Laurel cultivation. Laurel noble

Laurel is a subtropical tree or shrub. There are several types of this plant. AT natural conditions they grow in the Mediterranean and in the south Krasnodar Territory.

Laurel tree: description, types

Laurel belongs to the Lavrov family of the same name. Types of laurel:

• Azores is distinguished by large decorative leaves ovoid shape. Blooms in May with light yellow flowers.
• Camphor, so named because of high content camphor in leaves and stems. The crown of the plant is wide, branched. The leaves emit a spicy scent. The leaves are lanceolate, with small dots throughout the field. The flowers are yellow-green.
• Noble, the leaves of which are used for food. It's perennial evergreen tree or shrub. AT vivo he lives up to 100 years. During this time, its height reaches 10 m. In an apartment, it grows up to 3 m. Its stems are covered with leathery leaves about 8 cm long. In spring, noble laurel blooms with small yellow flowers. When grown at home, flowering is rare, after reaching 5 years of age. Laurel fruits are small.

Laurel can be propagated by layering, cuttings and:

• The easiest way to get a new plant is from cuttings. They may appear on their own. If this does not happen, in the spring they add a branch of laurel, water the place where rooting takes place. The next spring, a new plant is planted in a separate pot, after cutting off the layering from the main tree.
• Laurel should be propagated by seeds in the fall. To do this, take a pot, lay drainage on the bottom, then sprinkle with soil. Watered. Cover the pot with plastic wrap. Waiting for shoots to appear.
• It is faster to get a young plant from a cutting of a young plant. To do this, take non-lignified cuttings with 2-3 buds or leaves. The soil is prepared in the same way as for growing from seeds, but the soil is covered with a layer of sand from above. The length of the cutting is up to 8 cm. The cuttings are immersed so that the lower edge is immersed in the sand by 1 cm. The soil for the laurel is prepared by mixing humus, turf, and old foliage. Add peat and sand. If there are no such components, you can plant laurel in universal soil purchased in flower shop.

Good neighbors for the laurel in the room will be,. They will create a beautiful corner, in addition, they will positively affect the well-being of the owners. After all, phytoncides, which secrete laurel leaves, contribute to this.

Although laurel belongs to subtropical plants, it can withstand even a drop to 5 degrees below zero. But this applies only to old sheets. Young, spring ones can freeze even with slight frosts. Therefore, do not rush to take out the tree on Fresh air. It hibernates best at a temperature of 12-15°C. He needs warmth in the summer. Optimal will be 25-28 degrees. Laurel does not like sudden changes in temperature.

When choosing a place for a laurel, they take into account that it feels best in a well-lit place. But direct hits sun rays on the leaves should be avoided. It also grows in the shade, but in this case the branches will stretch out and lose their decorative effect.

In an apartment or office, in no case should you put a laurel near a radiator or other heating devices.

Laurel noble loves fresh air. Therefore, the room where it grows must be regularly ventilated. And in summer, it is better to take the plant out onto the balcony or into the garden, setting it in partial shade. Laurel is not afraid of drafts. It tolerates heat well, but grows worse at the same time.

Like all subtropical plants, laurel grows well with high humidity. To provide the tree comfortable conditions, regularly spray the leaves with water. It should be soft and not cold. Once a month, you can shower by covering the soil in the pot with plastic wrap.

How to water the plant:

• In summer, you can provide suitable humidity by placing a pot with a tree in a large pallet, at the bottom of which pebbles and moss are laid. Some water is poured into it. If possible, you can spray the plant from the sprayer several times a day.
• Watered abundantly in the warm season, but do not fill in, so as not to get stagnation of water in the pot. In hot weather, it is better to water in the morning and evening. Do not water during the day, so as not to get water on the leaves. From this they may appear sunburn.
• Water for irrigation can be taken tap, then only after it has settled well. Its temperature should be higher than in the room.
• In winter, the number of waterings should be reduced, and the interval between them should be increased. But it is also impossible to overdry the soil, the plant may die. At this time, the laurel is not watered. Periodically, you can wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

In order for the laurel to be strong and beautiful, it needs to be fed. During the period of active growth, this is done once a month. It is easier to use complex fertilizers. You can alternate organic and.

