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House boxwood in a pot is ideal for fans of evergreens. A beautiful ornamental shrub is suitable not only for open ground, but also for tub cultivation, and in many ways, caring for home boxwood becomes easier.
Is it possible to keep boxwood in an apartment
Boxwood is an unpretentious evergreen shrub that adapts well to being kept indoors in a pot. As a rule, the height of such a houseplant does not exceed 60-100 cm, it is rarely necessary to transplant a shrub, since it grows very slowly. The photo of a home box tree shows that the shrub looks very attractive in the interior - the dark green crown lends itself well to forming, and a plant in a pot can decorate any room.
The potted boxwood has some peculiarities, for example, it does not bloom under indoor growing conditions. However, even in the absence of flowering, boxwood at home in a pot will grow very beautiful. In addition, it purifies the air and eliminates harmful bacteria present in it, thereby improving the home atmosphere.
What types of boxwood are suitable for home
For potted cultivation, it is recommended to buy shrub varieties designed specifically for indoor cultivation. As a rule, they are characterized by low maximum growth, high crown density and resistance to strong pruning. There are several species that grow well in small indoor tubs.
Small-leaved boxwood (Buxusmicrophylla)
Shrub with a small, but very dense crown, consisting of leaves of 2-2.5 cm each. The plant grows slowly, keeps its decorative shape well and rarely requires a formative haircut.
Balearic boxwood (Buxusbalearica)
Shrub with large and patterned leaves of bright green color. It is known for its very ceremonial decorative appearance, it grows quite quickly, but this allows lovers of evergreen plants to experiment more often with the silhouette of a shrub.
Caucasian boxwood (Buxuscolchica)
Slow-growing shrub with a life expectancy of up to 500 years or more. The leaves of the shrub are rounded-oblong, ovate, curling at the edges. Caucasian boxwood is very thermophilic, and therefore is much better suited for growing in a pot than for planting in an open field.
Boxwood Compact (Buxusmicrophylla Compacta)
A dwarf plant about 30 cm tall, with very small leaves up to 1 cm each and a dense crown. The mini-shrub grows very slowly, and takes up little space, so it is well suited for home interiors.
As for the ordinary evergreen boxwood, or Buxussempervirens, it can also be planted in pots - the species adapts well to indoor cultivation. But caring for an ordinary boxwood will be more difficult than for dwarf and hybrid species, the plant is sensitive to growing conditions and, at the slightest mistake, sheds its leaves and loses its decorative effect.
Features of growing boxwood in a pot
A shrub in a pot can become a real decoration of a home interior, it looks good both in groups and alone, it becomes a bright accent in a room, refreshes and enlivens a room.But in order for a green shrub to be truly decorative and graceful, it is necessary to comply with all the requirements for growing in a pot and follow the rules for caring for indoor boxwood at home.
- An evergreen indoor shrub needs good, stable lighting. It is not recommended to expose it in direct sunlight, but in the same way boxwood and thick shade will not suit. It is best to place it near the south, east or west windows in an area of diffused daylight. Natural light for a shrub in a pot is strictly required - the bush does not perceive artificial illumination, and it cannot replace sunlight.
- Boxwood needs fresh air, so you will have to ventilate the room as often as possible. This has a beneficial effect on the growth of the shrub, in conditions of good oxygen access, it becomes less capricious and sensitive. In the summer, boxwood in pots is often exhibited outside - in the courtyard of a private house, on a balcony, loggia or terrace, while providing it with a little shading.
- When caring for boxwood in a pot, it must be remembered that it needs high humidity, excessive dryness harms it. Providing the necessary conditions is quite simple - you need to regularly spray the shrub. It is required to pay attention to spraying not only in dry summers, but also in the autumn-winter period due to central heating, the air humidity in apartments often drops dramatically.
As for the temperature, the best boxwood in a pot feels at 23-25 ° C. The bush does not tolerate heat well, so in the summer you need to ventilate the room in which the pot is located more often and additionally humidify the air. In spring and autumn, a strong drop in temperature up to 12 ° C is permissible. As for the winter time, the ideal temperature regime will be + 5-10 ° С, and if it is impossible to create such conditions - 12-16 ° С.
Caring for boxwood in a pot
Caring for a boxwood in a pot is not very difficult, but it requires attention. It is important to take care of the quality of the soil and the frequency of watering the plant, as well as timely decorative pruning.
What land is needed for planting boxwood in a pot
The shrub is undemanding to the ground for home cultivation in a pot; both universal soil and mixtures for ornamental deciduous crops are suitable for it. The main condition when choosing soil for boxwood at home is looseness and air permeability of the soil. When self-preparing the substrate, you can mix turf, sand and leafy soil in proportions of 4: 1: 2.
Boxwood grows very well in nutrient soil in a pot, but many indoor plant lovers deliberately deplete the soil for the shrub. The fact is that in poor soil, the plant produces shorter shoots, and its crown thickens, for decorativeness this is only beneficial.
Watering and feeding home boxwood
An evergreen shrub in a pot has a negative attitude towards both excessive moisture and lack of moisture. Therefore, when watering, it is important to maintain a balance - the substrate should always remain slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is recommended to water the shrub so that only the upper part of the soil has time to dry out during the breaks; in winter, the intervals between waterings are increased.
The water for the shrub in the pot must be defended before watering, and it is even better to keep the container in a lighted place so that the water is slightly lukewarm. You can spray the shrub with cold water, but it is also recommended to stand the liquid for 1-2 days beforehand.
