2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Birch (lat.betula) - a genus of deciduous shrubs and trees of the Birch family. Includes over 100 species. It is considered one of the most widespread and most important forest-forming species in Russia. In nature, it grows in the Northern Hemisphere. Typical places are plains, dry rocky slopes, sultry steppes, damp river banks, swampy tundra and mountains. It is used in gardening, household, medicine, cooking and other purposes. It is a soil-improving crop.
Characteristics of culture
Birch is a deciduous shrub or tree up to 45 m high with a powerful root system and a trunk covered with white, pinkish, yellowish or reddish-brown, gray or black bark. Birch bark (the outer part of the bark) flakes off with ribbons of different sizes. As it grows, the lower part of the trunk becomes black and fissured. The kidneys are sessile, covered with sticky scales.
Leaves are green, smooth, whole, triangular-ovate or ovate-rhombic, with a wedge-shaped base, often truncated, arranged alternately. In the fall, the foliage turns yellow or golden yellow. Male flowers are small, green, collected in erect ear-shaped thyrsus, up to 4 cm long. In autumn, the inflorescences droop and acquire a brown color. Outside, the inflorescences are covered with a resinous substance that protects them from moisture.
Female earrings are formed on the tops of shortened shoots, which are formed from the buds of last year's shoots. Female earrings bloom at the same time as male ones, differ in the structure of scales and length. The fruit is a flattened lenticular nut, formed from fertilized female earrings. Fruits ripen in July-September, quickly fall off. The seeds are small.
The subtleties of growing and planting
Birches develop well on moderately moist, loose, fertile soils with an optimal content of humus and minerals. Negatively, the culture refers to excessively calcareous, waterlogged and poor substrates. Birches are light-requiring, although they grow well in shaded areas and even in dense shade. For decorative views, intensely lit areas should be allocated. Birches are frost-resistant plants, they easily tolerate sudden temperature changes and spring frosts.
Birch trees are propagated by seeds, which are harvested at the time the earrings acquire a brown color. Sowing is carried out in autumn or early spring. After felling, the culture is resumed by stump growth, which forms at the root collar. This applies not only to young trees, but also to 60-70-year-old specimens. When propagating by root shoots, you can get interesting multi-stem forms that will decorate any garden or suburban area.
Planting of 3-5-year-old birch seedlings is carried out in early spring, older trees - a couple of months before the onset of stable cold weather. Planting dates depend on the climatic conditions of the region. The optimum distance between plants is 3-4 m. The root collar is not buried during planting. The soil mixture is made up of leafy earth, washed river sand and peat in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Drainage with a layer of 10-15 cm is welcome.
Care
Decorative forms of birches require annual feeding. Fertilizers are applied in early spring (before the leaves appear). For feeding, it is recommended to use mullein (1 kg), urea (10 g) and ammonium nitrate (15 g). The specified amount of fertilizers is dissolved in 30 liters of water and watered. The resulting solution is intended for feeding 10-20-year-old trees; for adult specimens, the dosage is increased.
Watering only during prolonged drought. Loosening and weeding as needed. The depth of loosening is 3-4 cm. Mulching of the near-stem zone is not necessary, but this procedure will greatly facilitate the work of caring for the plants. You can use peat compost, wood chips, pine litter or wood chips as mulch. Formative pruning is not needed, sanitary pruning is required. It consists in removing dry and damaged shoots.
Among the pests the most dangerous for birch are pipe-worm beetles, silkworm nun caterpillars and May beetles. If insects and their larvae are found on the plants, they are immediately treated with insecticides, the damaged leaves are removed and the trunks are dug up.
Application
Most of the birch species are actively used in landscape design. They are appropriate in gardens, parks and alleys. They are used to create transparent groves, dense massifs and protective curtains. Decorative undersized forms look great in solitary plantings and as a background for the lawn. They are combined with both coniferous and deciduous shrubs and trees. Perennial and annual flower crops and various herbs can complement such a union. Especially often birch branches are used for the manufacture of bath brooms. The breed is also used for preparing firewood.
Recommended:
Birch - Spruce Nanny
Summer residents, who are not attracted to work in the beds, try to plant more trees on their site, and not fruit trees, but those that grow freely in the wild, without requiring attention and care. In such cases, it is simply not realistic to ignore the white-trunk birch
Birch Jacquemont
Birch Jacquemont (Latin Betula jacquemontii) - deciduous tree of the genus Birch of the Birch family. It is a useful variety of Birch (Latin Betula utilis). It occurs naturally in Eastern Afghanistan and the Himalayas. Typical habitats are mountain slopes.
Dwarf Birch
Dwarf birch (Latin Betula nana) - a species of low-growing shrubs of the genus Birch of the Birch family. Other names are small birch, dwarf birch, dwarf birch, dwarf birch. In nature, the plant is found in many European countries, in Canada and Russia.
Black Birch
Black birch (lat.betula nigra) - a representative of the Birch genus of the Birch family. Another name is river birch. The homeland of the species in question is the United States of America. In nature, it occurs in wetlands, flood plains, river valleys and other places with damp sandy soils.
Birch Schmidt
Schmidt birch (Latin Betula schmidtii) - a representative of the Birch genus of the Birch family. Another name is iron birch. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the species in question is considered a rare tree species. The culture got its name in honor of the Russian botanist and geologist Fyodor Schmidt.
