Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have been getting cuttings from one of these plants and they seem to rot before they get roots. What am I doing wrong that they do this? Can you also tell me where I can buy one of these? I want the one with the speckles on the leaves Thank you.
By Annette
I just receive some plants from a nursery that I found on ebay. The plants are beautiful and the people are great to work with.
Is the Japonica Acuba (Japanese Laurel) salt tolerant?
Hardiness Zone: 9b
By Judith Hilman from FL
Aucuba are grown for their bold foliage, autumn fruit, and adaptability to shade, dry soil, pollution, and coastal conditions. A. japonica is a rounded, evergreen shrub with small, reddish purple flowers in spring, and red berries (on female plants) in fall. It grows to about 10 feet tall and wide. 'Crotonifolia' has leaves that look like they were speckled with yellow paint. 'Gold Dust' is female with heavy yellow speckling. 'Mr. Goldstrike' is male, more upright, and has gold-splashed leaves. Use as a hedge or specimen, in a container outdoors, or as an imposing houseplant.
Care: This plant is tolerant of full shade, dry soil, pollution, and salt winds. It's adaptable to almost any soil, except waterlogged soil. Use it in full sun to part-shade, or in full shade in hot summer areas. Protect from winter sun and wind at lower zones. Trim or cut back in spring.
Propagation: Root semi-ripe cuttings in summer. Sow seed in containers in a cold frame in autumn.
Problems: Wet root rot, Southern blight, fungal leaf spots.
Salt will kill most plants, good luck.
My Acuba shrubs have been growing for about 4 years now and they look great however they are very tall. Can I cut them back? If so when and how far can I cut them back?
By Rhonda M
My two Japenese Acuba's leaves are droopy and the new flowers that were coming on top are also gone. Do these plants get root rot and would cutting them down close to the ground help them out?
Hardiness Zone: 8a
By Joe from Flower Mound, TX