Care for euonymus at home

Sometimes our attention is attracted by a shrub with dark green, toothed shiny leaves and bright fruits. They look so attractive that I want to try them. This is an euonymus. Are the fruits of the euonymus edible and where should they be attributed to poisonous or medicinal plants? Euonymus has more than 200 species and is widely used in garden design. Some species of this plant have yellow, cream, red leaves or silver-white spots in the center or along the edges of the leaf, so they are widely used for the formation of hedges.

Correct planting of euonymus seedlings

Before planting euonymus seedlings, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of the species of interest The most common varieties of euonymus include:

• Warty euonymus is a shrub up to 2 meters or a tree up to 6 meters in height with bright green foliage strewn with black warts. The plant has flowers of a brownish shade, pink fruits with red-brown prisyannikami.
• European euonymus is a small tree, most often a growing bush. The dark green color of the foliage in autumn becomes red. Fruits are pink with orange prisemyannik. There are more than 20 decorative forms of this type.
• Wing euonymus - strongly branched shrub or tree with tetrahedral branches, greenish flowers, gathered in inflorescence. Fruits are bright red. The species has more than 20 varieties.
• Forchun's euonymus - creeping shrub refers to evergreens. Numerous forms of this species differ in leaf color.
• Japanese euonymus - refers to both indoor and garden plants. The leaves are large, dense, dark green with a light rim. The plant is not able to tolerate temperatures below 5 degrees, so in winter it must be kept in a cool room.

Planting Euonymus requires choosing a place in the garden.It should be spacious because the plant can grow considerably. It is necessary to land the euonymus in early spring or autumn. To do this, dig a hole that should be twice the size of the roots of a plant. Bottom we lay drainage. For this purpose, we use sand, expanded clay, broken brick. On top of the drainage place a layer of humus. Put a sapling, straighten the root system and sprinkle with moist soil. From above we carry out consolidation and watering of a plant.

Growing conditions for euonymus in the garden

Euonymus feels better under ambient light. Green leaves turn yellow in the sun, and brown spots form on multi-colored ones. In the shade, the plant grows very slowly, and decorative leaves lose their brightness. The optimum temperature for the growth of Euonymus is 18-22 degrees. The plant does not like stagnant water and acidic soil.

Many do not even think before planting an euonymus whether it is poisonous or not.This must be taken into account when planning beds near children's playgrounds, as the euonymus is a poisonous plant. The lethal dose for an adult is 35 fetuses. Since the fruit is very attractive, it can cause interest in children. Is it dangerous!

Pruning the crown of euonymus

Euonymus refers to the shrubs, therefore, requires regular pruning. It is necessary to cut the plant in spring and summer. In the spring, sanitary trimming is carried out: dry and damaged branches are cut off and the crown of the plant is formed. Summer haircut is decorative. It gives the bush a regular geometric shape. The shrub easily endures dry weather, so it does not require frequent watering.

Euonymus plant transplant

The transplant of young plants is carried out from the beginning of February. Do not combine transplant plants with anti-aging pruning. Adult bushes older than 7 years, it is better not to replant. If there is a need to transplant a bush to a new place, then in the spring it is carefully dig in and transferred with an earthy clod to a new place.Watering the plants should be regular until the foliage dissolves.

Wintering of Euonymus

Winter hardiness of adult Euonymus plants is high. Young plants up to three years old can be sheltered for the winter with dry foliage, and adults are not afraid of low temperatures, so they do not need shelter. To prevent freezing of the roots in a snowless winter, the tree trunk is covered with sawdust or fallen leaves.

Reproduction of euonymus at home

Consider the methods of reproduction, cultivation and care of the euonymus.

Seeds

If you are going to propagate the euonymus with the help of seeds, you should know that it is necessary to collect them after opening the boxes. Seed must be planted immediately after harvest. If you delay with this process until spring, then it will be more difficult to do, because they need to be soaked for three days and will create conditions for germination that exist in nature in autumn and winter. This process is called stratification. For professionals, this is not difficult, but for fans it is not as difficult as troublesome.

In nature, euonymus propagates by seed with the help of birds. They eat the fruits of the plant, but hard seeds are not digested and droppings fall into the ground and germinate.

