Let's get acquainted with the perennial coniferous tree - larch. Its height sometimes reaches 45 meters. The needles on larch are green, but in different shades. Since ancient times, there have been several main types of larch: Siberian, American, Japanese, European. Today, breeders have bred improved varieties. The fastest growing is European larch.
This beautiful, durable and winter-hardy tree, unlike other conifers, sheds all its needles for the winter, and in the spring they grow back. Many people do not like this property of larch: they want to admire an evergreen tree. But it is larch that goes well with other trees in the garden: oaks, maples, lindens, and looks great against the background of dark green fir and fir trees.
How to plant larch?
For planting larch, you need to choose an open, well-lit area. The soil for her consists of leafy earth, sand and peat. If the soil on the site is heavy clay or too swampy, drainage is needed for planting larch seedlings, which is better to use broken brick (layer about 20 cm). Acidic soils must first be limed with slaked lime or dolomite flour. Saplings should be planted at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other. The root system is deep, which provides the tree with excellent wind resistance.
Like other conifers, larch needs a constant connection with fungi. When planting larch seedlings, it must be remembered that mycorrhiza of fungi has settled on its roots. Try not to damage it by planting a tree. Watering with water remaining after washing the mushrooms is very useful for young larch trees. Alternatively, you can bury several wormy mushrooms with ripe spores near the larch trunk.
Before planting larch, you need to dig a hole, fill it with water two or three times and let it soak well into the ground. Now you can place a larch seedling in the hole and sprinkle earth on the trunk. The near-trunk soil circle must be mulched with sawdust or peat (5 cm layer).
On a permanent place of growth, larch should be planted at the age of 1, and preferably 2 years. However, for the purpose of landscaping the site, this age is too small. Therefore, adult six-year-old larch trees are planted in soft containers, and older ones - even with a frozen earthen lump. European larch, with proper care for it, easily tolerates planting even at the age of 20.
It is best to plant larch trees in the autumn, after leaf fall. You can transplant them in the spring, before budding on the tree.
Larch care
A young tree can suffer from severe summer drought. During such periods, larch should be watered a couple of times a week, pouring up to 20 liters of water under each tree. For adult larches, watering is optional. Near young seedlings, it is imperative to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
In order for the established larch to grow faster and gain wood mass, it is necessary to feed the tree with phosphorus and potash fertilizers. For 1 m2 of soil, 50-100 grams of top dressing must be applied. To protect against pests, the larch seedling should be treated with special chemicals.
It should be remembered
that the apical shoot of larch during its intensive growth is an extremely sensitive part of the tree. Therefore, you should protect it from blows from the branches of neighboring trees or rough touches with your hands, as this can lead to the curvature of the tree branch.
Adult larch trees do not need shelter for the winter. The trunks of standard larch trees are wrapped in two layers of burlap in the first years after planting for the winter.As they grow, the frost resistance of such larches gradually increases.
As you can see, planting and caring for larch is not so difficult, but if you do everything right, a beautiful green beauty will grow on your site.
