Italian Ruscus - home care

Ruscus is an upright shrub, reaching a height of 1 m. It is a dioecious species. To get fruit, you must have both a female and a male flower in the apartment. Propagate the culture by dividing the bush, seeds or cuttings. The right approach will allow you to get a luxurious flower from a store-bought shoot.

What does Ruscus Italian look like, what family does it belong to?

Ruscus or Iglitsa belongs to evergreen perennial grasses and shrubs from the Asparagus family. The flower has multiply branched stems on which phylloclades (modified shoots) up to 18 cm long are located.

Italian Ruscus

The plant feeds on a creeping rhizome located on the soil surface. Shoots form a large number of branches from the very base, they are covered with dark scaly bark.

Ruscus Hyrcanus

Common varieties

Italian Ruscus (ruskus) has several varieties:

• Butcher Colchis

This is a shrub with spreading branches, the total length of the shoot reaches 50 cm. Leathery phylloclades of a dark shade, the flowers have long and narrowed petals. The variety blooms from October to January, after pollination, edible fruits in the form of reddish berries are formed on it.

• Butcher pontic or prickly

The bushes grow up to 100 cm, the shoots are erect, the green foliage has a lilac shade. On the tips of the leaves there are small thorns, on the modified shoots there are filmy-type leaves. Flowers on a dense pedicel, small in size and single type. The plant blooms from February to April, the fruits ripen in November.

• Buttock sublingual (Ruscus hypoglossum)

Another name for the variety is Israeli Ruscus. Small bushes reach 50 cm in height, erect, decorated with emerald-colored foliage. Modified elongated shoots, glossy. The flowers are painted in shades from white to light blue, have thin narrow petals. The plant blooms at the end of the winter season, the diameter of the fruit does not exceed 1.5 cm.

• Ruscus girgan

The plant grows up to 40 cm, the shoots spread or stand upright. Extensive plantings resemble a prickly carpet. Modified shoots of greenish color, oblong, ovoid. The flowers are located in the axils of the bracts, from 2 to 5 pieces each. The variety blooms in April, the fruits ripen from September to October.

• Butcher's leaf (Ruscus hypophyllum)

Bush from 45 to 55 cm high, with branched green stems, white or pale blue flowers. The buds form in spring and winter. Fruits are reddish in color, fleshy, with two seeds.

Butcher's spine

Features of caring for a plant at home

No special skills are required for growing a plant, so its breeding is available even for novice florists. Butchers are plants that easily adapt to new conditions. Improper care can lead to a lack of flowers and fruits.

Temperature

Ruscus grows in houses and apartments.In the summer, you need to take it out to the street or balcony. In winter, the flower tolerates a drop in temperature to 13-15 ° C.

Lighting

The shrub prefers long daylight hours. The pot must be placed at a certain distance from the window so that direct sunlight does not burn the leaves of Ruscus.

Watering

Moistening the soil is carried out when the top layer dries up to 3-4 cm in depth. During the formation of new modified shoots, the number of watering is increased.

Spraying

The plant needs regular spraying of the leaves. In the spring and summer period, foliage is periodically washed with a cotton pad dipped in water.

Humidity

Ruscus plant prefers medium moisture values. In hot and dry summers, a glass of water can be placed near the pot.

Priming

The culture does not differ in whimsicality, in its natural environment it quietly develops on rocky territories. At home, a flower needs a loose substrate of one part of sod land, sand and three parts of leafy soil.

Top dressing

From April to October, the plant is fertilized with mineral compounds. The mixture is applied to the soil. In the winter period, feeding is not carried out.

Features of care in winter, dormant period

Starting in late autumn, the bushes rest, falling into a state of hibernation. Plants are watered as needed, but not more often than once a week. With the onset of spring days, fertilizers are applied to the soil, transplanting and pruning are carried out.

Pruning

Ruscus greens do not require any special adjustments. To achieve the perfect look, it is enough to remove the yellowed branches. Some gardeners will trim the flower to create a specific shape.

When and how it blooms

The main types of the plant produce buds starting in April, but there are varieties that bloom closer to winter. Flowers emerge from leaf blades on short pedicels. The buds are lilac or white in color, up to 1 cm in diameter. Star-shaped flowers are single or collected in small inflorescences from 2 to 3 pieces.

Blooming Ruscus israeli

How Ruscus Italian reproduces

The culture is propagated by seeds and dividing the bush. Both options produce healthy and viable young plants. Some masters prefer to use cuttings - any branch or young shoot is suitable for the procedure.

Germinating seeds

Planting work begins in February. To speed up the process, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for one week. Then they are sown in boxes with peat-sandy soil.

Crops must be sprinkled with earth to a height of no more than 1 cm. The containers are covered with plastic wrap and sent to a room with a stable temperature regime. Airing is carried out daily, periodically watered. It is better to moisten the crops through the drainage holes in the pan - this method reduces the risk of water stagnation and root rot.

Dividing the bush

The procedure is carried out on spring days, before the active development of the plant begins. The bush is carefully removed from the container, the root system is cleaned of soil, cut off. The roots are divided taking into account young phylloclades - they must be present on each new plant. Youngsters are seated in pots, the soil in which is previously disinfected with activated or charcoal.

How to propagate ruscus with a branch from a bouquet:

1. It is cut into cuttings, the places of the cuts are treated with a root growth stimulator (1-2 hours).
2. The pieces are planted in a nutritious soil and covered with glass containers.
3. Twice a week it is watered through a tray.
4. After the appearance of the first leaves, the jar is removed and they continue to care for the flower, as for an ordinary houseplant.

Transfer

As it grows, the shrub must be replanted. The process follows the algorithm:

1. The bush is carefully removed.
2. The old earth is cleared from the roots.
3. Pruning dry areas.
4. The bottom of the pot is covered with drainage.
5. Fertile and light soil is covered.
6. A flower is planted.

Diseases and pests

The root system of the culture has antibacterial properties, so many diseases are not afraid of it. The main insect pests of the plant:

• mealybug;
• spider mite;
• thrips.

Immediately after detecting pests, you need to process the green part of the ruskus with a cotton pad dipped in soapy water. In case of mass defeat, insecticides are used.

Mealybug

Problems arising from improper plant care:

• putrefactive damage to the root system due to excessive watering;
• drying out of the processes due to direct sunlight or lack of moisture;
• lack of fruit due to lack of pollination.

Signs and superstitions

Ruscus symbolizes prosperity and life. According to legend, a forest nymph gave the medicinal properties to the berries of the plant.

The flower pot should not be closer than one meter from the table, the resting place. Depending on the location, ruscus performs different functions:

• on the windowsill - filters negative energy;
• near the bed - improves well-being;
• in the corners - does not allow energy to stagnate.

With proper care, evergreen perennial bushes will decorate the interior of any room: office or home. It is not difficult to grow an unpretentious culture, the main thing is not to allow an excess of moisture, so that the root system does not rot and the flower itself does not die.