I Have A 1 Foot Tall Aucuba. I Want To Pot It To Grow Outside. How Big Should The Pot Be?

Question

I have a tiny yard and was gifted an aucuba japonica (Gold dust?) Doubled in size (now 14 inches tall) and needs to be transplanted from the small pot it is in now. Is September a good time to transplant it in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US? If I was to keep it in a pot, how big should that new pot be? I understand that the soil must be well-drained and a combination of heavier garden soil and potting material and that it should not be fed during the fall and winter months. Can you help me?

Answer 1

You need to start with a container about 2 inches wider all around than the rootball. You probably could start with a container that is 12 inches wide but you can size it up or down when you pull out the rootball. You don't want to start out with a pot that is very large because the extra soil will hold moisture and could lead to root rot.

Every couple of years you can move up in container size by one or two sizes if the roots have filled the container. Aucuba is slow growing, so you may not need to repot that often.

You will need to bring it indoors for the winter or in a garage that doesn't get much below freezing. Aucuba is hardy from zone 7b to 10 and you are in zone 7a. I grew it outside in zone 6 but when it is in a container, the hardiness of the plant should be about 2 zones lower. So you would need a plant hardy to zone 5 to keep it outside in a container. Even then, I would recommend moving it to a sheltered area.

Here is more information on its care:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/aucuba/container-grown-aucuba.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/aucuba/aucuba-plant-care.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/aucuba