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To make friends with a plant and provide it with proper care and favorable conditions, you need to remember where it comes from. Laurel comes from the Mediterranean. It develops well on the southern coast of Crimea, in the Caucasus, as well as on the coasts in Belgium, Holland and Great Britain. To make friends with a plant and provide it with proper care and favorable conditions, you need to remember where it comes from. Laurel comes from the Mediterranean. It develops well on the southern coast of Crimea, in the Caucasus, as well as on the coasts in Belgium, Holland and Great Britain.
Laurel Habitat Heat and humidity are vital ingredients for the well-being of laurel trees. And according to all the rules for growing laurel in the open air from the Russian latitudes, only the south of the country is suitable.
Southern countries According to the scale of frost resistance of plants, ideal conditions for the growth of laurel exist in climatic zone 8a with a range of subzero temperatures from -12.1 to -9.4, and in zones with higher temperature indicators. Laurel plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures down to -15 ° C for a short time and without much damage.
Plant frost resistance scale But conformity to the climatic zone does not guarantee that laurel will feel exceptionally good in your garden. A suitable low temperature threshold in your area alone is not enough, this is only indicative information. In the same climatic zone there are areas with the same temperatures, but different conditions. For example, laurel can feel good in zones 7 and 7b. But many other factors are also very important for the plant: soil, the difference between day and night temperatures, humidity, light.
Gardening enthusiasts know how to close their eyes to the obvious and, despite all the recommendations and fears, they get down to business and manage not only to grow, but also to preserve a noble laurel in their garden.
Bay leaf outdoors
Laurel is cultivated industrially in the subtropics. There are no freezing temperatures and cold weather below 12 degrees. The land on the plantations is plowed and cultivated to a depth of about half a meter and mineral and organic fertilizers are applied. Then the soil surface is loosened (harrowed). Plants are planted in autumn or spring, maintaining a distance of one to one and a half meters between seedlings and from one to two meters between rows. The plantation is regularly watered, weeded and treated for pests.
Bay leaf: The leaves are harvested from bay trees in November-February. Mature plants are suitable for collecting leaves, the age of which has reached three years. Leaves are harvested by cutting directly with young shoots. Dry the branches in the shade. Then the leaves are plucked, sorted and packaged for further storage.
The essential oil is extracted from fresh leaves. But fresh green leaves are not good for food. Despite its amazing aroma, even one fresh leaf will add bitterness to any dish. In addition, fresh bay leaves are much more toxic than dried leaves and must be handled with care.
Reproduction of laurel
For reproduction of laurel, seeds, cuttings or rooting of cuttings are used. Seedlings can be grown both in greenhouses and at home in flower pots. You can sow seeds in the open field, but the atmospheric conditions should be optimal for the entire period of their germination.
How bay leaf reproduces
The most productive way is to sow seeds. Propagation by cuttings or layering is less convenient, since they are known for poor rooting, but seed germination reaches 95%.
Seeds are harvested in autumn on mother plants. To obtain seedlings, they are immediately sown densely in the ground, since the period of preservation of seed germination is very short. The depth of planting seeds in open ground is 4-5 cm.After the first shoots, the crops are thinned out, leaving 6-8 cm between the plants.
Laurel seeds are covered with a tough protective shell that must be removed before sowing. If the seeds are intended to be sown in open ground in your own garden, then it is better to sow them immediately in a permanent place.
Seeds sown in autumn sprout gradually. Some hatch already in January. But when severe frosts appear, they die. The seeds can be stored in the refrigerator until spring. To do this, they are kept in wet sand or sawdust on the bottom shelf.
Laurel cuttings are cut from the top green shoots of the tree. Cuttings harvested in April-July are best accepted. The stalk is planted in the ground and covered with a jar or plastic bottle. This is how a mini-greenhouse for the seedling is formed.
The layering is rooted by simply pinning the branch to the ground. The rooting site is deepened and sprinkled with soil.
Primer for bay leaves
Laurel seedling in the ground For this purpose, a ready-made mixture, for example, "Cactus", may be suitable. And if you make the composition yourself, then it should contain turf and leafy soil, mixed with sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5. You can add very little lime.
For transplanting young plants, take a mixture: two parts of leafy land and sod, and one part of peat, humus and sand. The soil mixture should be neutral or slightly alkaline.
In nature, in the open field, laurel grows well on any soil.
