Palette leaf is a colorful and decorative plant that is often used to add life and color to gardens and homes. Its unique leaf shape and coloring make it a popular favorite among gardening enthusiasts, and it is easy to grow and care for.
But have you ever tried stemming a pallet leaf into a tree? Someone who has a home full of several beautiful mini trees is the growing enthusiast Emmy Häggkvist.
She comes from a family interested in cultivation, where her father, among other things, competes in chili cultivation and grows over 500 kinds of chili. Together they run the Facebook group “Plant lights for hobby growers“, which at the time of writing has over 19,000 members.
Emmy Häggkvist on her love of growing: “Cry for potted plants”
Emmy goes on to say that her growing interest took off five years ago when she got her first pallet leaf. At the same time, she got a larger apartment with a balcony, which gave more cultivation opportunities.
After she started posting colorful pictures and plant tips on her Instagram Cole colada she got a good hearing, and the number of followers who want to take part in Emmy’s cultivation tips grew rapidly.
– I’ve become a bit like Kry for potted plants, I feel. But I love it, it’s so fun to be able to share and see others succeed, says Emmy Häggkvist News24.
Emmy Häggkvist strains up pallet leaves. Photo: Private
For those keen to get started with repotting and gardening, Emmy believes that pallet leaves are a good first place to explore.
– They are incredibly easy to propagate from cuttings and they grow very quickly. If one dies, you can easily get a new one and start over. It’s also fun that there are so many varieties, then you can collect a few different ones depending on which colors you like. There are jet black varieties to creamy pink, there is something for everyone.
Emmy tells us that, on the other hand, it takes some time to make a tree as you have to cut often and new tops have to form to get that bushy round crown.
The tree can be shaped and topped in several ways. Photo: Private
Therefore, a fast-growing, hardy variety with “fairly” large leaves is good. All palette leaf varieties work, but “China rose” is the variety she recommends starting with.
– My oldest tree is three years old, so it can live for many years. I have all my palette leaves facing south, that’s when they are the most colorful, but they thrive in any position in a window as long as they get a lot of light. In the beginning, they may burn a little if they are not used to strong sun, but they get used to it quickly.
Care advice for pallet trees and shrubs
Always use a pot with a barrel so excess water can always drain out, as the roots do not like standing in water. Then plant in porous soil so that the roots get good oxygen, Emmy uses soil mixed with perlite.
– Set the palette blade as light as you can, they color out in a lot of light and sun. Water often in spring and summer as they are very thirsty and add some nutrients to the water about every two weeks. Always pick flowers if the leaves start to bloom, they take energy from the plant and the leaves can lose their nice color and shape.
Pallet leaves grow very quickly, and it takes about three months from the first cut to start looking like a tree if you have a fast-growing variety.
Top right to get a nice tree crown. Photo: PrivatLista: How to stem a pallet leaf tree