Room linden tree – care, cutting and propagation

Maintaining a linden tree is not very time-consuming or difficult. It is best to plant them on a hydro basis or use a container with an irrigation system, then you do not have to water as often. The plant needs a lot of water and quite regularly, depending on its size. Otherwise you should pay attention to a bright, but not sunny location and not too high temperatures in winter. On the whole, linden trees are frugal. The plants grow very quickly and often become unsightly with age. Therefore you should pull a new one from the older plant in good time, which is then again pretty to look at.

location

The linden tree likes it light and not too warm. The living room is not the ideal place, especially not in winter. Temperatures above 15 ° C are not ideal. If the location is too dark, leaves fall off relatively quickly, always starting with the young leaves. Additional lighting is ideal. This ensures that the plant will thrive.

• Bright, but not full sun
• Bright midday sun damages the leaves, they burn.
• The lighting conditions are often unfavorable behind a thick curtain. The plant is best placed right by the window.
• On the other hand, a place that is too dark is also not good, because then the room linden tree often does not bloom.
• In addition, the plant forms unnaturally long petioles.
• An east or west window with morning or evening sun is favorable.
• In summer, the linden tree can also be cultivated outdoors, but here also without sun and very protected.
• In the wind, the delicate leaves tear apart.
• Ideal temperatures – between 10 and 15 ° C, in winter even a little lower.
• The bathroom is a good place because the humidity there is suitable for the linden tree.
• Otherwise, the plant has to be sprayed regularly or the planter is placed in a bowl filled with water and stones.
• The warmer the linden tree is, the higher the humidity needs to be!

Plant substrate

The plants do not place as high demands on the plant substrate as they do on the location. On the contrary, they are rather frugal. Nutrient-rich soil is cheap. However, hydroponics is even better. You don’t need soil there. Alternatively, planters with an irrigation system are also inexpensive.

• Loose compost-based soil
• Unit earth is sufficient.
• A nutrient-rich substrate is beneficial.

plant

Planting or repotting is not complicated. You have to be careful not to smell the tender shoots. It is important to have a container that guarantees the necessary stability. You have to be careful when the roots fill the entire container, because then it is time to repot. With the room linden tree it goes pretty quickly.

• Use heavy clay pots to ensure stability.
• When the planter is completely rooted, it is time to repot.
• Linden trees grow very quickly, so you should repot twice a year.
• Better to wait until spring than repot in autumn.
• The room linden tree is ideal for keeping in hydroponics. However, the plants then often grow even faster.

Watering and fertilizing

Due to the size and the amount of leaves a room linden tree has, a lot of water evaporates. As a result, you have to water regularly, especially with older, stately plants. However, waterlogging should be avoided. Hydro tanks are ideal, as you save yourself frequent watering.

• Water evenly during the growing season.
• Do not use water that is too cold, room temperature is best.
• Let the top layer of soil dry well between watering.
• If the pot is properly rooted, the root ball must be kept permanently moist.
• Water very moderately during the rest period.
• The cooler the location, the less watering.
• Do not limit the amount of water suddenly, but gradually.
• Fertilize with liquid complete fertilizer every 14 days during the growing season.
• Do not fertilize during the rest period.

To cut

The room linden is not a typical cut plant. You only cut them when you have to. A pruning is possible in principle, but it affects the good appearance of the plant. That is why you only divorce in an emergency, for example if the houseplant has simply grown too big. Otherwise, the plant looks best and most natural when uncut.

• Room linden trees that have become too large can be adjusted again with a strong cut back.
• You cut it down by about half.
• But this damages the appearance of the plant. Better to have new plants already grown. The “old” one can be disposed of.

Overwinter

Temperatures are particularly important when wintering. They can’t be too high. The bright location is also crucial for the plant to survive well. If it’s too warm, the linden tree suffers, it’s too dark too. Both factors in the negative range can damage the plant in such a way that it cannot survive the winter.

• Winter at temperatures between 5 and 15 ° C.
• In centrally heated rooms, the lower leaves usually fall off.
• It is important to spray the plants.

Multiply

The linden tree is at its most beautiful in the first few years. She often loses her good looks from the age of 4. This is not a problem with the fast-growing plant. You just have to grow one or more new plants in good time. This works best with cuttings taken from the mother plant. Ideally, flower shoots are used, as green shoots rarely bloom. But there are also seeds to buy from which you can grow the plants yourself.

• Cut head cuttings in spring
• A cutting should be about six inches long.
• Shorten larger leaves on the cuttings by about a third to reduce the evaporation area.
• The easiest way is to put it in a water glass. This is how roots form quickly.
• However, you can also put the cutting in a mixture of peat and sand.
• A bright but not sunny place is important.
• The substrate is kept moist, but never wet.
• As soon as the cutting sprouts, it can be treated like an adult linden tree.
• The small plant often blooms in the first winter.
• Let the seeds soak in lukewarm water for a day.
• Apply seeds to a sterile sowing substrate and cover only lightly, for example with sand.
• Temperatures of at least 25, better 30 ° C. are important.
• The ideal is to lower the temperature a little at night, to around 22 ° C.
• Keep the surface only slightly damp. It is best to work with a spray bottle.
• Growing in a mini greenhouse, which has to be set up very brightly, but without sun, is ideal.
• The seeds germinate after about 6 weeks, but rarely at the same time.

Diseases and pests

In fact, linden trees are not very susceptible to diseases and pests. However, both can occur in the case of maintenance errors.

• Leaf fall can have various causes, e.g. drafts, lack of water, too cold irrigation water, too much irrigation water and stagnant water
• Wilted shoots without leaves often indicate a lack of light.
• Yellow leaves are caused by a lack of nutrients or insufficient water.
• Burn marks only occur if the location is too sunny.
• Aphids, scale lice and mealybugs infest the room linden tree especially in winter, if the location is incorrect. Usually it is too warm and / or too dark.
• Whitefly and aphids and scale insects are quite common when outdoors.

Conclusion
The room linden is an extremely decorative houseplant. Its large, almost heart-shaped leaves make a good impression all year round. If the flowers are added, the plant is a real eye-catcher. If the location is right and appropriate humidity is provided, the room linden tree can get by with very little maintenance. It is advisable to use hydro vessels or those with an irrigation system, because then significantly less water has to be poured. The vessels are also ideal for humidity. Wintering should take place in a cool, bright room. Watering is restricted, there is no fertilization at all. The flowers appear from January. If the location is too warm, the flower usually fails.

The house linden is not exactly an entry-level plant, but it is also not complicated to care for.