Characteristics of the distinctive features of an elm, tips for care, rules for independent reproduction of an elm, difficulties in growing, interesting facts, species. The plant in question belongs to the ancient and not very large family of the Elm (Ulmaceae), in which tree-like or shrub representatives of the green world, which are large in size, are combined. This family includes only 6 to 10 genera (but according to some sources their number is close to 30), and the main of them is the familiar Elm (Ulmus). Most of the samples of this plant grouping for their growth chose tropical regions of the planet, but Elm, or as it is also called Ilm, can be found in a territory with a temperate climate, this includes the lands of Europe, the Caucasus, Asia and even areas in the north of the American continent. Also, among the people, some of the varieties of this plant are usually called "birch bark", and among the Turkic tribes - "karagach", but the elm got its name in Latin due to the Celtic name - elm.
Elms are very ancient plants, the time of their appearance falls on the period of the planet, noted 40 million years ago. And for the places of their distribution, they "chose" broad-leaved forests or middle zones of spruce forests. In a pure form, plantations of elms are quite rare. These green "giants" prefer fertile soils for themselves, which are available in floodplain regions (alluvial). However, some of the species can live well on saline soils, in dry places. All varieties can easily tolerate sufficient shading, especially if the specimen is a young tree, but full illumination will contribute to the development of a powerful crown.
Basically, all elms are plants that lose their deciduous mass for a while. The height of tree varieties can sometimes reach 40 meters, while the trunk girth is 2 meters. The elm's crown takes wide-cylindrical forms with a rounded top, which has a compact spherical shape. The branches of a plant appear in a sympodial form when the top, located along the main axis, lags behind in its growth or stops growing altogether, and the lateral branches take its place, being located towards the main axis. Shoots with slight tortuosity, geniculate. There are no thorns and thorns on the branches. Young thin shoots are located on thick main branches.
The bark is mostly brown in color, when the tree is young, its surface is smooth, and over time, grooves and longitudinal cracks appear on it, this coating becomes thick and rough. If the variety is southern, then cork growths may be present on the branches. The root system of the elm is devoid of a pivotal process, but its outlines are powerful, and all the roots go deep into the soil, and there are many lateral processes that are located above the surface of the soil.
The leaf plates are placed in the next order, there may be a two-row-mosaic type of foliage growth and because of this, the crown does not allow sunlight to pass through, providing a dense shade. The leaves have short petioles. The leaf plate is solid, very rarely on the upper part there is a division into blades, and at the base of the outline of the leaf it is unequal, the tip is pointed, there is a double or triple serration, sometimes the leaves are simply serrated. The leaves are measured in length within the range of 4–20 cm. The leaves on the branches differ in their size, since their growth practically does not take place before the fruits ripen, and as soon as the fruits become yellow, they begin to develop rapidly. Before shedding the foliage, in the elm, its color is painted with a light yellow color, and then it is replaced by brown. Elm usually sheds its leaves earlier than many trees.
Elm blooms with small inconspicuous flowers, from which bundles are collected that grow from the leaf sinuses. The shape of the buds is bell-shaped, with a perianth divided into 4-8 parts, the number of stamens is the same. Flowers are dioecious (one plant can have both female and male buds). In an elm tree, the flowering process occurs during a period when the leaves have not yet appeared, in rare cases it can bloom in the fall.
The fruit ripens with nut-like outlines and flattened shape. It has a thin shell and is provided with wings. Its wing has membranes covering the seed in a circle. The contours of the seed are similar to the lenticular, it is devoid of the epidermis. Fruit ripening occurs in June, but in warm areas it can begin from April-May. Seed material is carried around by the wind and, once in the moistened soil, the seeds germinate after a few days.
The life span of this tree can range from 80–120 years, but rare specimens survive up to the 400-year mark. When grown on its own plot, elm exhibits properties of high drought tolerance, as well as a high growth rate. With the help of it, hedges are made out, parks and gardens are landscaped, the elm looks beautiful as a tapeworm on the grass lawn, but it is recommended not to plant flowering plants nearby, because of the very dense crown of the elm, which gives a strong shade. At home, bonsai are made out with the help of an elm.
