Pfaffhütchen (spindle bush) – care, cutting and propagation

The undemanding plant can be found almost everywhere in the local flora and also thrives in your own garden in almost any location you choose.

• A bright location, if possible, directly in the sun or in the light penumbra, is preferred by the warmth-needy eel-hat.
• In places that are too dark, the plant vegetates to itself and forms only a few or hardly any flowers.

The “common spindle bush” is often used in landscape planning, is used as a fastening for bank edges as well as as a noise protection wood and erosion protection. Despite its versatility and robustness, the pioneering wood makes certain demands on the soil quality:

• In order to optimally promote the growth of the bulky shrub, humus-rich soil is mixed with a little lime.
• The location must have a deep soil, which is completely penetrated by the fine roots of the Euonymus europaeus.
• A compacted soil structure damages the plant – regular loosening of the top substrate layer is therefore advisable.

In order to prevent the garden plant from multiplying unintentionally, a rhizome barrier around the eucoat is recommended. If this does not happen, the poisonous beauty can quickly become a nuisance in your own garden.

Watering and fertilizing

Euke cones are often found growing wild on the edges of fields and forests. In order to cultivate the plant in your own garden and not let it degenerate into an “annoying” weed, you need the right care. There are also a few things to consider when it comes to “pouring”:

• The soil must be permeable – waterlogging quickly damages the fine roots of the spindle bush.
• Pour moderately. As soon as the top substrate layer has dried, it is poured again.
• Reduce the amount of water from the beginning of September.
• Chalky tap water can also be used to water the plant.

From April to the end of July – in the main growth phase – an additional supply of nutrients is recommended for Euonyms europeus. This can easily be done in the form of conventional liquid fertilizer.

• Mix a thick layer of compost, horn shavings or lawn cuttings under the substrate in spring and autumn.
• A special bonsai fertilizer is required if the eucone is grown as a bonsai.

Cut the spindle bush

The large shrub, which can reach a height of over 6 meters, can easily be brought into the desired shape with the right cut. It is important, however, that the pruning must take place regularly and already with the young plants.

• The clearing cut takes place in spring or late autumn.
• In order to achieve a more compact growth, disturbing main branches are completely removed. This stimulates the eucoat to sprout numerous new shoots.
• In order to roughly define the growth habit, radically remove disruptive secondary and new shoots.
• The pruning-compatible plant can also be completely cut back in spring or autumn.
• Any cuts that have occurred do not need to be treated.

Repot

As a rule, spindle trees grown outdoors are not repotted. But even if it has become a nuisance in many places, some enthusiasts grow the plant in bonsai format. The maintenance effort is immensely higher and in addition to the correct cut, the ephemera must also be replanted about every two years.

• Carefully shorten the root ball of the plant by about 1/3 of its volume.
• Drainage on the bottom of the pot prevents waterlogging – bonsai plants in particular are very susceptible.
• Prepare a nutrient-rich substrate mixed with small amounts of lime and insert the cut mini spindle tree.
• Special bonsai soil is also very suitable.
• Do not change location in the first few weeks and water sufficiently.

Multiplication

The plant will self-seed in late autumn when the brightly colored seed pods fall to the ground. Growing them yourself is difficult and not always successful. You have a better chance of success with the Pfaffenhütchen if you resort to propagation with shoot cuttings.

• As with many other trees and shrubs, the shoot cuttings are also taken from the spindle bush at the end of June.
• A young shoot is carefully cut off with a sharp knife and shortened to 10-15 centimeters.
• Cut back large leaves to about 1/3 of their area, this reduces the water loss of the cuttings.
• Remove all flowers, if any.
• The cutting is placed in a prepared plant container with potting soil.
• The substrate can be mixed together with conventional potting soil and sand.
• Water well and ensure that the soil is always moist.
• To speed up the rooting process, wrap a clear film around the plant and the container. This increases the humidity and minimizes heat loss.
• The roots can take up to three months to form.
• If the plant has a well-developed root system, it can be cultivated as usual at its location in the field.
• A warming protective layer made of compost or lawn clippings is recommended for the first winter.

Rooting in growing containers increases the chances of success and prevents possible pest infestation. If early frost breaks or other circumstances make it impossible to move the young plants into the garden, the ephemeral cones, also known as spindle bushes, can easily overwinter in a bright room at temperatures between 4 – 8 ° C.

