Description of the plant and native places of growth, advice on growing ligustrum, advice on breeding privet, difficulties, facts for the curious, species. Ligustrum (Ligustrum), also called Privet, belongs to the genus of plants belonging to the Olive family (Oleacesae). Scientists include up to 40-50 varieties of evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous shrubs or small trees in this genus. All types and varieties of privet are distributed throughout Europe, North Africa, as well as Asia and the Australian continent. The variety of ligustrum is most evident in the Himalayas, China and Japan, but Taiwan also boasts the same multiple types of varieties.
People can hear how representatives of this genus are called "wolf berry". When cultivated in room conditions, the plant reaches no more than one and a half meters, but in its natural area its height varies within 3-5 m. The growth rate is quite high, since the planted cuttings of ligustrum can take the size of an adult flowering bush or tree after ten months. The branches of the privet are flexible, bending, and thanks to this, the formation of the crown can be successfully carried out.
The leaf plates densely cover the branches and are mainly dark green in color, there are varieties that have a slightly lighter tone on the back. The shape of the leaf plate is oblong, the surface is leathery. There are species in which the color of the leaves is in yellowish-golden shades.
In addition to its spectacular deciduous crown, privet attracts flower growers with a long flowering time. This process starts from the first days of summer and lasts until the beginning of autumn. On the branches, snow-white or creamy-white flowers are formed, from which paniculate or racemose inflorescences are collected. The flowers are small in size, they have a sharp, fragrant aroma. After the end of flowering, spherical fruits - drupes - are ripening. Their color is dark blue or bluish black. In each berry, the number of seeds varies from one to four. The berries adorn a privet bush throughout the fall until late December and early January. Tasting ligustrum berries is strictly prohibited due to their toxicity, but this does not prevent the thrushes from feasting on them.
In terms of the ease of cultivation, privet occupies a middle position, so if you do not follow the rules below, then there will be no success in this. It is often used for bonsai cultivation. Most often, the plant is used to form hedges and landscaping park or garden areas.
Growing ligustrum, home care
- Lighting. The plant prefers bright light, but shaded from direct sunlight. You can place the privet pot on the southeast or southwest window. It is also a good idea to grow outdoors in the shade of trees.
- Air temperature when growing privet in the spring-summer period 15-21 degrees, and in winter the temperature drops to 6-8 units. When grown outdoors, it is important to protect the ligustrum from overheating and prevent weeds from developing. For this, mulching is used. In May, mulch should be scattered under a hedge or single growing bushes.
- Air humidity. Indoors, regular spraying with warm soft water is recommended, the main thing is not to get on the flowers. Sometimes the pot is placed in a pallet on moistened expanded clay.
- Watering. In the summer, the plant is moistened daily or once every two days. The soil should always be wet. If there is not enough moisture, the privet will shed its foliage. In winter, watering is reduced, it is important that the soil never dries out. Waterlogging is harmful. In the open field in summer, watering is less frequent, the substrate should be regularly loosened.
- Fertilizers for ligustrum must be applied from the beginning of the growing season at intervals of 1-2 times a month. Apply liquid complex dressings. If the plant is grown in the open field, it is recommended to use potash preparations in the fall (2-3 times a year) at the rate of up to 15 grams per 1 m2, and compositions with phosphorus and nitrogen - from 10-15 grams per 1 m2. You also need to add dolomite flour, lime and crushed chalk. In order to lower the acidity of the soil, operations are carried out in the autumn.
- Transplant and substrate. The privet is transplanted annually, and when the plant grows up, the pot and soil are changed only once every two years. For the soil mixture, sod soil, peat, rotted humus, river sand are mixed (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 0, 5). Ready-made universal substrates for flowering plants are used.
- Pruning carried out during the growing season. In the first 3 years, at least 1/3 of the stem is removed, and then it will only be necessary to maintain the shape of the formed hedge. It is important to remember that when pruning, the number of flowers will decrease, but the growth rate of the branches will increase.
