2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Larch (lat. Larix) - a genus of trees of the Pine family. Today larch is one of the most widespread conifers. In nature, culture is found in almost all corners of the world; it occupies significant areas in the Far East, Siberia and the Urals. The genus has about 20 species. Larches are long-lived; in natural conditions, specimens up to 800 years old have been recorded.
Characteristics of culture
Larch is a tree with a loose conical crown at a young age and a blunt-apical, ovoid or rounded crown at a mature age. There are larch trees with a one-sided flag-shaped crown, this is a consequence of constant piercing winds. The root system is powerful, highly branched, does not have a pronounced taproot. In permafrost conditions, plants form a superficial root system; such trees often suffer from windfall.
The needles are bright green, soft, narrow-linear, on short shoots they are located in bunches, on elongated ones - singly or spirally. With the onset of autumn, the needles acquire a golden yellow color, and subsequently completely fall off. Cones are cylindrical, ovoid or round, ripen in the year of flowering. Seeds are triangular, winged, located under each scale. Seeds, if stored properly, remain viable for up to 4 years. Seeds collected from lonely standing specimens are sterile. Larch trees are gas- and winter-resistant, as well as cold-resistant properties, they can develop even in northern regions with severe winters.
Growing conditions
Larch is one of the extremely light-loving crops; in highly shaded areas, it develops poorly and often dies. Under optimal conditions, trees grow quickly and by the age of thirty they add up to 100 cm of growth. As mentioned above, the culture is resistant to any temperature extremes; in the far north, it is not afraid of seventy-degree frosts.
Larch also does not put forward special requirements for soil conditions, it can grow without problems both on waterlogged and waterlogged soils, but in such areas the plants are usually stunted and stunted. Well-drained, moderately moist, sandy loam or loamy soils are optimal for larch.
Reproduction
Larch trees propagate by seeds and cuttings, but the latter method is ineffective. Vaccination is also not prohibited, however, it is advisable only when multiplying decorative and valuable forms. Seeds are sown immediately after collection in seedling containers with light fertile soil. The seeds of the culture sprout hard and for a long time, so they are sown very densely. Before sowing, the seeds do not need to be processed, although stratification will accelerate the germination process. In schools (beds for the growth of cuttings, seedlings, children of bulbous plants, etc.), young plants are transplanted after 2-3 years. By the fifth year of life, the seedlings reach a height of 100-150 cm, by the ninth they begin to bear fruit.
Larch seedlings are planted at the age of two, but when trying to create a coniferous garden, this age is simply unacceptable. Six-year-old seedlings with a lump are optimal for landscaping a garden. Saplings are planted in early spring before the leaves bloom or in the fall immediately after leaf fall. The distance between the plants should be at least 2-4 m. The depth of the planting pit varies from 60 to 80 cm. At the bottom of the pit, a roller is formed from a soil mixture consisting of peat, leafy earth and sand in a ratio of 2: 3: 1. Drainage is laid on heavy and clay substrates. Strongly acidic soils are preliminarily limed.
Care
The main tasks of caring for larch are feeding, watering, loosening and weeding. Top dressing is carried out annually in the spring with the use of complex mineral fertilizers, for example, "Kemiri-universal". Larch trees are watered only during prolonged drought, at the rate of 15-20 liters per tree (the amount depends on age). Loosening of the near-trunk zone is carried out only under young plants, the optimal loosening depth is 20 cm. To keep the near-trunk circle clean of weeds, it is mulched with sawdust or peat in a layer of 5-6 cm.
Plants have a negative attitude towards shearing, but at a young age they are accepted. Also, young specimens need shelter for the winter. Kraft paper would be an ideal option for these purposes. Among diseases and pests, the culture is most often affected by the larch mining moth, as a result of its vigorous activity, the needles acquire a whitish hue and become flabby. It is possible to cope with the pest only in a chemical way, that is, by processing insecticides.
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Russian Larch
Russian larch is one of the plants of the family called pine, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Larix rossica Ilyinsky. As for the name of the Russian larch family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Pinaceae Lindl. Description of Russian larch Russian larch is a tree that will reach a height of about twenty five to thirty five meters.
Siberian Larch
Siberian larch is one of the plants of the family called pine, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Larix sibirica Ledeb. As for the name of the Siberian larch family itself, in Latin it will be like this: Pinaceae Lindl. Description of Siberian larch Siberian larch is a monoecious coniferous tree with a pyramidal crown.
Larch Sponge
Larch sponge is one of the plants of the family called polypores, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Fomitopsis officinalis L. As for the name of the polypore family itself, in Latin it will be: Polyporaceae R.Br. Description of larch sponge Larch sponge is also known under such popular names as agaric and medicinal tinder fungus.
Larch - Summer Green Conifer
Two words, "coniferous tree", give birth to a tree in the imagination, which is one green color both in winter and in summer. But larch breaks the general rule by shedding its delicate needle-like leaves for the winter. But the cones, ripening in the fall, hang on the tree until all the winged seeds spill out of their hiding places
