Aucuba

Family. Cornaceae.

Origin. Asia, Japan and China.

Description. Aucuba japonica is an evergreen, rounded, shade-loving shrub with green stems.

The leaves are simple, glossy, elliptical, green or variegated with yellow spots or stripes up to 20 cm long and 6 cm wide, arranged oppositely. The edges of the leaf blades can be either solid or covered with small teeth.

The flowers are axillary, small, inconspicuous, purple-burgundy or violet. Each flower has four sepals and four petals. The small purple flowers of the male plants have yellow anthers.

The fruits are red or rarely yellow berries, ripen in the fall and often remain on the plant until spring. The plant is dioecious and requires a female and a male tree to form fruit.

Height. In the natural environment - 1 - 3 meters, the indoor aucuba flower reaches 90 cm. in room.

In houses, the flower develops quite quickly and can add up to 20 cm in height within one season. 

Aucuba care

Reproduction 

Propagated by stem cuttings about 10 cm long. In spring and summer.

1. Semi-lignified cuttings of second-year shoots are separated from the mother plants only with sharp and sterile pruning shears.
2. Each cutting should have at least 3 leaf blades left after pruning.
3. Rooting is carried out both in plain water and in soil.
4. When rooting in water, the cuttings are immersed in warm water with the addition of a 1-2 cm activated carbon tablet.
5. Every 5 - 6 days the water in the glass is changed to new one. 
6. With the appearance of the first roots, which reach 1 - 2 cm in length, the cuttings are planted in the ground.

When transplanted, the plants will not show any signs of growth for some time - at this time their root system gets used to its new living conditions. 

1. When rooting in the ground, take small pots or cups, make drainage holes in the bottom and lay a small drainage layer on the bottom.
2. Fill the cups with a loose and nutritious peat-based substrate.
3. The soil is thoroughly moistened using a spray bottle with water at room temperature.
4. The bases of the cuttings are dusted with powders to stimulate root formation and immersed a couple of centimeters into the ground.
5. The top of the cuttings is covered with a transparent plastic film or plastic cap to maintain high air humidity.
6. Place the cuttings in a well-lit place, but away from direct sunlight.
7. The room temperature should be 20 - 22 ° C.

The successful completion of the rooting process can be judged by the appearance of the first leaves. A month after the appearance of new shoots and leaves, the cuttings can be transplanted into larger pots. 

Aucuba is sometimes propagated by seeds. For planting, only fresh planting material is selected, since over time the seeds quickly lose their viability.

Seed propagation occurs over a long period of time - young plants develop slowly and this method is more suitable for patient gardeners who are interested in observing the process of plant development from the very beginning. 

• Seeds are sown in spring in a loose nutrient substrate, using a plastic container with a lid or separate small cups or pots. 
• Fill the container with moist and nutritious substrate. 
• After sowing, the seeds are covered with a layer of soil no more than 5 mm thick.
• During the entire germination period, maintain uniform soil moisture using a sprayer with warm water.
• Seedlings are covered on top with a transparent plastic lid or glass to create a greenhouse effect.
• The container with seedlings is placed in a warm place with a temperature of 22 - 25 ° C.
• The location should be well brightly lit, but protected from direct sunlight.
• Every day, remove the lid from the container, remove the condensation that appears on its surface and ventilate the crops.
•  With the appearance of the first shoots, the cover can be completely removed.

Diving into separate cups is carried out if necessary, when each sprout can boast of having 2 - 3 true leaf plates.

When planting seeds in separate containers, diving can be avoided. 

7 - 10 days after picking, small flowers are fed with a very weak solution of fertilizers with a high nitrogen content to form lush green mass.

Plants obtained from seeds may not inherit all the varietal attractiveness of their parents - this is especially true for variegated aucuba.

When it blooms 

Aucuba blooms from March to April. Flowering rarely occurs at home and becomes a signal of proper care.

Since flowering is not of particular interest and inconspicuous flowers are simply lost in the attractive and bright foliage, it is recommended to pinch the flower stalks so that the plants do not waste their energy on forming buds.

When kept in suitable conditions, you can pollinate the plants by transferring pollen from male flowers to female flowers with a dry and clean brush, and in this case, after a couple of months, the tree will form oblong red fruits, which will become another decoration of the bushes. 

Transplant 

Aucuba tolerates this process easily. Young bushes are replanted every year in the spring as they grow, gradually increasing the volume of the pot. The need for another replanting can be judged by the tips of the roots that appear in the drainage holes of the pot.

