Origin
Laurel noble originated from the genus of evergreen plants of the Laurel family. Since ancient times, lavrushka has been grown in most of the subtropical countries. Even then, it was known what benefits the seeds, leaves and fruits of laurel brought.
Bay leaf, shrub
Important! The leaves and fruits are used in pharmacology. After the processing process, concentrated infusions and oils are obtained, which work as a powerful diuretic. The plant helps not only in matters of flatulence and intestinal colic. It is considered one of the newer, younger tools for treating lingering depression.
The plant was brought from the Mediterranean. There are cases when the laurel lived for about a hundred years and had a height of ten meters.
The healing properties of laurel
Due to the substances released from the leaves, the number of staphylococcus bacteria and fungal spores in the air decreases. It helps to relieve mental stress, normalize the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, cerebral circulation. In traditional and folk medicine, for the preparation of raw materials for medicines, not only leaves are used, but also fruits, and seeds, and the bark of a plant. The extract from any part of laurel is used in alternative medicine as an anti-cancer agent.
Decoctions from the bark and seeds of laurel help with urolithiasis and cholecystitis, infusion of leaves - with diseases of the uterus, bladder, hearing organs. Bay oil relieves pain during childbirth.
Laurel leaves added to food not only improve its taste, but also help to increase appetite, lower blood pressure, and improve digestion. Tannins present in laurel-based ointments and tinctures relieve pain in arthritis, rheumatism, sprains and bruises, as well as eliminate swelling and inflammation.
The substances contained in laurel are good antibiotics, disinfectant and antifungal properties.
Description of the plant
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There are three types:
- Camphor, it produces camphor oil,
- Noble,
- Azores.
The content of essential oils in the tree is from 3.5 to 6%. The tree has a dense crown that can look like a powerful pyramid. In nature, laurel continues to grow actively up to 25 meters in height. Foliage is hard and smooth.
Laurel fruits
When the plant begins to bloom during the spring, it becomes covered with inflorescences in the form of small milky umbrellas. The fruits ripen in the middle of autumn - they are blue-black drupes.
The life span of a laurel can exceed three hundred years. However, without proper care, he begins to run wild, dry up and loses the ability to reproduce.
Note! If you take care of the tree poorly, then it will be attacked by a dangerous disease - sooty fungus. This is a small reddish bloom that can be easily washed off with water. Laurel can continue to grow, but loses its decorative appearance after the disease.
Growing at home
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The shoot from a bay leaf at home, as a rule, is taken of a noble appearance. It works great with other indoor plants. It can also be used as a seasoning for soups, dumplings, main courses.
Laurel in a pot
Note! The scent of the foliage has a specific odor. Therefore, one has only to accidentally tear off a sheet plate or simply rub it, the room will be filled with a familiar bright aroma.
Laurel grows well in a room, is unpretentious and does not require much effort to care for, but it can die if you forget about it.
Optimal location
Growing bay leaves at home should start with finding the best place. Most of all, the plant loves sunlight, although it will grow in the shade. However, then the process of growth and development will proceed much more slowly.
Important! It is imperative to give the bush the opportunity to be outdoors. He is not afraid of drafts, so you can safely allow open windows wide open. For laurel, frequent airing is necessary. If possible, in the summer, it is best to take the pot out to the balcony or outside.
The tree is not afraid of temperature fluctuations. It tolerates both low and high temperatures. It feels best with slightly lower air readings, so the battery shutdown period is the most optimal for it. In winter, the pot should be placed on a windowsill, where there is access to light and a constant temperature of 12 degrees.
Landing
Laurel planting begins with the preparation of the mixture into which the plant will be planted.
You should take:
- One piece of sand and peat,
- Two pieces of leafy land
- Four parts are turfy.
The mixture is mixed until the components are completely homogeneous, then the plant can be planted. The soil is compacted and abundantly moistened after laurel planting.
Indoor bay leaf in a pot loves sunlight
The pot should be taken small. In the process of growth and development, laurel can be transplanted into a larger container.
