Marguerite trunks: everything about the care of marguerite trees

Marguerites are among the most popular plants in the garden and balcony and are excellent even in the winter garden. In comparison to the native meadow marguerite (bot. Leucanthemum vulgare) is suitable for keeping as a tree and thus enables completely different design options. Her origins, the Canary Islands, make her a true sun worshiper who is easy to hold and hardly requires any attention. Except over the winter, because the island plant cannot tolerate the cold.

Characteristics

• botanical name: Argyranthemum frutescens
• Synonym: Chrysanthemum frutescens
• Genus: Argyranthemum (Argyranthemum)
• belongs to the sunflower plant family (Asteraceae)
• Common names: shrub marguerite, marguerite tree, bushy marguerite
• vigorous, sapling shrub, perennial
• Height: 50 - 100 cm
• Leaves: oval, alternately arranged, coarsely lobed or serrated blue-green leaves up to 8 cm in length
• Flowers: up to 2 cm large, round flowers of yellow tubular flowers and multicolored ray-flowers in umbrella clusters
• edible
• Flowering period: May to October
• Origin: Canary Islands, widespread in Europe and North America
• not hardy
• high lime tolerance
• Medicinal plant
• attracts butterflies

care

The care of the daisy trees is extremely unproblematic due to their modesty. If the location is right, watering and fertilizing will take care of itself. The pruning measures, on the other hand, require precise execution so that the plant can keep its shape as a high stem. In addition, the winter quarters must be taken into account, as the Mageriten tribe otherwise enters over the cold season.

Location

The daisy tree comes from the Canary Islands, a group of islands off the west coast of Morocco, and there a unique microclimate is available to the daisy family. The "eternal spring" of the islands is ideal for the plant and the temperatures typical there are only possible in Germany from the end of April until the first frosts in autumn. The location should therefore have the following characteristics.

• Light requirement: full sun to sunny
• at least four to six hours of sun a day
• Temperature: 20 ° C - 35 ° C, ideally around 20 ° C
• airy, but no drafts
• bright, partially shaded locations are tolerated
• Avoid accumulated heat
• do not place in front of the south wall, this will shorten the flowering period significantly
• with a bucket facing south-facing balcony or window
• Conservatory ideal for keeping pots

Tip: Avoid shady locations with a lot of cold air, as this reduces the abundance of flowers.

floor

Once you want to keep the daisy trunk in the garden, the right soil is crucial for the growth of the plants. The daisy stem is quite undemanding on the ground, but this should be adapted to their needs. For this reason, the location in the garden should have the following soil.

• humus
• nutritious
• fresh
• wet
• permeable
• good drainage
• Loosen compacted soils with sand or gravel
• Enrich nutrient-poor soils with compost, humus from bark or horn shavings

Buy preferred potted plants

From May on, daisy trees can be found in almost every garden center, well-selected florists and hardware stores and even supermarkets carry the summer splendor. Depending on the breeder or importer, the quality of the individual specimens naturally differs and you should definitely inspect the daisy tree before buying it. When choosing the bushy daisy, you should pay attention to the following shortcomings.

• yellowed or faded leaves
• few flowers
• broken or dried up twigs and shoots
• heavily dried out substrate
• putrid smell from the substrate
• this indicates rotting roots
• possible infestation with diseases or pests

plants

As soon as you have decided on a suitable daisy stem, you can plant it in the garden after purchasing it. It is important that you allow enough space for the shrub marguerite and that the soil at the respective planting site is prepared as described above.

To do this, proceed as follows:

• Time: from mid-May
• loosen the earth at the site
• remove rough obstacles such as stones and weeds, as well as older roots
• dig a pit that offers enough space for the root ball (individually depending on the pot size)
• enrich the excavation with the necessary aggregates or a mixture of sand, compost and horn shavings
• remove the daisy tree from the pot
• Immerse the root ball in a bowl of water until it is completely soaked
• then put the plant in the pit and fill it with the excavated material
• keep pressing the soil down to avoid holes
• Now put a support post in the ground, adjacent to the daisy tree
• Soak enough water to finish
• then carry out the normal care services

Tip: A daisy tree in the garden bed has to be brought into the house every winter and dug up for this reason. If you want to make this step easier for yourself, you should put the daisy stem with the flower pot in the ground so that you can easily take it out at the beginning of winter.

Repot

Argyranthemum frutescens is best for keeping in a bucket due to the need for warmth. Marguerite trees are delivered in pots, which are usually filled with unsuitable substrate. For this reason, you should repot them immediately after purchase. In general, the daisy tree has to be repotted every two to three years in spring, otherwise the roots in the compacted earth threaten to suffocate. The right time for this is a dense rooting of the substrate.

