Laurel tree at home is the best. Bay leaf on the windowsill

The noble laurel is known to culinary specialists for its fragrant leaves.

It is difficult to imagine many hot dishes without bay leaves, especially soups, cabbage soup, borscht.

However, it is not necessary to buy this seasoning.

Growing laurel noble at home

will provide you with fresh high-quality raw materials.

Laurel noble

In nature, noble laurel is an evergreen plant up to 18 meters high.

Its young leaves and shoots are used as a spice (bay leaf), they also have medicinal properties.

Most of the essential oils in the leaves accumulate in autumn or winter.

Branches with leaves are cut from a 3-4 year old plant and hung in the shade to dry.

When the leaves dry, they are plucked and stored in linen bags.

Cut off up to a third of the crown at a time.

And a year later, new leaves are harvested from the same plant - it grows so fast.

This plant is unpretentious, easily tolerates pruning.

Therefore, in the south it is sometimes used for hedges , giving the most diverse, sometimes bizarre form.

Laurel noble rather frost-resistant plant.

Dies only at 15 degrees of frost.

The drier the air, the lower the temperature it can tolerate.

A bay tree grows on almost any soil, except for marshy ones, but prefers neutral or slightly alkaline ones.

Laurel at home

Laurel noble grows well at home.

He is not afraid of drafts. Therefore, in the summer it is exposed to the open air, slightly shading from straight lines. sun rays.

The only condition when growing laurel

Need it water properly , avoiding waterlogging of the soil, and regularly spray the leaves.

In summer, plants are sprayed so that water penetrates deep into the crown. This helps to prevent the appearance of pests, especially scale insects. When watering, add baking soda to the water (half a teaspoon per 1 liter).

Laurel is placed both in the sun and in the shade, although it branches better in the sun.

In winter, the noble laurel is more comfortable at a temperature of 13 degrees, but it tolerates drops of up to 2 - 5 degrees. If the room temperature is above 18 degrees, then the plant should be sprayed frequently. Otherwise, due to the dryness of the air, the leaves of the noble laurel will begin to fall off, which often happens.

At proper care only those leaves that have been growing for more than three years fall off.

Leaves are harvested as a spice when they grow more than 10 cm in length.

Transplant laurel in the spring , choosing a pot 2 cm larger than the old one. This limits the growth of the root system, and hence the growth of the bush itself.

At the bottom of the pot, be sure to put broken shards and coarse sand with a layer of 3-4 cm for drainage. The land mixture is prepared from turf, leaf soil and sand (2: 1: 0.5).

plant formation

Growing laurel can turn into an exciting activity. After all, a noble laurel can be given any shape!

In the south, there are entire parks with animals, figures, hedges made of living laurel plants.

At home, you can also form various compositions from laurel. To do this, the plant will have to be trimmed often.

The laurel looks beautiful in the form of a ball or pyramid. To form a crown for this, they begin in the spring of the second year of life.

The upper part of the main shoot is cut at a height of 10-12 cm above the soil surface. After that, 2-3 shoots grow from the underlying buds. When these shoots are 15-20 cm long, pinch them.

Thus, the bushes grow by 8-10 cm per year. You can also form them in a standard form.

Reproduction of noble laurel

Laurel plants get used to living conditions in a room better when propagation by seeds .

To plant the seeds, they are cleaned of pulp, as it delays their germination. When dried, the seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, so they are usually sown in the fall. But if this is not possible, then they are stored until spring sprinkled with sand in a cold place.

Seeds are sown in a bowl with a soil mixture of soddy, leafy soil and sand (1: 1: 0.5), covered with a film or glass on top.

They germinate faster at temperatures above 18 degrees.

When the seedlings grow up and they have two leaves, they are seated according to the 2x2 cm pattern or in small pots.

Later they are planted in separate pots.

To propagation of laurel cuttings start in March-April.

Cuttings for this are cut 6-8 cm long from mature, but not lignified shoots. When cutting the handle below, the following technique is used: the knife is driven almost to the end, and then the bark with adjacent tissues is partially torn off.

It turns out, as it were, a heel below the lower node. lower leaves are removed.