Do-it-yourself privet breeding rules
To get a new wolfberry plant, it is recommended to sow seed, carry out cuttings or propagation with the help of layering.
Cut blanks for grafting from the tops of last year's semi-lignified shoots. The length of the cutting should vary between 8-14 cm, and it should also have several buds. The cut is performed under the internode. Planting is carried out in a pot filled with a soil mixture of peat and sand (parts must be equal). Before planting the cuttings, it is recommended to treat the cut with means to stimulate root formation (for example, Kornevin or heteroauxin). Several blanks must be placed in one container at once. The germination temperature should be maintained in the range of 16–20 degrees. After planting, cover the cuttings with a plastic bag or place under a glass vessel. It is important not to forget to air the planting and, if necessary, moisten the soil. After 20-21 days have passed, the shelter should be removed and young ligustrum should be accustomed to indoor conditions. With the arrival of spring, it is necessary to carry out the first transplant in a large container and a suitable substrate.
If a decision is made to plant cuttings in open ground, then the planting site should be in the shade of trees with a lush crown. In no case should the sun's rays fall on the handle. You also need to cover it with a plastic bottle with a cut neck and holes made in the bottom for ventilation. It is recommended to remove the shelter after a 2-month period. A young bush is not disturbed by a transplant until next spring.
When seed propagation, it is important to remember that the process is long and less widespread. Ripe privet fruits are left for a while so that they completely rot, then they are mixed with the ground and left until next fall. In this case, you can place seed material in pots with a diameter of 7 cm and a peat-sand mixture, or use sod soil mixed with sand. The germination rate of the seed is almost 60%. After the first year, you can pick the seedlings. But only two years later, they begin to engage in the formation of a bonsai-style plant. If it is necessary to transplant young ligustrum, then this is done when the root system is completely entwined with an earthen lump. It is recommended that the transplant be carried out by the transshipment method so as not to injure the fragile roots.
Pests and diseases in the cultivation of ligustrum
Most often, privet growing outdoors can be affected by the following pests: scale insects, caterpillars, weevils, tinder fungus, aphids. In indoor cultivation, if the conditions of detention are violated, the plants can be attacked by the scale insect, spider mite, whitefly, mealybug, aphids, and also thrips. For pest control, insecticidal preparations are used when spraying, for example, Aktara, Karbofos, Aktellik, Fitoverm and others with a systemic type of action.
If too much waterlogging of the substrate occurs, then the ligustrum becomes a victim of powdery mildew and root rot. This is where fungicides come to the rescue.
You can also highlight the following troubles when growing privet in a room:
- the appearance of brown spots on the leaf plates, occurs if the plant has been watered with cold water;
- the foliage takes on a yellow color when the ligustrum is in direct scorching sunlight, too much fertilizer has been applied to the soil, and the humidity in the room is low;
- with constant waterlogging of the substrate in the pot, decay of the bases of the stems and the root system begins;
- if the humidity level in the room has dropped very much, then the tips of the leaves begin to dry out;
- curling of foliage is noted with irregular moisture in the soil, dryness in the air in the room, increased heat indicators during the autumn and winter months.
Ligustrum facts for the curious
It is the attractive privet berries that are fraught with danger, since they contain toxic substances. So when they are absorbed in a person, first nausea begins, then it turns into vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms of severe poisoning appear, which is life-threatening. Therefore, in order to avoid problems, you need to put the plant pot away from small children or pets.
It is curious that when thrushes eat ligustrum berries, there will be no such dire consequences, since there is no danger for the birds. The birds feast on black or blue-black balls of berries and at the same time they contribute to the natural spread of the plant.
