Aucuba or the Golden Tree (Aucuba) - exotic plant for many years it has been attracting tourists in East Asia for its appearance. When it was possible to remove the female from Japan, after the appearance of the fruits on it, people realized that the aucuba is a dioecious plant. It took a male shrub to spread the plant around the world.
Hardy subtropical plant can exist even in the deep shade of forests. There are 8 species that are common in China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas. An evergreen bush with red flowers has been adapted for home cultivation. The most popular type of plant is Japanese aucuba.
Aucuba plant with yellow spots on a leathery foliage is usually a green shrub that can reach a height of 3-4 meters. In the flowering period, nondescript and small flowers appear with panicles usually of a reddish or purple color. The plant growth rate is high, each year the stem length increases by 15-20 cm. The life span of a perennial plant in a pot can be up to 10 or more years.
For one season, the plant adds 15-20 cm in growth. | |
It blooms in summer, with high humidity it can bloom in winter. | |
It blooms with small red flowers in spring. | |
Perennial. |
Beneficial features
Aucuba photo on the windowAmong the useful properties:
- purification of air from harmful bacteria;
- treatment of burns, frostbite, tumors, bruising, on the body;
- wound treatment.
Absorbs the negative energy of people, it is considered a tree for family well-being. The flower is considered a home mascot in China, Korea and Japan, and more recently in many other countries.
Features of growing at home. Briefly
Aucuba at home is quite unpretentious. However, some care for this plant is still required:
Temperature | The plant feels comfortable in cool conditions, optimally 20 ° C, no more, and in winter from 5 to 10 ° C |
Air humidity | Medium. Dry air is not terrible for him, but spraying will not be superfluous, especially in winter with a working heating system. |
Lighting | Diffused light is suitable for the plant. |
Watering | Mild soil moisture is required. In summer, once a week is enough, in winter 1 time in 2 weeks. Between watering the soil should dry out. |
Priming | Plants in light soil will feel best. |
Fertilizer and fertilizer | To do this, you can purchase organic, mineral fertilizer, as well as granular top dressing. Use from spring to late summer 1 time every 3-4 months. |
Transfer | It is carried out 1 time in 1-2 years in the spring season, if the plants are young. For adults, the frequency should be reduced to 1 time in 2-3 years. |
Breeding | There are 2 main methods - apical cuttings have shamed and propagation by seeds, but growth is much slower. |
Growing Features | In order for the plant to grow comfortably and flourish at home, in the summer you can take a pot of aucuba to the street. It is able to live even in smokey air. It also needs to be trimmed regularly. |
Aucuba care at home. In detail
Landing
A mixture of land, peat and sand is used to plant a shrub. For transplanting adult plants, you need to choose a method of transshipment in another container and perform it carefully.
You need to plant cuttings in a peat-sand mixture or clean sand at sunset in winter or early spring. The temperature should be maintained at a level of 20-22 ° C.
Bloom
Aesthetic appearance aucube create large, bright, green leaves. If aucuba grows indoors, it can bloom periodically. During this period, apical inflorescences usually of red, fiery, red color appear. Shades blend perfectly with saturated green-yellow leaves.
If in the room there are individuals of the plant, both female and male, then after flowering red fruits of an elongated shape will appear, somewhat reminiscent of barberry. Flowering period ends in late winter or early spring. Some even use these red fruits in cooking and traditional medicine.
Temperature mode
Home aucuba will grow well when observing the temperature regime of 18-20 ° C in autumn and spring, 10-14 ° C in winter. Higher temperatures will stimulate the discharge of shrub foliage. In summer, you can put the plant in a pot outside, but at the same time you need to protect it from direct sunlight and possible rainfall.
Spraying
Aucub flower at home needs compulsory spraying in the cold season, when heaters and other appliances dry the air at home, central heating is turned on. If the room temperature is kept low, spraying should be carried out sparingly and accurately in a limited amount, otherwise this will lead to the appearance and spread of mold.
In other seasons, you can forget about spraying a room aucuba, there is no need for this procedure.
Lighting
Positioning the pot near the south window is strictly contraindicated. It grows even in low light conditions, but without light this process slows down. Those varieties that have dark green foliage can comfortably exist even in constant shade.
Watering
Abundant watering should be provided for the flower in May and in the summer months. It is necessary to give water to the plant when the surface of the soil begins to dry out.