Cuttings take root hard .Therefore, root stimulants are used, for example rootin (soaked cuttings are lowered with their lower part into this growth powder; shake off excess powder).

The cuttings are planted in coarse sand to a depth of 1-2 cm according to the scheme 10x10 cm. To maintain air humidity, a plastic bag is pulled from above.

So that it does not touch the cuttings, pegs are installed - it turns out a mini greenhouse.

A month later, when the cuttings take root, they are planted in pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm, using the same soil mixture as for the seedlings.

Healing properties of noble laurel

Laurel noble is used not only as an extremely popular seasoning. It also has healing properties.

In particular, in the house laurel cleans the air . Its aroma is useful for intestinal spasms, inflammation of the respiratory and biliary tract.

To make the aroma stronger, the laurel is placed near the window, watered twice a week with the addition of a glucose solution (5 ml per 5 liters of water) or aspirin (5 g per 1 liter).

At high humidity, the aromaticity of plants increases, so a vessel with water is placed between the plants.

Be sure to remove dead leaves.

Laurel is used not only as a spice, but also for treatment rheumatoid arthritis, gout, flaccid paralysis , with spastic pains, as well as with diabetes mellitus .

Growing noble laurel at home, you will get useful plant very fragrant, beautiful and healing.

Genus laurel (lat. Laurus) belongs to the laurel family and has only 2 species. It grows in the Canary Islands and in the Mediterranean region. Up to forty types of laurel per this moment is found in today's taxonomy in English.

Laurel is an evergreen shrub or tree. simple leaves leathery to the touch, leaf margin entire and slightly wavy. The axillary inflorescences are umbrella-shaped.

If the plant is well looked after, then young specimens can grow at high temperatures and low humidity; adult specimens under such conditions will grow poorly.

Planting and caring for laurel (in brief)

• Bloom: the plant is grown as an ornamental deciduous plant.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• Temperature: in spring and summer - 20-26 ºC, in autumn the temperature is gradually lowered to 12-15 ºC.
• Watering: during the growing season - regular and abundant, as soon as it dries upper layer substrate. In the heat, water twice a day. With the onset of autumn, watering is reduced, and in winter they simply make sure that the substrate does not dry out completely.
• Air humidity: high: in the heat, the plant should be sprayed regularly and kept on a pallet with wet expanded clay.
• Top dressing: during the growing season - once a month with complex mineral fertilizer. In winter, the laurel is not fed.
• rest period: from October to March.
• Transfer: young plants - once every two years, adults - once every 3-4 years.
• Substrate: two parts of humus soil, two parts of leafy and one part of peat, soddy soil and sand.
• Pruning: pruning is carried out in mid-August.
• Reproduction: seeds, cuttings.
• Pests: scale insects, spider mites, mealybugs.
• Diseases: sooty mushroom.
• Properties: the plant is a popular spice and has medicinal properties.

Read more about growing laurel below.

Laurel - photo

Laurel care at home

Lighting

The laurel plant at home calmly tolerates direct sunlight, so it feels good on southern windows with bright lighting. In summer, laurel is best taken out on Fresh air. Despite the fact that laurel normally tolerates direct sunlight, after wintering or immediately after buying a plant, it is gradually accustomed to the sun to prevent the appearance of sunburn. In winter, the plant is kept in a cool and bright place.

Temperature

The optimum temperature in summer is 20-26 °C. Starting in autumn, the temperature should be gradually reduced, and in winter, in order for wintering to be as painless as possible, the temperature should be in the range of 12-15 ° C.

Watering laurel

AT summer period homemade laurel should be watered abundantly with soft water as soon as the topsoil dries. You can water a couple of times a day if the temperature is very high. Since autumn, watering is reduced, and in winter it is watered only 2-3 days after the topsoil has dried.

Spraying laurel

The laurel plant needs high humidity - it must be constantly sprayed with settled water. It will not be superfluous to put the pot with the plant on a pallet with moistened expanded clay or peat, making sure that the bottom of the pot is not immersed in water.

Top dressing laurel

Houseplant laurel during the growing season should be fed monthly with mineral fertilizers.