The transplant is carried out once every three years, since the laurel grows at a moderate pace.
Additional Information. An adult tree needs replanting only once every four years. However, the topsoil should be renewed annually.
Reproduction
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The laurel tree can reproduce in the following ways:
- With the help of a sprout cutting,
- Seeds,
- Roots.
The presence of offspring is also possible. When an adult laurel plant is transplanted, the offspring are separated and carefully planted in separate containers.
Layers
The shoots of the plant are very flexible, they can also be propagated by layering. To propagate them in this way, the low branches of the parent plant should be pruned during the winter.
This is done with the aim of the emergence of new, younger, stronger shoots in the spring. The soil from which the layers will subsequently be taken should be prepared: the earth, peat fertilizer and gravel are mixed for drainage in equal proportions. The shoots that are ripe are removed for the summer period.
Rooted cuttings of laurel
Each shoot is placed in a special groove of the prepared soil, then it is covered and the earth is compacted. The bay leaf will harden over the course of two to three months, so the soil should be moistened equally throughout this period.
As soon as the strengthening has taken place, it is necessary to rake the ground between the layer and the parent bush. After a month, pinch the cone of the growing layer and carefully remove it. The rhizome must be well developed. It is important to protect young growth from frost and dryness by covering it with straw or fabric material.
Additional Information. So that the layers do not die, they can be planted not in open ground, but in specially prepared soil: this is a mixture of earth, peat and crushed bark. Then the cuttings in pots are placed in the greenhouse until spring, where they are provided with careful cultivation and full care.
Cuttings
Cuttings are strictly selected. They should have three to four internodes. Before planting, they should be fed by dipping them into the Kornevin solution, then they will root well. After they are lowered into a container of water, where they are located until the roots appear.
The addition of laurel cuttings is carried out after the appearance of the roots immediately into a mixture of sand, peat and leafy earth. Then the soil is well moistened, and the plant is covered with a transparent cap.
Important! Be sure to ventilate the young after grafting. Otherwise, the roots that have just appeared will begin to rot, the plant will die.
The most active breeding season for laurel is spring.
Growing from seeds
To propagate laurel by seed, you need to be patient and acquire some skills.
Sowing begins in early spring in light soil, the seeds are laid out to a depth of one and a half centimeters. The first germination of seeds, as a rule, occurs only after two months.
Additional Information. When buying seeds from the store, you should carefully study the date of their packing. Laurel seeds are distinguished by the fact that in a short time they lose their ability to germinate.
The emerging sprouts may not take root. Out of 100 percent of cases, only half can survive. Often, special hormonal drugs are used to increase this percentage. With them, the process of formation and formation of the root system is accelerated.
How to root bay leaf cuttings
Reproduction of laurel by cuttings can take place in two main ways: using a pre-prepared substrate or by rooting in ordinary water.
Rooting laurel in the substrate
The ideal soil option for rooting laurel cuttings would be coarse sand, or a mixture of sand and peat. Sod land and sand are also often used (first, a layer of drainage is poured into the pot, then a layer of sod land, and a layer of sand is poured on top
).
After that, the resulting substrate must be well moistened and the cuttings should be planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm according to the 10x10 scheme.
To ensure better contact of the handle with the sand, the latter is squeezed a little with your fingers, and in order to maintain the required air humidity, a plastic bag is pulled over the top of the pot (by installing pegs near the handle, you will protect it from contact with polyethylene).
The very process of rooting laurel cuttings is quite difficult, therefore, before placing the cut cuttings in such a substrate, treat them with a growth stimulator (for example, Kornevin or Heteroauxic).
The pot of cuttings should be placed in a mini greenhouse or covered with a glass jar. The optimum temperature for laurel, at least at the stage of rooting of the cuttings, is within + 24 ... + 25 (at temperatures of + 16 ... + 20 ° C, the cuttings will root for more than a month).
In addition, to stimulate the described process, it is useful to spray cuttings with water daily (starting with 4-5 sprays) and ventilate.