The root system of laurel does not like to be disturbed. But the tree is growing and needs to be replanted. Therefore, it is better to do this by transshipment. So the root system moves from one flowerpot to another, along with a clod of earth, with little or no damage.

Young laurel trees are transplanted approximately once every 2 years.

If it does not grow very actively, and there is enough space in the pot for the roots, you can do this even less often. Five-year-old plants and older are transplanted after 4 years. A new pot is taken 3 cm wider than the previous one. A layer of drainage is laid at the bottom. It will ensure the timely outflow of water and save root system from stagnant water.

The soil can be taken almost any, even the usual garden. Add some humus. If the soil is clayey, add sand to increase moisture permeability. If it is sandy, add a little clay. It will help you keep required amount moisture. Plentifully water the laurel, wait until the water is absorbed, and the soil lags behind the walls of the pot. Carefully take out the tree, laying it on its side on a matting or oilcloth. Examine the root system. If there are damaged roots, they are carefully cut off, sprinkled with crushed charcoal. If possible, take out drainage stones braided with roots.

Laurel crown lends itself well to shaping and pruning:

• It is carried out in early spring, so that young shoots have time to grow. Lignified branches are shortened by 20 cm. New shoots will appear from the buds located below the cut point, the bush will become curly and voluminous.
• By trimming, you can give the laurel the desired shape: a ball, a cone, a pyramid, or another figured one.
• To form a crown unusual shape need to start with young age, cut more often, but little by little.
• Some flower growers advise cutting laurel at the end of summer. Leave young shoots that will grow in the spring.

To remove scale insects manually, remove them with a damp cotton swab. This is a longer process. Processing must be carried out until the scale insects become. But then you need to control for some more time, because juveniles may appear. Laurel at home is susceptible to some diseases, fungal or viral. A sign of damage can be a black sooty coating on the underside of the leaves. To combat them, biological preparations are used, for example, Gamair.

If the conditions for growing laurel are violated, it reacts by changing its appearance:

• If the air in the room is too dry, the leaves begin to curl.
• If they dry, you need to lower the air temperature in the room.

These same symptoms may indicate high density air. Lower the temperature or transfer the plant to a cool place. Cover with a plastic bag. This will help increase the humidity. Soon, young leaves will begin to grow.

If the indoor temperature is too high in winter, the laurel can completely shed its leaves.

In this case, you need to move it to a cooler room. If you put a plastic bag on it, the leaves will recover very quickly. Laurel leaves are almost the same as those sold in the store. But experts do not advise using it for food. It may happen that when grown in a greenhouse or in a flower shop, it was treated with chemicals harmful to human body. And in modern apartments and offices, it can absorb hazardous substances. In addition, as a result of drying at home, the leaves may lose their aroma.

More information can be found in the video:

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 of the 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 room laurel - for example, a mixture garden soil with 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 homemade laurel nobilis 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 has taken root and turned green, it is important to provide it with comfortable conditions and proper regular watering. AT summer period laurel is watered with water at a temperature of 25–30 degrees. If a tap water in your area is too hard, it must first be filtered or boiled. The plant should not be flooded - too wet soil it harms much more than dried earth, and is even capable of killing 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 behind it: 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. Best time to breed room laurel cuttings - spring, but if necessary, you can root the cuttings 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. 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. The signal for tick damage is grey colour fallen leaves, the juice of which he feeds. 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

Improper care at home leads to a deplorable state of home laurel. 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, main dishes, 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...

Laurel is native to the Mediterranean. it evergreen shrub or a tree that grows at an altitude of about 300 meters above sea level and can grow up to 10-12 meters. AT room conditions noble laurel (L. nobilis) is grown.

This plant is known all over the world. Also in Ancient Greece wreaths were made from it for the winners. In addition, the leaves of the plant are used as a universal seasoning for many dishes, and essential oils- in perfumery.