Laurel pruning

Room laurel can be trimmed - they tolerate a haircut well. You can give the plant any shape. You need to prune when growth stops, usually in mid-August. Those eyes that remain on the plant will develop well before winter, and when the plant begins to grow in spring, they will sprout. When cutting the laurel in the spring, you need to remove the strong eyes at the top, and the growth from the remaining weaker eyes will be small.

Laurel transplant

Laurel flower grows slowly. About once every two years, young plants need to be transplanted if the roots have filled the pot completely, and adult plants - once every 3-4 years. The earth mixture is made up of leafy, humus, soddy soil, sand and peat (2:2:1:1:1). The substrate must be neutral or slightly alkaline. Because indoor plant laurel grows well in small pots, then it should be transplanted into a pot that is no more than 2 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. The size of the tub is increased by no more than 5 cm. Do not forget to build high-quality drainage at the bottom of the pot.

Laurel from seeds

Laurel seeds are sown in spring in pots, bowls or boxes with a soil mixture of two parts of leafy and soddy soil and one part of sand. When sowing, the soil temperature should be at least 18 °C. In the phase of one or two leaflets, seedlings dive at a distance of 2 cm from each other into the same substrate. When the laurel seedlings get stronger, they are transplanted one by one into individual pots 7 cm in diameter in a substrate of 4 parts of soddy soil, 2 parts of leaf, 1 part of peat and sand. Young plants should grow regularly by watering and spraying, at a temperature of 10 to 12 ° C in a lit area.

Reproduction of laurel cuttings

When propagated by cuttings, shoots are cut either in April or early summer. The cuttings should not be stiff, have 2-3 internodes and be up to 8 cm long. They are planted to a depth of 1.5 cm at a distance of 10 cm from each other after shortening the leaves. soil mixture consists of two parts: 2-3 cm sand is poured from above, and three to four centimeters of soddy land are poured from below. Laurel cuttings should root in about 30 days; the temperature should be kept at 16-20 ° C. After the cuttings take root, they are planted in 7 cm pots - the substrate and care are the same as when propagated by seeds.

The healing properties of laurel

The leaves have a stimulating effect and are a spice. Bay leaf stimulates the removal of fluids from the body, used for hysteria and colic. The leaves and fruits are also used for flatulence.

For localized tumors in traditional medicine use extracts from any part of the plant as an anticancer agent. With the help of the same extracts, they take care of the skin of the face. The composition of ointments used for rheumatism includes bay oil.

You can make a tincture from dried bay leaves - crushed leaves are poured with 40% or 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1 to 5. The container is tightly closed and left to infuse for a week at room temperature. After that, filter and pour into a bottle, which is stored in a dark, cool place.

The highest level of essential oils in the bay leaf is found from November to December - it is at this time that it is worth collecting bay leaves to be used in cooking. The leaves are harvested from four to five year old plants.

Diseases and pests of laurel

Laurel turns yellow. Due to insufficient air humidity, laurel leaves may turn yellow and curl up. In this case, the humidity must be increased.

Laurel pests.

It is difficult to find a person who has not heard of bay leaf seasoning. The native area of ​​​​spicy culture is the subtropics. In the Russian Federation, its cultivation in open field possible only in the south. In other regions, the plant is cultivated in conventional room conditions. Experts share their experience on how to get fragrant homemade lavrushka without problems: grow it from seeds, prevent diseases and properly prune the leaves. For clarity, the tips are illustrated with a photo.

Laurel tree: description of the plant. Features of cultivation

An excellent seasoning for first and second courses, sauces and marinades with a strong and unique aroma is bay leaf. And it also has disinfecting and diuretic properties, therefore it is also used in folk medicine. The leaves are rich in useful substances, acids and essential oils. In ancient mythology, laurel branches were a guardian of the house from everything bad.

Attention! Scientifically proven: the tree purifies the air in the room, prevents the formation of fungus and the development of bacteria.

Another property of the home form of the laurel tree is decorative. Always fresh greens can decorate any corner of the room. Even the north side, because to abundance sunlight the plant is unpretentious, although at the south window the bush will turn out denser and more magnificent.

Laurel - useful and ornamental plant

The seeds of the Mediterranean guest are easy to purchase on the Internet or find in flower shops. The fresher the seed, the higher its germination rates will be. The only correct planting dates: spring (end of winter) or autumn.

