Laurel tree is an evergreen plant that can be grown in a pot at home. In the open ground, majestic trees and bushes are found in the gardens of the south of Krasnodar, in the Crimea. However, gardeners can grow such a tree in their country house. Shrub leaves have long been considered symbols of greatness and power.
Origin
The noble laurel came from the genus of evergreens of the family Laurel. From ancient times, lavrushka was grown in most countries of the subtropics. Even then it was known what benefit the seed, leaves and fruits of the laurel brought.
Bay leaf, shrub
Important! Leaflets and fruits are used in pharmacology. After the treatment process, concentrated infusions and oils are obtained, which work as a strong diuretic. The plant helps not only in issues of flatulence and intestinal colic. It is considered one of the newer, younger tools that relieve prolonged depression.
The plant was imported from the Mediterranean. There are cases when the laurel lived for about a hundred years and had a height of ten meters.
Plant description
There are three types:
- Camphor, camphor oil is made from it,
- Noble,
- Azores.
The content of essential oils in the tree is from 3.5 to 6%. The tree has a dense crown, which can look like a powerful pyramid. In nature, the laurel continues to grow actively up to 25 meters in height. Foliage is stiff and smooth.
The fruits of the noble laurel
When the plant begins to bloom in the spring, it becomes covered with inflorescences in the form of small umbrellas of a milky color. The fruits ripen in mid-autumn - these are blue-black drupes.
The life span of a laurel can exceed three hundred years. However, without proper care, he begins to run wild, dry and loses the ability to reproduce.
Note! If you care poorly for a tree, then it is attacked by a dangerous disease - sooty fungus. This is a small red plaque that can be easily washed off with water. Laurel can continue to grow, but loses its decorative appearance after an illness.
Growing at home
The shoot from the bay leaf at home, as a rule, is taken of a noble appearance. It interacts well with other indoor plants. It can also be used as a seasoning in the preparation of soups, dumplings, main dishes.
Bay laurel
Note! The aroma of foliage has a specific smell. Therefore, it is only necessary to accidentally tear off a sheet plate or simply rub it, the room will be filled with the familiar bright aroma.
The laurel grows beautifully in the room, is unpretentious and does not require much effort to care, but can die if you forget about it.
Optimal place
Growing bay leaves at home should begin with finding the best place. Most of all, the plant loves sunlight, although it will grow in the shade. However, then the process of growth and development will go much slower.
Important! Be sure to give the bush the opportunity to be in the fresh air. He is not afraid of drafts, so you can safely allow open windows wide open. For laurel frequent airing is necessary. If possible, in the summer it is best to take the pot to the balcony or the street.
The tree is not afraid of temperature fluctuations. It tolerates both low and high temperatures. It feels best with slightly lower air values, so the battery shutdown period for it is the most optimal. In winter, the pot should be placed on the windowsill, where there is access to light and a constant temperature of 12 degrees.
Landing
Planting laurel begins with the preparation of the mixture in which the plant will be planted.
It should take:
- One piece of sand and peat,
- Two pieces of leafy earth,
- Four parts - turf.
The mixture is mixed until the components are completely uniform, then you can plant the plant. The soil is compacted and abundantly moistened after planting the laurel.
Potted bay leaf like sunshine
The pot should be taken small. In the process of growth and development, laurels can be transplanted into a larger container.
Transplantation is carried out once every three years, as the noble laurel grows at a moderate pace.
Additional Information. An adult tree needs a transplant only once every four years. However, the topsoil should be renewed annually.
Breeding
Laurel tree can reproduce in the following ways:
- Using a sprout cuttings,
- The seeds
- Rooted.
The presence of offspring is also possible. When an adult laurel plant is transplanted, the offspring are separated and carefully planted in separate containers.
Layering
The shoots of the plant are very flexible, they can also be propagated by layering. To propagate them in this way, you should trim the low branches of the parent plant in winter.
This is done with the aim of the emergence of new, younger, stronger shoots in the spring. The soil from which the layering will subsequently be taken should be prepared: the earth, peat fertilizer and gravel for drainage are mixed in equal proportions. Shoots that have matured are allotted for the summer period.
Rooted cuttings of laurel noble
Each shoot is interfered with in a special groove of the prepared soil, then it is filled up and the earth is compacted. Bay leaf will be strengthened over two to three months, so the soil should be moistened equally throughout this period.
As soon as the reinforcement has occurred, it is necessary to scoop up the earth between the layer and the parent bush. After a month, pin the cone of the growing layering and carefully remove it. Rhizome must be well developed. It is important to protect young growth from frost and dryness by covering with straw or cloth.
