Download Dwarf Yaupon Holly Care Sheet

Dwarf Yaupon
Holly Care Sheet
Brought to you by
S & S Bonsai of Colorado Springs, Colorado
(Most of the included information is obtained from several
online sources.)
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if
you were to live forever.”
—Mahatma Gandhi—
The Dwarf Yaupon Holly
(Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’)
General Information: Yaupon holly is a native of
North America. They are excellent to work with
and will make quality medium and shohin size
bonsai.
The yaupon has simple, leathery, dark green
leaves that are held alternately on the branches.
Leaves are oval shaped, usually about 0.25-1 inch
(0.6-2.5 cm) and crenate (like saw teeth) along the
edges. It is one of eleven hollies native to Florida.
It usually grows as a shrub but occasionally may
be found as a tree. Growth rate is slow to moderate.
Yaupon is dioecious which means that male and
female flowers are born on separate plants. The
tiny white flower appears in spring in great numbers and are borne in the leaf axils, close against
the stem. Female flowers are following by small
1/4” bright red berries that persist on the trees
through fall and winter.
The Weeping Yaupon Holly does not sprout from
the roots, like other varieties of the species. A
tough native of the southern United States, Yaupon Holly grows in a variety of locations, from full
sun or shade to seaside or swamps, in sand or
clay. It will grow in soil with a pH in the 7's.
The bark is smooth and gray and is often mottled
with yellow-green patches of lichen.
The portion of the name of the plant, "Vomitoria",
is a rather unsavory name given to a very nice and
useful plant. The early settlers in the SE USA
learned from the Indians that the leaves of this
plant could be used to make tea. The Indians used
the leaves to prepare their ceremonial black drink
by drying the leaves until they are black and crumbly, then steeping in hot water. However, if the
leaves are used without going through the drying
process they produced a memorable reaction on
the human digestive system. Hence the addition of
"vomitoria" to its name.
CARE
Temperature: Yaupon are only hardy in zones 7-9
so a lot of winter protection is required. Protect the
tree when temperatures approach 40° F.
Lighting: Full sun; although in its natural habitat, it
will tolerate heavy shade, possibly causing the
leaves to be larger. So the more light it has the
more dense its foliage will be.
Watering: Requires consistently moist soil; do not
let dry out between waterings. Highly salt-tolerant.
Watering daily in the hottest part of the year is
very important since missing a day may cause leaf
drop and twigs to die back. In nature, yaupons
grow along stream and river margins as well as in
more arid regions such as sand dunes. However
they require consistent watering to promote good
growth.
Fertilizing: It is critical to fertilize carefully in the
spring when new growth is at it’s peak. You can
encourage smaller leaves in March, April and May
by using 1/4 strength soluble liquid fertilizer or one
tablespoon of organic fertilizer to a gallon of water
every two weeks. In the summer it should be given
half strength liquid fertilizer every two or three
weeks. It prefers an evenly balanced (20-20-20)
fertilizer but is not too choosy.
Pruning / Training: Prune new shoots back to 2-3
leaves during growth when six to eight pairs have
developed. Prune above a leaf facing in the direction you want new growth to extend. The flexible
branches make wiring easy, although the bark will
need to be protected. Wire from spring-autumn. Its
new growth shows a strong tendency to upwards
growth and must either be wired horizontal or
pruned to retain shape. When pruned it will burst
forth profusely with new thick growth throughout
the growing season. They bud back readily on old
wood.
Insects / Pests: Leaf-miners, leaf spot, aphids,
scale, mites and spittlebugs have been known to
attack Ilex. Twig gall may occur in response to a
fungal infection. The over production of fruit may
weaken the tree.
Propagation: Ilex vomitoria nana may be found
growing in the wild and may be collected in early
Spring. They may be grown from seed or from soft
wood cuttings. Growing from seed, while possible,
will take a fairly long time to develop. Nurseries
are a good source of this material, should you be
unable to collect a specimen.
Repotting: Ilex can be repotted every 1-2 years
using a well draining bonsai soil. Care should be
taken when handling large root balls, removing no
more than 25% per repotting.
Design and Styling: Yaupons seem to lean toward
the ‘old oak tree’ style when shaping for bonsai.
Also they do well with windswept, informal upright and cascade.