| Life form | Tree |
| Family | Aquifoliaceae |
| Origin | Western and Southern Europe, North-West Africa, South-West Asia |
| Ease of cultivation | A fairly complex plant for growing in an apartment. |
| The size | In a pot up to 1.8 m in height and width and more. |
| Growth rate | Not very tall |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Temperature | It prefers a temperature of no higher than + 69,8 ° F, the minimum temperature that a plant can withstand + 59 ° F. At high temperatures, holly requires more moisture. Holly needs a cool wintering, only in this case it can grow in an apartment. |
| Humidity | Not less than 60%. It is necessary to spray regularly in summer. |
| Lighting | Bright diffused light, needs some amount of direct sun, especially variegated forms. |
| The soil | Ready-made, breathable, fertile soil is suitable. For soil preparation: 1 part of turf ground, 1 part peat, 1 part humus, 1 part leaf land, 1 part coarse sand or perlite. Always use a pot with a hole. You can use soil from peat and perlite. pH 5.5-7. |
| Watering | Summer abundantly watered every 2-3 days as the soil dries. Between watering the soil should dry up. Holly can not stand the stagnation of moisture. Winter and autumn watering is reduced. |
| Fertilizer | From April to September 1 every 2 weeks with liquid fertilizer, however too high concentrations of nitrogen can be harmful to the plant. |
| Reproduction | For propagation seeds need stratification is necessary to place the seeds in a moist cotton wool or gauze (or in pots of peat), wrapped in plastic, and then several times to place the seeds in the refrigerator (at the top shelf), then dostatvat them. The seeds of the holly germinate quite hard, therefore vegetative reproduction by cuttings is preferable. Use cuttings about 7.5-10 cm long, which are germinated in the autumn, pre-treated with hormones, in a mixture of peat and sand. Germinate at a temperature of 64,4 ° F usually for 40-80 days. |
| Bloom | In spring and summer forms small white flowers.There are female and male holly plants. To obtain fruits and seeds, the presence of both male and female plants is necessary. |
| Transfer | Spring every year in a fresh soil mixture. Adult plants are transplanted no more often than 1 time in 3 years. When transplanting, gloves should be worn not to prick the sharp leaves. |
| Features of care | Requires regular pruning in the spring. Be careful with the sharp leaves of the holly, especially children. |
| Difficulties | Very often at low humidity is affected spider mites, mealybugs, whitefly, may appear Quadraspidiotus perniciosus, aphids. With excessive watering, root rot is possible. On the leaves, spots can occur due to fungal diseases (the affected leaves should be removed at the same time). |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | The plant is poisonous. When eaten, it can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms that are not life threatening. |