Both in the open field and in the pot, the plant needs regular feeding.Usually, for young plants, fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks, and for adults - once a month, and the plant should be supplied with fertilizers only during the period from March to August.
A shrub in a pot takes up conventional universal mixtures well. But if you wish, you can feed it with special fertilizers for evergreen rhododendrons, the composition of such dressings is perfectly balanced.
Trimming and shaping
Pruning is one of the most important elements of caring for and growing boxwood in an apartment. It is regular trimming that allows you to give the bush the desired decorative shape and turn it into an element of home design.
- It is customary to cut the bushes from spring to early autumn. Young plants are best trimmed at the beginning of July, and if the boxwood is an adult and has already been pruned, then trimming can be done sooner or later.
- An evergreen shrub in a pot tolerates cutting of any intensity, even strong pruning does not harm the plant. It is necessary to carry out the formation in accordance with your wishes for the silhouette of the bush.
- To slow down the growth of a bush in a pot, its young shoots can be pinched at the tips - a useful effect will also be that after this procedure the crown of the plant will become thicker.
Plant transplant
As a rule, boxwood in an apartment grows very slowly, but sometimes it still has to be transplanted into another container.
- It is recommended to transplant only when necessary, after the root system of the plant has completely entangled the substrate in the existing pot. On average, this takes about 3 years, respectively, and it is necessary to transplant the shrub with just such a frequency. The exception is dwarf bonsai boxwoods, it is better not to replant them at all, so as not to harm the plants.
- It is necessary to transplant from pot to pot in spring or summer - during the period when the plant is actively growing. The shrub should not be transplanted in the fall and even more so in the winter, at this time the boxwood is in a "dormant" state and will not take root well in a new place.
- In order to avoid damage to the root system of the plant, it must be transplanted together with the old earthy clod. You can remove only the top layer of the old soil, but you do not need to touch the ground around the roots.
The new pot should be slightly larger than the previous one - a maximum of 2-3 cm in diameter. It must be remembered that the ornamental bush grows slowly, and too spacious a container and a large amount of undeveloped soil harm the plant.
Protection against diseases and pests
The houseplant boxwood is much less susceptible to the influence of diseases and pests than shrubs living in the open field. This is natural because the indoor microclimate, by definition, reduces the likelihood of infection by fungi or insects.
However, even in the home, the plant can suffer from ailments and pests.
- Boxwood diseases occur mainly due to improper care - waterlogging of the soil, especially in winter, drying out of the soil, insufficient spraying.
- Against the background of all of the above, root rot, wilting of leaves and weakening of shoots can develop.
- Due to serious mistakes in the care, the boxwood can even completely shed the foliage, and it is likely that it will not be possible to restore it.
To protect the shrub from ailments, recommendations for growing a plant in a pot must be fully followed. It is necessary to observe the frequency of watering, do not forget to humidify the air in the room, do not allow an excessive decrease or increase in temperature. Do not neglect the periodic feeding of boxwood in a pot, they strengthen its resistance to ailments.
Of the pests for indoor boxwood, the scabbards and spider mites are the most dangerous.To prevent infection of the shrub, it is necessary to carry out regular spraying and from time to time inspect its leaves for harmful insects. With an average infestation of boxwood in a pot with pests, it is enough to wash the leaves of the bush with ordinary soapy water; in case of serious pest infestation, you can use insecticidal garden products.
Wintering boxwood in a pot
Evergreen boxwood belongs to heat-loving plants, therefore, it tolerates wintering in indoor conditions much better and easier than in open ground. However, there are also some nuances here - the temperature of the boxwood in winter still needs a lower one. Rooms with a temperature of no higher than 5-10 ° C are considered ideal for wintering; if necessary, a shrub in a pot can be left for the winter at a temperature of 12-16 ° C, but not higher.
It is best to remove the plant pot on a glassed-in balcony or loggia for the winter period. Thus, the plant will receive the required low temperatures, but remain protected from wind and snow. Watering boxwood in winter should be reduced by about 2 times, the plant needs less water, and the soil dries more slowly at low temperatures. At the same time, natural lighting should remain sufficiently abundant; if possible, it is recommended to expose boxwood on a balcony with windows to the south, west or east side of the world.
Reproduction of boxwood in indoor conditions
Even in a single copy, boxwood for the house looks very attractive. But even more spectacular look a few shrubs, placed around the apartment. It is not necessary to buy expensive seedlings to increase the boxwood population, the plant can be propagated independently from an existing bush.
It is best to use the cuttings method. This requires:
- in spring or early summer, cut several cuttings up to 7 cm in length from an adult plant; it is better to choose shoots that have already begun to wood at the base;
- remove the lower leaves from the cuttings;
- for a day, hold the shoots in water with a growth stimulant, and then burrow into a substrate from the ground mixed with sand, and cover with cellophane film.
With a high level of humidity and regular airing, the cuttings will root in just a month. After that, they can be transplanted into larger containers and gradually grow to young shrubs.
If necessary, a seed propagation method can be used for indoor boxwood, but in practice it is used very rarely. It is much more difficult to care for a boxwood from seeds, moreover, seedlings grow slowly and do not enter a state of full decorativeness soon.
Conclusion
Boxwood at home in a pot can be grown without much difficulty in the presence of sufficient natural light and a closed balcony where the plant can winter. You need to take care of the plant carefully, but if you follow the basic rules, the indoor shrub will delight you with its graceful shapes and bright green color.