Laurel planting step by step technology

The process consists of the following steps:

1. Store the seeds in the refrigerator before starting work.
2. Soak the material for 2-3 days. This will help the sprout break through the thick covering of the seed. The floating seeds are unsuitable for propagation.
3. Soak the seeds for several hours in a growth stimulator. For example, in Epi.
4. Plant in regular large pots or containers with good drainage. Use as a base any neutral fertile soil. However, the top layer 2-3 cm thick should consist of disinfected sand.
5. Deepen the seeds by 1 cm and cover the planting with a film. The greenhouse is designed to support high level moisture in the soil.

Be prepared that even if ideal conditions and proper care, you will see seedlings not earlier than in 3-6 months. Therefore, flower growers recommend sowing laurel in January or February. In this case, even with the slowest development, seedlings will appear in the summer, and this is the best time for their active development and growth. Favorable temperature for germination is not lower than +12 °C. After the seeds hatch, remove the film. At the stage of the appearance of a pair of true leaves, dive the seedlings into separate pots.

Laurel seeds

Laurel tree care at room conditions

Unlike other immigrant plants from the Mediterranean subtropics, laurel is unpretentious and hardy. In addition to the possibility of growing in the shade, it has the following features:

• The plant does not like dry air. Regular spraying and bathing once a month under a warm shower are supplemented by installing a container of water. Place it on the windowsill next door. A mini lake can be decorated and made an element of room decor.
• Feed the laurel with fertilizer about once every 3 weeks. From the second season, focus on organics (pigeon droppings have proven themselves well). Throughout the life of the plant, mineral supplements work effectively.
• Water the tree only with settled water at room temperature. From May to September - 1 time in 3 days, the rest of the time - 1 time in 5 days. On the hottest summer days, watering can be increased. However, beware of excess moisture in the soil.
• Young bushes up to 3 years of age need to be transplanted every 2 years into a larger pot. The best time- Spring. Older trees are transplanted no more than 1 time in 5 years. Sometimes old laurels are not transplanted, but simply the topsoil is replaced with a new one. After the procedure, apply organic fertilizer and stop feeding for six months.

Spray your plant regularly

• In summer, fresh air will be useful to the laurel. Take the plant to the balcony, veranda or even to the garden. But beware of cool drafts.
• Do tree trimming. The best time is the turn of summer and autumn. This will encourage the laurel to grow in breadth, not up. Starting from the age of 2, form a crown with garden shears in the form of a ball or any other shape.
• Loosening is also necessary for this plant. Work carefully - the roots do not lie deep.

Advice. In winter, during the dormant period, it is desirable for the laurel tree to provide a cool atmosphere with a temperature in the range of + 10 ... 15 ° C.

Alternative ways to propagate the bay tree

You can also get a new copy of the laurel with horizontal layering and cuttings. The first method is relevant only for open ground, and the second is suitable for indoor culture. Cuttings should be harvested in March or April:

• only shoots of a healthy plant are suitable, which have not yet crusted, but have already matured;
• get segments of 6-8 cm: make an incision half the thickness of the branch, tear off the rest with a small piece of bark;
• the stalk should have a heel, which is located below the first node;
• remove the leaves at the bottom of the segment.

Laurel can be propagated by cuttings

Be prepared for difficulties, because the cuttings take root poorly. To increase the chances of success, soak the cut first in water, then in any root-forming stimulant. Deepen the stalk 2 cm into the cleaned sand and cover with a film. Spray the ground to keep in a greenhouse high humidity. At normal conditions development, the twig will take root in about 1 month. After that, it can be planted in open ground.

laurel tree It has a specific aroma and antimicrobial substances in its juice, therefore it is quite resistant to pests and fungal infections. A plant can become infected only if it is strongly launched. In that case, apply standard methods against specific ailments. External sign poor health of the tree - yellowed leaves. In general, caring for a laurel is easy. Even a beginner can grow it on the windowsill.

In pursuit of beauty appearance you can stumble upon a beautiful Laurel tree. An additional effect of growing it indoors will be a pleasant aroma, and a bonus - protection from blood-sucking insects!

Laurel (from lat. Laurus) is a low evergreen plant of the laurel family. The most common and popular is the laurel variety Nobilis or Noble. The homeland of this tree is the Mediterranean region, from where it then spread throughout the subtropical part of Europe. In Russia, it is often found in the southern part Krasnodar Territory and in the Crimea.

Types of laurel

Noble (from lat. Laurus nobilis)

- in conditions of open air and soil grows up to 12 meters high. It has a pleasant and strong aroma of leaves.

Canarian, also Azorean (from Lat. Laurus azorica)

- the tree is even taller, reaching 15 meters in height. The leaves are larger than those of the noble, have a wavy edge, but the aroma is somewhat weaker than that of its brother.

How to care for noble laurel at home?

Lighting

First of all, choose a bright place, preferably with bright diffused light - an east or west window, a spacious ventilated balcony without direct sunlight. Then you need to pick up the soil and prepare the plant itself - germinate a seed, root a cutting or root layer, or take an already grown bush in a flower shop.

The soil

The tree is unpretentious to the soil, but it is better to choose a light soil for indoor laurel - for example, a mixture of garden soil and sand in a ratio of 5: 1. When buying soil in a store, pay attention to mixtures for indoor palms or cacti - they are also suitable in composition. It is better to grow Laurel nobilis home in small pots, gradually changing them - it is recommended to replant a young plant regularly.

Temperature and watering

At home, caring for laurel is quite simple. After a small tree is rooted and green, it is important to provide it with comfortable conditions and regular watering. In summer, the laurel is watered with water at a temperature of 25–30 degrees. If the tap water in your area is too hard, it must first be filtered or boiled. The plant should not be flooded - too wet soil harms much more than dried earth, and can even kill a tree. On especially hot days, you can also spray the leaves from the spray bottle twice a day (morning and evening). This will help wash dust and dirt off the leaves and reduce the chance of pests.
AT winter period common laurel prefers special care for him: a relatively low temperature - +15 degrees at room humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to remove the pot with the plant away from the heaters, leaving it on a cool windowsill or insulated, but not heated loggia. Watering in winter is usually less intense - a couple of times a week is enough.

Fertilizer

Caring for a noble laurel at home includes top dressing during a period of rapid growth. For this purpose, ready-made mineral or organic fertilizers for house plants, both special "Laurel", and intended for cacti and palm trees. The frequency of feeding - up to two times a month.

Transfer and transshipment

Laurel transplantation is carried out, depending on the age of the plant, once a year for a young tree and after a year or two for an older tree. Fulfill it better in spring before the start of the active period. Laurel cultivation is usually done in small pots, each new pot is selected 5-6 centimeters larger in diameter. Laurel transplantation at home occurs in the following order: first, the root ball is removed from the old pot and gently shake off part of the earth; then transferred to a new pot with drainage laid on the bottom and half filled with soil; the roots are carefully straightened, covered with earth and compacted so that the tree holds firmly. It is important not to pour too much earth, keeping the same relative level as in the old pot. If everything is done correctly, the laurel will grow from new force, continuing to delight with its beauty and aroma.

reproduction

How to grow from seed?

Growing laurel from seeds at home is not a difficult process, but you need to be patient. Seeds can remain viable for up to a year after ripening on a tree, but this is possible only if right conditions storage, so most often they are recommended no later than 3 months. Before planting, you can remove the “shell” from the seeds - the pericarp, this will speed up the germination process. Laurel from the stone at home without pre-treatment sprouts rather slowly - sometimes the sprouts can remain in the ground for up to six months. Do not despair, it is only important to periodically water the soil. When the seedlings hatch and unfold two or three leaves, it is time for picking - the plants are dug up and the root is pinched 2/3 of the length. After this procedure, laurel seedlings are planted in a permanent "place of residence".

How to grow from a cutting?

If among your friends there is already a flower grower who grows laurel, a new seedling can be obtained from an old tree by cuttings. The most suitable time for propagation of indoor laurel by cuttings is spring, but if necessary, the cuttings can be rooted both in summer and in autumn. Twigs are cut 6-8 cm long (two or three internodes) from mature, but not yet lignified young shoots. Then for a day, for better rooting, they are kept in a solution of heteroauxin or potassium permanganate, after which they are buried in the ground for half the length and looked after in the same way as in the case of growing laurel from the stone.