Additional Information. To prevent layering, they can be planted not in open ground, but in specially prepared soil: this is a mixture of earth, peat and crushed bark. Then the cuttings in the pots are placed in the greenhouse until spring, where they are provided with careful cultivation and proper care.
Cuttings
Cuttings are strictly selected. They should have three to four internodes. Before planting, they should be fed by dropping into the Kornevin solution, then they will take root well. After they are lowered into a container of water, where they are until the roots appear.
The addition of laurel cuttings is carried out after the appearance of the roots immediately in a mixture of sand, peat and leafy soil. Then the soil is well moistened, and the plant is closed with a transparent cap.
Important! Be sure to cut the young animals after the cuttings. Otherwise, the newly emerged roots will begin to rot, the plant will die.
The most active breeding season at the laurel is spring.
Seed cultivation
To propagate laurel seeds, you need to be patient and acquire some skills.
Sowing begins in early spring in light soil, the seeds are laid out to a depth of one and a half centimeters. The first seed germination, as a rule, occurs only after two months.
Additional Information. When buying seeds in a store, you should carefully study the date of their packaging. Laurel seeds are distinguished by the fact that in a short time they lose their ability to germinate.
Sprouts that appear may not take root. Of 100 percent of cases, only half can survive. Often, special hormones are used to increase this percentage. With them, the process of formation and formation of the root system is accelerated.
Outdoor tree care
The noble laurel calmly endures dry times. However, in moments of heat, one should not forget about watering and spraying the tree.
Additional Information. Soil impregnation in winter should be limited - this will negatively affect the plant, since the soil is well moistened with water from the snow. In summer, watering is plentiful, in spring and autumn - moderate.
The irrigation scheme for the seasons:
- Summer - 1 time per week,
- Winter - up to twice a month,
- If the young growth is in a greenhouse or a cold house (air temperature - up to +5 degrees), then spraying occurs only with warm water.
An important element of laurel tree care is its pruning. It is carried out in the autumn period. Since the crown is incredibly thick, in the process of cutting it can be given to absolutely any shape.
Additional Information. An adult tree becomes after several years of its life. Therefore, pruning young plants too often does not make sense.
Noble laurel requires careful care from pests. Most often, it affects the leaves that affect the scale. You can see a light sticky coating that glistens in the sun. In this case, the tree seems to include a protective function and begins to secrete essential oils.
First, the lower part of the foliage is inspected, since it is precisely it that is inhabited by dangerous pests. Spraying the tree, it is slightly tilted to the side to prevent chemicals from entering the ground.
Diseases at the laurel, as a rule, occur due to improper care of it. When the foliage begins to turn yellow and dry out, the air means it has become too dry. Also, foliage may begin to curl - this also indicates the cause of intense heat and lack of moisture.
Watering mode
Laurel flowers are very fond of when they are sprayed from a spray bottle. The tree also welcomes the presence of moist air - so it is easier for him to get rid of the dust that has covered the foliage. Once a week, it is a good idea to rinse the plant in the shower - this helps to protect the laurel from many small pests, for example, spider mites.
Laurel tree in open ground
As for watering, it should not be overly zealous. The tree does not like too wet soil. But it should not be brought to the drying of the soil.
In winter, watering should be moderate - two to three times a week. If it is possible to reduce the heat flux in the batteries, do this. It is important to ensure that rhizome rot does not begin.
Top dressing
Before top dressing, the following conditions are met:
- The earth must pass air and water well, so you can loosen it,
- Fertilizers must be organic, mineral. In spring and summer, the soil is fertilized once every 2 weeks, in autumn, in winter - once a month.
It is necessary to feed the tree already in early February, when the laurel begins to grow actively. The moment of rest comes in October.
With the right fertilizer procedure, the plant begins to actively bloom and multiply by seeds.
The leaves on the tree change once every four years. To make a spicy seasoning from them, the collection begins in mid-autumn and continues until the onset of the first frosts. Leaves are also stored for four years.
Flowering of Laurus Nobilis (laurel noble)
If the tree froze over the winter, then the foliage will not be so bright and colorful for the next season. Leaves of mature trees, which are already three years old, usually participate in the collection.
They cut off immediately with young shoots. The drying process takes place naturally in the shade: the branches are laid out close to each other. The leaves dry quickly enough, within one week. They are then packaged for storage in paper bags or containers. A prerequisite is the collection of leaves only in dry weather.
Noble Laurel - tree of incredible beauty and good. If you learn how to properly care for it, then it will delight its owners all year round with bright green foliage, in the summer covered with beautiful flowers.