In the cold season and in autumn, the plant will not need abundant watering. Excessive moisture in the soil leads to a darkening of the leaves of the plant, deterioration of their condition.
Pot
Caring for aucuba needs special and thorough, then she can live her whole life in the same pot. Therefore, it can immediately be planted in a large pot.
If a medium or small pot is selected, then over time a significant number of plant roots will interfere with a comfortable existence.
Therefore, transplants in this case can not be avoided. If you initially choose a very spacious pot, you need to make sure that it is equipped with good drainage.
Priming
To create soil, you need to take in equal proportions turf soil, coarse sand, perlite, wet peat or humus. It is also necessary to provide holes and drainage in the pot.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
Dressing a home flower is carried out with watering from the beginning of spring to August. To do this, you need mineral fertilizers in standard concentration. Observe the proportion indicated on the manufacturer's packaging. In autumn and winter, you do not need to top-up the plant, since this period of the year is considered a dream for him.
If there is not enough fertilizer and top dressing, small leaves will appear on its stems and branches.
Transfer
Replant plants aucuba at home you need every year to reach 5 years. The transplant procedure is also necessary as necessary, when the roots cease to fit in the pot. After reaching the age of five, there is no need for a transplant.
To carry out this procedure correctly, a drainage layer should be put on the bottom of the pot. This will eliminate excessive soil moisture that harms the plant. Then it is tedious to compose the soil from the same proportions of peat, sheet soil, sand. Still the soil can be prepared from turf and sheet earth, humus, sand, peat. Very carefully you need to handle the root system of the aucuba during transplantation. She is usually very voluminous and magnificent.
Pruning
In March, it is necessary to trim and pinch young shoots. It is this procedure that allows the plant to provide a lush, even crown. After pruning, young shoots can be used for reproduction.
Rest period
The resting period for the aucuba plant begins in mid-autumn and lasts until mid-winter. From October to February, plants hibernate, many physiological processes are inhibited or completely stopped. The flower does not release new leaves, as well as inflorescences.
For the period of hibernation, he needs to provide a temperature of 8-14 ° C, regular and moderate watering, it is not worth fertilizing.
Breeding
In crop production, two methods of propagation of aucuba are used: cuttings and using seeds.
Propagation by cuttings
Cuttings - reproduction, which involves the use of apical shoots of last year. In order for the shoot to take root, it must have at least three leaves.
- Cuttings are placed in peat mix or clean sand under polyethylene or glass.
- Weekly, you need to moisten the soil and ventilate the tank, maintain a temperature of 22 ° C.
- Only after complete rooting of the cuttings can you dive them into different pots.
Growing Aucuba from Seeds
Propagation by seeds involves the collection of fresh crops.
- Male and female individuals artificially crossed, growing close to each other.
- Collected seeds must be sown in the ground, also covered with glass or polyethylene, placed in a warm area of the room.
- Periodically, you need to water the soil, ventilate the tank.
- Shoots will sprout rather soon. They can be transplanted into separate pots only after 3-4 leaves appear on young plants. But when choosing this method, there is a possibility of losing varietal characters.
Diseases and Pests
Aucub houseplant may be affected by such diseases:
- Leaves aucubs their tops turn yellow - excess light.
- Leaves are fading - This means unsaturated, devoid of nutrients and minerals soil.
- Lower leaves turn yellow ahead of time, begin to fall - significant changes in temperature, irregular watering.
- Reducing the number of yellow spots on the leaves - lack of nutrients or light.
- Black spots on the leaves- excess moisture in the soil.
- Crohn dries - being in a room with dry air.
- Thin shoots and slow growth - lack of food.
Indoor aucuba can be affected by pests such as whiteflies, scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites.
Types of homemade aucubas with photos and names
There are about 8 varieties of evergreen plants that grow on the expanses of the planet, ranging from the Himalayas to Japan. But the most popular are 2 of them.
Aucuba Japanese
A plant with oval smooth leaves up to 20 centimeters in size. If it exists in conditions favorable for the plant, its height can reach 2 meters. During flowering, bright red panicles appear.
Fruiting is very rare. It can produce white, yellow, red berries. Regular cropping allows you to create a beautiful crown. Japanese differs from another variety in the location and size of spots, is more common.
Aucuba Himalayan
a plant that can be much less common in home growing. It differs from the previous variety in size, shape and color. Its leaves are sharp, thin and dark green with cut edges. The plant has fast-growing shoots that need pruning.
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