Asparagus family. Homeland - Crimea, Caucasus, Mediterranean. Most species of Ruskus are perennial low shrubs, less often herbaceous plants, with a creeping rhizome.
Ruskus has a creeping rhizome, branching fleshy stems, on which there are next to ordinary leathery leaves, modified flat shoots with pointed ends - phyllocladia (this is also typical for other asparagus). The real leaves are small whitish scales grow on the underside of the phyllocladia. The flowers are about 1 cm in diameter and greenish in color. Corolla of a six-petalled flower. Flowers, depending on the species, can form on the upper or lower side of the phyllocladia, but not in the axils, but almost in the middle. It seems that the flowers grow directly from the leaves. Ruskus flowers themselves do not represent decorative attractiveness, but berries are bright orange - red are very decorative.
Two species are popular, which are quite similar, but the main difference is the branching of the shoots:
- Pontic needle Ruscus ponticus or Spiked needle Ruscus aculeatus is a strongly branching bush, phylloclades are small, about 5 cm long, have spiky tips. The flowers are mauve.
- Sublingual needle Ruscus hypoglossum is a slightly branching bush with wide soft phylloclades, about 7-10 cm long. It has a more pronounced covering leaf of the flower. grows about 40 cm tall.
Needle is rare as indoor plants, in Russia it is more often grown in regions with a warm climate as a garden plant. But in the USA or Europe, the needle is grown as a pot crop, bonsai is formed from it (usually the style of neagari, hokidachi, bunzingi).
Caring for Ruskus
Temperature: Moderate to cool, the needle grows well at an average temperature of about 18-22 ° C. In winter, coolness of about 12-14 ° C is required. Ruskus can withstand lower temperatures - the minimum limit for it is + 1 ° C.
Lighting: Requires shading from direct sunlight from 11 to 16 hours. It grows well in light partial shade on the north side, not shaded by anything from the street.
Watering: During the growth period, watering is moderate: the soil should have time to dry well for the next watering - ruskus does not like a lot of moisture at the roots. In winter, with cool maintenance, watering is very moderate, the soil should have time to dry completely and stand dry for 5-7 days. In nature, Ruskus grows along the edge of dry undergrowth, on dense but well-drained soil. It is easier to tolerate overdrying than waterlogging .
Fertilizer: Spring every 2 weeks with complex liquid fertilizer for indoor flowers. Do not overestimate the dose of fertilizers and try to use complex drugs, where there is a full set of trace elements.
Humidity: Loves moist air, so the needle is periodically sprayed.
Transplant: Annually in the spring. The soil is the 1 part of clay-turf, the 2 part of sheet land and the 1 part of coarse sand. When transplanting, old yellowing underground shoots, or a very overgrown horse lump, are cut off.
The needle is tolerant to soil acidity, grows on acidic, neutral soils, sometimes in nature it can be found on very alkaline soils. But at home it is not worth bringing to this - the optimal pH indicator for the absorption of nutrients is 5.5-6. Ruskus pot is better clay, wide, perfect - an oblong container. Large holes for water runoff are required at the bottom. If it is one, you can enlarge it with a tile drill. Instead of drainage, cover the hole at the bottom with a shard of coconut shell.
Reproduction: Dividing the bush during transplantation and seeds. Seeds are sown in early spring when snow melts (they need a period of cold stratification) - you can sow seeds in bowls and leave them on a cold balcony. But germination is unfriendly, sometimes dragging on for up to 12 months or more.