Types of ligustrum (privet)
- Light ligustrum (Ligustrum lucidum). It can also be found under the name of the Privet of the brilliant or the Ligustrum of the brilliant. It is an evergreen tree or shrub, reaching a height of 6-15 meters. There is a spreading crown. On the branches, leaf plates grow with a leathery glossy surface on top. The length of the leaf can be 15 cm. The outlines of the foliage are oblong, oblong-ovate, the color is dark green. On the reverse side, the leaf casts in a lighter tone, from bluish to yellow-green color, the edges of the leaf plate are wrapped. When flowering, fragrant flowers are formed, they practically sit on the branches, the color of the petals is white. From the buds loose panicle inflorescences are collected, which measure 17-18 cm in length. The plant can bloom for three months. After flowering, small fruits ripen, with rounded or ovoid outlines. The color of the berries is dark blue. There is a golden-bordered variety. The native growing areas are in the lands of Korea, China and Japan.
- Japanese ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum). The plant has a shrubby form of growth, reaches almost 3-4 meters in height. Often this species is confused with Shiny Privet, to which it is very close and can be mixed with it. The top of the shrub is blunt, the crown is compact in outline, the surface of the branches is bare. The leaf plates are leathery, short, painted in a dark green color. The flower inflorescences are also shorter, the flowers are small in size than those of the mentioned type of privet. And the flowering process is not so long. The native growing areas are in the lands of South Korea, China and Japan. It has been in culture since 1845. It is used for the formation of alley and street plantings.
- Ligustrum vulgare (Ligustrum vulgare) found under the name Privet ordinary, has a shrub form of growth. Most often, in natural conditions, this species is found in Western and Central Europe, it is not uncommon in the Mediterranean and in the north of the African continent, as well as areas in the northwestern regions of Iran and Asia Minor. He prefers to settle in warm forests with deciduous plants, in oak and hornbeam groves, as well as in forests growing in the floodplains of waterways, accompanying elm plantations. Quite shade-tolerant plant. It is a deciduous shrub with upright branches. Or it grows in the form of a low tree, not exceeding a height of 3-5 meters. The leaves are arranged oppositely on the branches, simple, spear-shaped, leathery surface, pointed apex. The length of the leaf plate is 6 cm with a width of about 1.5 cm. The color on the upper side is dark green, and on the back it is lighter. During flowering, which occurs in June-July, flowers of white or creamy-white color are formed, which have a sharp and pungent aroma, from which inflorescences are collected in the form of panicles, crowning the petioles. The fruits ripen round, resembling berries, their surface is shiny, dark. Berries can survive on the plant until late December or mid-winter. People are not used for food because of their toxic properties, but blackbirds eat them with pleasure. It is used to form hedges, it is easy to form a crown, but its growth rate is very slow.
- Ligustrum ovalifolium (Ligustrum ovalifolium) honors the lands of Japan with his native territories. Its form is shrubby, not deciduous or semi-deciduous plant with strong and erect branches. In height, it can reach up to 4 meters and with the same width. The leaf plates have oval outlines (as indicated by the name of the variety). Their color is rich green. The length can be 6 cm. In the process of flowering (falls in July), white buds are formed, they are collected in paniculate inflorescences, which can reach 10 cm in length. When fruiting, spherical fruits are formed, similar to berries with a glossy black surface. Berries are not suitable for food - they are poisonous. Used to form tall hedges.
- Chinese Ligustrum (Ligustrum sinensis) can be found under the name wolfberry, ligustrin, or ligustrin. Compared with other varieties, it is characterized by abundant flowering and fruit formation, as well as smaller foliage. Often used in bonsai cultivation. By its name, it is clear that the native territories of this variety fall on Chinese lands. There, the plant prefers to settle in forests and valleys, which are located along all kinds of river arteries. At the same time, the wolfberry forms real thickets, which settle at an altitude of 200-2,700 meters above sea level. There was an introduction (the species was introduced by people to these territories) to North America in order to form hedges and for landscaping there. Ligustrina is a deciduous shrub or a small tree, the height of which varies from 2 to 4 meters, rarely reaching 7 meters. The leaves are arranged oppositely on the shoots, their dimensions are 2–7 cm in length and about 1-3 cm in width. There are petioles, which are 2–8 mm long. During flowering, buds with white petals are formed, the corolla of which is 3, 5–5, 5 mm in length. Fruit diameter when ripe is 5–8 mm.
See what the ligustrum looks like in the video below:
