How to Propagate Aucuba? A Detailed Guide to Common Propagation Methods
Aucuba is easy to cultivate and requires only minimal care. Because Aucuba is fairly shade-tolerant, it is very well suited to being kept indoors as a decorative plant. Artificial propagation of Aucuba usually uses cutting and sowing methods. Spring is the season of vigorous growth for Aucuba, and proper pruning allows Aucuba to grow faster.
Aucuba
Aucuba is commonly propagated by cuttings and by sowing. For cutting propagation, the period from May to June is best; choose vigorous, well-developed Aucuba branches of the current year. With a small amount of 2-year-old branch at the base, about 15 cm long, keep 2 leaves at the tip and insert into a sand bed. After inserting the Aucuba branches, shade them, water them in good time, and maintain a certain level of air humidity and temperature. At 20-25°C, Aucuba will root about 50 days after insertion.
Aucuba can also be propagated by water cuttings, which is simple and convenient and gives a high survival rate. For other Aucuba varieties that are difficult to root from cuttings, grafting onto seedling rootstock can be used. For propagation by sowing, the fruit ripens in winter; remove the flesh, wash clean, and store in sand. Sow in spring; because the seeds have a physiological after-ripening period, few seedlings emerge the same year, and a large number emerge the second year.
Morphological Characteristics of Aucuba and Aucuba Propagation Methods
Aucuba (Aucuba chinensis Benth.), an evergreen shrub of the Cornaceae family, with green branchlets covered in soft hairs, and old branches bearing white lenticels. Leaves opposite, thinly leathery, long elliptic to obovate-lanceolate, 10-20 cm long, leaf tip with a tail-like point, leaf base cut-shaped, margin entire or with sparse teeth in the middle and upper part, leaf surface with stiff hairs, petiole about 3 cm long, flowers purple, arranged in racemes, drupe berry-like, dark red when ripe. Fruit ripening period from November to February of the following year.
Morphological Characteristics of Aucuba
Branches
Aucuba is an evergreen small tree or shrub, 3-6(-12) m tall; branchlets stout, dichotomously branched, green, smooth; lenticels white, long elliptic or elliptic, rather sparse; leaf scars large and conspicuous. Winter buds spherical, scales in 4 pairs, decussate, the outer whorl shorter, ovate, the rest broadly elliptic, the outer apex of the inner two whorls covered with soft hairs.
Leaves
The leaves of Aucuba are leathery, elliptic or broadly elliptic, rarely obovate-elliptic, 10-20 cm long, 3.5-8 cm wide, apex acute or obtuse-acute, base broadly cuneate or cuneate, rarely asymmetrical on both sides, margin slightly revolute, usually with 5-8 pairs of serrations or glandular teeth, sometimes coarse serrations; upper surface dark green, lower surface light green, midrib slightly prominent above, prominent below, lateral veins 6-8(-10) pairs, rarely meeting the midrib at nearly a right angle; petiole 2-4 cm long, stout, smooth.
Flowers
Aucuba has terminal panicles, the peduncle covered with soft hairs, the male inflorescence more than 5 cm long; male flowers green (February), purplish red (Flora of Hainan) calyx apex with 4 toothed lobes, hairless or sparsely soft-hairy; petals 4, oblong or ovate, 3-4 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, sparsely hairy or hairless on the outside, apex with a short pointed tip; stamens 4, about 3 mm long, inserted on the outside of the disc, anthers yellow, 2-locular; disc fleshy, slightly 4-angled; pedicel about 3 mm long, covered with soft hairs; bract 1, lanceolate, 3 mm long, sparsely soft-hairy on the outside. Female inflorescence shorter than the male, about 4-5 cm long, calyx and petals similar to those of the male flowers, ovary cylindrical, style stout, stigma capitate, slightly oblique; disc fleshy, slightly 4-lobed; with 2 small bracteoles below the flower, lanceolate, about 4-6 mm long, margins ciliate; with a joint below the flower, covered with soft hairs.
Fruit
The young fruit of Aucuba is green, ripening to bright red, cylindrical or ovate, 1.4-1.8 cm long, 8-10(12) mm in diameter, with the sepals, style and stigma all persistent at the upper end of the drupe. Flowering period January-February; fruit ripening period reaches February of the following year, often present on the branches together with one- and two-year-old infructescences.
The flowering period of Aucuba is January-February; the fruiting period is November to February of the following year.
Ecological Habits of Aucuba
Aucuba often grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests below 1000 m altitude.