Each time, the pot should be 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous container. Do not plant bushes immediately in large pots - excess soil will retain water after watering, and this can lead to root rot.

Mature plants are replanted every 2-3 years as needed.

For large tub specimens over 5 years old, the replanting of which is difficult, simply replace the top layer of substrate about 5-7 cm thick with fresh soil. 

1. The pot for growing aucuba should have large drainage holes.
2. Before planting, lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot, consisting of expanded clay, broken brick, river pebbles or fragments of clay pots.
3.  If possible, the aucuba is transferred to a new pot along with the old lump of earth and simply sprinkled with new soil around the perimeter.
4. If there are any signs of disease, then the plants should be replanted, completely replacing the soil with a fresh mixture. When replanting, inspect the root system and cut off all rotten and diseased roots.
5. If necessary, the wound surface resulting from pruning is treated with crushed charcoal or ash.
6. After transplanting, the plants are watered and, if necessary, fresh soil is added to the voids that appear after watering.
7. The flower is placed in partial shade, and the first feeding is carried out 4 - 6 weeks after transplantation. If the nutrient solution gets on the root system disturbed by the transplant, it can cause a chemical burn.

Diseases and pests 

Plants that receive proper care rarely get sick.

• Root rot appears in poorly drained or excessively wet soils - the aucuba turns black.
• Fungal leaf spot.
• If kept in a warm room throughout the winter, the plants may shed their leaves.
• Prolonged exposure of leaves to direct sunlight can cause sunburn. Particular care should be taken to ensure that the sun does not fall on wet leaf blades - droplets of water will act as a lens.
• When grown in deep shade, the flower can slow down its development.
• With a lack of nutrients, leaf blades become small. 
• With sudden changes in temperature, the lower leaves turn yellow and fall off.
• Variegated plants lose their attractiveness when there is a lack of light - yellow spots on the surface of the leaf blades simply disappear.
• The tips of the leaves become dry and brown when there is insufficient air humidity.
• Plants shed foxes when the summer heat gets too intense.
• Leaf blades become pale when grown in direct sunlight - their color simply fades.
• When planted in containers that are too large, plants will delay the development of the above-ground part until the root system fills most of the pot.
• In cramped containers, the plant slows down its growth. 

There are no serious problems with insects, sometimes mealybugs, whiteflies, scale insects or spider mites, cochineal bugs, thrips appear. 

Growing conditions - temperature

For growing indoor plants, fairly cool temperatures all year round are suitable - from 7 to 18 ° C, aucuba can withstand frosts down to -15 ° C.

The plant does not like extreme heat, and in order for it to feel better in the summer months, it is worth increasing the frequency of watering and the importance of air.

In the winter months, the flower should be given a cool rest period, which it will spend in a room with a temperature of 5 - 10 ° C. If the dormant period is not observed, the aucuba may get rid of foliage.

When kept throughout the year at normal room temperature, the plants quickly grow - they become large and lose their shape.

Watering 

The bush is drought-resistant, but looks healthier with regular watering in the warmer months.

In spring and summer, water generously until the soil ball is completely saturated with water at room temperature.

For watering, use only well-settled tap water, softened drinking bottled or filtered water.

In the summer months, you can collect rainwater for watering, but do not do this in the city center.

In autumn, the frequency of watering is significantly reduced, putting the plants into dormant mode.

During the winter months, watering is carried out so rarely that the earthen ball simply does not dry out completely.

Excess water that appears in the pan after watering must be drained.

During the growing season, the surface of the substrate should dry to a depth of 2-3 cm; in winter, if the bushes are in cool conditions, watering is not carried out if the soil has not dried out to at least a third of the depth.

Lighting

Aucuba is shade-loving. When grown indoors, the shrub prefers partial shade, while the bush remains dense and does not grow tall even in the shade. 

The flower tolerates a lack of light well and does not like direct sunlight on its leaves during the daytime in spring and summer. Plants can sunbathe only in the morning and evening hours.

Place the aucuba on an east or west window. If  kept in the north, green plants will also not have any problems with development, but on the southern windowsill it is worth placing a flower behind a curtain or placing a tub with a bush in the back of the room.

In general, the higher the variegation of leaves, the more sun the bush requires. Variegated trees are not suitable for growing on a north window.

If it is impossible to keep the plant cool in autumn and winter, then it is worth providing the flower with artificial lighting using fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps. Such additional lighting during autumn and winter will allow the flowers to maintain a lush green crown.