Dividing bush

This breeding method is most often used for dwarf varieties of euonymus. This is not difficult, since the root system of the plant is shallow. It is necessary to carefully separate the part of the plant with young shoots and rhizome. Before planting, the shoots are pruned, leaving 1/3 part.

Cuttings

This method is used in June - July. For this, a plant no younger than five years old may be suitable. It is necessary to cut the cuttings with a length of at least 7 cm with one interstice from the shoots of the mother plant. To stimulate root formation, the cut of the cutting is treated with a root. The cuttings are placed in a mini-greenhouse or under a film, the land in which is well fertilized. 3-4 cm of sand are poured over the earth, it will retain moisture well. The result is obtained in a month and a half.

Root offspring

Reproduction by root suckers is carried out in early spring. To do this, separate the part of the roots with an earthy lump, and the height of the shoots should not exceed 50 cm.The thickness of the roots of the offspring should be about one and a half centimeters, and the length - 30 cm. It is planted in a permanent place.

Possible diseases and pests of euonymus, ways to combat them

Euonymus is very fond of pests. It is exposed to apple moths, haws, aphids, spider mites, and scythes. Often this ability is used as a bait for pests in apple orchards. All pests are collected on eosklet, and they are destroyed by chemical means, but fruit trees remain without chemical treatment. Consider how to recognize diseases of shrubs and what means to deal with each pest.

• Shchitovka affects the leaves of the plant stems. They appear dark brown or white bulges in diameter up to 2 mm. Shchitovki suck the juice from the leaves of the plant, and a yellow speck appears at the site of its attachment, which increases over time and leads first to the death of the leaf, and then the plant itself. Pest control can be carried out by insecticides (for example, Aktara, Aktellik, Bankol, Karbofos, etc.) But spraying will not bring a positive result, since the flap protects the pest from toxic chemicals. It is necessary to mechanically process the leaves of the plant with a tampon or brush.
• Apple moth settles on the stems in the form of nests, shrouded in cobwebs. In the center of the nest there are caterpillars that destroy the leaves of the plant and can cause irreparable harm. The fight is carried out with the help of insecticides. Caterpillar nests are cut and burned, and the plant is treated with chemicals.
• Hawthorn is a large white butterfly with black lines on its wings. She, like the apple moth, does not harm. But from the eggs that she lay, there are grayish-brown caterpillars 4-5 cm long. So they are the main pests. It is necessary to fight them with the help of insecticides, destroying nests in a thermal way. Caterpillars of the hawthorn eat only titmouses.
• Aphid refers to malicious pests of the garden. This insect is black or green in color with colonies settling on young shoots of a plant or from the underside of leaves. Aphid sucks the juice from the plant and releases a sweet substance - the drop. Ants feed on this substance. Do not think that ants eat aphids. On the contrary, they are in symbiosis. You can fight with aphids in different ways: and with the help of a soap solution (2 glasses of water, 2 teaspoons of liquid soap),and with the help of ladybugs, but the most common method of exposure is chemical - with the help of organic pesticides and insecticides.
• The presence of a red flat mite can be determined on a plant by the following features: first, light spots appear on the leaves, then we observe a curvature of the surface in the form of tubercles. To combat the tick, remove all affected leaves and burn them, and treat the spindle with any insecticide. After processing, the plant needs additional watering, because it needs to create conditions for a quick return of foliage.

Application and useful properties of euonymus

Euonymus is a medicinal plant. For medical purposes, use the bark and twigs of the plant. It contains organic and fatty acids, alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, which are involved in metabolism.

Evonimine, which is contained in the plant, allows you to normalize the activity of the cardiovascular system. Euonymus also has a therapeutic effect on the digestive organs, normalizes blood pressure, relieves headaches, increases the potency in men, fights against fungal diseases of the skin and nails and helminths. Broth of euonymus bark is used as a laxative.

But this plant has contraindications. It can not be taken to people suffering from hemorrhoids and inflammation of the small intestine. Since the euonymus belongs to poisonous plants, especially its fruits, it is necessary to use it for the treatment and prevention of diseases in strict dosage according to certain recipes. Be careful, because the use of this plant can cause vomiting, fatigue, convulsions.