2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Oxydendrum (lat. Oxydendrum) - a genus of shrubs and trees of the Heather family. The genus includes one species - Oxydendrum arboreum. Natural area - the eastern part of North America. At home, it is used to create heather gardens and oak-heather forests.
Characteristics of culture
Oxydendrum is a highly decorative deciduous tree or shrub up to 12 m high with a smooth brown-red bark. Young shoots are light green. Leaves are dark green, numerous, oblong-oval, up to 20 cm long, with serrated edges, arranged in a spiral manner. In autumn, the foliage becomes bright orange in color with shades of red.
The flowers are small, bell-shaped or goblet, fragrant, collected in dense drooping paniculate inflorescences up to 25 cm long. The fruit is a polyspermous pubescent capsule. Oxydendrum has a very attractive and unusual look, it is perfect for landscaping personal plots. The plant is winter-hardy, it can be grown in areas with a temperate climate.
Growing conditions
Shady areas are most acceptable for culture. In sunny areas, the oxydendrum bloom will be short-lived and scarce. Soils are preferably drained, light, acidic, moderately moist, peaty, without lime. It is not prohibited to use a mixture of sand, peat, coniferous soil or bark compost. The plant of lowlands with stagnant melt water does not accept. Alkaline, waterlogged and saline soils are also not suitable for cultivation. It is possible to grow on clay soils, but subject to good drainage.
Reproduction
Like all members of the Heather family, oxydendrum propagates by seeds, layering and cuttings. Oxidendrum seeds are very small, and they must be sown in seedling pots, without embedding them in the soil under glass. The optimum temperature is 18-20C. The substrate is prepared from coniferous soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. Seedlings appear in 1-1, 5 months. In the summer, seedling bowls are kept in the garden, and with the onset of cold weather they are brought into the room. In a permanent place, the formed seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
Oxydendrum cuttings are carried out at the end of summer. Cuttings are rooted in a mixture of sand and peat. The substrate is regularly moistened, it is advisable to cover the containers with cuttings with a film. The film should not come into contact with the planting material. Periodically, the film cover is removed for ventilation. Systematic foliar feeding with a weak urea solution is important. Micronutrient supplementation is also acceptable.
Reproduction by layering is an effective and uncomplicated method. Ripe oxydendrum shoots in late spring or early summer are bent to the soil surface, fixed and sprinkled with peat. Abundant watering is essential for successful rooting. With the appearance of the root system in the cuttings, they are separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent place or for growing in pots.
Care
Oxydendrum is a moisture-loving plant, watering should be frequent and abundant, especially in the absence of precipitation for a long time. Lack of moisture can affect the condition of the shrub. The thing is that the oxydendrum root system is shallow, and the roots are not able to extract soil. Top dressing is carried out in the spring. Fertilizers are applied to the near-stem zone very carefully. For top dressing, it is recommended to use complex fertilizers, but in limited quantities. Weeding of the near-stem zone is carried out together with loosening.
Mulching is required. Experienced gardeners advise using only natural material, for example, pine bark, large sawdust, wood chips, fern soil, coniferous litter, peat. Do not use film as mulch. Mulch will keep plants from overheating and drying out. Oxidendrum pruning is carried out in the spring. Pruning is necessary to remove old, broken and thickening branches, as well as to give plants a beautiful decorative crown. For the winter, the near-trunk zone is mulched with peat with a layer of at least 10-15 cm. Young plants should be covered with spruce branches.
Application
In Russia, oxydendrum is rarely used for gardening gardens, and this is despite the fact that the plant is highly decorative. It looks great in single landings. Oxydendrum is appropriate in automnalia, because with the onset of autumn, the foliage acquires a beautiful crimson color. The leaves of the culture are eaten, and raw.
