Siberian larch (in Latin Larix Sibirica) is a coniferous gymnosperm tree belonging to the Pine family. Due to its large size in landscape design, it is mainly suitable for decorating park areas. For the purpose of landscaping small backyards, it is rarely used.
Siberian larch: what a plant looks like and where it can be grown
Brief information about the variety
- Crown color: green with a bluish tint.
- Height: up to 40 m.
- Barrel diameter: up to 1.8 m.
- Distribution area: covers all of Russia, mainly the northern regions, incl. Siberia and the Urals.
- Crown of young conifers: pyramidal, rounded with age.
- Landing features: prefers well-lit places, poorly tolerates waterlogged soil.
- Immunity: resistance to major diseases of conifers is observed, resistant to pest damage.
- average life expectancy: 400-500 years. Under the conditions of the natural environment, the age of individual specimens can reach 8-9 centuries.
Geography of distribution
It appeared during ecological speciation, through the development of new growing areas. In Russia, it is found everywhere, especially in the northern regions.
The main area covers:
- woodlands located in the European part (mainly in the east and north-east);
- the territory of the Urals, prevailing in the Northern, Subpolar and Polar mountain regions;
- western-eastern Siberia;
- tundra areas, up to the Altai Mountains and Sayan Mountains.
In other areas, it is adjacent to other species, forming open woodlands. Much less common in the central regions and the middle lane.
Under natural conditions, it is located in mixed groups with cedar, spruce, fir and pine.
In mountain ranges, it occurs at an altitude of 2.2-2.4 thousand km above sea level. Due to its increased resistance to frost, it grows even beyond the Arctic Circle.
Deciduous forests in Russia occupy about 40% of the area.
Also found in Mongolia, western China and eastern Kazakhstan. It has a conservation status and is listed in the Red Book in some Russian regions.
Botanical characteristic
Wild coniferous species is a fairly tall plant and reaches a length of 40 m.
The diameter of the trunk, thickening from the top to the base, is about 1-1.8 m.
The color of the young bark is light, straw, the structure is smooth. In old trees, the surface layer of wood becomes furrowed, covered with longitudinal cracks, the shade is gray-brown.
The crown shape of young larch trees is pyramidal, with age it looks round. Formed by shoots of two types:
- annual, with single needles arranged in a spiral, the color is often green-yellow;
- perennial, covered with soft light green needles with a gray tint, collected in bunches of 30-40 pcs., the shoots themselves are gray-yellow, their lifespan is up to 12 years, after which they die off.
The size of the narrow-linear needles is 1.3-4.5 * 0.15 cm. Blooming and simultaneous blooming of needles begins in April-May and lasts up to 1.5 weeks. The female inflorescences are violet-red, the male ones are yellow.
A tree can live for over 500 years
Unlike evergreen pine species, larch is a deciduous species and sheds needles. Leaves change once a year, in autumn.
Cones are oblong (2-4 * 2-3 cm), formed by seed scales of 22-38 pcs., Located in 5-7 rows.
The length of each scale is 1.3-2 cm, width is 1-1.5 cm, the shape is round or ovoid, the edges are smooth, pubescent from above.
After the seeds fall out, the fruits hang on the tree for about 2-3 years, then fall off. Cones usually ripen in September.
Growth rings with rare resin passages are clearly visible on the cut of the larch trunk.
Seeds are small, 2-5 * 3-4 mm, yellow color, with dark stripes or specks.
Ripen once every 2-3 years, in areas with a warm climate, and once every 6-7 years, in the northern regions.
The seedling stage at the tree begins:
- in the natural environment at 15
- with artificial cultivation in 20-30 years.
Seed sowing begins in October. Fruiting is annual.
The average life expectancy is up to 500 years. Some specimens in natural conditions live up to 9 centuries.
The developed root system allows ephedra to grow in sparse rocky areas, withstanding strong gusts of wind.
When growing in swampy places with an abundance of moss, it gives additional, adventitious roots at a level located above the root collar.
The benefits of larch
All vegetative parts of larch have medicinal characteristics and benefits: cones, needles, bark, buds, shoots, resin and sponge.
Its beneficial properties have found practical application in the pharmaceutical industry.
Tree bark. From it, tannins are obtained, which contain up to 10%. These substances are used in the production of astringent drugs that act as antidotes for heavy metal poisoning (for example, neutralizes the harm from lead and mercury), as well as antidiarrheal, hemostatic drugs.
The layers also contain gum, flavonoids and organic acids useful for the human body.
Coniferous resin. It is a source of turpentine, which in medicine in the form of purified gum turpentine serves as a material for the manufacture of plasters, oils and ointments that help with rheumatism, bruises and sprains.
The resin extract also contains fatty acids - oleic, linolenic and palmitic.
It acts as a raw material for the production of natural chewing gum (a means of preventing diseases of the oral cavity and rinsing teeth).
Young shoots. Help against coughs, urolithiasis, gout and neuralgia.
Larch has medicinal properties
Deciduous needles. It contains a large amount of vitamin C in its chemical composition. Essential oils are made from it, which are used for aromatherapy in the treatment of angina and inflammatory processes in the respiratory system, viral diseases.
Larch sponge. Extract and oil from a tree fungus that grows on the trunk of an ephedra, treats tuberculosis and other pulmonary diseases, copes with poor blood clotting.
