Whether free-standing in the garden bed or in a pot - the skimmia is particularly valuable in the dreary winter time. With its dark green foliage and bright red fruits, it is a welcome ornamental plant in the gray season. But what care does Skimmia need?
How do you properly care for a skimmie?
Proper care for the skimmia includes regular watering with low-lime water, mulch or compost fertilization, frost protection in harsh winters and careful pruning after flowering. Avoid too much sunlight and dry indoor air.
Watering – is it really that important?
The skimmie should be supplied with water all year round. Their evergreen foliage depends on a supply of water from above. In addition to the winter time, increased attention is required in summer. This plant cannot cope well with drought.
The soil should be kept moderately moist. Low-lime rainwater or decalcified tap water is used for watering. Skimmia can tolerate short-term waterlogging. From August onwards, watering is reduced so that the plant continues to grow more slowly.
How to fertilize the skimmia?
Fertilizing the skimmia is rather irrelevant or this plant takes what it needs:
- Mulch layer (e.g. grass clippings, bark) in the bed is sufficient
- Giving compost in spring
- in the pot: supply with liquid fertilizer (€6.00 on Amazon) every 2 weeks
- conventional fertilizers are suitable
- Use lime-free fertilizer
- fertilize from April and until September at the latest
Can illnesses bring disaster to her?
Skimmia is usually resilient. If yellow leaves appear, there are usually care errors behind it, such as too much sunlight. There are no specific diseases known for this plant.
Do you have to overwinter this plant?
Although the skimmia is well hardy, it should be covered with jute, leaves or brushwood in severe frosts to protect its young shoots from freezing. Specimens in pots should be placed in a cool place of 5 to 15 °C in winter.
When and how should the skimmie be cut?
After flowering, the skimmia can be cut. But be careful: don't cut too radically! The skimmia grows extremely slowly. It is recommended to thin out the plant and remove the inflorescences of male plants.
Tip
If you put the skimmie at home in winter, be careful! If it is too warm and the air in the room is too dry, the risk of spider mite infestation increases dramatically.