Overwinter

If there is one thing that the euuu does not need, it is protection from the cold season. The deciduous spindle tree knows how to protect itself very well from frost and other weather-related circumstances in the home garden and in the open field. The only exceptions here are young shoot cuttings and spindle trees that were grown as bonsai.

Recognize and avoid possible maintenance errors

Flowers and fruits fall off prematurely:

• If the large shrub has been watered too much and too often, it reacts sensitively – reduce the watering.
• Also a clear indication when too much fertilizer has been used. If it is cultivated outdoors, stop the additional supply of nutrients for about one to two months.
• Regularly loosen and mulch the soil around the plant. This allows excess water to flow off better and faster.

The plant does not bloom:

Flowers only form on the two-year-old shoots. Consider the clear cutout and do not radically remove all of the main shoots.

Leaves dry up and fall off prematurely:

• Water the plant sufficiently in the main growth phase or in midsummer. The root ball must not dry out completely.
• Ephemas need a calcareous soil.
• Possible sign of a lack of nutrients. Immediately supply the crop with liquid fertilizer or compost.

Pests and diseases

The Pfaffenhütchen is considered to be extremely robust and undemanding. Nevertheless, some types of pests and fungal diseases do not stop at the pioneer wood.

Felt gall mite
The approximately 0.4 mm large felt gall mite prefers to live under the leaves of the host plant and feed on its cell sap. An infestation is expressed by a white, felt-like coating on the underside and a yellow-greenish yellowing on the upper side of the leaves. In the case of a strong overpopulation, the plant reacts with premature leaf shedding, but usually an infestation with felt gall mites does not have to be combated.

Web moth
The larvae of the web moth are voracious and extremely annoying. The small butterfly larvae are able to radically remove all of the leaves of their host plant and buds are not spared. The conspicuous white caterpillars with black markings on the body often occur regionally. The silvery web of insatiable pests can cover entire plants and even entire groups of trees. There are numerous commercially available insecticides for combating spider moth caterpillars. However, these extremely aggressive agents should only be used with caution and in small amounts, because insecticides also damage beneficial insects and the natural predators of the web moth over the long term. Therefore, do without the chemical club and collect the caterpillars one by one by hand.

Powdery mildew
In powdery mildew, a distinction is made between two different fungal cultures that need different weather conditions to survive.

Powdery mildew is known as the “fair weather mushroom” . As the name suggests, this fungus often occurs on dry summer days and prefers to attack plants that are already weakened by the heat and a substrate that is too dry. The upper side of the leaves, buds and shoots is affected; a flour-like, whitish coating forms here, which dusts when moved or vibrated.

• An infestation with powdery mildew must be treated, as the “powdery mildew” also tends to overwinter.
• Regular spraying with horsetail or nettle broth prevents powdery mildew.
• Silica-containing agents help effectively control both types of powdery mildew.
• Immediately remove infected plant regions and isolate the infected plant if possible.
• Water the eucoat regularly, especially in the warm season.
• Avoid over-fertilization.

The downy mildew requires a lot of moisture, and the ornamental and vegetable plants are exposed to enormous especially for a prolonged period of rain to the risk of infestation.

The downy mildew spores completely penetrate the plant tissue. A common sign of an infestation is a whitish coating on the underside of the leaves, and brown, purple or yellow discolored areas on the upper side of the leaves are a clear indication of “downy mildew”.

• You can also prevent downy mildew by regularly hosing down with a prepared stock made from field horsetail.
• A sauce made from garlic and onions has also proven itself in the event of an infestation.
• Generously remove any areas infected with powdery mildew and throw them into the residual waste bin. This prevents infestation of other plants.
• Plan a certain minimum distance between the individual plants in the garden when you are planting. This makes it difficult for the powdery mildew to spread to neighboring plants.

Conclusion
Whether as a decorative ornamental shrub or a light privacy screen – the Pfaffenhütchen can be used in many ways in your own garden. Especially in autumn it impresses with its multicolored leaves and also makes little demands on location and care. And even if the “common spindle bush” was selected as poisonous plant of the year in 2006, it has lost none of its popularity.