Butcher (Ruscus) is a small perennial shrub. Among representatives of butcher's broom there are also herbaceous species. Butcher's homeland is considered to be the countries of Western Europe, but it is also found in the territories of the Crimea and the Caucasus.
This branchy shrub can reach a height of 60-70 cm. The plant is evergreen. Butcher's leaves are very small. Under the ground, they are able to develop root systems and form shoots. Each shoot in its middle forms small flowers of a white-green hue. The pollinated flower gives a red fruit-berry with one or two seeds inside. The diameter of the berry varies from 1.5 to 2 cm. In natural conditions, Ruscus is pollinated by insects and animals. At home, pollination is also possible. Pollen for pollination should be taken from another plant with staminate flowers.
Butcher's care at home
Location and lighting
Lighting for growing butchery should be bright, but diffused, without direct sunlight. The plant can also thrive in shaded areas.
Temperature
The temperature of the butcher's content in summer should not be within 18 degrees, and in winter it should be in the range from 12 to 14 degrees.
Air humidity
The humidity of the ambient air is not a decisive factor for the growth, development and flowering of the broomstick. But during the active growing season, it is recommended to periodically spray the butcher with warm distilled water. Butcher's leaves collect a lot of dust on their surface, so it is important to periodically wipe it out with a damp cloth or napkin.
Watering
Butchery during the period of active growth of shoots needs regular watering, but without stagnant water in the pot. The rest of the time, the plant is watered sparingly, allowing the soil to dry out at its entire depth.
The soil
Butchery is an unpretentious plant, including the composition of the soil. The only condition is that it should not be too dense and greasy, but well water and air permeable. You can buy a mixture that has already been prepared in a specialized store, or you can prepare it yourself from leafy and turfy soil and sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. The bottom of the container should contain a good drainage layer to prevent the formation of harmful stagnant water.
Top dressing and fertilizers
When the butcher begins to actively grow new shoots, it is fed with a complex universal fertilizer once every three weeks. With the onset of the autumn-winter period, fertilization is stopped.
Transfer
The butcher needs transplanting only when the earthen lump is completely braided by the root system. The plant is transplanted in the spring. A feature of butcher's broom is that it is able to take the shape of the pot in which it will grow. That is, the wider the container, the more bushy the plant will be, the more it will grow in different directions due to the formation of underground creeping shoots.If the goal is not to get a fluffy bush, then the pot should be narrow.
Butcher's breeding
There are two ways to reproduce butcher's broom: using seeds or by dividing the rhizome. The second method is suitable for a heavily overgrown butcher's bush that cannot develop normally further. With a sharp knife, the bush is divided into pieces that have several shoots and an independent root system. Transplanting is best done in autumn or early spring, when the plant has not yet entered the stage of active growth. It is important to transplant with utmost care so as not to damage the young shoots that have begun to grow, otherwise new ones can only be expected next year.
Diseases and pests
Butchery is resistant to both pests and bacterial diseases. But you can rarely find thrips, spider mites, scale insects.
Butcher's species
Butcher's broom - perennial plant, no more than 60-70 cm in height. This plant blooms in an unusual way. Flowers form on the top of the phylloclades. The flowers are small, whitish-green in color. On female specimens, red fruit-berries can form only if male bushes grow next to them for the pollination process.
Buttock hyoid - perennial, no more than 30-50 cm high. Phylloclades are elliptical, oblong, about 2 cm wide and 5-7 long. One plant can contain both opposite and alternate phylloclades. It blooms with small flowers of a whitish-green hue with a purple center. The fruit is a red berry about 2 cm in diameter.
Butcher of Pontic - shrub about 30-60 cm tall, perennial, erect shoots, rough to the touch. Phyloclades are small in size - 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide. The tip of each phyllocladia is narrowed, slightly pointed. The flowers are greenish-white, Small, the fruit is an orange-red round berry with a diameter of 1-2 cm.
