How to Grow Ixoras

Ixoras are acid-loving shrubs with dark green and glossy leaves and profusions of small flowers that cluster together on the bush. Flowers range from pink to yellow and white. Ixora plants are reasonably hardy if grown in acidic soils, but they do not do well in alkaline or boggy soil. These shrubs can be grown for use in hedges, as colorful landscape plants or even as indoor plants in containers.

Spade
Hardware mesh with 1/2-inch holes (optional)
Aged manure, compost or peat moss
Mulch
Liquid micronutrients
High-acid fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a garden site that is well draining, receives full sun and is away from concrete paths or foundations, as concrete increases the pH of soils and creates an unfriendly environment for ixoras to grow in.
- 2
  Loosen the first 12 inches of soil in the chosen planting site. If the soil has lots of stones in it, sieve out as many as you can using hardware mesh with 1/2-inch holes.
- 3
  Spread 4 inches of aged manure, compost or peat moss over the turned soil, and then work it into the top 12 inches of soil.
- 4
  Dig a hole in the prepared soil that is 3 to 4 inches wider than the root ball of your ixora plant, and about as deep as the root ball.
- 5
  Place the ixora into the hole and pack the soil back in around the root ball, but not covering the crown. Press the soil enough so that the plant is stable but do not so compact it as to form a crust.
- 6
  Apply 3 inches of mulch around the plant, keeping four to five inches of space around the trunk of the ixora.
- 7
  Apply liquid micronutrients directly on the leaves if the foliage begins to yellow. Yellowing is a sign that the soil may be too alkaline, and the micronutrient solution is best taken up through the foliage in alkaline soils.
- 8
  Feed the ixora with high-acid fertilizer at rates recommended by the fertilizer manufacturer. Water deeply when soil appears dry but not parched.

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