In Europe, the laurel became widely known from the middle of the 16th century, and until now its popularity has not disappeared.

Collectors successfully grow laurel as a houseplant and in greenhouses. At right approach you can get a beautiful tree or shrub.

It can be distinguished by smooth brownish shoots, leathery, pointed at the end and dark green leaves, as well as a specific aroma that appears if the leaf blade is rubbed or broken.

The flowers are small, yellowish-white, dark fruits are tied after fertilization.

Features of growing laurel and plant photography

In general, the noble laurel is unpretentious, although he also does not like strong neglect in care. Grows quite well indoors.

Where to place the plant and lighting requirements

Laurel prefers having a large number sunlight. Can grow in the shade, but less actively . He needs fresh air, drafts are not afraid of him Therefore, the room should be ventilated as often as possible.

In summer, the plant can be placed outdoors: it will respond with good growth and green foliage.

Laurel tolerates both low and high temperatures well.

Grows best in moderate or slightly below moderate temperatures. Can tolerate drops to 0 ºC. Tolerates heat well in summer. In winter, it is desirable to keep at a temperature of 10-12 degrees.

Watering and humidity

Laurel does not like excess moisture, so watering should be moderate, but without a strong drying of the soil. In winter, watering is limited to prevent rotting of the root system.

Laurel prefers high humidity air, so it is periodically sprayed. Spraying also helps to wash dust off the leaves. Sometimes you can wash the plant in the shower, this will help prevent the appearance of some pests, such as spider mites.

Soil and planting

The plant is planted in a mixture of sand, peat, leaf and sod land in a ratio of approximately 1:1:2:4. It is better to plant laurel in small pots, gradually increasing their volume as they grow. Transplantation is done every 2-3 years, as it does not grow very quickly.

Quite adult specimens can be transplanted every 3-4 years or renewed annually. upper layer soil.

Reproduction of laurel at home

Laurel propagated by cuttings, offspring and seeds

For lovers of experiments, the laurel provides ample opportunities. Reproduction of this plant is available by root offspring, seeds and cuttings.

The offspring are separated during the transplantation of an adult specimen and carefully planted in separate containers.

Cuttings are taken with 3-4 internodes. For more successful rooting it is advisable to pre-dip them in Kornevin's solution. The stalk can be placed in a glass of water and wait for the roots to appear, or immediately into the sand or wet perlite, covering the top with a transparent glass and periodically airing. Reproduction is best done in early spring, when active growth occurs.

Seeds require some skill and patience. They are sown in early spring into light soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. Shoots appear for a long time, sometimes up to two months.

Important: laurel seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, so when buying them in a store, you should pay attention to the date on the package.

Cuttings also take root not in all cases. To increase the percentage of rooting, it is recommended to use hormones that accelerate the formation of roots.

Pests and diseases of a houseplant laurel

Laurel, like many houseplants, subject to attack by insects and the appearance of fungal and bacterial diseases.

Pests and how to deal with them

Actellik effectively helps against pests on the laurel plant

Often the plant is attacked by a scale insect. You can determine its presence by the appearance of stickiness on the leaves and a special shine. The pest is removed by washing the laurel under the shower with soapy water, then gently removing the remnants of the pest with a cotton swab. You can also use special chemicals, for example, Aktara or Aktellik.

Susceptible to laurel and spider mite attack. This insect thrives in dry air. Frequent spraying reduce the chance of it spreading. If they appear, they arrange a soapy shower or spray them with insecticides.

Plant diseases laurel

Fungal diseases in this plant are rare. The problems are mainly related to improper care. Rotting of the roots is observed when watering is too abundant, especially in the cold season. If the soil is very dense, then the leaves may begin to turn yellow and fall off.

I do not like the laurel and the neighborhood with batteries central heating. Dry air can cause leaf tips to turn brown and even fall off.

In winter, there is a dormant period, but if the room is too hot, then the leaves may also begin to curl and fall off. Repositioning the plant in a cooler place will help correct the situation. Some gardeners recommend additionally putting a transparent bag on top of the laurel to create a lot of moisture around the shoots.

