General distinctive features of a representative of the coniferous family, agricultural technology for growing larch, reproduction, difficulties, curious facts, species. Larch (Larix) is attributed by scientists to the genus of woody plants, which are part of the Pine family (Pinaceae), in addition, this breed is considered the most common among the varieties of coniferous flora on the planet (according to the data) and on the lands of Russia. However, larch needles fall off annually during the winter months. The territories of its natural growth are located in the Far East of Russia, as well as in Siberia, where larch is distributed over vast areas, where it begins to occur from Primorye to the northern borders of these regions. In places, the plantings of this ephedra can form light-coniferous larch forests.
The larch got its name thanks to Karl Linnaeus (scientist-systematist of the flora of the planet) at the beginning of the 16th century. Although it is impossible to say exactly where the term came from, some authors claim that this is what the Gauls called larch resin. Or the origins of the tree's name lead to the Celtic word "lar", which translated as "abundant, rich" or "very resinous." But there are versions that the origin of the name lies in the Latin word "laridum, lardum", which means "fat", since there is a very large amount of resin in the tree. Thus, Karl Linnaeus adopted the name "larch" as a specific epithet, which was then used by Miller as a generic name, separating pines from larch.
If the growing conditions are favorable, then the plant reaches 50 meters in height, while it reaches 1 m in diameter. Larch can live for 300-400 years, but there are specimens that have reached 800 years of age. The crown of this ephedra is loose, the rays of the sun can shine through it, at a young age the shape of the crown is conical. Over time, it becomes rounded or ovoid, with a blunt apex. If there are constant winds in the area where larch grows, then the crown becomes one-sided-flag-shaped.
The root system of this coniferous tree is powerful with strong branching, but there is no pronounced taproot, the lateral roots are strong, their ends are deeply buried in the soil, which makes it possible to withstand winds. The branches sometimes lean towards the very surface of the soil. If the substrate is very waterlogged or the permafrost is shallow, then the root system takes on a surface appearance.
Larch needles are annual, soft to the touch. The surface is flattened, the color of the needles is bright green, the arrangement on the elongated branches is spiral or single, and on the shortened shoots the needles grow in bunches, each has up to 20-40, and sometimes 50 needles. In the autumn, the plant completely loses it.
Larch is a monoecious plant, that is, there can be both male and female flowers on the same tree. Male spikelets have round-ovoid outlines, yellowish color, in length they vary within 5-10 mm. The stamens have a pair of anthers; the pollen has no air sacs. The color of female cones is reddish pink or greenish. The pollination process takes place simultaneously with the blooming of the needles or immediately after their dissolution. Flowering time falls in the southern regions in April-May, and in the north - in early summer.
Ripening of cones occurs in the fall of the year of flowering. Their shape is oblong-rounded or ovoid, the length can vary in the range of 1, 5–3, 5 cm. The surface of the seed scales is hard, they are longer than the coverts in length. When the cones are fully ripe, they do not open immediately - only after overwintering or at the beginning of spring days. Inside there are small seeds, their contours are ovoid, the wings are tightly attached to them. Larch begins to bear fruit only when it reaches 15 years of age. But the most abundant seed seasons repeat themselves in cycles every 6-7 years. However, seed germination is very low.
Until reaching the age of 20, larch is capable of adding from half a meter to one meter per year.
Agrotechnics for growing larch, watering and care
- Lighting. Most species of larch are light-loving plants; growth stops in the shade.
- Content temperature. If we talk about the properties of frost resistance, then it directly depends on the variety of larch. Some varieties require winter shelter (for example, Griffith's larch), while others can tolerate temperatures as low as -30 degrees.
- Watering and humidity. Young larch should grow in moist soil, if it is hot weather, watering is required. When growing a plant, the soil should ideally always be slightly damp. To do this, the trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, needles or pine bark, or peat.
