You can cultivate an Aucuba japonica both on your balcony and in the living room. It is also suitable as a garden plant for mild areas as it can tolerate light frost. Caring for them is not particularly complicated either.
How do I care for an Aucuba japonica plant?
The Aucuba japonica care includes a partially shaded location, moderate watering, fertilizing every 14 days from March to August and it can tolerate light frost down to -5°C. It is ideal as a container plant and can be easily propagated by cuttings.
Planting the Aukube
You can easily cultivate the Aucuba japonica in a pot and place it on your balcony or terrace. It thrives in light, loamy, pH-neutral soil that is fresh but not wet. It is also occasionally recommended to plant the Aucuba japonica in rhododendron soil (€20.00 on Amazon).
The choice of location
The light requirement varies depending on the variety. While green-leaved aucubs tolerate a shady location well, the colorful-leaved species need a little more light. If they are too shady, they will lose their colorful coloring. In the blazing midday sun, however, the leaves burn quite quickly, especially on a young plant.
Water and fertilize the aukube
The Aukube does not need a lot of nutrients or plenty of water. Don't let the soil dry out, but don't water too much either. Mix a little liquid fertilizer into the irrigation water about every two weeks throughout the summer.
Diseases and pests in the Aukube
The Aukube is a quite robust plant and rarely suffers from diseases or pests. With the right location and good care, you have nothing to fear in this regard. If conditions are inadequate or poor, spider mites could potentially appear. However, the Aucuba japonica is quite susceptible to sunburn, which, like frost damage, can lead to black leaves.
The Multiplication of the Aukube
Aububes can be propagated quite easily using cuttings. A greenhouse is not necessary for this, as rooting can also occur at normal room temperature. It is best to cut the approximately 10 to 15 centimeter long cuttings in spring.
The most important things in brief:
- Location: cool and airy, best in partial shade
- robust
- very suitable for pot planting
- can tolerate frost down to approx. – 5 °C
- watering: moderately, keep root ball slightly moist
- fertilize: from March to August, approximately every 14 days
Tip
Since Aukubs can tolerate at least a little frost, you can put these plants in the garden relatively early.