Strictly adhering to the technology of cuttings, after a month and a half, roots will form in your shoots. As soon as this happens, they can be transplanted into 7-cm pots with the same substrate and care regime as when propagating by seed.
How to root cuttings in water
It's no secret that many indoor plants are often rooted in a regular jar or water bottle. It would seem that this method is not as reliable as the previous one, but it is also suitable for successful propagation of laurel from a cuttings.
All you need is to pour five centimeters of water into a jar and place a stalk in it. A jar of laurel is left in a dark place without changing the water (it can only be topped up).
For some gardeners, this method works flawlessly, others complain about rotting of the cuttings, but in any case, there is still a chance of rooting. However, before placing the stalk in a container, it is better to keep it in a rooting stimulator for a day, immersing it by 2-3 cm.
Outdoor tree care
Laurel noble calmly endures dry times. However, in times of heat, do not forget about watering and spraying the tree.
Additional Information. It is necessary to limit soil saturation in winter - this will negatively affect the plant, since the soil is well moistened with water from the snow. Watering is plentiful in summer, moderate in spring and autumn.
Watering scheme by seasons:
- Summer - once a week,
- Winter - up to twice a month,
- If the young are in a greenhouse or a cold house (the air temperature is up to +5 degrees), then spraying occurs only with warm water.
Pruning is an important part of the care of a laurel tree. It is carried out in the autumn. Since the crown is incredibly thick, it can be given absolutely any shape during the cutting process.
Additional Information. An adult tree becomes after several years of its life. Therefore, pruning young plants too often does not make sense.
Laurel noble requires careful care of pests. Most often, it is the leaves that are affected by the scale insect. A light, sticky coating can be seen that glistens in the sun. At the same time, the tree seems to include a protective function and begins to release essential oils.
First, the lower part of the foliage is examined, since it is it that dangerous pests inhabit. When spraying a tree, tilt it slightly to the side to avoid the ingress of chemicals onto the ground.
Diseases in laurel, as a rule, occur due to improper care of it. When the foliage begins to turn yellow and dry out, the air means it has become too dry. Also, foliage may begin to curl - this also speaks of the reason for the intense heat and lack of moisture.
Watering mode
Laurel flowers are very fond of when they are sprayed from a spray bottle. The tree also welcomes the presence of humid air - so it is easier for it to get rid of the dust that has covered the foliage. It is a good idea to shower the plant once a week - it helps to protect the laurel from many small pests, such as spider mites.
Laurel tree outdoors
As far as watering is concerned, he shouldn't be overly zealous. The tree does not like too wet soil. But you should not bring it to dryness of the soil.
In winter, watering should be moderate - two to three times a week. If it is possible to reduce the heat flow in the batteries, do so. It is important to monitor so that rhizome decay does not begin.
Diseases and pests
With a lack or excess of moisture, the plant can get sick. Its leaves develop dark soot-like spots that can be treated with fungicides such as Bordeaux liquid.
Sometimes the laurel bush is affected by pests: mealybug, spider mite, scale insect.
Mealybug
Mealybugs can be recognized by the white, sticky mucus on the underside of the leaves. You can treat the pest with the following solution: stir a couple of crushed garlic cloves in a glass of water, add a spoonful of any liquid soap. Or use a ready-made insecticide.
Shields
Small whitish-yellow insects with a shield-like shell settle on plant leaves and feed on their sap. Leaves become covered with yellow or white spots, curl, dry and die.
Thanks to the shell, the scale insects are hardly susceptible to insecticides, so it is difficult to fight them. The first step is to manually remove the pests from the leaves.
Then the diseased plant must be sprayed and watered under the root with Aktara. Such treatments are required 3-4 every 2 weeks. Processing is best done outside the home.
Important! The scale spreads very quickly. In order to prevent infection of other plants, it is necessary to immediately isolate the diseased tree.
Spider mite
These insects are so small that it is difficult to see them without a magnifying glass.Evidence of their appearance is the cobweb along with a white bloom on the soil and plant elements. 2-3 treatments with Fitoverm with an interval of 10 days will help to get rid of the spider mite.