Care and pruning of aucuba

Aucuba is easy to grow, tolerates shade, air pollution, and dry soil. These trees are ideal as indoor plants.

The leaves of young plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight - they will turn black.

During the warm season, you can leave it in the fresh air. When placing outdoors, place the flower pot in shade from direct sun and protect it from exposure to precipitation or strong wind.

In the fall, when the air temperature at night begins to take negative values, you can bring aucuba into the house. 

Since the flower’s dormant period begins in mid-autumn, you can immediately choose a cool room to keep the bush or leave it on an unheated loggia.

During autumn and winter, aucuba may stop its development - this is normal; young shoots and leaves will form in the spring.

Over time the bushes become too tall - prune the stems in the spring (March) to maintain a compact shape and encourage the bush to branch.

In addition to formative pruning, plants will also periodically require sanitary pruning, during which it is necessary to remove all old and diseased branches. 

Carry out pruning with a sharpened sterile pruner or garden knife. The material obtained from pruning can be used for vegetative propagation - cuttings.

From time to time it is worth pinching the tips of young shoots to form side branches. Aucuba tolerates pruning very well.

Wipe the leaves from dust from time to time with a damp cloth.

Do not place the plant pot near heating systems during the cold season. 

Soil

The flower prefers well-drained, moist soils with a high organic content.

 For growing aucuba, a mixture consisting of peat, humus, light turf and leaf soil is suitable.

The substrate should not only easily allow water to pass through, but also allow the root system to breathe.

To improve drainage, add some polystyrene foam balls, perlite or vermiculite, or coarse river sand to the soil.

Feeding

Monthly during the period of active growth with liquid fertilizers diluted by half.  In autumn, the frequency of fertilizing is reduced, and the nutrient content in them is also reduced.

During the winter months, the plants are not fed, but fertilization is resumed only in the spring, with the first signs of new growth appearing.

Fertilizers are used only after abundant watering - if even a concentrated solution gets on the root system in wet soil, it will not cause any harm to the plant. In dry substrate, chemicals can cause root burns. 

You should not feed the flower immediately after transplanting.

Aucuba responds positively to both complex mineral fertilizers for ornamental foliage plants and organic matter.

As organic matter, humus, well-rotted cow or horse manure, and a weak solution of bird droppings are usually used.

Good results are obtained by alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. 

Spraying 

Moderate air humidity in the room suits the aucuba.

Plants will need additional moisture when kept in heated rooms - place the flower on a tray with wet pebbles. Make sure that the bottom of the pot does not directly touch the surface of the water in the tray.

Place a humidifier or a container of water next to the pot. The evaporating moisture will humidify the dry atmosphere over a long period of time.

The leaves of this shrub can be sprayed with a fine spray, preferably in the first half of the day. Droplets of water that fall on the plant must have time to evaporate from the surface of the leaf blades before nightfall.

For spraying, use well-settled water, since tap water can leave unsightly whitish stains on the glossy leaves of the aucuba.

When air humidity rises, also make sure that the plants are in constantly ventilated areas with sufficient air movement. 

Purpose

Due to its tolerance to poor lighting conditions, aucuba can be used for landscaping in the darkest corners of living spaces. 

At home, this flower can decorate rooms with proper care for several decades.

Its bright and attractive appearance, as well as its resistance to polluted atmospheres, makes aucuba a very good option for balcony gardening in urban areas. 

Note

Aucuba is poisonous - wash your hands thoroughly after contact with the plant and prevent possible contact of the flower with children and pets.

The plant  is able to purify indoor air from harmful impurities.

Interestingly, the plant did not immediately spread throughout the world. The fact is that for the first time, a female specimen of a tree was exported from Japan, which naturally needed a male bush for pollination.

The flower has also found its use in folk medicine - it is believed to have wound-healing properties. 

Hydroponics

Grows well in hydroponics.

Varieties:

Aucuba Crotonifolia

Evergreen ornamental deciduous shrubs have a lush, rounded crown with a diameter of up to 3 m. The leaves are lanceolate, dark green, glossy, up to 20 cm long. A distinctive feature of the variety is the presence of yellow specks of various shapes and sizes on the surface of the leaf blades. The edges of the leaves often have large teeth. The flowers are small, rarely reaching 1 cm in diameter, with four burgundy or purple petals, collected in small inflorescences. The plants are dioecious - male and female flowers are on different specimens. After flowering, the bushes form oblong, glossy, red berries.