The jacaranda tree is a stunning tropical tree with fragrant purple panicle-shaped blossoms in clusters and arching branches that form an umbrella-like canopy. In tropical climates, jacaranda trees grow quickly; during their first few years of existence, they can acquire up to 10 feet each year. Its growth pace varies with the location; outside of its optimal tropical habitat, it slows down to a modest growth rate.
The warmest regions of the United States, including Hawaii, Florida, Southern California, and some sections of Texas, are home to jacaranda trees, which thrive there due to their perfect warm and sunny climate. The tree needs slightly acidic soil and constant hydration throughout the year.
Jacaranda Tree Overview
| Common Name | Jacaranda tree, black poui, blue jacaranda |
| Botanical Name | Jacaranda mimosifoila |
| Family | Bignoniaceae |
| Plant Type | Tree |
| Mature Size | 25–50 ft. tall, 15–30 ft. wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full |
| Soil Type | Sandy, well-drained |
| Soil pH | Neutral, acidic |
| Bloom Time | Spring, summer |
| Flower Color | Purple, blue |
| Hardiness Zones | 10-11 (USDA) |
| Native Area | South America |
Jacaranda Tree Care
The following are the primary criteria for jacaranda tree care:
- Because jacaranda trees have weak wood, litter, and large surface roots that might harm structures, they shouldn’t be planted close to pools, roads, patios, or sidewalks.
- Choose a location for the jacaranda tree that receives six to eight hours of sunlight every day.
- To avoid root rot, use well-draining, sandy soil on the acidic side.
- Even though the tree can withstand severe drought, it is still best to water it during prolonged dry spells.
Light Requirements
Plant your jacaranda tree in full sun, where it will receive six to eight hours of sunlight per day, for the optimum blooms. Smaller jacaranda trees may survive a little shade if needed, but too little sunshine can reduce the quantity and color of their blossoms.
Soil and Potting
Well-draining, somewhat sandy soil with a slightly acidic pH is ideal for jacaranda tree growth. Although it may grow in both clay and loamy soils, it shouldn’t be planted in any mixture that is heavy, moist, or poorly draining. Root rot and mushroom root rot might occur more frequently in soil that has been wetted down.
Watering
Water your jacaranda tree generally when the top three to four inches of soil feel dry to the touch. These trees require regular rainfall throughout the year, and during times of extreme heat or drought, they frequently need extra irrigation. Give the region at the tree’s base some water. Instead of near the trunk, concentrate the majority of the water at the drip line—the location where water drops off the ends of the branches.
Make sure the water has seeped down to a depth of three inches by sticking a finger or water gauge into the ground to determine if you watered your lawn enough. Once a week, water again in this manner; in seasons of high light or heat, up to three times a week. Reduce watering to once a month during the tree’s dormant winter months.
Temperature and Environment
Although certain jacaranda trees can withstand isolated cold days (down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit), this plant often does not perform well in areas where freezing temperatures occur frequently. Although it is susceptible to trunk scald in regions with consistently high temperatures, this plant enjoys heat and humidity.
Fertilization
Every year, feed your jacaranda tree a balanced tree fertilizer; however, avoid giving it too much nitrogen as this may interfere with flowering. 10-10-10 NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) is a suitable ratio for fertilizer. See the product label directions for information on how much to use. The likelihood is that the tree is already receiving a lot of nitrogen if you are fertilizer the grass beneath it.
Types of Jacaranda Tree
The jacaranda mimosifolia is known in a number of noteworthy varieties:
J. mimosifolia ‘Alba’ or ‘White Christmas’: Large tree with a similar growth pattern and maintenance requirements; reaches heights of 40 feet and widths of 60 feet; rich foliage; in some regions, its white blossoms may appear earlier than those of other types, beginning in April.
J. mimosifolia ‘Bonsai Blue’: USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 are home to this dwarf variety, which has rich purple blossoms and develops at just 10 to 12 feet tall and six to eight feet broad.
Jacaranda jasminoides: A dwarf cultivar with tubular flowers ranging from violet to dark purple that reaches a height of 10 to 25 feet.
Jacaranda jasminoides ‘Maroon’: Dwarf cultivar with dark maroon-purple blossoms that reaches a height of 10 to 25 feet
Pruning
For strength and stability, juvenile jacaranda trees should be pruned to develop a single central leader, or main trunk. Retrim beyond that point to avoid forcing it to sprout vertical suckers that could skew the tree’s shape. Only dead, broken, or diseased branches should be removed during seasonal trimming.
Propagating Jacaranda Trees
For optimal results, sow this tree’s seeds in the fall or early spring. This plant can also be multiplied via softwood stem or branch cuttings. Another technique is grafting, which is best left to nursery or horticultural professionals. Softwood cuttings are a more favorable method of propagation since the plants you develop will blossom considerably sooner than a plant grown from seed. Because the offspring plant will be an exact replica of its parent, stem cutting is also the more dependable way of plant multiplication. Here’s how to clip stems to propagate:
- Use pruning shears or hand pruners to cut off branches with a diameter of 1/2 to 1 inch. Additionally, you’ll need a sandy, loamy mix or a pot of moistened soilless potting mix (with perlite) or a clear jar of water. In order to plant the rooted stem, you will eventually need a container full of potting soil if you choose to use the water rooting method.
- Select a branch with healthy buds that has grown past the bark to cut a cutting from. Slice it slightly above a node, which is the point on the stem where the leaf grows. Make a diagonal cut that is at least 1 inch long; the longer cut surface promotes roots. The cutting needs to have three or more nodes and be at least three to four inches long.