Aucuba prefers a warm, humid environment, is strongly shade-tolerant, not drought-tolerant and not cold-tolerant, and requires fertile, moist, well-drained soil. It is a shade-tolerant shrub that fears strong sunlight in summer and is not tolerant of high temperatures.
Cultivation Techniques for Aucuba
Aucuba is a dioecious plant; to produce many seeds, male and female plants must be planted together. When repotting in spring, pay attention to pruning the roots and the above-ground parts. Transplanting is best done in spring or the rainy season. In summer, with high temperatures and strong light, keep the soil moist and provide shade. Fertilize once a month, and in autumn apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer 1-2 times more.
Aucuba grows vigorously and requires only minimal care. For cultivation, a mixed soil of peat soil (2 parts) and coarse sand (1 part) can be used; apply a small amount of base fertilizer before planting, apply liquid fertilizer once every 3-4 weeks during the growing period, keep the potting soil moist, and place in semi-shade, avoiding direct strong light. In winter, keep the greenhouse temperature above 10°C and reduce watering. It is rarely affected by pests and diseases.
Propagation can be done by sowing and by cuttings; for varieties that are difficult to root from cuttings, grafting onto seedling rootstock can be used. [3] The best time is the plum rain season from May to June; select semi-lignified branches of the current year, 15 cm long, keep 2 leaves, and the survival rate is above 95%.
Propagation Methods of Aucuba
Propagation Methods
Aucuba is mainly propagated by cuttings. Cuttings are usually taken in the rainy season; cut 1-year-old well-developed branches, with a little 2-year-old branch at the base, about 16 cm long, remove the lower leaves, insert into a sand bed (pot), shade and keep moist, and they will root after about 1 month.
Aucuba can also be propagated by sowing or grafting.
Four-Season Care of Aucuba
Spring Care
(1) In spring it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. Repot from March to early April. The potting soil should preferably be fertile, loose, well-drained loam. Prune appropriately before repotting. When temperatures are low in early spring, spotted aucuba can be placed in a spot with light; after temperatures rise, it can be placed in a spot with morning and evening light. Spring is the season for its new leaf growth, so attention should be paid to water and fertilizer management, with fertilizer mainly nitrogenous, together with a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Take care to increase air humidity, and prune in good time to maintain a good ornamental form.
Summer Care
(2) In summer it is suitable for placement on east- and north-facing balconies. Spotted aucuba fears strong light and can be placed in a bright spot. Temperatures are higher and spotted aucuba needs more water, so attention should be paid to the water supply while also increasing air humidity. Only when air humidity is high will the leaves be bright green and eye-catching; otherwise the leaves tend to turn dull. Stop fertilizing.
Autumn Care
(3) In autumn it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. As temperatures drop, appropriately increase the morning and evening light for spotted aucuba, keep the potting soil moist, and stop fertilizing. In late autumn and early winter the fruit turns from green to red, finally becoming so red it seems about to drip, dotted among the green leaves. Appropriate light in late autumn helps it change color. After temperatures drop, spotted aucuba enters a semi-dormant state, so watering should not be excessive; keeping the potting soil on the dry side is enough.
Winter Care
(4) In winter it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. Spotted aucuba is fairly cold-tolerant, but in pots, because there is little soil around the roots, the roots are prone to freezing. The temperature is best kept at around 0°C. Winter is the fruit-viewing period, so it should be placed in a spot with light or in a bright spot, with the temperature kept at 0-5°C; it should not be too high. The potting soil should be on the dry side; when temperatures are higher at noon, spray its leaves and surroundings several times.
Variety Classification of Aucuba
Varieties
Aucuba (original variety)
This variety has leathery, elliptic leaves, rarely obovate-elliptic, 3-8 cm wide. It is easily distinguished from narrow-leaved aucuba (variety).
Narrow-leaved Aucuba (variety): (Journal of Sichuan University)
This variety differs from the original variety in having thickly leathery, narrower leaves, often linear-lanceolate, 7-25 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm wide.
Produced in Guizhou. Often grows in forests at 330-500 m altitude.
Emei Aucuba (subspecies): (Flora of Sichuan) Qingpi tree (Emei, Sichuan) Plate 2:1-5
This subspecies is very close to the original subspecies subsp. chinensis, but the male and female flowers of this subspecies are both yellow-green to yellow at flowering, with only a small sun-facing part of the peduncle and petals tinged with red at the end of flowering, and the edges on both sides of the scales sometimes red.