How to plant a bay leaf
Soil for laurel Laurel trees are more fond of illuminated places, but in shading they do not suffer from a lack of illumination. Laurel easily tolerates dry periods. It is also resistant to temperatures down to -12 degrees. Laurel plants are grateful for mineral and organic feeding.
Young laurel plants are transplanted every two years, and older trees every 3-4 years. When transplanting a seedling into open ground, the root collar must be deepened by 10 cm. Under these conditions, underground buds are formed on the seedling, and it grows into a bush.
In the first year of planting, laurel can not be fed. And in the following years, it is necessary to fertilize the plant with small doses of complex mineral fertilizers.
How to plant a bay leaf in the middle lane
Subject to certain conditions, laurel can be successfully grown in the open field, not only in the south, but also in the middle latitudes of Russia. It is better to plant 2 or 3-year trees. In this case, the root collar is necessarily well buried in the ground. In the fall, before the onset of frost, the bush is cut 10 cm above ground level and covered with earth. In the spring, the root of the laurel is opened, and during the season it can grow into a lush three-meter bush. This is done every year. Laurel has a very high recovery ability.
Another method approved and tested by gardeners is planting laurel in a trench. This method of keeping is used not only for laurel, but also for many other heat-loving plants. The trench does not have to be deep. Usually, in severe winters, the aboveground part of the plants perishes, and deep planting in a trench is almost guaranteed to preserve part of the plant.
How to grow bay leaves
In the southern regions, people often complain about laurel thickets, which grows and disperses on their own, like a weed - even fighting it is useless. In the middle lane, on the contrary, you have to fight for the survival of the plant in harsh conditions for it.
Laurel can freeze out completely in winter, to the very root system.However, thanks to its excellent regeneration capacity, a new shrub grows from the root, which, with good care, can reach the height of a medium tree.
For better preservation of the plant in winter, the laurel bush is cut above the ground at a height of 10-15 cm, mulched and covered with soil. Can be covered with horse manure. In winter, it is good to cover the shelter with snow. In spring, laurel grows very quickly.
Some gardeners prefer to keep the aboveground part of the plant. A spacious foam box is being built for shelter. Inside the box, the temperature remains much higher than the outside. For example, at -30 ° C outside in the box is much warmer - only -8 ° C.
Under natural conditions, laurel grows well both in the sun and in partial shade, in the undergrowth of deciduous forests. However, laurel leaves are fully saturated with essential oils only in good sunlight. Leaves ripen as much as possible from November to December. Then they are harvested for culinary and medicinal purposes.
Systematic pruning has a very beneficial effect on laurel. This procedure promotes the growth of young shoots and increases the yield of leaves.
In the open field, laurel is very rarely damaged by pests.
Bay leaf sapling
The photo shows a bush of a laurel tree before wintering.
Laurel bush before wintering The same bush after wintering under a foam shelter. Young shoots and leaves were frozen. Old shoots have survived. The bush will quickly recover and grow.
Laurel bush after wintering
Bay leaf seedlings photo
Bay leaf seedlings
Bay leaf seedlings
Photo of laurel seedling
Laurel seedlings
Laurel in a pot
How does bay leaf grow?
How bay leaves grow
Photo of how bay leaves grow
Street laurel
I'm waiting for spring to tell you about the wintering of exotic plants, but in the case of Laurel - I'll tell you now, because the end of February, spring has already come, severe frosts are not expected. Laurel successfully endured our peak -20 frost without frostbite at the same time not a single leaf and not a single centimeter of shoots, I am pleased with the result, so I hasten to share.
I have already mentioned that I have several fig bushes and one Pomegranate. They have the same frost resistance at 15 degrees below zero. The same frost resistance in theory is possessed by such plants as Laurel, Oliva, Feijoa, the Japanese medlar is slightly more hardy. At the same time, all these plants have very stable root systems, therefore, when the aboveground part freezes, such plants recover rather quickly.
But, if I plant Oliva and Feijoa only this spring for a test, then one Laurel bush is already growing with me, having successfully overwintered this winter. Laurel was just a pioneer for me, on which I wanted to test the shelter of precisely evergreen subtropical plants with frost resistance at 15 degrees below zero.
How to cover deciduous Figs and Pomegranates, I think everyone knows. How to cover an evergreen plant without burying it at the same time - I think few know.
Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of Laurus at the moment he was in the pot, but I think this is not very important. I bought this Laurel again in our local nursery, and it was on the street at the end of September. I was at a loss - on the one hand, I finally came across a strong laurel bush, on the other hand, it was already too late to plant such a thermophilic plant, and I am a supporter of the spring planting of subtropical plants.