- Fertilizers. If the plant is planted in open ground, then feeding is carried out in the spring at the very beginning of vegetative activity. It is recommended to use preparations of prolonged action intended for conifers, mineral complete complexes, liquid or granular. The concentration cannot be exceeded. If the amount of nitrogen is exceeded in the composition of top dressing, then the larch will begin to stretch strongly vertically upward, and the shoots of the second and third order will not grow and the whole tree will acquire a "naked" appearance. All this is because, unlike deciduous trees, additional buds do not appear on the trunks of larch, and the distance between the branches of the 2nd order will not be filled with anything. When larch is being grown in a container, top dressing is applied on spring days and / or in June.
- The soil when planting larch does not play a big role. It can be planted on soils with high acidity, since in nature this tree grows on maria or sphagnum bogs, where the pH is 3, 5-5, 5, but also with indicators in pH = 7 (neutral soil) or above this value (alkaline soil) larch will be comfortable. When landing on the bottom of the hole, it is recommended to lay drainage - pebbles, expanded clay, broken brick. Although some natural varieties can grow without aeration and strong water retention, without a drain.
Optimal for larch will be substrates of loam or sandy loam (compositions of loose rocks from the slopes), acidity is preferable to be weak or neutral. Aeration is selected good, and the soil is moist or with medium moisture. When grown on such soils, this ephedra shows the greatest growth and excellent development.
If you are planting larch, you need to remember that the farther the variety is from the natural parent variety, the greater the demands it makes, since it is distinguished by its tenderness and whimsicality.
Larch is not very fond of transplanting, therefore, transshipment should be carried out while preserving the earthen coma. Spring or autumn time is suitable for such an operation.
How to propagate larch yourself?
A new plant with soft needles can be obtained by sowing ripe seed material and planting shoots, cuttings.
Larch shoots take root for a long time, so this method is less common, as for cuttings, roots may not develop on them at all. When grafting, even when using a rooting stimulant, roots appear extremely rarely.
If you need to get larch seedlings, then use branches that can be bent to the soil. Even in conditions of natural growth, when the shoot touches a wet lichen or is slightly sprinkled with a substrate, it easily takes root. But such reproduction is recommended for creeping, dwarf or low varieties. The branch must be bent to the soil, secured with a piece of stiff wire and sprinkled with a layer of soil. After 3-4 months, such layers can take root and have roots. It does not need to be immediately separated from the parent specimen, for another season they are waiting for it to get stronger and the root system to develop normally.
Seeds ripen in the cones of the larch, which then, when it opens, fall out in spring or autumn. They can be harvested and sown. In some varieties, the buds open completely and the seeds in them lie right on the surface of the scales, but there are species whose buds will require your opening. In this case, care is important so that the seed is not damaged.
It is recommended to hold the collected seed material for 3-4 hours in cold water before planting - this will increase its germination. However, as experience shows, only 10% emerge. Fresh autumn seeds with higher germination rate than those harvested in spring. Then they do not need to be soaked in water or kept in the cold - such seeds can be sown immediately into the substrate or into moistened sand. The seeds are buried no more than 1.5 cm. The container in which they are placed can be covered with polyethylene. Seedlings will require a transplant only after they reach the age of two.
Difficulties in growing larch and ways to solve them
Despite the resinousness, this breed is also susceptible to pests: larch hermes, green spruce-larch hermes, kidney weevil, kidney gall midge, cap moth.
All harmful insects appear if the plant grows in strong shade and then, due to high humidity, fungal diseases, lichens, in which pests settle, develop. It is necessary to apply comprehensive protection against these harmful insects in the form of insecticide treatment before budding.
If young seedlings get sick with fusarium, then they use the treatment of the substrate and seeds with potassium permanganate, preparations with copper and foundation.
Interesting facts about larch
The bark of larch contains up to 18% of tannins - phenolic compounds with the ability to precipitate proteins, alkaloids and have an astringent taste. Larch bark makes it possible to obtain a brownish-pink dye, which is used as a persistent dye for fabrics and skins.
