Features of caring for Japanese aucuba
Aucuba japonica is a homemade evergreen shrub that belongs to the dogwood family. Of the three existing plant varieties - Chinese, Himalayan and Japanese, it was the last species that became domesticated in the vastness of the fatherland. The shrub has excellent decorative properties, it just multiplies with seeds. You can find the plant in both garden and greenhouse forms.
The homeland of the Aucuba is considered to be East and Central Asia. The height of the shrub can reach 1.5-2 meters at home, and if grown in open soil, then 5 meters. There are several varieties of Japanese Aucuba, which differ in size, shape and color of foliage. But in most cases, the plant can be recognized by its leaves - bright, glossy, elongated with a scattering of pale yellow spots. Hence, the second name of the culture appeared - the golden aucuba tree.
- resistance to low and high temperatures, to their sharp drops;
- the ability to comfortably exist in low-light conditions;
- preservation of external attractiveness under any conditions.
The Japanese aucuba is a dioecious plant - that is, one shrub can only bear male or female flowers. To grow fruits that look similar to dogwood, you need to keep individuals of both sexes nearby.
Home care for Japanese aucuba
The flower is quite unpretentious. Therefore, you can place the Japanese aucuba pot among other green counterparts on a cramped windowsill, under sunlight or even in a dark place. But it will still be useful to know certain rules of care:
- Temperature. Although the shrub is ready for temperature extremes, it loves a temperate climate. For the summer season, the optimal indicator on the thermometer for the aucuba will be 18-20 °. Long-term existence in a room with a high temperature will lead to the death of leaves or their premature tarnishing. During the warm period, the home flower aucubu can be taken out into the fresh air, avoiding direct sunlight, precipitation, and wind exposure. In winter, comfortable conditions for the existence of a flower are 8-14 °. Aucuba should not be kept for a long time at temperatures below 5 °.
- Humidity. For plants native to the subtropics, an appropriate climate should be provided. Occasionally you need to ventilate the room, spray the plant only if absolutely necessary. This is how a photo of a well-groomed Japanese aucuba looks like at home, which does not require additional moisture: During the heating season, when the home is filled with dry air, spray the plant with warm soft water. At low temperatures, make sure that the leaves do not form mold from spraying with water.
- The soil. Aucuba will feel best in loose and airy soil. Good conditions are created for a flower in hydroponics, as well as when combining peat, leaf, sod-clay soil and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 6: 1.
- Watering. In the cold season, watering the Japanese Aucuba is necessary as needed - when the soil dries out.In the warm season, the flower needs abundant and regular watering, but without fanaticism - excess liquid in the pot should not accumulate.
- Top dressing. Fertilizing an evergreen flower is necessary in the spring and summer. For these purposes, use separately mineral and organic fertilizers or complex supplements.
- Pruning. Growing at home, aucuba sprouts many new shoots. In spring, they should be cut if you want to see a beautiful crown near the bush. For some, a spreading plant will look decoratively more attractive - for this, the edges of the branches must be pinched.
- Transfer. A full-fledged adult plant is allowed to be transplanted into another container every few years. Young shoots that the plant starts up regularly can be replanted at least every year in the spring.
When leaving and transplanting a plant, you must take precautions, since the aucuba is a poisonous shrub. Possible side effects: vomiting, gastrointestinal inflammation, diarrhea.
Reproduction of the aucuba flower
There are 2 breeding options for aucuba:
- by the seed method;
- by cuttings.
For home conditions, the second vegetative method is the simplest and most convenient. The best times for events are spring (early) or late summer and early fall.
First you need to prepare the cuttings, clean them of foliage, leaving only 2-3 leaves, no more.
In order for the shrub to take root, it is necessary to place it in a sand-peat mixture or moderately wet sand, covered with a film.
From time to time, young shoots need to be ventilated and sprayed, to maintain an optimal temperature regime for them (20-22 °). Rooted seedlings can be dived into pots.
Unusual properties of aucuba - the influence of the plant on human life
They always walked around exotic, like a precious metal, omens and superstitions. To this day, the shrub is considered the strongest talisman of peace in the family and family relationships. Aucuba creates such a “microclimate” in the house, in which the people living in it feel the cohesion and unity of the family. Positive energy is transmitted from the flower not only to the inhabitants, but also to the visitors of the house.
Another feature of the flower is the ability to attract wealth and happiness into the house. A person caring for a plant is able to find more strength, confidence in himself, to reveal previously unknown potentials. Therefore, experts always recommend giving aucuba to modest, shy, notorious and insecure people.