One of the most popular plants is laurel (laurus nobilis). Its leaves are actively used in the field of cooking as a spicy seasoning. Laurel is from the Mediterranean countries. The ancient Greeks brought a plant to the Black Sea coast, and after that they began to plant it on open ground in a warm region of the country. In nature, there is also a wild plant in the form of a tall tree 10–12 m high. In colder climates, the noble laurel grows in the garden in the form of bushes.
Laurel - It is a dioecious plant with same-sex flowers. On some species of laurel trees small inflorescences with stamen flowers are placed. Fruit - fragrant black-blue drupes up to 2 cm long with a large bone. The laurel usually blooms in March-April, and the fruits ripen in mid-autumn.
What conditions need to be provided for comfortable growth of the plant?
For proper care do not need to forget where I came from laurel. The plant is excellently developed on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula, in the Caucasus, the Belgian, Dutch and British coasts. For a good development and growth you need a warm and humid climate.
For cultivation on open ground need to focus on the south of our country. The laurel ideally does not immediately land in open ground. Frost resistance of plants with a range from -9 to -12 ° C. The branches and trunk without obvious damage can withstand a sub-zero temperature of 15 degrees. Planting laurel in the country, take care of the soil, humidity and light.
The plant is well perceived by different types of soil, but you need to avoid excess moisture in it. To ensure a high content of essential oil in the leaves, stop at a well-lit landing area. Cut laurel preferably in early spring, before it began active growth of leaves. During the first year, the soil does not require additional feeding. In the second year of life, laurel bushes can be fertilized with a small amount of mineral solution.
How to plant a bay leaf
Soil preparation for planting
For planting laurel in an open area, pick up light soil, saturating it with carbonate substance. You can purchase ready-mixed soil "Cactus" or its analogue under a different name. For homemade carbonate soil, it is necessary to prepare turf and leaf soil, mixing it with sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5.
You can mix a small amount of lime to ensure proper planting of bay leaves with seeds, cuttings or branches. For transplantation of young laurels prepare the following mixture: 2 parts of sheet and turf soil, 1 part of peat, humus with sand. Such a mixture should be neutral or with weak alkaline properties.
Technology planting laurel in the garden
Reproduction of laurel seeds
The most popular and productive way of planting laurel is sowing seeds into the soil. If you want to breed laurel in the country, think of planting and care. Other ways are less convenient - the roots do not take root well in the ground. Of the hundreds of seeds sprout 95 pieces. Pips need to be harvested on uterine plants.Important! Laurel seeds have a hard protective sheath, which is desirable to remove immediately before sowing into the soil.
For breeding laurel seedlings should be sown densely in boxes with soil. Keep in mind that the shelf life of seeds is not so long, so place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator until spring. To grow laurel from seed, you need to prepare a pot of wet sand or sawdust. For sowing in open soil, take care of the depth of the pits of 4-5 cm. After the first shoot, it is necessary to thin the crops, leaving 6-8 cm between the plants.
Laurel tree cutting
For the procedure choose shoots that are not completely turned into woody branches. They can be cut from the middle or lower part of the laurel bush. Each stalk suitable for further planting must contain at least three internodes. Make the lower cut at an oblique angle. The two upper leaves of laurel need to be cut in half, the bottom - completely. Material for cutting the laurel for the purpose of reproduction must be prepared in March-April or in June-July.
At the bottom of the container lay drainage of coarse sand or a mixture of sod and sand. Plant laurel cuttings, deepening in the wet substrate by 1-1.5 cm. Cover the plants with a glass jar. When the air temperature is + 16- + 20 degrees with the condition of everyday spraying and ventilation of the room, the cuttings will surely root within a month.
Reproduction of laurel by layering
Laurel, which belongs to the group of spicy plants, has flexible shoots that can be reproduced without any problems by layering. Many experts who know the peculiarities of growing laurel from seeds consider the third method to be no less reliable in the reproduction of spicy plants (including sage, thyme, rosemary, etc.).
For breeding by layering, choose for cutting low branches of the mother plant in winter, so that in spring there will be new strong shoots for cuttings. Prepare the soil near the monastery, from which they will take the layers. Mix the soil with peat fertilizer and fine gravel for drainage. Young ripened shoots are removed in the summer.
Each shoot of the plant should be placed in the groove of the prepared soil, then cover them and compact the ground at the pinch point. Try to maintain a sufficient level of moisture to a potential strengthening of a laurel stem (about 2-3 months).
Then you need to clear the ground between the rooted layers and the mother bush. After a month - pinch the cone of the growing layer and remove it from the ground with a well-developed rhizome. It is advisable to protect young tender plants from frost and dry wind with straw or nonwoven material in a cool climate.
In order to avoid the risk of premature loss of cuttings instead of open ground, try to land rooted cuttings in a container with prepared soil: equal shares of peat, fine gravel, crushed bark. Laying laurel in pots can be placed in a cold greenhouse until spring, carrying out careful cultivation and care.
Recommendations for the care of outdoor laurel
Spraying and watering
Laurel easily tolerates drought. Although in the hot season it is advisable not to forget about watering and spraying. During the summer months, watering should be abundant, spring and autumn at times - moderate. Limit soil water soaking in winter - waterlogging adversely affects the condition of the plant.
Laurel unpretentious care. It requires:
- - abundant watering in the summer - 1 time per week;
- - moderate watering in winter - 1-2 times per month;
- - spraying with warm water, if the young shoots of laurel are in a cold house or greenhouse (+ 3 ... + 5 degrees).
Laurel fertilizer
For proper soil fertilization, you must adhere to the basic rules:
- - land for planting should easily absorb water and pass air;
- - ideal mixture composition: equal parts of soil, peat and sand;
- - fertilize the soil with organic and mineral substances in spring and summer 1 time in 2 weeks, in autumn and in winter - once a month.
How to cut laurel
Laurel is recommended to cut in the winter. The operation on the stem is carried out at a level of 10 cm from the soil. Short shtaby cover ground. The plant has high restorative abilities. In the process of growing, a noble laurel will quickly show in spring new sprouting branches from sleeping and root buds. In the middle climatic zone do not allow the laurel to grow in height - grow the plant in small bushes.
Did you know? In open soil, laurel grows up to two meters in height.
How to keep laurel in winter
During the winter period, follow the frequency of irrigation, if the winter is dry and without snow. Be sure to cover the bushes with straw up to 40 cm before spring. You can additionally throw snow to feed the plant.
Garden laurel: when to harvest
On the laurel leaves live up to four years. It is recommended to collect them from mid-autumn to the beginning of winter. It is undesirable to save leaves for the winter for the fifth year. In the case of freezing of laurel, they will lose their presentation.
For the collection of suitable mature plants at the age of three years. Cut the leaves straight from the young shoots. The leaves of the laurel noble plant are dried with branches in the shade. Then the leaves are torn off, sorted and packed up for further storage. Harvest only in dry weather.