Repotting in detail:

• Pot size: at least 5 l, adult plants from 10 l
• Pot must have drainage holes
• Prepare a drainage from gravel or potsherds in the lower part of the pot
• place a fleece over it that is breathable
• Choose high quality compost potting soil for the substrate
• this is loosened up with quartz sand, lava granulate or perlite
• fill a third of the bucket with substrate
• immerse the plant and the old bucket in a water bath
• wait until no more air bubbles rise
• Now you can remove the daisy tree from the pot and place it in the fresh substrate
• put a sturdy plant support in the ground right next to the trunk
• tie the daisy stem to the support rod
• now carefully fill the rest of the substrate into the tub
• you have to make sure that there are no holes
• Pouring edge: 3 - 5 cm
• then pour enough tap water

Tip: If you have an older specimen, you should mix in clay when repotting. The clay ensures a good hold in the pot, which the adult daisy stems need due to the heavy crown.

to water

Watering is an important part of maintenance, as Argyranthemum frutescens evaporates moisture through the leaves throughout the summer and therefore needs an adequate supply of water.

Water the plant as follows:

• check the substrate or the soil with the finger test every morning
• when the first ten percent of the substrate is dry, it is time to water
• this information helps to avoid waterlogging
• if the surface is dry, pour the root ball directly
• check again in the evening on hot days
• never water the leaves directly
• Heavy rains are also not ideal
• The plant tolerates tap water without any problems
• Water less in winter, but do not allow the substrate to dry out too much

Fertilize

Fertilizing is essential for a healthy daisy tree, as the plant requires a lot of nutrients due to the numerous flowers.

When fertilizing, proceed as follows:

• Bucket keeping period: April to mid-September
• 2 - 3 times a week with conventional, high quality liquid fertilizer
• this is administered via the irrigation water
• Period in the garden: May to mid-September
• Work in horn shavings and compost with a rake every week
• Long-term fertilizer: apply in mid-May and mid-July
• in particularly hot summers you can mulch to balance the nutrient and water balance

Cut

The standard form of the shrub marguerite is not the natural growth of the plant. Marguerite stems are brought into this shape by extensive cutting measures and thus remain healthy and vital. The marguerite tree is cared for with the following cuts.

• Upbringing
• Conservation cut

Upbringing

The training cut starts immediately after planting and ensures the desired high stem shape of the daisy trunks. In order for you to enjoy a round crown filled with flowers, you need to perform the cut as follows.

• choose clean, sharp secateurs for the cut
• in this way you prevent infection of the interfaces by crushing or tearing
• look at the trunk and decide how high you want the crown to stand
• mark this place with a tape and remove all branches and shoots down to the ground
• if these have been removed, cut off the tips of the shoots of the crown, which are four pairs of leaves above the beginning of the crown
• this will give you the shape you want
• then remove the cuttings and take care of the daisy tree as usual

Conservation cut

The maintenance pruning not only serves the general health of the daisies, but also works as a topiary. With this pruning measure you bring your marguerite trunk more and more into shape.

• again choose clean, sharp secateurs
• remove dead flowers year-round to allow new buds to grow back - these are simply cut off
• in July and August the daisy tree loses a large number of its beautiful flowers
• then shorten all the shoots that you find on the plant to three to five centimeters
• also cut off any shoots below the crown, as they would ruin the shape
• it is also important to cut the entire crown by half before it is taken to winter quarters
• this ensures faster branching in spring and the daisy tree survives the winter better
• in April you can shorten the individual shoots by eye to keep the shape
• Always cut a little above a bud or the leaf joints to stimulate dense branching - here you can let your taste run wild
• After all cuts, remove the plant remains and continue with the care as usual

Overwinter

You have to overwinter the daisy trunk before the first frost, otherwise the plant can perish. Because of their origin, daisy trees are extremely susceptible to the cold and are brought through the cold season as follows.

• From the first day, potted plants are transported to winter quarters below 0 ° C
• You should move bedding plants from the garden into a tub
• Temperature in winter quarters: 5 ° C - 10 ° C
• bright location
• no direct sunlight over the midday hours
• Conservatory ideal
• Humidity: from 60%
• Spray the daisy stem crown 2 - 3 times a week with soft water
• The coaster is filled with expanded clay and irrigation water
• this optimizes the humidity

Multiply

The propagation of the marguerite trees succeeds over Cuttings.

• Length of the cuttings: 15-20 cm
• no buds
• defoliate the selected cuttings up to halfway
• put them in individual pots or in a growing container filled with conventional potting soil and quartz sand
• the planting hole is pre-drilled with a pricking stick or ballpoint pen
• place the cutting two-thirds in the ground
• moisten
• cover the daisy stem cuttings with a lid or plastic wrap
• place the cuttings in partial shade and warm
• always keep slightly moist
• as soon as the first shoots appear, the lid or the foil can be removed
• then let it root vigorously
• then the daisies can be repotted in pots with normal substrate
• the time until repotting varies from cutting to cutting
• Do not give fertilizer during this time

Diseases

Diseases and pests

The daisy tree is quite robust in itself, but suffers from the following diseases and pests if cared for incorrectly.

Verticillium wilt

• Fungal infection
• withered leaves and shoots
• colored black inside
• The cause is waterlogging

Spider mites

• Cobweb-like structures appear under speckled leaves that slowly die off
• The cause is too dry winter quarters

Aphids

• numerous small insects appear on the top and bottom of the leaves
• Marguerite trunk is increasingly losing its vitality
• The cause is the plant sap