Produced in Sichuan. Often grows in forests at 800-**** m altitude, and in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests at around 1000 m it often forms the lowest sublayer of the tree layer. Canopy density 0.6-0.8, soil moist and fertile; it grows better in evergreen broad-leaved forests with thicker soil layers.
After reading the above introduction to the morphological characteristics and propagation methods of Aucuba, do you have a better understanding of Aucuba? To learn more about Aucuba, please keep following.
Aucuba Growing Methods and Four-Season Care Experience for Aucuba
Aucuba leaves are verdant and glossy, and the fruit is bright red when ripe. The leaves stay green all year round and do not easily wither. It is easy to cultivate and requires only minimal care, making it very suitable for growing indoors. Next, Xiao Qi shares the growing methods for Aucuba and four-season care experience.
I. Aucuba Growing Methods
Aucuba is commonly propagated by cuttings and by sowing. For cutting propagation, the period from May to June is best; choose vigorous, well-developed Aucuba branches of the current year. With a small amount of 2-year-old branch at the base, about 15 cm long, keep 2 leaves at the tip and insert into a sand bed. After inserting the Aucuba branches, shade them, water them in good time, and maintain a certain level of air humidity and temperature. At 20-25°C, Aucuba will root about 50 days after insertion.
Aucuba can also be propagated by water cuttings, which is simple and convenient and gives a high survival rate. For other Aucuba varieties that are difficult to root from cuttings, grafting onto seedling rootstock can be used. For propagation by sowing, the fruit ripens in winter; remove the flesh, wash clean, and store in sand. Sow in spring; because the seeds have a physiological after-ripening period, few seedlings emerge the same year, and a large number emerge the second year.
Pruning Aucuba is generally done in spring. Spring is the season of vigorous growth for Aucuba, and proper pruning can benefit its growth. Although Aucuba grows vigorously, it will not become very messy even without pruning for a long time; if pruning, only a slight trim is needed, adjusting the size of the tree. Below I introduce the pruning method for Aucuba:
Cut off unnecessary branches, removing dense branches, strongly growing branches, inward-facing branches and other unnecessary branches, so that the Aucuba becomes clean and fresh. When pruning strongly growing branches, cut inside the crown line of the Aucuba. Strongly growing branches of Aucuba gather nutrients and so tend to grow sturdy; considering the situation after growth, when pruning branches that stick out beyond the crown, cut at several nodes inside the crown.
II. Four-Season Care Experience for Aucuba
1. In spring it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. Repot from March to early April. The potting soil should preferably be fertile, loose, well-drained loam. Prune appropriately before repotting. When temperatures are low in early spring, spotted aucuba can be placed in a spot with light; after temperatures rise, it can be placed in a spot with morning and evening light. Spring is the season for its new leaf growth, so attention should be paid to water and fertilizer management, with fertilizer mainly nitrogenous, together with a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Take care to increase air humidity, and prune in good time to maintain a good ornamental form.
2. In summer it is suitable for placement on east- and north-facing balconies. Spotted aucuba fears strong light and can be placed in a bright spot. Temperatures are higher and spotted aucuba needs more water, so attention should be paid to the water supply while also increasing air humidity. Only when air humidity is high will the leaves be bright green and eye-catching; otherwise the leaves tend to turn dull. Stop fertilizing.
3. In autumn it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. As temperatures drop, appropriately increase the morning and evening light for spotted aucuba, keep the potting soil moist, and stop fertilizing. In late autumn and early winter the fruit turns from green to red, finally becoming so red it seems about to drip, dotted among the green leaves. Appropriate light in late autumn helps it change color. After temperatures drop, spotted aucuba enters a semi-dormant state, so watering should not be excessive; keeping the potting soil on the dry side is enough.
4. In winter it is suitable for placement on east-, south- and west-facing balconies. Spotted aucuba is fairly cold-tolerant, but in pots, because there is little soil around the roots, the roots are prone to freezing. The temperature is best kept at around 0°C. Winter is the fruit-viewing period, so it should be placed in a spot with light or in a bright spot, with the temperature kept at 0-5°C; it should not be too high. The potting soil should be on the dry side; when temperatures are higher at noon, spray its leaves and surroundings several times.
Aucuba Growing MethodsThat is all for the introduction; I hope it is helpful to everyone. Aucuba requires different care in different seasons, and only in this way can Aucuba be even more verdant.