Watch the video material about the laurel.

In general, laurel is an excellent plant for indoor cultivation. It looks great in the interior and has a positive effect on air purification from harmful impurities and microbes.

Good day, dear readers. Today we’ll talk about a spice that is probably present in the arsenal of any housewife, and the strong half of humanity, when preparing their favorite dumplings, rarely does without it. We are talking about Bay leaf, growing at home which will be the topic of our conversation today.

Having gathered to grow a bay leaf at home, first you need to understand that the leaves for seasoning are given to us by a noble laurel - an evergreen tree, less often a shrub that grows in the tropical zone of our planet. So, for example, on the territory of Russia, this plant is found in nature only in the Crimea or Krasnodar Territory. In other regions of laurel cultivation in open field not practiced.

Therefore, the conditions for growing bay leaves at home should be truly tropical:

• temperature not lower than 20 degrees, optimally +25;
• high air humidity;
• short daylight hours with bright lighting.

This is achieved by placing plants on the southern windowsills with regular spraying or the use of artificial humidifiers.

Attention! Laurel will also grow well on northern windowsills, only it will be less lush with a rarer crown.

Growing on the windowsill in the summer can be combined with taking plants to the balcony or loggia, and if you have Vacation home or country cottage area, then you can take the plant with you, as they say, into the fresh air. Naturally, when returning from the site in the fall, you should not forget the plant in the country, but you need to take it with you to the winter apartment.

Reproduction of laurel

To get your bay tree, you can go two ways:

1. Growing bay leaves from seeds.
2. Growing by rooting cuttings.
3. Horizontal strips.
4. Buying ready seedlings.

Let's consider all the methods in more detail.

seed propagation

Laurel seeds can be obtained in two ways:

• buy in a specialized store;
• collect from branches of laurel, sold in the markets as spices.

It is best to sow seeds in the ground in early spring or autumn, in summer the germinal processes in the seeds slow down a little and you can simply not wait for seedlings. Seeds are sown in small seedling containers.

The soil before sowing is moistened and slightly compacted so that the seed lies on a moist and dense bed. After that, it is sprinkled with a layer of nutrient soil one centimeter thick and moistened again. Having covered the container with a suitable lid, they put it in a warm place with a temperature of 25-27 degrees, for example, to a radiator or on a hanging kitchen cabinet.

Seeds germinate for a very long time, sometimes it can take several months. All this time, the container with crops must be periodically ventilated and, if necessary, moistened.

The soil for growing laurel does not have to be very fatty and nutritious, but great attention should be paid to its mechanical composition. The best mixture for growing lavrushka is a mixture of the following components:

• forest sod land;
• sand;
• peat.

To add airiness and friability, you can use coconut substrate or soil baking powders that are popular today, such as perlite or vermiculite.

It is very important that the roots receive free access to air, this is one of the conditions for the successful cultivation of this useful plant.

Attention! Laurel does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, so be sure to put some kind of drainage material on the bottom of the tank.

After the appearance of true leaves, the plants dive into a more spacious dish and take care, like other plants, making timely watering, fertilizing and transplanting.

cuttings

cuttings noble laurel is no different from such a process on currants or gooseberries. Here's how it's done:

1. We cut non-lignified green cuttings 6-10 centimeters long. At the same time, we make the lower cut under the kidney oblique, the upper one - a centimeter above the kidney - straight.
2. We leave two upper leaves on the handle, and we shorten them by half for less evaporation of moisture.
3. We deepen the cutting into the soil of the pot by 1-2 centimeters.
4. We cover the pot with a film with holes.
5. Ventilate regularly.

Rooting will occur in about a month. After that, you can transplant the finished seedling into a permanent container.