Visual design

The formation of a laurel at home is a simple and, one might say, optional process. Regular, careful pruning creates nice shape crowns and enhances branching, due to which even a small house tree make it look like tall street counterparts, giving the appropriate look - a ball, a pyramid or a classic standard one.

Pests

Among the pests of indoor laurel, scale insects, spider mites, mealybugs and aphids are more common. At the first signs of an unhealthy tree: massively falling yellow or gray leaves, white cobwebs on leaves and branches, damage to the bark and sprouts of the plant, you should immediately begin to isolate it from healthy neighbors. Shchitovka damages almost the entire plant: both leaves and twigs and trunk. With a weak infection, pests can be removed with a cotton swab with soapy water, and with a strong one, Actellik or Karbofos insecticides will be needed (after such treatment, the leaves become unsuitable for human consumption). Spider mite appears on a tree in dry rooms with high air temperatures. A signal to be affected by a tick is the gray color of fallen leaves, the juice of which it feeds on. Aphids pass to nobilis from other plants, including those brought from the garden. To combat it, it is recommended to use a tobacco decoction with soap, which is repeatedly sprayed on the plant.

Diseases

In a deplorable state of home laurel leads improper care at home. Excessive watering leads to leaf spots and root rot, and insufficient watering leads to yellowing of the leaves. AT winter time Without proper care, the leaves may fall off the tree.

Application

At home, some housewives grow noble laurel as a spice, fresh and affordable. The leaves of the plant have a pleasant aroma and a bitter taste that goes well with fish and meat. They are often found in soups, second courses, autumn preparations. The slight scent of wood essential oil freshens the air and helps to reduce the number of insects in the room - for example, mosquitoes do not like it. Homemade laurel is unpretentious in care and takes root without problems in the most different apartments. With proper care, this ornamental leafy plant will delight with its beauty and aroma for many years.

Grow overseas spice on your windowsill? There is nothing easier! Contents1 Description of the plant2 Where it grows3 Species4 Uses5 Beneficial features and...

The noble laurel in the wild grows throughout the Mediterranean. Laurel noble is often grown as a houseplant.

If wild specimens growing in open ground reach 10 m in height, then potted trees are much smaller. In height, they do not exceed 1.5 m. With the help of pruning, it is easy to get a beautiful lush and compact plant.

Laurel leaves have a pleasant smell. They distribute essential oils that have bactericidal properties.

In the article, we will take a closer look at caring for a bay tree at home.

In summer, the plant can be kept at room temperature (22-25°C). Laurel tolerates heat well above 30 ° C. But in winter it is necessary to provide the tree with a cool wintering: during this period it will be at rest. In winter, the laurel is transferred to covered veranda with a temperature of 8-10°C.

In the room where the noble laurel grows, there should always be fresh air.

This plant is not afraid of drafts and responds positively to the daily airing of the room. Laurel should be kept in good diffused lighting.. In summer, it requires shading from direct sunlight.

In winter, lighting should be maximum: at this time, direct rays do not harm the plant. It is best to place the tree on the windowsills of the east and west windows.

In winter, the noble laurel should be moved to the south or southwest side, where there is more light.

Laurel is adapted to a subtropical humid climate. In the apartment, it is desirable to create similar living conditions for him. Humidification is especially important for a plant in the summer heat.

In summer, laurel should be sprayed with separated tap water 2 times a day. It is also useful to humidify the surrounding air by placing the pot in a deep pan with moistened sand, expanded clay or pebbles.

Weekly, the tree is washed in the shower to wash off dust and pests falling on the leaves. In winter, when the laurel is at rest, it does not need to be sprayed.

Watering and fertilizing

Laurel is a moisture-loving plant, but it does not tolerate stagnant water in a pot. Therefore, in the summer it is watered abundantly, but they make sure that excess moisture leaves the ground into the pan. After watering, the top layer of soil should dry out by 2-3 cm. Only after that it is necessary to moisten the soil again.

