Content
- 1 Description of the beautiful catalpa
- 2 Catalpa is magnificent in landscape design
- 3 Conditions for growing beautiful catalpa
- 4 Planting and caring for a beautiful catalpa tree
- 5 Features of growing beautiful catalpa in the Moscow region
- 6 Reproduction of the beautiful catalpa
- 7 Diseases and pests
- 8 Conclusion
Catalpa beautiful is a garden crop native to North America, which is a spreading tree with loose white inflorescences. During breeding work, the plant was adapted for cultivation in the conditions of central Russia and the Moscow region. At the same time, caring for the crop involves warming young plants for the winter, but the catalpa is beautiful - the tree is quite unpretentious.
Description of the beautiful catalpa
Catalpa beautiful or “tree of happiness”, as the plant is called in its homeland, is an ornamental garden crop, best adapted to Russian conditions from the entire genus of catalpas. Initially, the tree grew 35 m, but in harsher climates the size of this crop decreased to a modest 12-15 m.
The tree trunk is straight, the bark is lamellar, gray in color. The leaf blade of this species is quite large - about 20-25 cm in length and 10-15 cm in width.Each leaf is attached to the shoot by a flexible long petiole. The color of the leaf plate is presented in dark tones. The leaves of the tree are pubescent on the inside.
The beautiful catalpa blooms for the first time when the tree reaches the age of 10 years. According to the time of year, flowering occurs in mid-June.
Cream tubular flowers reach 6-8 cm in length, forming loose inflorescences. The flower petals of the beautiful catalpa are wavy along the edge. On the inside you can see yellow stripes and brown dots. The fruit of this species is presented in a narrow capsule.
Catalpa is magnificent in landscape design
The beautiful catalpa is rarely used in solitary plantings - for this purpose the tree is undersized. Most often it is part of a group composition, and the plant is combined mainly with deciduous magnolias. Carefully pruned trees frame paths in gardens and parks, and they are also used to strengthen slopes on the banks of decorative ponds. The beautiful catalpa is also placed near fences and fences.
Conditions for growing beautiful catalpa
The beautiful catalpa prefers soils of moderate acidity. The plant is quite demanding in terms of lighting - it develops fully only in open sunny areas; in extreme cases, partial shade will do. It is also important to provide young trees with protection from strong winds - seedlings are vulnerable to drafts.
It is not recommended to replant a tree - this is a lot of stress for the plant. If it is necessary to do this, then it is better to do the transplant in the spring, before sap flow begins. You can also replant the tree in the fall, but only after it has shed its leaves. During digging, it is important to preserve the earthen ball - you cannot shake off the soil from the roots. This way the plant will have less chance of taking root in a new place.
The planting hole for the tree should be the same as when it was first planted. The composition of the nutrient soil mixture should also be identical to the previous one. Immediately after transplantation, the area around the trunk circle is compacted and watered.
Planting and caring for a beautiful catalpa tree
Growing a beautiful catalpa is not difficult. The tree needs basic procedures, except for the need to insulate the plant for the winter, but only young seedlings need this.
The beautiful catalpa grows slowly in the Russian climate and blooms late. In spring, plants often require sanitary pruning - some of the young shoots freeze in winter, despite the fact that this is one of the most frost-resistant species.
Preparation of planting material
Catalpa seedlings aged from 1 to 2 years are suitable for planting. It is important to pay attention to the roots of the plant - they should be open and wide. Planting material with weak roots has difficulty taking root in a new location.
There is no need to specially prepare the plants before planting them in open ground. It is enough just to water the catalpa seedlings properly immediately before planting.
Preparing the landing site
There is no need to prepare a fertile area.If the soil at the planting site is poor, the area is dug up and gravel and compost are added to the soil.
Landing rules
The algorithm for planting a beautiful catalpa is as follows:
- In spring or autumn, catalpa seedlings are transplanted into open ground. It is desirable that the soil on the site be neutral. In terms of timing, it is recommended to plant the beautiful catalpa in the spring - this way the plant will have more time to take root in a new place.
- The pit for planting is prepared 2 weeks before the actual planting of the catalpa. Its approximate dimensions: 80 cm deep and 100 cm wide. This diameter is due to the large root system of the catalpa.
- A mixture of humus, turf soil, peat and sand is added to the bottom of the planting hole in a ratio of 1:2:1:2.
- Additionally, you can dilute 2-5 kg of wood ash.
- After this, the seedling is placed on the soil mixture, its roots are sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly.
Watering and fertilizing
Water the beautiful catalpa seedlings regularly, but moderately. Water consumption is 15 liters of water per plant. Watering is done on average once a week. An adult plant is watered with the same frequency, increasing water consumption to 18-20 liters. It is important not to fill the area around the tree trunk. If prolonged rains begin, watering is stopped.