At home, I did not want to keep this bush for the winter. On reflection, I decided - I will plant it for an experiment, experiment with shelter, if it freezes, it will grow in the form of a shoot, if it overwinters, then I will plant Oliva and Feijoa for the next season, which I will cover in the same way. In the nursery I was told that I have no chance when planting in autumn ...
But, as they say, listen to the others, and do it all the same in your own way. At the end of September, I nevertheless planted my Laurel in a flower bed, between Banana and young Magnolia.He's a shade-tolerant plant, so I didn't give him a very bright spot. I think the sun will be enough for him in the summer.
In summer and autumn, no care is required for it, watering is moderate, if you forgot to water - it's okay, because Laurel is quite drought tolerant.
September and October were very warm, with few exceptions, so the laurel rooted well.
Autumn was changeable, very warm weeks alternated, in November at first it reached +30, and after a couple of weeks it got colder to +2 +5, plus unrealistic winds. This weather lasted until the end of November. I was in disarray - when to cover the Bay bush, because if you cover it early, the plant will suffocate. The advantage of Laurel, Oliva, Medlar of Japan is that they are not afraid of cold winds at above-zero temperatures, unlike palm leaves, which can fray from strong winds at temperatures of +2 +5 degrees. From the middle of November, irregular light frosts began, and I decided that it was time to start sheltering.
What I've done. I didn't bury anything, but just wrapped the bush in agrospan-60 in 3-4 layers - and that's it. Naturally, he spud the lower part of the shelter, tied the top with a rope.
At the end of November, namely, on the 25th, it became sharply colder, frosts became regular, and snow fell, which, according to forecasts, should not have been.
The covered, wrapped Laurel covered almost all of it with snow.
After a couple of days, the snow melted, a huge amount of water and mud appeared. Agrospan, with which Laurus was wrapped, was wet through and through. I didn't like it, because the main rule for wintering subtropical plants is that the shelter should be as dry as possible, moisture inside the shelter must be excluded. It is also desirable that the foliage does not touch the walls of the shelter, which are in contact from the outside with ice, snow and winter rain.
I figured that if such a wet bush gets under frost, it can easily freeze and freeze, and on warm days it will be finished off by all kinds of fungi and mold, tk. it was very humid in the shelter.
I completely dismantled the shelter, the agrospan, which Laurel had wrapped up with, hung it up to dry on a clothesline. By evening it was completely dry. The Laurel bush also aired during the warm day.
As a result, I have assembled, as practice has shown, the correct shelter. More about this ..
Instructions for the shelter of the Lavra with the preservation of the aboveground part
Step 1.
I tied the laurel bush into a bunch to make a compact column.
Step 2.
Tightly (but not too much) wrapped the tied bush, like a bandage, with white agrospan-60 in 3-4 layers. He sprinkled (covered) the lower part of the shelter with earth in order to protect the shelter from below - keep in mind, this must be done !!! This will protect the roots and the bottom of the bush. I tied the top with a rope.
Laurel bush wrapped in 3-4 layers of agrospana. It turned out to be a wrapped, almost slender, column. It was a base that should not come into contact with precipitation, it should be dry all the time. But how to do that?
Step 3. I took an ordinary garden mesh, rolled a pipe (cylinder) out of it, a little larger than the resulting sheltered laurel.
The size is made in such a way that the covered and wrapped Laurel does not touch the walls of our frame-cylinder.
The frame was covered with the same agrospan-60 in 2-3 layers and put on top of a covered bush.
Placed so that the wrapped bush did not touch the walls of the cylinder, tied the top.
Garden mesh frame
We wind the agrospan onto the resulting frame. I left a stock on the right - this will be the top, and it will need to be tied tightly.
Put it on top of the bush
As it was inside the shelter. Directly wrapped bush does not touch the external environmentStep 4
On the top of the resulting shelter, I threw a piece of plastic wrap - it will play the role of an umbrella, protect against the accumulation of snow and moisture on the top of the agrospan, and protect against moisture entering the shelter. There are problems with the film - it was constantly torn off by a strong wind, even if you do not fix it, also take this into account.
Moisture umbrella made of polyethylene film. The most important thing is protection from above. If the contact is on the side, it's okay
The film coped with the role of an umbrella. She took the precipitation from above. And that’s all.