An earthen ball near a laurel should in no case dry out completely. Such drying will be detrimental to the tree.

In winter, when the room temperature is maintained at about 10ºС, the plant is watered very rarely. Excessive moisture at low temperatures contributes to the rapid development of fungal infections.

Watering is carried out only when the top layer of the earth, as in summer, dries up by 2-3 cm. And just like in summer, the clod of earth in a pot should not be allowed to dry completely.

Usually in winter, laurel is watered every 3-4 weeks.

Feed the tree only in spring and summer during the growing season. Fertilizers are applied to moist soil 2 times a month. For top dressing, you can use any mineral complex fertilizers. In winter, during the dormant period, top dressing is not carried out.

Transplantation and propagation of laurel

Transplantation of young plants is carried out annually. Trees from 5 years of age can be every 3-4 years. Transplantation is carried out in the spring at the end of March or early April after the end of the dormant period before the start of active growth.

It is useful to add a little crushed charcoal to the soil for indoor laurel

The best soil for laurel is a mixture of soddy soil, humus, leaf soil, peat and coarse sand in equal proportions.

It is also helpful to add a small amount of crushed charcoal to it to prevent the development of fungal infections.

However, this tree is not too demanding on the composition of the soil. You can use any purchased universal land for transplanting a plant, and even soil brought from the garden.

To transplant a laurel, you need to take a not too large pot., it should be larger than the previous one by only 1-1.5 cm in diameter.

The drainage hole is closed with a shard, and a drainage layer 2-3 cm thick of pebbles or expanded clay is poured onto the bottom.

The tree is taken out of the old pot and part of the old earth is carefully shaken off the roots. Then the roots are placed in a new pot, covered with soil and lightly crushed. After transplanting, the plant should be watered abundantly.

With the reproduction of laurel at home, difficulties arise.

This article is often read:

It is a plant by seeds and cuttings. The first method is rarely used by amateur flower growers: laurel seeds cannot be stored for a long time, since their germination capacity is quickly lost. Therefore, when buying seeds, the chance to acquire defective goods very large.

Laurel cuttings are carried out in March, since only in spring the cut cuttings can take root. In summer and autumn, cuttings do not take root and disappear.

Semi-lignified branches about 10 cm long are suitable for rooting, on which there are at least 3 internodes. They are treated with a stimulant root growth and rooted in soil covered with a thick layer of sand.

For successful rooting you need to cover the stem glass jar and maintain a temperature of 22-25ºС. Usually cuttings take root in a month.

Pruning laurel and shaping its crown

Indoor laurel is good for pruning, so it can be given any desired shape, for example, spherical, cone-shaped or cubic. Pruning a tree can be started from the age of 5. It is important to know that having shaped the plant once, it should be maintained annually by trimming the tree with pruners.

Here is one of the methods that allow you to grow a laurel not a low trunk. The grown seedling is pinched at a height of 12-14 cm. Of the lateral shoots that appear after that, 4-6 pieces are left. When they grow up to 12-14 cm, their tops are pinched. In the same way, pruning of subsequent shoots is carried out, which allows you to form a beautiful, lush crown.

The best time for pruning is August-September when the plant ends active vegetation. In this case, the eyes remaining on the tree will be able to develop well before the start of winter, and in the spring they will give strong shoots. Also, pruning can be carried out in the spring, in March. With this temporary variant of crown formation, weaker eyes remain, so the growth will not be as large as with autumn pruning.

Bay leaf diseases at home

Growing laurel at home is rarely accompanied by disease. It is very resistant to fungus and viral infections. Only with regular waterlogging of the soil can it suffer from root rot, so the watering regimen for this plant must be strictly observed.

Of the laurels, the scale insect most often affects. The first sign of damage is the appearance of sticky secretions of essential oils on the leaves of the plant. The shield is hard to deal with.

Adult insects from the plant must be manually removed.. Young scale insects can be washed off with a stream of warm water, but after that it is still recommended to treat the plant with insecticides several times until the pest is completely destroyed.

Much less often, the plant is affected by spider mites and mealybugs. Only purchased pesticides will help against these insects.

Now you know everything about caring for indoor noble laurel at home.