Feeding young seedlings is not necessary. The soil is fertilized only 2-3 years after planting the beautiful catalpa. You can use slurry for this, diluted in a ratio of 1:20. 1 liter of fertilizer is used for each seedling.Feed the plant before the beginning of the growing season.
Starting from the second half of the growing season, the tree is again fertilized with slurry, the solution concentration is 1:10.
Mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil once a season, always during the flowering period. It is important to combine fertilizing with watering.
Trimming
When caring for catalpa, pruning cannot be neglected - it is the basis for the decorative effect of the tree. If the shoots are not trimmed in time, the plant will grow to the sides and take on a sloppy appearance.
The crown of the plant is formed in May-June, and the pruning should not be too deep. Sanitary pruning is carried out throughout the year, except for winter.
Preparing for winter
Mature trees in temperate climates winter safely without additional shelter. It is better not to plant beautiful catalpa in the north of the country.
Young seedlings are covered with burlap for the winter. The trunk and the area of near-trunk soil are sprinkled with spruce branches and dry leaves. In the spring, the shelter is removed with the onset of warmth so that the plant does not dry out. If frozen shoots are found after wintering, they must be removed. The branches should not be trimmed too much - this stimulates the growth of young shoots and leads to thickening of the crown. Ultimately, the leaves on the inside will become starved of light.
Features of growing beautiful catalpa in the Moscow region
In the conditions of the Moscow region, the beautiful catalpa can suffer from frost in winter. Young plants are covered for the winter so that they do not freeze under the influence of low temperatures.
Reproduction of the beautiful catalpa
There are two main methods of propagation of catalpa: seed and vegetative. Both are equally effective, so when choosing a propagation method, gardeners rely solely on personal preferences.
Propagation by seeds
The beautiful catalpa is bred by seed as follows:
- When the fruits of the tree are ripe, the seeds are removed from them and stored in a paper bag before sowing. They can be stored for 3 years.
- The next step is to fill the seedling container with soil. For this, ordinary garden soil without additional impurities is suitable.
- At the end of February, the seeds are removed from the bag and soaked overnight in filtered water at room temperature.
- After this, they are sown in a container, deepened by 1 cm.
- Then the seedling container is covered with a transparent lid or glass and placed in a room with a good level of lighting. The air temperature in the room should be between +15°C and +25°C.
- For 3-4 weeks, the soil is regularly watered and ventilated. After this period, the shelter is removed. By this time, the first shoots should appear, and the beautiful catalpa rises unevenly.
- The seedlings are grown in warm conditions for some time. Then they begin to harden the catalpa - they take it outside, gradually increasing the time the seedlings spend in the fresh air.
- A week after the start of hardening, the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground.
Reproduction by cuttings
Cuttings for propagation of beautiful catalpa are prepared in mid-late summer. The procedure consists of the following steps:
- From young shoots, 10 cm pieces are cut.
- The cut on the trees is treated with garden varnish. The lower cut of the cuttings is dipped into “Kornevin” - a growth stimulator.
- After this, the workpieces are lowered into separate containers filled with a mixture of peat and sand.
- For the first 2-3 weeks, the cuttings are kept under cover in the form of cut plastic bottles. In general, cuttings take root within a month.
- For the winter they are left in a room with a temperature above 0°C. In mid-spring, catalpa can be planted in open ground.
Diseases and pests
The beautiful catalpa, if all the rules of agricultural technology are observed, does not need additional protection from pests. Plantings do not need to be treated with insecticides for preventive purposes. Occasionally, a tree is affected by Spanish fly, but it is easy to get rid of it with 1-2 treatments with Decis or Karbofos; the drug Kinmiks is also suitable.
Of the diseases, the greatest threat to the beautiful catalpa is a fungus of the genus Verticillium. It provokes rapid drying of the tree, as a result of which it dies in the shortest possible time. At the first signs of drying of the leaves, it is recommended to treat the plant with fungicidal preparations. As a preventive measure against fungal diseases, it is necessary to loosen the tree trunk area from time to time and observe watering norms. Excessive waterlogging of the soil creates ideal conditions for the proliferation of fungal pores.
Conclusion
The beautiful catalpa, despite its mediocre winter hardiness, will be an excellent addition to the garden in the climatic conditions of the Moscow region. The only serious obstacle to growing this plant in this region is that the tree must be thoroughly insulated in the fall.Otherwise, caring for catalpa is no different from the characteristics of growing in warmer areas.
You can learn more about planting and caring for crops from the video:
