Aucuba

Reproduction methods

Seed method

Aucuba can be grown from seeds, however, exclusively freshly harvested seed material is used for this, since it loses its germination rather quickly. To obtain seeds at home, you will need 2 adult aucuba shrubs, and they must be heterosexual. Pollination will have to be done manually. Fill a container with wet peat and sow seeds into it, cover it with foil or glass on top. Transfer the crops to a place where it is always warm, provide them with systematic ventilation and moistening of the substrate. The first seedlings will have to wait for a relatively long time. After 3 or 4 true leaf plates are formed at the seedlings, they are picked into a soil mixture consisting of humus, sand and sod soil (2: 1: 2). When sowing aucuba seeds, it should be borne in mind that the seedlings that have appeared may not preserve the varietal characteristics of the parent plant.

Cuttings

For harvesting cuttings, use the tops of last year's stems. In order for the cutting to quickly root, it must have at least 3 leaf plates. For rooting, cuttings are planted in sand or in peat mixed with sand. From above, the cuttings are covered with a transparent bag or glass jar and transferred to a warm place. Cuttings should be systematically watered and ventilated, while the optimum air temperature for rooting is about 22 degrees. Rooted cuttings are transplanted into separate pots filled with a substrate made up of sod and humus soil, as well as sand (2: 2: 1).

Aukuba is Japanese. Reproduction.

Aucuba flower general information

Evergreen shrubs with reddish-brown flowers and leathery leaves that are neatly gathered in a bunch, native to China, the Himalayas, Korea and Japan. But the most extensive cultural cultivation takes place around the Japanese Aucuba (Aucuba japonica).

Aucuba, also called the golden tree, has attracted the attention of many travelers to East Asia for a huge amount of time with its extraordinary appearance. But the export of this exotic plant was suppressed in every possible way by the Japanese.

And yet, towards the end of the 17th century, the aucubus can be taken out of Asia. After a while, the plant blooms, bears fruit, but unfortunately they turn out to be seedless, neither who nor did they take into account the fact that the aucuba is a dioecious plant.

The plant brought with such difficulty turns out to be female, pollination does not occur, due to the absence of a male individual. A few decades later, the famous botanist Fortune still manages to ship a male specimen to England. And it is from this moment that the spread of this decorative and compact plant begins.

As early as the beginning of 1783, the Japanese aucuba was introduced to Europe. After that, due to its indescribable decorativeness, ease of reproduction, the plant very quickly and widely spreads in the culture of Russia, is used in greenhouse and indoor crops.

Especially original forms with leaves, which were decorated with small, noticeable, or large yellow spots, giving the foliage a resemblance to the image of a gold-bearing breed. For this reason, the aucuba is popularly called the golden tree.

Aucuba pests

Pests cause a lot of problems. Especially often the spider mite, scale insect, mealybug, thrips, etc. attack the aucuba. They fight them in about the same way - mechanically remove insects with an alcohol-based cotton swab and treat the plant with insecticides. Details of the signs of pest damage are given in the table.

Table - Aucuba pests

Knowing and understanding how to care for the Japanese aucuba, you can avoid most of the problems described. This is a very beautiful long-lived plant that will delight you with its unusual decorative foliage for many years.

People began to decorate their homes even more
long before our era. After all, home beauty and comfort contributes to the creation of strong
and harmonious family relationships. Houseplants are one of the components of home decoration. Someone loves
blooming brightly and luxuriantly, and someone is just decorative greenery. Both variants
are good, the main thing is to choose what the tenants really like. One
from ornamental plants with bright leaves, flowers and even berries is
aucuba.

- genus of perennial evergreen
shrub plant. Various biologists include it in the dogwood family,
either to the Garriev family, or to a separate Aucubian family.

The genus includes only three species
plants, two of which are suitable for growing in the room. This is Aucuba
Japanese and Aucuba Himalayan. This plant is very shade-tolerant and can
grow even in deep shade, the only exceptions are plant varieties with
variegated color, because in the shade they lose their beauty. Of course, with bright
lighting, it does not lag behind in growth, if at the same time provide diffused light.

V
only one species is found in nature, popularly known as the "Golden Tree",
it is often also called the "Sausage tree". Place of distribution of this species
- Korea, China and Japan.

Leaves of domestic aucubus leathery,
always green, flowers are red-brown bunches of inflorescences.
After dying off, the leaf turns black. Known methods of using the leaves of aucuba for medicinal purposes.

Artificially managed to bring out several
various forms of aucubaceae, the resulting varieties may have variegated leaves in
specks, or combining two colors - yellow in the middle and green in
edges.

Care

Soil and fertilizers

When choosing a soil, remember two important conditions: airiness and looseness. This can be achieved by mixing sand, leafy, soddy clay and peat soil in a ratio of 1: 2: 6: 1. The second option: humus, peat, leaf and sod land, sand, in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 1: 1. Do not forget to ignite the finished mixture in the oven or keep it in the freezer for a day - this will save your plants from pests and infections.

Aucuba wintering well outdoors, but only in southern regions with mild winters.

Illumination

Aukuba loves bright, but diffused light, so shade the window with lightweight tulle curtains or a paper screen.

It is especially important not to forget about this if your aucuba has settled on the southern window sill. You can not put a flower pot under the direct midday sun - it will burn the delicate leaves

But this applies to varieties with yellow blotches on the leaves.

Plants with a normal green color live peacefully almost anywhere in the room. During the cloudy winter months, be sure to purchase a lamp for extra backlighting. On warm days, give your pet an air bath on a balcony or outside, but shelter from rain and strong winds.

Temperature regime

Aucuba prefers climate without sudden changes, moderate. In the summer months, the ambient temperature should not drop below + 18-20 degrees, however, and an increase in temperature is fraught with early aging and the death of foliage.

For the winter, the degree in the room can be reduced - up to + 8-14 degrees. In general, the plant needs wintering: it will rest and gain strength, and if the temperature creeps up at this time, the aucuba will shed its leaves. However, the owner does not always manage to organize wintering, so instead try to provide the plant with regular supplementary lighting and frequent spraying.

Humidity and watering

In summer, the aucuba is watered when the topsoil dries up. In winter and autumn, watering is reduced

It is important to remember that overdrying the soil is not scary for the aucuba, but excess moisture leads to rotting of the roots and the appearance of brown spots on the leaves.

Indoor humidity will have to be kept high as the aucuba is used to the subtropical climate.

V warm season ventilate the room often and spray several times a week. With the onset of the heating season, you need to spray every day and abundantly.

Pruning

With good care, the aucuba grows quickly, therefore, wishing to form a beautiful crown on it, carry out pinching or pruning of the upper shoots every spring. Use a sharp utility knife, treated with any disinfectant.

Transfer

Young plants need to be replanted every spring: in a year, the roots of the plant have time to fill the entire space inside and braid the soil. Choose a new pot wider than the previous one, made of clay, with 2-3 holes at the bottom. The transfer is carried out by the partial transshipment method.

1. Gently remove the plant from the pot, without shaking off the earthy ball, but removing the top layer of soil.
2. If the roots have grown too thick, trim them with nail scissors (do not forget to lubricate the blade with alcohol).
3. Lay a layer of drainage (expanded clay is great) and fresh soil at the bottom of the new flowerpot.

Place the aucuba in the center, fill in the voids on the sides, tamp down moderately. Sprinkle the soil on top, not reaching the edge of 2-3 cm. So the water will not pour out when watering. Water the plant well and put it in partial shade for a week.

It is often unnecessary to replant a plant older than 5 years old, only with a strong growth of roots.

Dormant period

The dormant period for aucuba is the months from October to early March.

She "sleeps", does not bloom and does not release new leaves, so do not touch the flower unless urgently needed. Otherwise, the plant will start to wither.

Brief description of cultivation

1. Bloom. Aucuba, cultivated at home, does not bloom often. However, sometimes, under the most favorable conditions, inflorescences are formed on the bush in February-April, which are not of particular decorative value.
2. Illumination. Grows normally in both deep shadow and diffused bright light. But forms with variegated foliage cannot be grown in the shade, since because of this, the pattern on their plates becomes faded.
3. Temperature conditions. In the spring-summer period - from 18 to 20 degrees, and in winter - from 10 to 14 degrees.
4. Watering. In the period May-August, the bush is watered abundantly, and this procedure is carried out immediately after the top layer of the substrate in the pot has dried. In other months, the abundance of watering can vary from scanty to moderate.
5. Air humidity. It grows normally at the air humidity level, which is typical for living rooms. In winter, the bush must be moistened with a sprayer.
6. Fertilizer. The plant is fed from the first days of March to the last - August 1 time in 7 days, for this, complex mineral fertilizers and organic matter are alternately used. In the autumn-winter period, feeding is not carried out.
7. Pruning. Formative pruning is carried out in March, and the young shoots that have appeared are pinched.
8. Transfer. This procedure is carried out in March. Until the bush is 5 years old, it is transplanted annually.And starting from the age of five, the transplant is carried out only after the root system becomes very cramped in the pot.
9. Soil mixture. Leafy, clayey-soddy and peaty soil, as well as sand (2: 6: 2: 1).
10. Reproduction. By cuttings and seed method.
11. Pests. Cochineal and mealybugs, thrips, spider mites, whiteflies and scale insects.
12. Diseases. Black spots on foliage and rot.
13. Properties. All parts of the plant contain poison!

Aucuba. Home care

Pests

The main pests of the aucuba are aphids, spider mites and scale insects.

In order to deal with these nasty insects, follow the following scheme:

• Separate the diseased plant from the rest in a quarantine area. By the way, it is imperative to endure quarantine even when a new green friend appears in your house for the first time. A week will be enough: during this time you will be able to identify if there are larvae or adults on the plant of dangerous pests or signs of diseases that are dangerous to others.
• Pick adult insects with your hands, then wash the plant in a warm shower using green or tar soap. Cover the pot with plastic to prevent soap from getting into the ground. Thoroughly wipe each leaf on both sides and stem with a cotton cloth soaked in soapy water.
• Treat the houseplant with a suitable chemical: Fitoverm, Trichopol, Aktofit, Fufanon, Strela, Jaguar. If the degree of damage is small, you can try folk remedies. This is a tincture of tobacco, potato tops, onion husks, a decoction of wood ash and liquid soap.

Description of Japanese aucuba

Does everyone guess why the Japanese aukubu is often called the "sausage tree" or "golden tree"? They do not eat it, the bush does not look like sausage either. But the shape and color of a shiny leathery sheet with a jagged or almost smooth edge vaguely resembles thin slices of sausage. In good conditions, many yellow spots and dots form on the sheets. Then the bush looks "golden".

The individual leaves of Aucuba japonica grow very large

Aucuba blooms with inconspicuous small flowers, which are collected in paniculate inflorescences. Orange fruits (drupes) are not worth picking, because they are poisonous.

There are two varieties of Japanese aucuba: with green and variegated leaves.

It is possible to distinguish the Japanese Aucuba from the Himalayan Aucuba (Aucuba himalaica), the homeland of which is the Eastern Himalayas, by some external features. It has elongated and narrower pointed leaves, and after flowering, starting in March, red fruits ripen.

Reproduction of aucuba by cuttings at home

Aucuba propagation by cuttings photo

Aucuba propagation in natural conditions is carried out with the help of seeds, but cultivated varieties are not bred in this way: good seeds are very difficult to obtain. Therefore, the classic vegetative method is practiced in everyday life: propagation by cuttings. By inserting them into wet sand and making a greenhouse, rooting can be done quickly. It is best to harvest cuttings in a warm season - in March-August. To do this, cut off young shoots that did not have time to stiffen.

• The length of the handle is 8-12 cm.
• The lower third of the cutting is freed from leaves.
• The lower cut should be oblique, the upper cut even. The leaves can be cut in half to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the leaves.

How to prepare aucuba cuttings for rooting photos

Rooted in water (you can first stand in a root solution for 24 hours).

Rooting aucuba cuttings in water photo

• Or they are immediately planted in a nutritious loose substrate, maybe even in peat mixed with sand. The main thing is that the earth allows air to pass through well and is not heavy - it will be difficult for young roots to break through in dense soil.
• If we plant directly into the ground, it is better to cover the cuttings with a cut plastic bottle or glass.

How to propagate aucuba by cuttings photo

• Water regularly, provide drainage (there should be holes in the bottom of the container).
• The "greenhouse" is aired daily.
• When new leaves appear, it means that the plant has taken root. It is necessary to teach him to develop without shelter, for which he is removed at first for a short while, and then the time is gradually increased. In a week or two, the seedlings will get used to it and you can safely take care of them in the usual way.

After 2-2.5 months, the cuttings can be transplanted into pots, where the plants will develop further.

Rules for caring for indoor species

It is not so difficult to care for the domesticated Aucuba species. The main thing is to follow all the rules and recommendations.

Illumination degree

Since the "golden tree" is a shade-tolerant plant, it will feel great in a shaded place. However, it is still better to leave variegated species in diffused light, since poor lighting in their case will lead to the disappearance of the variegated pattern from the leaves.

Variegated Aucuba varieties should not be grown better on northern windowsills.

Temperature indicators

• In the warm season (spring-summer), the temperature in the room with the plant should be kept within 19-21 degrees. If the room is slightly warmer, it will lead to wilting of the aucuba.
• In winter, it is enough to set the temperature at around 10-14 degrees. If it is not possible to keep the temperature within such limits, then you can leave higher rates. But then it will be necessary to spray the plant daily, and provide it with additional lighting.

Important! In summer, it is allowed to take out the bush to fresh air. But choose a place for him, which will not get to direct sunlight, drafts or precipitation.

Watering mode

A home aucuba will need abundant watering between May and August. It is necessary to moisten the soil in the planting tank only when its top layer dries out. The rest of the time, watering should be moderate or even scanty. It is impossible to allow stagnation of water in the soil, since it can lead to decay of the roots and the formation of dark spots on the surface of the leaves.

Moisture degree

In autumn and winter, the plant needs regular moisture, especially if it is installed close to heating appliances. However, if the bush hibernates in a cooler place, then you need to be extremely careful with moisture, otherwise there is a high risk of mold formation in the soil. In summer and spring, the aucuba does not need to be moistened, since it has enough moisture both in the soil and in the air.

Fertilizer

It is imperative to alternately use organic and mineral complex mixtures for fertilization. In winter and autumn, fertilizers are abandoned, since the plant is dormant.

Do you need pruning?

Aucuba needs formative pruning. It is usually carried out in March along with the pinching of young shoots. Thanks to such procedures, the crown will be even more magnificent and beautiful.

The tops of the stems cut during pruning can be used as propagation cuttings.

Shrub transplant

Aucuba loves wide planting containers, on the bottom of which an impressive layer of drainage must be laid. If this is not done, that excess moisture will stagnate in the soil, and this, in turn, will lead to decay of the root system and the death of the flower.

For transplantation, you need to use a substrate that consists of peat, leaf and clay-sod soil, sand. The ratio of the components is 2: 2: 6: 1. Alternatively, you can use a mixture of sand, peat, humus, turf, leafy earth, taken in proportions of 1: 1: 1: 2: 1.

As soon as the Aucuba turns five years old, the transplant should be done once a year. Bushes that are not yet five years old are transplanted only when necessary, for example, if the root system has grown too much or the plant has had some kind of disease. The transfer is carried out by the transshipment method.

The nuances of growing

When growing aucuba, you need to keep in mind that each element of this plant contains poisonous compounds.Especially you need to be attentive to those who have children or pets in the house.

After any interaction with the aucuba, hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and water.

Growing difficulties

Inexperienced growers when leaving are faced with certain problems:

• The fragility of the leaves indicates a lack of water.
• Shrinkage of leaves occurs due to a lack of nutrients.
• The appearance of brown, drying spots on the leaves indicates that the plant is getting burned by the sun.
• Falling foliage comes from too dry content air.

