Grow your own star anise plant, Illicium verum

Star anise Illicium verum, also known as Chinese star anise, is the only edible species. In contrast, the Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum), whose fruits closely resemble the real thing, is extremely poisonous. In its homeland, real star anise grows as a small, evergreen tree. In our latitudes it is relatively rare. It can be admired mainly in botanical gardens. Despite everything, keeping it as a houseplant is possible. It can stand outside in summer, but must be overwintered frost-free.

Demands on location and substrate

Since this plant needs sufficient light, it should have a bright or dark shade. get a sunny to partially shaded location, ideally in a conservatory or heated greenhouse. However, any other bright and warm room is also suitable. Direct sunlight should be avoided and the room temperature should ideally be between 17 and 20 degrees. From May, after the so-called ice saints, the plant can be placed outside.

The respective planter should have sufficient drainage holes and good drainage, e.g. B. have coarse gravel. Nutrient-rich garden soil, a humus-rich, composted substrate, normal standard soil or soil mixed with sand and peat can be used as a substrate. The soil should be well drained and fresh to moist.

Optimal care of the star anise

Illicium verum should be watered in such a way that the substrate is always evenly moist but not too wet. It should be watered regularly, especially in summer. It is best to let the top layer of substrate dry before each watering. Since star anise needs high humidity, it should be sprayed regularly with lime-free water, especially if it is indoors all year round. Star anise can be fertilized every two weeks from June to August. If the tub is well rooted, you should repot in fresh soil and, if necessary, a larger planter. It takes about 15 years for this houseplant to bear fruit for the first time. It can also happen that a plant does not produce any fruit at all. Does it have a height of approx. When it reaches 40-50 cm, it should be cut back by about a third. A bushier growth can be achieved if you only cut off the shoot tips.

Properly hibernate

• Star anise is not sufficiently hardy.
• It tolerates temperatures down to a maximum of -12 degrees.
• For this reason it is advisable to bring it into its winter quarters before the first frosts.
• Hibernation should not be too warm.
• The temperatures should not rise above 18 degrees and should not fall below 15 degrees.
• Even during the cold season, star anise needs to be watered from time to time.
• However, the watering should be significantly reduced.
• The substrate should neither dry out completely nor be permanently too wet.
• Dry heating air in winter can quickly lead to an infestation with spider mites or scale insects.
• To prevent this, optimal humidity should be ensured.
• This can be done by occasionally spraying the plants with lukewarm water.
• If possible, rainwater should be used for this.
• Fertilization can be completely dispensed with in winter.

propagation

Before you buy plants, you can also try to propagate star anise and there are two possible ways to do this:

through seeds

In spring, small magnolia-like, greenish-white flowers appear, from which the typical fruits of star anise, so-called follicles, develop. The eight-pronged, capsule-like fruits contain the shiny, brown seeds, with one seed sitting in each of these 8 prongs. These seeds can be sown all year round. If you were lucky enough to get fresh seeds, they must first be subjected to a cold treatment (stratification). To do this, you put them in a foil bag with moist sand, which you then close and store for 1-2 months at temperatures of around 5 degrees in the refrigerator or, if available, in a cold store. In other closed vessels, the seeds may become moldy.

After this time, the seeds are placed about 1 cm deep in a nutrient-poor growing medium. For this purpose z. B. Coconut or commercially available potting soil mixed with perlite or sand. Cover the culture vessel with glass or translucent foil to ensure constant humidity. Both should be removed from time to time and the substrate should be aerated. Then you put the whole thing in a bright, not full sun place at temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees until germination. Once small seedlings have formed with the first small leaves, they can be isolated or planted. planted individually in pots.

Through cuttings

Cuttings for propagation can be obtained by pruning existing plants. Well mature but not woody shoot tips are used. Each cutting should be about 15-20 cm long and have 2-3 pairs of leaves. Larger leaves are cut in half to minimize evaporation. The cuttings are then placed in small pots in a permeable and nutrient-poor substrate and a film is placed over them.

Here, too, it is advisable to mix sand or perlite into the cultivation substrate. At soil temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees, rooting usually takes place after about 3-4 weeks. If roots have formed on the cutting, this is reflected in the first budding. If this is the case, the foil can be removed and the young plants can be cultivated further. Once the pots are well rooted, they are transplanted into larger pots. If the plantlets are big enough, you can trim the shoot tips to achieve better branching.

pests

The most common pests to expect are the following:

spider mites

Spider mites often appear during hibernation due to low humidity. They can be recognized by the fine white webs on the leaf axils. A thorough spraying is often sufficient to combat it. The underside of the leaves should not be forgotten either. The plant should then be treated with suitable sprays. As a rule, it has to be sprayed several times at certain intervals.

scale insects

A scale insect infestation can be recognized by small brown scales, which are mainly on the trunk and twigs or limbs. drive sit. Systemic agents from specialist shops are available to combat it. Commercially available plant protection sticks are usually not sufficiently effective because they also contain fertilizer and the poison concentration is often too low.

Conclusion

If you want to grow star anise yourself, you should bear in mind that in this country it is only cultivated in tubs, i.e. as a houseplant. It can stand outside from spring to autumn. Before the first frost, however, she should move to the winter quarters. However, it can take a few years for the plants to bear fruit for the first time.

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