The collection of vegetative parts is carried out at different times:
- needles are best harvested in summer, from late June to early August. at this moment they accumulate the highest content of ascorbic acid;
- buds and young shoots are taken in early spring, while the scales are tightly pressed;
- resin and bark are extracted throughout the growing season.
Ephedra, due to phytoncides produced and released into the environment, significantly improves air quality.
The root system enters into symbiotic associations with fungi that actively decompose organic matter and increase the fertile structure of soil layers.
Disembarkation rules
Siberian larch is classified as an unpretentious species.
The best time for planting is autumn, after the needles fall. It is not advisable to carry out the procedure in early spring, before bud break.
Selection of seedlings
Healthy seedlings with a closed root system are suitable for planting. It is better to purchase grown plants. Their price is slightly higher, but the chances that it will take root are greater.
You must first keep the roots in a growth stimulator.
Site preparation
Ephedra is distinguished by increased cold resistance, light-requiring, but, in comparison with other representatives of its family, it does not tolerate waterlogged soil well and is demanding on air humidity indicators.
Grows well on podzolic and sod-podzolic lands. Accepts neighborhood with other trees, with the exception of birch and elm, which have the same developed root system that draws off food.
Landing technology
When several plants are planted in one area, they are placed at a distance of 3-4 m from each other.
Planting method is classic:
- the root ball is placed in the center of the pit, leaving the neck at ground level;
- sprinkle it with soil from all sides, tamp it;
- the tree is watered abundantly.
Care basics
Undemanding to care for larch, there are enough basic activities that are carried out when growing trees - watering and feeding.
Additionally, you can mulch and loosen the soil.
Watering
The tree needs regular watering
Prolonged drought adversely affects the condition of the ephedra. Watering is especially necessary for young seedlings. For adult specimens, precipitation is enough; they do not need additional moisture.
For active symbiosis with mushrooms in the summer, it is worth watering the plant with water, where boletus, boletus, honey agarics have been soaked. At the same time, it is not forbidden to pour water under the tree along with mushroom peels and worm-like fragments.
Top dressing
In the first 1-2 years, the tree is not fed, because the nutrients introduced during planting are enough for him to adapt, root and develop. The only exceptions are cases of planting in depleted soils, when changes in the appearance of the ephedra appear due to lack of nutrition.
Larch is fed with a complex developed for coniferous varieties, which contain high doses of potassium and phosphorus.
The dosage of the working solution is 50 g per 10 liters of water.
Mulching and loosening the soil
Mulching the trunk circle helps to retain water in the soil layers, at the same time this procedure will play the role of organic feeding.
Coniferous waste, pine bark, peat, straw and humus are suitable as mulch. The recommended layer is from 5 cm.
After heavy rainfall and watering, the soil is loosened to provide air access to the roots and increase the penetration of moisture into the soil layers.
Crown formation
It is not recommended to cut the crown before the conifer reaches the age of 5 years, because this species is sensitive to this procedure.
A natural feature of larch is the independent formation of a pyramidal crown.
The ephedra is pruned for sanitary purposes, removing damaged and dried branches.
Winter protection
Hardwoods are frost-resistant and can even withstand bright sunlight.
Even the root system does not need additional protection for the winter. its intensive growth and development creates the plant's resistance to strong winds.
How larch is propagated
- Cuttings. Suitable for weeping and creeping species, because cuttings root poorly even with additional treatment with root stimulants;
- Layers. The chances of getting a new seedling when rooting a branch that has sunk to the ground are greater than when cutting;
- Seeds. Freshly harvested seeds are preliminarily subjected to stratification by soaking in cold water for several days. They are left in the ground since autumn, under a layer of snow, or planted in containers, growing under room conditions at a temperature of about 20 ° C. Seed germination occurs in 1-2 months. If the material is stored for more than a year, its germination capacity decreases by 10-15%.
Frequent diseases and pests
For the prevention of diseases, trees must be processed
Adult larch has a high immunity and is resistant to major plant diseases.
A young plant often has a fungal infection. To protect ephedra for preventive purposes, they are annually treated with aqueous solutions based on biofungicides - phytosporin or EM-agents.
Among the most common pests affecting deciduous wood are the mining moth, sawfly, and leafworm.
When primary signs of the dispersal of parasitic insects are found, diseased branches are cut off, and healthy shoots are sprayed with aqueous solutions with insecticidal preparations.
Practical use
The widespread use of Siberian larch in landscape design: for plantations in park areas, less often for decorating personal plots.
It tolerates urban conditions well and is used for landscaping both singly and in groups. It goes well not only with conifers, but also with deciduous species, forming hedges in gardens.
In spring and summer, the tree has a rich crown, but is inferior in beauty to pines and spruces in winter, because sheds foliage in the fall.
The crown is quite transparent, therefore, light-loving plants take root well in diffused light.
It is also used as a building material, surpassing many conifers in technical properties.
Wood undergoes little decay, has improved mechanical properties, incl. hardness indicators, however, prone to cracking, which complicates the processing process.
The chemical industry has a demand for tree bark - paint and varnish products are made from it.
Gardeners reviews
Gardeners rarely grow Siberian larch in small household plots, because the tree grows rapidly and in 3-5 years reaches gigantic sizes, more than 30-40 m in height.
SIBERIAN LARCH || Useful properties and application
Larch. Larch care. Varieties of larch.
Siberian larch I Larix sibirica
At the same time, caring for an ephedra does not cause difficulties: it is photophilous, but resistant to frost, has good resistance to diseases and pests, does not require protection for the winter and grows well on different soils, incl. and depleted.