- After the cutting has formed roots, which should take two weeks or so, you can plant it in potting soil by putting it in a clear glass or jar filled with room temperature filtered water. Refill the water with filtered, room-temperature water as you wait for the roots to erupt in the water. Alternatively, you can plant the cut end straight into a moist, enriched soilless growing medium. To increase the likelihood that the cut end will produce roots, you can choose to soak it in rooting hormone.
- The plant should be placed in a sunny area away from direct sunlight, which could scorch or dry out the cutting.
- Plant the water-rooted cutting into a soilless potting mix after its roots are at least one inch long. Don’t transplant the cuttings again for at least eight months after that. Give the plant enough time to form a strong root system. Next, either move the plant to a larger pot (at least five gallons or more) or find it a more permanent home outdoors.
How to Grow Jacaranda From Seed?
A dry, spherical, brown pod that is one to three inches across usually appears as the jacaranda tree’s fruit in late summer. When the seed pods are dry, remove them straight from the tree to collect the seeds for future plantings (pods that have fallen to the ground may not contain seeds).
- Give the seeds a full day to soak in water.
- Plant the seeds in pots or seedling containers on a bed of potting soil. Keep the soil moist and apply a thin layer of potting soil over them. Two to eight weeks should pass before the seeds grow.
- Do not move the seedlings till after eight months.
Potting and Repotting Jacaranda Trees
These trees exceed containers as they reach 50 feet in height in the tropics. Nonetheless, if you yearly shape and prune the tree during dormancy to maintain it on the smaller side, they can be cultivated as container trees in colder areas, reaching a height of roughly 8 to 10 feet. Although they can be cultivated in pots indoors, jacaranda trees usually do not produce flowers.
Jacaranda trees grown in containers must be planted in at least five-gallon containers with quickly-draining sandy loam potting mix. Throughout the active growing season, it is important to keep the soil damp but not waterlogged.
When transplanting jacaranda, it is best to do so in the winter, following their leaf-dropping but before their early spring bud-break. Transplanting them while they are dormant reduces stress and increases the likelihood of success.
Overwintering
These plants, being tropical trees, are probably not going to endure long-term freezing temperatures. The tree can withstand the odd day when it drops to twenty degrees Fahrenheit, but beyond that point, it will not survive. The tree needs a sunny spot with some wind shelter to help reduce the likelihood of any frigid days.
Potted jacaranda trees should be allowed to dry out a little and should receive less frequent watering when brought indoors for the winter. More blossoms in the spring are triggered by a dry winter. In a similar vein, a tree will often bloom less in the spring after a rainy, wet winter. To prevent your potted jacaranda tree from becoming too big, prune the plant during the dormant winter season. If you don’t prune the plant, it gets harder to bring it inside for the winter each year.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Aphids and scale insects can attack jacaranda trees, and their leaves can become infested with glassy-winged sharpshooters. Use horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to control all of these pests. Jacarandas can draw whiteflies and aphids if grown indoors.
Jacaranda trees are rarely afflicted by disease; however, bacterial leaf scorch can be caused by insects such as the sharpshooter, which carries the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa. The germs prevent the tree from obtaining the necessary water. Water the tree often to extend its life. But in the end, the disease has no known treatment, thus the tree is unlikely to live.
Trees may get mushroom root rot if their soil does not drain well enough. The only true treatment for this widespread fungal disease is to remove the withering plant. Look for a section of the bark that seems to have died and turned black to verify the presence of this disease. When the dead bark is peeled back, a white fungal growth will show up.
How to Get Jacaranda Tree to Bloom?
Bloom Months
When grown outdoors, jacaranda trees bloom twice a year: in the fall and again in the spring, in late May or early June.
What Do Jacaranda Tree Flowers Look and Smell Like?
The trumpet-shaped purple (and occasionally white) blooms smell sweet when they first open, but when they wither and fall, their decomposition releases an overpowering odor. This tree tends to be messier than others, so get rid of the wasted blooms as soon as you can to keep things from getting too bad.
How to Encourage More Blooms?
Plant the tree in a sunny spot with soil that drains easily, ideally on sandy soil. Ensure that the soil surrounding a jacaranda tree stays damp but not drenched. Defend the tree against strong winds. Give grass growing close to a jacaranda no more fertilizer. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers, in particular, prevent the growth of flowers.
Common Problems With Jacaranda Trees
This tree is simple to grow, aside from the inevitable messy bloom drop. But when its requirements for temperature, sunlight, and water are not satisfied, issues tend to arise.
Yellowing Leaves
Your tree may not create enough chlorophyll if it is not given enough deep watering, which can lead to chlorosis, which turns green leaves yellow. Give your tree lots of water. Water on a regular basis, and on particularly hot days, give your plant a thorough watering.
Browning, Dying Leaves
Trees that have contracted the bacterial leaf scorch disease spread by insects have a parched appearance. The leaves start to darken, wilt, and fall off. The stems and branches becoming brittle and dry out. This illness has no known treatment. Overfertilizer or leaf scorch from excessive sun exposure are two more possible reasons of browning leaves. Examine those elements. Should the sun become too much for the plant, it can be worthwhile to move the tree to a better spot.
Dead Leaf Tips
Overfertilization can lead to dead leaf tips and yellowing leaf edges by disrupting the soil’s mineral-to-salt ratio. Fertilization may be the reason for leaf problems on your tree if the tips of the leaves seem to die following fertilization. Remove any withering or wilting leaves from an overfertilized tree and thoroughly water the fertilized soil, attempting to flush out the fertilizer.
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