I'll tell you how it should have worked according to my logic, and as a result, it worked: During winter precipitation (snow, rain, groats, ice), only the walls of our cylinder frame come into contact with the street, damp, then dry out. And the directly wrapped covered bush remains dry, because the entire blow of the elements is taken over by the walls of the frame. This protective effect will not work if you only wrap the bush. In this case, the wrapped bush will come into contact with rain or snow, become damp and get wet to the skin, and when severe frosts come, then all this damp mass will turn into a frozen mass, and the laurel and evergreens of similar resistance will have no chance to survive.
As a result, my Laurel survived twice the temperature of -20. I was very worried whether it would work or not. But when after a couple of days it warmed up to -5, I could not bear it and opened to check my pet. At first it seemed that the Laurus was frozen - the leaves were of a bluish-grayish hue, but then I looked closely and realized that the Laurus was alive. Not a single shoot froze, although the ends were half-ripe - a slightly greenish tint of the bark. And the bluish-gray color of the leaves can be explained simply - it is frost. I was shocked at first - how could frost get there, because Laurus is perfectly isolated from the outside world ?! Then I guessed - the evergreen plant continues to evaporate moisture and in winter, apparently, the evaporation from the leaves stood out and immediately froze.
When the above-zero temperatures came, everything melted, and the foliage of the Laurel became naturally green again.
If the laurel froze, it would turn brown, and the shoots would turn black and wrinkled. At least for other people, whose Laurus froze over - it looked like this. This is what I saw when I opened my Laurel:
February 18, opening of the Lavra
Please note, nothing is frozen! The shoots, in my opinion, have not even fully ripened - and they did not freeze!
I left it like this for now, severe frosts are not expected, if anything, for a period of light frosts, I simply close this shelter and cover it with a film from rain / snow - and nothing will happen to him.
True, a slightly rumpled state, after all, almost 3 months in a tied state.
Now about the numbers
Laurel is known to withstand frosts down to -15 degrees. In my shelter, Laurus suffered -20 degrees, and 2 times. 4 times he suffered -18. In total, over the winter, you can count a week of frost -15 degrees. It perfectly tolerates long-term small frosts down to -10 degrees. Very resistant to condensation and mildew.
In such a shelter, you can grow a laurel, I think, up to the latitude of Rostov.
Also, the Laurel can be covered with a box of polystyrene, and also grown in the form of a shoot - cut it off for the winter, cover the stump with earth, and in the spring the Laurel will grow like a shoot. But I tried to keep the above-ground part in an uncomplicated shelter, where no boxes are needed - and I am satisfied with the result.
How the Laurel will behave in the shelter, which I experienced for myself, if the temperature drops to -25 or -30, it is difficult to say, I think at -25 the foliage will begin to freeze. If the winters are very frosty, then, I think, you can also wrap the Bay Bush with agrospan in several layers, bend it to the ground and cover it with earth. Also, if you decide to cover the laurel with a foam box, then some recommend putting 5 liter water bottles inside the shelter. These bottles act as a heat accumulator, they take away excess heat in warm weather and freeze for a long time, giving off heat to the inside of the shelter in cold weather. To make the water a little less susceptible to frost, you can add salt, alcohol, vodka - and then the water will freeze not at 0, but at -5 degrees. At a critical moment, this can help to win an extra couple of degrees.
For the temperate zones of the North Caucasus and Crimea - my version, I think, is good.
Hope you found it interesting!
Bay leaf is one of the most widely used aromatic spices in cooking, as well as a folk remedy for the treatment of a number of diseases. In addition, laurel has high decorative qualities, due to which it is used for landscaping terraces or balconies as a tub plant. Learn about how laurel propagates by cuttings in the greenhouse and layering in the garden, how to plant and what care must be provided while growing bay leaves, learn from this article.
How to propagate laurel by cuttings in a greenhouse
Since laurel is a small tree or shrub, it is easiest to propagate it in a greenhouse using semi-lignified cuttings. Annual shrub shoots are harvested 2 times a year:
- March-April;
- June-July.
Bay leaves can be grown at home or in a greenhouse
Attention! Cuttings with 3 internodes, cut at an angle of 45 ° from the middle or lower part of the shoots, are used as planting material.
For cuttings up to 8 cm long, the lower leaf is removed, and the upper ones are cut off by ½.
For rooting cuttings, it is recommended to use a substrate consisting of:
- from sand and moss;
- from sand and turf.