Aucuba. A common problem is the leaves turn black, what should I do?

The reason for this phenomenon is excessive soil moisture. Aucuba is a plant that is better not topped up than overflowed. It tolerates temporary drying out of the soil easily, and turns black from moisture. Therefore, if you notice blackening of the tips, reduce watering, otherwise the foliage will turn black and fall off, the plant will die.

Blackness can also be associated with improper wintering, when the air from the batteries is dry and the temperature is too high.

Watch the aucuba and change the conditions of detention depending on the signs of trouble.

Minimal care and maximum decorativeness are the attractiveness of growing this plant. Its unusual foliage, as if specially painted with bright colors, will decorate the interior of the apartment and planting in the country.

Description

Aucuba japonica (aucuba japonica) grows in East Asia in subtropical forests. At home, this is a small perennial evergreen tree. His homeland is Japan. It appeared in Europe only in the 18th century.

Aucuba comes in many varieties, each with its own characteristics.

For a long time, the plant was only available to wealthy people. The fact is that the aucubus is difficult to transport and many specimens could not withstand transportation. Therefore, it had a high cost - accordingly, only wealthy residents of Europe had access to it.

The leaves of the aucuba are elongated, with pointed tips, dense and glossy. Painted dark green. A distinctive feature is a scattering of yellowish dots on the surface.

For reference: the Japanese aucuba has a small and nondescript flower, which is of no interest from the point of view of decoration.

Healing properties

Aucuba or "golden tree" perfectly cleans the air from harmful particles. Plant leaves can be applied to burns or wounds.

When crushed, they are used as compresses. They can help speed up the healing of bruises.

Features of caring for Japanese aucuba

If you know all the features of caring for Japanese aucuba, you can avoid most diseases. Overall, it is not a moody, easy-to-grow plant. Subject to a number of recommendations from experienced florists, growing it does not cause problems even for beginners.

• Lighting.
  Provides diffused but bright lighting. They do not put them in the open sun - burns quickly appear on the leaves, the characteristic golden pattern is smoothed out. It tolerates light partial shade, but stretches out in strong shade, loses its decorative effect. In winter, additional lighting is organized - the aucuba needs a long daylight hours.
• Temperature.
  Maintain neutral temperatures in the range of 19-20 ° C. Cannot stand the heat - it provokes rapid aging and leaf fall. In the summer they are rearranged outside, but protected from precipitation and the open sun. Coolness is needed in winter - no more than 14 ° C. Cooling below 5 ° C is not allowed. If it is impossible to organize a cold wintering, the flower is regularly sprayed, installed under fluorescent lamps.
• Watering.
  It is recommended to water immediately after the top layer of the substrate dries. Water abundantly in summer, moderately in cool weather. Overdrying is easier than excess moisture. In constant dampness, the leaves of the Japanese aucuba turn black.
• Humidity.
  Neutral to dry air. Spraying is necessary in winter with warm hibernation and in summer in extreme heat.A plant overwintering in a cool room is not sprayed - the combination of moisture and cold provokes the development of fungal diseases.
• The soil.
  The soil is needed light, loose. The simplest composition is equal amounts of leafy soil and turf. Sand is added as a baking powder. Be sure to provide a drainage layer.
• Top dressing.
  Fertilizers are applied in the spring and summer. The intervals between dressings are a week. More often, mineral complexes are introduced, sometimes you can feed them with organic matter.
• Transfer.
  If there is not enough space for the roots, it will be correct to transplant the aucuba into another pot. Mature plants are usually replanted at least once every two years. Young, intensively growing specimens are transplanted annually. The roots are fragile, brittle - they are transplanted very carefully. It is better not to disturb the root system - to transplant by the transshipment method. The day before the transplant, the aucuba must be watered. The pot is chosen wide and not very high.

How to care for an Aucuba after transplant? Aucubes provide the most comfortable conditions - they protect from the sun, maintain a moderate temperature and humidity.