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Boxwood in a pot at home is an ideal option for fans of evergreens. This 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; the shrub rarely needs to be replanted, since it grows very slowly. The photo of a homemade boxwood shows that the shrub looks very attractive in the interior - the dark green crown lends itself well to shaping, and the plant in a pot can decorate any room.
Boxwood in a pot has some peculiarities, for example, it does not bloom when grown at home.However, even in the absence of flowering, boxwood in a pot at home 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 the home?
For growing in a pot, it is recommended to buy varieties of shrubs designed specifically for indoor growing. As a rule, they are characterized by low maximum growth, high crown density and resistance to heavy pruning. We can list several species that grow well in small tubs indoors.
Small-leaved boxwood (Buxusmicrophylla)
A shrub with a small but very dense crown, consisting of leaves 2-2.5 cm each. The plant grows slowly, holds its decorative shape well and rarely requires shaping haircuts.
Balearic boxwood (Buxusbalearica)
A shrub with large and patterned leaves of bright green color. 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 (Buxus colchica)
A slow-growing shrub with a lifespan of up to 500 years or more. The leaves of the shrub are rounded-oblong, ovate, curling at the edges. Caucasian boxwood is very heat-loving, and therefore is much better suited for growing in a pot than for planting in open ground.
Boxwood Compacta (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 common evergreen boxwood, or Buxussempervirens, it can also be planted in pots - the species adapts well to growing indoors. But caring for an ordinary boxwood will be more difficult than caring for dwarf and hybrid species; the plant is sensitive to growing conditions and, at the slightest mistake, sheds its leaves and loses its decorative properties.
Features of growing boxwood in a pot
A bush in a pot can become a real decoration for your home interior; it looks good both in groups and alone, becomes a bright accent in the room, refreshes and enlivens the room. But in order for the green shrub to be truly decorative and elegant, 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.
- The evergreen indoor shrub requires good, stable lighting. It is not recommended to expose it to direct sunlight, but boxwood and dense shade will not do the same. It is best to place it near southern, eastern or western windows in an area of diffused daylight. Natural light is strictly necessary for a bush in a pot - the bush does not perceive artificial lighting, 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 bush; in conditions of good access to oxygen, it becomes less capricious and sensitive.In the summer, boxwood in pots is often placed outside - in the courtyard of a private house, on a balcony, loggia or terrace, while providing it with a little shade.
- When caring for boxwood in a pot, you must remember that it needs high air humidity; excessive dryness harms it. Providing the necessary conditions is quite simple - you need to regularly spray the bush. Paying attention to spraying is required not only in dry summers, but also in the autumn-winter period due to central heating, the air humidity in apartments often drops significantly.
As for temperature, boxwood feels best in a pot in conditions of 23-25 °C. The bush does not tolerate heat well, so in 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 down to 12 °C is permissible. As for winter time, the ideal temperature will be + 5-10 °C, and if it is impossible to create such conditions - 12-16 °C.
Caring for boxwood in a pot
Caring for boxwood in a pot is not very difficult, but it does require attention. It is important to take care of the quality of the soil and the frequency of watering the plant, as well as to carry out decorative pruning in a timely manner.
What kind of soil is needed for planting boxwood in a pot?
When grown at home in a pot, the shrub is undemanding when it comes to soil; both universal soil and mixtures for decorative deciduous crops are suitable for it. The main condition when choosing soil for boxwood at home is the looseness and breathability of the soil.When preparing the substrate yourself, you can mix turf soil, sand and leaf soil in proportions of 4:1:2.
Boxwood grows very well in nutritious soil in a pot, but many lovers of indoor plants deliberately deplete the soil for the shrub. The fact is that in poor soil the plant produces shorter shoots, and its crown thickens; this is only beneficial for decorative purposes.
Watering and fertilizing homemade 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 breaks; in winter, the intervals between waterings are increased.
Water for shrubs in a pot should be left to stand before watering, or even better, keep the container in a lighted place so that the water is slightly lukewarm. You can spray the bush with cold water, but it is also recommended to let the liquid sit for 1-2 days beforehand.
Both in the open ground and in a pot, the plant needs regular feeding. Typically, for young plants, fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks, and for adults - once a month, and the plant needs to be supplied with fertilizers only from March to August.
The bush in a pot takes well to ordinary universal mixtures. But if you wish, you can feed it with special fertilizers for evergreen rhododendrons; the composition of such fertilizers is ideally balanced.
