Worth knowing:
The evergreen Firewheel Tree grows a single slim trunk and produces long, mutable and varied, deep cut leaves and a thick crown. During summer it develops multiple inflorescences with mostly fiery red coloured flower tubes with yellow pistils. The flower tubes are arranged in a circle, which lead to the name Wheel of Fire. The Firewheel Tree is rather modest in its needs, and is therefore perfectly suited to cultivate as a tub plant.
Natural Location:
The natural habitat of the Firewheel Tree are the rainforests in eastern Australia.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. To increase the germinability, you can place the seeds for about 12 hours in warm water for priming. Plant the seeds with the thick nose about 1 cm deep in moist potting compost, put just a little compost earth on top, and cover the seed container with clear film. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 25°C and 30°C and keep the earth moist, but not wet. Usually it takes about three weeks until germination.
Place:
The Firewheel Tree likes to be kept in a bright or semi-shaded place. Younger plants should be protected from the direct sun. During the summer it can also be kept outdoors.
Care:
During summer you should water your plant generously and penetratingly, but see that you avoid waterlogging, especially in the saucer. Between April and September the Firewheel Tree also needs fluid fertilizer for tub plants every two to three weeks. You can achieve a more bushy and branched growth by pruning the plant regularly.
During the winter:
The Firewheel Tree is not frost-resistant and is best to be kept in a bright room with temperatures between 5° and 18° Celsius during hibernation. It needs less water in winter, but spray the leaves more often with lime-deficient water to avoid pest infestations.
Picture credits:
- © © JMK - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Casliber - CC-BY-SA-2.5 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5
- © Römert - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © JMK - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
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