2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chilean araucaria (lat. Araucaria araucana) - large evergreen tree; a representative of the genus Araucaria of the Araucaria family. Chile and the western regions of Argentina are considered to be the homeland, in the same place the culture grows in the wild. Currently, Chilean araucaria is actively cultivated in Western Europe, and trees can also be found in parks and botanical gardens in the Caucasus and Crimea. In other regions of Russia, the species in question is grown as a houseplant, not exceeding 1.5 m in height. True, growing at home is a very laborious process, and takes a lot of time and effort. It's all the fault of the heating and dry air in the apartments, and in winter plants need coolness and good lighting.
Characteristics of culture
Chilean araucaria is a coniferous tree up to 60 m high with a wide-pyramidal or rounded-conical crown and a trunk reaching 1.5 m in diameter. The trunk and branches are covered with resinous, thick, longitudinally fractured bark. Leaves (needles) are prickly, very hard, dark green in color, up to 4 cm long, arranged spirally and tightly.
At the beginning of growth, the cones are covered with elongated scales bent upward, partially superimposed on each other, later the scales break off. Mature cones are spherical, brown, reach 15-18 cm in diameter, average weight - 1.5 kg. One adult tree produces about 30 cones containing up to 300 large seeds. Seeds are oblong, winged, with narrow edges along the edges, up to 4 cm long.
Chilean araucaria does not differ in winter hardiness, it prefers a warm, humid climate. Very demanding on the location, does not tolerate shade, needs intense lighting. The culture makes no less demands on soil conditions. The soil for growing trees should be fertile, moist, loose and permeable. The culture rejects swampy, poor and saline soils.
The seeds of the Chilean araucaria, like its closest relative, the Brazilian araucaria, are used for food. They have a pleasant taste and high calorie content. The trees themselves are used as an ornamental culture, it looks spectacular on the lawn (we are talking about regions with a subtropical climate). Potted specimens are in no way inferior in beauty to those that can be found in nature, if only short in stature.
Chilean araucaria has two decorative forms:
* f. latifolia (broad-leaved) - the form is represented by powerful trees, characterized by wide needles;
* f. aurea (golden) - the form is represented by large trees with golden needles.
Growing at home
The cultivation of Chilean araucaria in Russia is possible only at home, since the plants will not tolerate frost and will die in the same year. It is important to take good care of trees, improper care can greatly affect their health, just like the wrong location. Containers with araucaria are placed in a well-lit room, protected from scorching sunlight at midday. To ensure that the plants grow proportionally, the pots must be systematically rotated 90 degrees.
In summer, the air temperature should be no more than 20C, in winter - at least 10C. Watering is one of the most important procedures for caring for Chilean araucaria. In summer, watering is frequent and moderate; in winter, the amount of watering is reduced. Drying and waterlogging of the soil in the container must not be allowed. Watering is carried out with warm and settled water, cold and too hot water is not suitable.
Regular spraying is beneficial for plants; this procedure will preserve the rich color of the needles. The soil mixture for araucaria is made up of turf, peat, leafy soil and sand, taken in equal proportions. You can add coniferous soil to the mixture. As the araucaria grows, they are transplanted into larger containers.
The transplant is carried out in the spring (in March - April). A good drainage layer is organized at the bottom of the pots. As a rule, araucaria are transplanted once every 4 years, more frequent transplants are dangerous. Chilean top dressing is no less important for the development of araucaria. They are held twice a week in spring and summer. For top dressing, it is recommended to use mineral fertilizers with a minimum calcium content, since the culture is very sensitive to this component.
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