Bay leaf cuttings

If you have mature plant, then you can get a new plant by pinning one of the side shoots to the soil. In this case, an additional container with soil is used. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Near a laurel plant growing in a pot, a container filled with nutrient soil is placed nearby.
2. The young branch is bent so that the lowest point of the bend is placed in a new container to a depth of 10-15 centimeters.
3. In this place, the branches make an incision about 4-5 centimeters long.
4. The branch is placed in a pot with soil and pinned. The end of the layer is tied to a vertical support.
5. Cover the incision site with soil to the top of the container and water.

After some time, depending on the conditions environment, a new sprout will appear from under the ground. After that, the rooted branch can be separated from the mother plant.

Purchased seedlings

Everything is very simple here. The purchased plant must be transplanted into a large container with its own soil and grown as usual.

Laurel Care

Laurel care is easy. It is necessary to water the bush in time and spray with warm water. Twice a year, you can feed the plant with some organic matter.

Advice! Top dressing is best given no earlier than three months after transplantation.

As it grows, it is necessary to transplant the bush into a new large container. At first, this is done every year, after 4-5 years of vegetation, the laurel slows down its growth, and it is transshipped every four years.

Important work is decorative pruning bush. Laurel is very responsive to pruning, and you can shape its crown as you wish.

Attention! Regularly picking off the leaves for spices begins in the fourth year of the laurel vegetation.

At home, diseases rarely appear in a noble laurel, but, nevertheless, they occur. This is due to low temperatures or waterlogging of the soil coma. In any case, you need to consult with experts or read the relevant literature.

Video - how to grow a bay tree at home

Today we learned how to plant a bay leaf and grow it at home. Good luck with your gardening endeavors. Wrote an article for you experienced gardener Polyakov Yuri Nikolaevich.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you say "laurel" an evergreen shrub or a popular spice? Or maybe a solemn laurel crown, which honored the heroes of antiquity?

Once the ancient Greeks decided that it would be nice to combine the useful with the pleasant and began to grow laurel at home.

In addition to gardening and cooking, its leaves are widely used in traditional medicine, and all virtues of laurel taken together, they become a strong argument to grow it on your windowsill.

Well, isn't it tempting to have a plant in your house, which was awarded in ancient times the most worthy of the worthy, winners of the Olympics, the best poets and musicians?

And, of course, the great ancient rulers adorned their heads with laurel crowns, believing that an evergreen branch would bring them immortality. Not in vain the most known species this plant is named "noble laurel".

Types of laurel

Laurel noble (Laurus nobilis)- dioecious evergreen shrub or a big tree, reaching 18 m in height with a smooth brown or dark gray bark and a dense pyramidal crown.

Leaves entire, on short petioles, arranged alternately; glabrous, leathery, simple, up to 20 cm long and up to 8 cm wide, lanceolate or oblong, narrowed towards the base and sharp at the apex, glossy on the outside and lighter on the inside. Have peculiar spicy smell.

Less known Azores laurel (Laurus azorica) decorative, tree up to 15 m tall and camphor laurel (cinnamomum camfora), the leaves of which contain 94% camphor - an aphrodisiac nervous system.

Features of care

AT natural environment a habitat laurel without problems endures a variety of whims of nature: rains, winds, snows, droughts. Therefore, at home, he can easily adapt to any, even the most adverse conditions.

Location and temperature

On which windowsill to place the laurel is not so important, it will withstand both the scorching midday rays and shading. And yet, if you choose between two extremes, then better for laurel sunbathe in the sun than be bored in the shade.

its dense, strong leaves are not afraid sunburn, they are resistant to drafts and are very fond of fresh air.

The vital activity of the laurel is tuned to the natural cycle subtropical belt, with warm summers and cool winters. In summer, the plant will be satisfied with the usual temperature for this season - from 20 to 27 ° C.

But in the winter season better send a pot of laurel on the loggia - to be in complete peace. The temperature in this case can vary from + 2 to 15 ° С (optimally - + 5 ° С).

Home laurel after wintering need to re-accustom to the sun, gradually exposing him under the rays - at first a little, son-in-law more and more.

Watering and spraying

During the growing season, in spring and summer, a homemade laurel bush requires regular and fairly plentiful watering. On hot summer days, it should be daily.