At the bottom of the boxes, in a layer of 4 cm, lay turf or moss, on top - pour sand with a layer of 3 cm, moisten. Plant the cuttings to a depth of 1.5 cm, after pretreating their lower ends with Kornevin, Kornerost, Heteroauxic or any other root formation stimulator. Planting density - 10x10 cm.
Bay leaf propagates by cuttings
To create an optimal microclimate for rooting cuttings, it is recommended to cover the boxes with transparent film, avoiding contact between cuttings and the film cover. The necessary conditions for accelerating the rooting process are: constant maintenance of the substrate in a moist state, as well as a temperature regime at + 24-25 ° C.
Advice! To maintain the necessary soil moisture will allow daily spraying. To avoid rotting cuttings or the development of fungal diseases, the mini greenhouse should be ventilated daily by opening it for a short time.
If these conditions are met, the rooting of laurel cuttings occurs within 1-1.5 months. After that, they are transplanted into a greenhouse to a permanent place.
Bay leaves can grow up to 3 m in height
How to propagate and grow laurel in the garden
As the experience of gardeners shows, laurel can be grown in the open field of central Russia. To do this, you should choose seedlings 2-3 years old, which are planted in the ground in spring, deepening their root collars into the soil by 10 cm.
In late autumn, shortly before the onset of frost, laurel bushes should be cut off, leaving 10-15 cm above the soil surface, spud and mulched. As soon as snow falls, in order to maximally protect the laurel from freezing, it can be covered with snow. The next year, with the onset of spring heat, the laurel root should be opened, which will allow the underground buds to actively move into growth, forming a lush shrub.
Attention! Possessing strong regenerating properties, laurel, during the growing season, is able to grow up to 3 m in height.
Bay leaves can be grown in central Russia in the open field
An equally effective way to grow laurel in the gardens of central Russia is to plant it in shallow trenches. With this method of growing, the aboveground part of the shrub will freeze out every winter, and recover with the arrival of heat. To avoid freezing of the aboveground part of the plant, some gardeners recommend using foam boxes, which should be used to cover the bushes.
When growing a laurel shrub in the garden, it can be propagated using cuttings or seeds.
- With the seed method of reproduction of laurel, its seeds should be sown immediately in the field of collection, since they quickly lose their germination.The seeding depth is 4-5 cm. Before planting, the hard shell should be removed from the seeds. When seedlings appear, in order to avoid thickening, they should be thinned out, maintaining a 6-8 cm spacing between plants.
- A simpler and more productive way to propagate a laurel bush in a garden is a layering propagation technique. To do this, the branches should be pinned to the ground, deepening the rooting site and sprinkled with a layer of fertile soil.
Laurel seeds
Features of laurel care
As soon as the plant reaches 15 cm in height, it should be pinched to allow active growth of the lateral shoots. Using the pinching and pruning method, you can achieve abundant branching and a lush crown. When the laurel bush reaches two years of age, it is time to mold the crown, trimming it in the form of a ball, cone or any other shape. The plant should be pruned in the first half of summer.
Attention! When growing a laurel tree as a pot crop, it should be transplanted annually, or every 2 years, into a larger container, using soil each time with a neutral or slightly alkaline ph. Once the plant reaches the age of five, it can be transplanted every 4 years.
If laurel is grown in a pot, then it must be replanted annually.
If, during transplantation, the root collar of laurel is buried 10 cm into the soil, then this will stimulate the formation of underground buds, which will develop into additional shoots, allowing the plant to grow in the form of a bush.
Despite the fact that laurel belongs to unpretentious plants, caring for it has its own characteristics:
- Slightly moist topsoil, which can be achieved by moderate watering in winter and more frequent watering in summer. In addition, in the summer, it is recommended to spray laurel daily, and also from time to time to wipe its foliage with a damp sponge.
- Good lighting will guarantee the rapid growth of the plant, the lush development of its crown with a higher content of essential oils in the leaves, moreover, even being in shade, they feel quite comfortable.
- Carrying out 2-3 single feeding during the growing season, using a mullein solution or a complex of mineral fertilizers for this.
Sheets are collected from November to December.
Attention! In the first year of cultivation, rooted laurel cuttings do not need additional feeding.
Harvesting the aromatic foliage for use as a culinary seasoning should be done when it is fully ripe, which occurs between November and December.
Laurel is a beautiful and useful plant, the cultivation of which will not cause much trouble. Using the guidelines provided in this article, it will be even easier to do this.
Growing lavrushka at home - video
Growing bay leaves - photo
