How to Care for a Bottlebrush Buckeye Plant
- 1). Select a planting site for your bottlebrush buckeye shrub that is in partial shade and has moist, loamy, acidic soil. A shady spot under some deciduous trees is ideal. Give it room to spread out; bottlebrush buckeye can grow to 12 feet high and 20 feet wide.
- 2). Prepare the site for your bottlebrush buckeye by adding 3 to 4 inches of organic compost to the soil to provided nutrients, and include a high-phosphorus fertilizer, such as 5-10-5 NPK, at the rate of 2 lbs. per 100 square feet. Till the added material deeply into the soil.
- 3). Dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper. Place the bottlebrush buckeye in the hole and back fill with soil, watering as you go to prevent gaps and air holes. Tamp the soil down firmly.
- 4). Apply 2 to 3 inches of mulch to conserve water and protect the roots.
- 5). Water your bottlebrush buckeye deeply and regularly during the growing period.
- 6). Feed your bottlebrush buckeye shrub with a light application of a slow-release balanced fertilizer at least once during the growing season, using 1 lb. per 100 square feet. Repeat in late winter.
- 7). Prune your buckeye lightly after it blooms, and prune for suckers to keep your bottlebrush buckeye shrub compact. In winter, you can prune the shrub to the ground; it will come back vigorously in the spring.
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