The difference between larch and pine is that these plants have different outlines of the needles. In the first conifer, it flies around for the winter, and if you see a bare tree, then no doubt it is a larch. In pine, the color of the needles only changes. Also, plants differ in the shape of the crown: in pine it is more round, and larch can appear with a crown in the form of a cone. The pine needles-leaves are tougher than they look like spruce needles; in larch, their surface is flattened, and soft to the touch. There are also differences in cones: in pine, their size is larger, the contours are rounded, in larch, the shape is oval or ovoid, and the size is smaller. When ripe, pine cones have a rich brown color, while larch has a brown shade.
In terms of density, wood is second only to oak and is used in construction.
Larch species
- European larch (Larix decidua) often referred to as falling larch. The growing area falls on the lands of Western and Northern Europe. The height can reach 50 meters. It has a slender trunk and a dense crown that takes on irregular outlines. However, in the middle lane, the height rarely exceeds 25 meters. The crown shape is usually conical, the color is bright green. When the buds are fully ripe, their hue becomes brown, and the length reaches 4 cm. The flowering process begins in late spring. Based on many observations, this variety is considered the fastest growing, and has frost resistance, while growing for quite a long time, does not lose its aesthetic qualities. It reconciles with any composition of the substrate, but does not accept places with stagnant moisture. Prefers to settle in places with black soil, loam or podzolic soils. At the same time, soils with good drainage properties create the basis for larch during the development and strengthening of not only the root system, but also the entire plant.
- Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) also often referred to as the Sukachev Larch. This variety occupies up to 50% of the area in the Russian woodlands. In height, it does not exceed 45 meters. A distinctive feature of this variety is a straight trunk with a thickening in the lower part. It is covered with a thick bark of light brown color. The shape of the needles on young branches is narrow pyramidal, but over time it becomes wide with pyramidal outlines rising high. Branches in relation to the trunk grow at an angle of 90 degrees, and their tops are bent upward. The color of the needles is light green, the length parameters are 13–45 mm. When ripe, the cones become light brown in color, with a yellowish tinge. The pollination process occurs at the end of April - beginning of May and can be extended for one and a half weeks. The spreading of seed material falls in autumn, mainly in October days. This variety can grow on average 200-300 years, that is, recorded specimens that have crossed the line in half a century.
- Daurian larch (Larix gmelinii) can be found under the name Gmelin Larch. The native area of distribution falls on the territory of the Far East. If climatic conditions are favorable, it can reach 30 meters in height. This variety is distinguished by the color of the bark - it is red, and when the tree becomes old enough, then the thickness of the bark becomes impressive. The color of young branches is often straw, they can grow naked and drooping. The color of the needles is light green, they do not exceed 30 mm in length. The size of the cones in this variety is small, they measure 2 cm in length, acquiring an ovoid or oval shape. In the spring, the shade of the needles is light green, in the summer it acquires a bright green color scheme, which becomes golden by autumn. The flowering process occurs at the end of April - the beginning of May days, by the fall the time comes when the seeds begin to scatter. Larch of this species prefers to settle on mountain slopes with a sufficient height, and can also be found in the valleys of river arteries. The plant does not impose requirements on the composition of the substrate, therefore it can grow in wetlands, slopes with rocky soil or in areas where shallow permafrost lies.
- American larch (Larix laricina) it is most widespread in the northern hemisphere of the planet and has parameters up to 25 meters in height. The trunk diameter can vary between 30-60 cm. Basically, this species is settled in Canada and the northeastern United States. The crown acquires a conical shape thanks to the serpentine branches that hang decoratively to the soil surface. The trunk color is dark brown or grayish. The needles of this variety are light green in the spring, and by the summer they become a rich dark green color. Leaves-needles in length reach 3 cm. The parameters of the cones are 10–20 mm, their shade is purple, until they ripen and dry. After the bump opens, its color will turn brown. The flowering process occurs at the beginning of May days, and the fruit-cones ripen effectively four times a year. The growth of this variety of ephedra is slower than that of other varieties of larch.
For more information on the features of caring for larch, see the video below:
