• News
  • Movies
  • Money
  • Health
  • Agriculture
More
  • Agri News
  • Animal Husbandry
  • Organic Farming
  • Success Story
  • Gardening
  • Kitchen Garden
  • Herbal Garden
  • Tips for Farming

For beauty, medicine and nostalgia, have a ‘Thechi’ in garden

Pramod Kumar V. C.
# Pramod Kumar V. C.
Nov 21, 2018, 10:39 AM IST
T- T T+
Ixora
X
×
Image: Pixabay

Ixora is one of the common flowering plants found in Kerala. It was an inevitable plant in the gardens of Malayali houses in the past. The plant is scientifically named as Ixora Coccinea. Ixora is also known as West Indian Jasmine. It is called ‘Thechi’ or ‘Chethi’ in Malayalam.

Ixora is a shrub that flourishes in nutritious soil and blooms well. The flowers bloom in bunches and are usually found in red and yellow colour. In addition to the beautiful flower, ixora is also known for its medicinal properties.

The shrub grows up to 1.5-2.5 metres. The leaves are a little long and flower bunches emerge at the end of the branches. The berries of ixora are small in size and dark red in colour.

ixora
Image: Pixabay

Saplings

Make a potting mix with soil, cow dung powder and coconut husk in 3:3:3 ratio.

Fill the potting mix in small polythene covers.

Cut at least 4-inch long stems from ixora plant.

Stem cuttings should be planted in the evening.

Dip the stem in drumstick leaf juice for one hour for rapid rooting.

Stem cuttings get rooted within two weeks of planting.

New shoots begin to appear within 20 days.

After three new leaves emerge, replant the sapling to flowerpot or garden.

Sapling requires moderate irrigation and shade until leaves sprout up.

ixora
Image: Pixabay

Direct planting

During monsoon, make holes that have one metre length, width and depth each.

Fill the holes with equal amount of cow dung powder and sand.

Add 100 grams of neem cake and 50 grams of dolomite in the holes.

Plant the stem cuttings after irrigating well.

Ensure shade for the first two days after planting.

Fertilisation

Prepare a flowerbed leaving a distance of 1.5 feet from the bottom of the plant.

Add 2 kg cow dung powder and 250 grams of groundnut cake once in every two months.

ixora
Image: Pixabay

Pest control

A type of caterpillar is the major pest that attacks new shoots of ixora.

Use neem oil emulsion, leaf powder, green decoction or other organic pesticides to get rid of pests and insects.

Medicinal uses

Leaves, flowers and the entire plant of Ixora are used in different ways to treat stomach ache, wounds, diarrhoea and gonorrhoea.

In old times, there was a practice of applying oil boiled with crushed ixora flower to cure unhealable wounds.

ixora
Image: Pixabay

PRINT
EMAIL
COMMENT
 

Related Articles

How can goldfish grow in a garden? Here is the answer
Agriculture |
Agriculture |
Minister wishes for ‘Turkish blue’ in his garden, but gets ‘flame red’
Agriculture |
Plant Coleus in garden; The colourful foliage that outshines flowers
Agriculture |
Orchid lovers, keep these things in mind
 
 
  • Tags :
    • economy, business and finance/agriculture
    • Ixora Coccinea
    • flower farming
    • Gardening
More from this section
Rudraksha
'Rudraksha' tree in full bloom at Kottoor temple, offers visual treat to people
Grapes
How to grow grapes in your garden
Eldhose Raju with lotus
NRI nurse switches career to online lotus sales; now earns upto Rs 30,000 per month
Nirmal Kumar
Interior designer turns guardian of carnivorous plants in lockdown
Anil Kumar
Tourist bus driver cultivates paddy, vegetables on roadside during lockdown
News in Videos
News+ Kerala India NRI World Columns Features Offbeat Good News Crime
Leisure Movies & Music Sports Travel Books
Learn Money Education Agriculture
Lifestyle Health Tech Food Astrology
Multimedia Gallery Videos Mojo News News In Pics
Our Network Malayalam Print Mathrubhumi News TV Kappa TV Club FM Seed Silver Bullet FindHome Media School MBIFL Redmic
E-Paper
Subscription
Buy Books
Magazines
Classifieds
Archives
 
  • E-Paper
  • Subscription
  • Buy Books
  • Magazines
  • Classifieds
  • Archives
© Copyright Mathrubhumi 2020. All rights reserved.
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy
Terms of Use Feedback Archives
Ad Tariff Download App Classifieds
Buy Books Subscription e-Subscription
 
           
© Copyright Mathrubhumi 2020. All rights reserved.