And yet, make sure that the substrate in the pot has time to dry out a little: after all, the most common cause of serious illness and even death of this plant is waterlogging and stagnant water on the ground.

For winter time the watering regimen should be different: 1 - a maximum of 2 times a week. Use only soft, settled water with a temperature of up to +20 degrees.

All types of laurel are very fond of spraying and high humidity. In the summer, do not be lazy to arrange a shower bush twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. You can solve the problem differently - put the pot in a tray with moistened pebbles or put a container of water next to it.

Landing, soil, transplant

Laurel planting carried out in the spring. First of all, at the bottom of the pot you need to lay good layer drainage, then fill the soil. You can use a substrate that is sold in stores, or you can cook it yourself. Soil composition:

• leaf ground - 1 part;
• sod land - 1 part;
• humus - 1 part;
• sand - 2 parts.

Until the laurel reaches the age of five it is transplanted every year, and then this procedure is done once every 2-3 years. When transplanting, be sure to use fertilizer.

Ideal top dressing for laurels - "Cactus".

Take a slightly alkaline or neutral substrate for transplantation. The plant will take better if you do not take dishes "for growth".

Prepare new pot slightly larger in diameter (2.2.5 cm) and as much deeper. If your laurel is an adult and grows in a tub, take a new one 5 cm more.

Watch the video below for a master class on transplanting laurel at home:

Reproduction of laurel

Propagate laurel mainly by seeds, less often by cuttings. In spring, seeds are sown in pots, boxes or bowls filled with a mixture of 2 parts of leafy earth and turf and one part of sand.

The soil should not be cold (from 18 ° C). In the phase of the first two leaves, the seedlings must be dived into another container at a distance of 2 cm from each other.

When they are properly and get stronger, you can start transplant each seedling in a separate dish 7 cm in diameter. Here you will need a different composition of the soil:

• 4 pieces of turf;
• 2 parts of leaf land;
• one part sand;
• one piece of peat.

young seedlings you need to constantly water, spray, keep at a cool temperature (up to 10-12 ° C) and in a well-lit place.

Shoots for propagation by cuttings are cut in mid-spring or early summer.

Choose non-lignified, with 2-3 internodes, up to 8 cm long. lower leaves need to be removed, and then planted in a box at a distance of at least 10 cm from each other.

The soil mixture should be of 2 layers: 3-4 cm of turf on the bottom, and 2-3 cm of sand on top. Cuttings should grow at a temperature of 16-20 ° C, in a bright room.

Rooting will happen about a month later, then the seedlings are determined in a permanent dish - 7-centimeter pots. The soil can be taken the same as when planting seedlings.

Diseases and pests

Most often, homemade laurel bushes strike, greenhouse or leaf thrips, laurel psyllid, .

If the attack of insects has just begun, and there are not very many of them yet, you can use mechanical methods control (in other words, collect pests by hand).

And spider mite this way of fighting is unimportant, they will have to be hit immediately with chemicals - for example, "". If the moment is missed, then use the appropriate pesticides against other insects, without forgetting about safety.

Laurel is quite resistant to diseases. If troubles happen to him, then only the plants provoked by the owners themselves due to excessive watering.

leaf spot- dangerous, just is the result of stagnation of water on the surface of the soil due to excessive waterlogging.

Here it is, laurel - a noble plant of heroes and monarchs. In your homeland, in the Mediterranean, as well as in Abkhazia and Western Georgia, laurel grows on limestone forest slopes.

Grown as ornamental plant in the Crimea, Krasnodar Territory and Azerbaijan.

Leaves and fruits of laurel – drupes- collected in winter. They contain a lot of useful elements: essential and fatty oils with triglycerides - lemon balm, lauric acid, hydrocarbons, resins and phytosterols.

From fruits (they are called "beans") get bean oil for the treatment of paralysis, rheumatism, tumors, heart diseases and as a sedative.

use in the form of infusions and decoctions. And, of course, what kind of soup without lavrushka!

Grow in your kitchen and pinch off the leaves - but only when necessary!