Trimming and shaping
Pruning is one of the most important elements of caring for and growing boxwood in an apartment.It is regular pruning that allows you to give the bush the desired decorative shape and turn it into an element of home design.
- It is customary to prune bushes from spring to early autumn. It is best to trim young plants in early July, and if the boxwood is mature and has already been pruned, then trimming can be done earlier or later.
- An evergreen shrub in a pot tolerates pruning of any intensity; even severe pruning does not harm the plant. You need 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 beneficial effect will also be that after this procedure the crown of the plant will become thicker.
Transplanting a plant
As a rule, boxwood grows very slowly in an apartment, but sometimes it still has to be transplanted into another container.
- It is recommended to replant 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, so the shrub needs to be replanted exactly with this frequency. The exception is dwarf boxwood bonsai; it is better not to replant them at all, so as not to harm the plants.
- Transplantation from pot to pot should be done in spring or summer - during the period when the plant is actively growing. You should not replant the shrub in the fall, and especially in the winter; at this time, the boxwood is in a “dormant” state and will not take root well in a new place.
- To avoid damage to the root system of the plant, it must be replanted together with an old lump of earth. You can only remove the top layer of the previous soil, but you don’t need to touch the soil around the roots.
The new pot should be slightly larger than the previous one - a maximum of 2-3 cm in diameter. It is necessary to remember that the ornamental bush grows slowly, and too spacious a container and a large amount of undeveloped soil harm the plant.
Protection from diseases and pests
The indoor boxwood plant is much less susceptible to diseases and pests than shrubs living in open ground. This is natural, since the home microclimate, by definition, reduces the likelihood of infection by fungus or insects.
However, even in the house the plant can suffer from diseases and pests.
- Boxwood diseases arise mainly due to improper care - waterlogging of the soil, especially in winter, drying out of the soil, and insufficient spraying.
- Against the background of all of the above, root rot, wilting of leaves and weakening of shoots may develop.
- Due to serious mistakes in care, boxwood may even lose its foliage completely, and it is likely that it will not be possible to restore it.
To protect the shrub from disease, recommendations for growing a plant in a pot must be followed in full. It is necessary to observe the frequency of watering, do not forget to humidify the air in the room, and avoid excessive decrease or increase in temperature. You should not neglect periodic fertilizing of boxwood in a pot; they strengthen its resistance to disease.
The most dangerous pests for indoor boxwood are scale insects and spider mites.To prevent infection of the bush, it is necessary to carry out regular spraying and periodically inspect its leaves for harmful insects. In case of moderate infestation of boxwood in a pot by pests, it is enough to wash the leaves of the bush with a regular soap solution; in case of serious pest infestation, you can use insecticidal garden products.
Wintering boxwood in a pot
Evergreen boxwood is a heat-loving plant, so it tolerates wintering indoors much better and easier than in open ground. However, there are also some nuances here - boxwood still requires a lower temperature in winter. Rooms with a temperature no higher than 5-10 °C are considered ideal for wintering; if necessary, the bush in a pot can be left for the winter at a temperature of 12-16 °C, but not higher.
It is best to put the pot with the plant on a glazed balcony or loggia in the winter. This way the plant will receive the necessary low temperatures, but will remain protected from wind and snow. Watering boxwood in winter should be reduced by approximately 2 times; the plant requires less water, and the soil dries out more slowly at low temperatures. At the same time, natural light should remain sufficiently abundant; if possible, it is recommended to place boxwood on a balcony with windows facing the south, west or east.
Reproduction of boxwood indoors
Even in a single copy, boxwood looks very attractive for the home. But even more impressive are several bushes 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 cutting method. To do this you need:
- 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 woody at the base;
- remove the lower leaves from the cuttings;
- keep the shoots in water with a growth stimulator for 24 hours, and then bury them in a substrate of soil mixed with sand and cover with cellophane film.
With a high level of humidity and regular ventilation, the cuttings will take root in just a month. After this, they can be transplanted into larger containers and gradually grown into young shrubs.
If necessary, seed propagation can also be used for indoor boxwood, but in practice it is used very rarely. Caring for boxwood from seeds is much more difficult; besides, the seedlings grow slowly and do not reach a state of full decorativeness soon.
Conclusion
Boxwood can be grown in a pot at home without much difficulty if there is sufficient natural light and a closed balcony where the plant can overwinter. You need to care for the plant carefully, but if you follow the basic rules, the indoor shrub will delight you with its graceful shapes and bright green color.
