The coral is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Rubiaceae family and to the Nertera genus, which has about 25 species that originate in South America and Oceania. The main species are Nertera granadensis, Nertera assurgens, Nerteera balfouriana, Nertera depressa or Nertera ciliata. Commonly it is also known as coral moss, marble plant, coral berry, corallite, or water Uvita.
Main care of the coral
Next we are going to give you a list with the coral care that is essential to be able to have a plant in perfect condition:
- Location : It should be in a place where it can receive direct sunlight in the early morning and late afternoon, but not in between as it could burn you.
- Temperature : it needs to be cool, ideally being at 15-18ºC throughout the year. Outside of that range, the plants would begin to produce more leaves than fruits.
- Soil : you have to put a mixture that contains, in equal parts, peat, sand and leaf mulch.
- Transplant : when you do it, it must be spring. Use a 10 cm diameter pot for this.
- Watering : the soil must always be humid, so in the hot season you should water more than in the cold season. Wait for the surface of the soil to dry before watering again. If it’s hot, spray the leaves with lime-free water.
- Compost : use a mineral fertilizer once a month. The time should be from when the flowers appear until the fruits ripen.
- Multiplication : it is best to do it in the spring and use the method of division of clumps. Take advantage when you do the transplant to do it.
Characteristics of this plant
It is a small perennial plant with a rake size that does not exceed 10 centimeters in height, with thin stems that have small, rounded leaves of a light green color. The flowers begin to appear in late spring, but they are not flowers that have great ornamental value.
Its fruits are very decorative, of a beautiful orange color and that appear when the summer ends, being there for several months.
