sunlight to plant.
If you cannot take the plant indoor for any reason. At least try to cover the pot (roots), with some black cover or something this increases temperature by 5 degrees, compared to outside.
3. Increase the temperature
Increase the temperatures of plants, slow down the winter Dormancy period, and save the curry plant’s leaves.
Place the curry leaves plant in sunlight during the day and at night you can take it indoors to protect from cold.
If you forget to take the plant inside, it will die no matter whatever you take care of after that. So be cautious not to forget.
If there are no leaves in the curry plant and only the stem is left, you need to take care of the plant. Otherwise, the plant may die.
You can increase the temperature of the plant by moving your plant inside and giving enough sunlight by keeping it near the window.
If that is not possible, you need to cover the plant with a black cover to decrease the plant’s temperature by 5 degrees compared to the outside temperature.
If you are traveling or out home for some days, request a willing friend to take care of your plant.
4. Pour the warm water instead of cold water
This will help keep up the temperature of the curry leaves the plant.
2. Less Exposure to Sunlight
Curry leaves will curl down and bent downside if you give less sunlight to the plant.
Experts say that for the best results we need to grow curry leaves plant in full sunlight and more than equal to 40F temperature.
If we consider the above climate conditions Curry leaf plant will have less winter dormancy period.
Being a curry plant Vulnerable to the cold climate we need to take good care of the plant by exposing the plant to sufficient sunlight.
If you are there in freezing climate conditions, you need to consider giving your plant an artificial white light instead of sunlight.
3. Low Temperature
When plant atmosphere temperature drops then plant leaves may shutter, bent down, and lose out all the leaves, those leaves were helping the plant to survive the winter reason.
How to overcome the low-temperature problem in Curry plants.
1. Limit watering to plants
As we discussed earlier, you need to cut down on watering in the winter season. Plants will be in a resting state.
If you don’t cut down on watering Root rot can happen to curry leaf plant and plants may eventually die.
2. Pour Hot water instead of cold
Please pour hot water to increase the temperature of the plant.
3. Move your plants indoor
As we discussed earlier you need to move your plants indoors to give the warm weather to plant or keep the pot in the black cover so that there will reduce in-plant temperature compared to the outside temperature.
4. Give sufficient sunlight or artificial light
To revive your plant which is suffering from low-temperature problems, you need to give them enough sunlight to survive.
You also should not give a bright light to the plant, this may shock the plant. Needs to increase the light gradually.
4. Soil (Dirt)
Fertilizer is needed, if you potted your plant more than 4 months ago, put that fertilizer even there are no leaves on the plant (only left with bare stem).
It’s gonna survive a couple of winters, It will be strong enough to withstand other coming winters.
Things to consider while you repotting the curry leaf plant.
We need to put a good potting mix for a pot that will drain well.
You also should consider the next pot size while you are repotting and make sure it has a drainage hole at the bottom.
If you are pruning roots use sanitized tools, otherwise your plants may affect by a previous plant that was suffering from some disease.
Bonus tip: Feed the plant with Baked salt or Epsom salt twice every month as fertilizer to improve the plant
5. Over-watered
Over-watered curry leaves mostly suffering from root rot. Root rot will occur to more frequent watering.
Not leaving the water to drain from soil or there is no proper drainage hole in the pot causes root rot. Which will make the plant eventually die.
How to fix an over-watered curry leaf plant?
1. Prepare plant
Remove the plant from the pot and clean-cut the roots which are brown in color and rotted.
Leave the plant for some days to heal up the roots which you have trimmed.
2. Repot with proper soil
If you are repotting the plant in the same container, you need to sanitize the pot before you put the new soil.
If you are planning to put old soil, before that you need to boil the soil with hot water, this makes any bacteria that affects plants to die.
Pot the plant with a good potting mix, which can be well-drained.
3. Limit the water supply to plant until the roots heal
Once you plant, you should wait for at least 1 week to water; roots need to be healed and adjust to the pot’s new atmosphere.
4. Give enough sunlight and maintain temperature
Move your new pot to inside and give a good amount of sunlight, and don’t let the plant sit at cold temperature.
6. Under-watered
Under-watered curry leaf plants look like withered leaves, bent, yellow leaves.
Even if the leaves are yellow you should not prune, pluck them because these leaves
Tips:
- Feed Curry leaf plant with a tablespoon of Epsom salt (which contains magnesium)/ baked salt into yogurt or 1 gallon of water twice a month (every 15 days) to improve the plant growth. If you overdose you will burn the plant. (My grandmother taught this.)
- Feed buttermilk to plant during warmer months to improve growth ( when there is no mold).
- cut the seed-bearing part to get new shoots and leaves grow healthily.
FAQ
How To Grow Bushy Curry Leaves?
To grow curry leaves bushy, pruning is necessary, this encourages multiple branches and gets more leaves for harvesting. Fertilizing (liquid fertilizer) is necessary every 3rd to 4th week to give enough nutrients to curry leaves plant. For faster growth plant on the ground instead of a pot.
Final Thoughts
Let me know in the comments are able to grow curry leaves plant faster and bushier.
Its such as you read my thoughts! You appear to know so much approximately this, like you wrote the ebook in it or something. I feel that you just can do with a few percent to power the message house a bit, but instead of that, that is excellent blog. A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.