Growing elm in the garden and indoors, care
- Lighting and site selection. Areas with good lighting are most suitable for an elm, then his crown becomes especially beautiful, but he will be able to grow normally in shade. If we talk about apartment growing, then you can put a pot with a plant on a window of any direction, but preferably, of course, the southern, southeastern or southwestern location.
- Growing temperature. Many varieties of elm easily tolerate hot weather, and winter does not require shelter. However, when the plant is still young, it will have to be covered with agrofibre in frosts.
- Soil when planting an elm. It is recommended to select fertile and loose soils for planting, preferably floodplain. Heavy substrates must be fertilized with organic matter. If the soil in which the tree is planted is good, then further feeding for the elm will not be needed. But it is recommended to grow weeping forms on your personal plot, which do not take up much space.
- Watering. In principle, the elm is perfectly tolerant of the dry period, but when the weather is very hot, you can occasionally water the tree. It is also a good idea to moisten the ground under the elm in early summer, then try to prevent the soil from drying out too much.
- General care and pruning. Cutting the branches of elm will be required in early spring or in the fall. The elm can grow branches again very slowly, so you only need to remove the shoots that have frozen over the winter, old or dried up in the summer - to carry out sanitary pruning.
Reproduction of elm at home
You can get a new beautiful elm with the help of root shoots, seeds and pneumatic shoots, you can use vaccinations.
Naturally, as mentioned earlier, elm reproduces well by self-sowing, and when the lionfish seeds fall into the moist soil, their shoots can be observed in a couple of days. However, at the same time, the seed material very quickly loses its germination capacity, therefore, it is recommended to use freshly harvested seeds for independent reproduction. Their full ripening period falls on May-June. Before placing the seed in a container with soil, it will need to be soaked in warm water and treated with a fungicide for 2-3 days. The depth to which the seeds are sown is 1 cm, and the distance between them should be at least 20 cm. From above, the crops are covered with moss or hay, and then everything is well moistened. In a week you can admire the first sprouts.
As soon as they get strong enough, the moss can be removed, and the soil around the sprouts can be gently and thoroughly loosened. At the same time, soil moistening is reduced, and by the middle of the August days they stop altogether. The growth rate of elm seedlings is high, in the first year they can reach 15 cm in height, and then in each subsequent season they add another 40 cm. If young elms are grown outdoors, but in winter it is recommended to wrap with agrofibre.
You can try to propagate elm in other ways, but you need to be prepared that the result will not please you too much. Some decorative forms are also propagated by grafting a cutting or "eye" on the stem of the mother tree of the elm, but it is better to buy a 3-4 year old seedling.
Elm pests and diseases
In the open air, the tree can be affected by many insects that like to feast on the leaves of the plant. Among them are elm leaf beetle, elm springtail, scale insects and the like. To combat them, it is customary to use insecticidal agents.
Problems are also caused by fungal diseases - the Dutch disease of the elm, due to the defeat of which the mass shrinkage of elm begins and there is no cure for this "ailment". It is because of this "misfortune" that many of the species growing in Europe and America are on the verge of extinction. It is possible, of course, for prophylactic purposes, to treat a young elm with systemic fungicidal preparations such as "Maxim KS". And if an adult specimen is affected, then the dried news is cut off, and the tree itself is sprayed with copper sulfate in a 5% solution.
Interesting facts about elm
When the branches of the elm are young, they are used to feed livestock (its bark and leaf plates are used). Elm bast is not of high quality and is often used for roofing work or wooden handicrafts, making sled or box covers. The bark is applicable in tanning and painting crafts, it gives a yellow color.
In the Middle Ages, people learned about the properties of an elm tree to resist putrefactive processes, so tree trunks were hollowed out from the inside, and the manufacture of water pipes in European cities was established from them. And also for the construction of the first bridge in London, elm wood was used. However, upon contact with soil, all these properties are quickly lost.
Today, elm wood is actively used in the manufacture of furniture, as well as in carpentry and mechanical engineering. The elm inflow, which forms a unique pattern when sawing, is of particular value. Elm firewood is also famous for its high calorific value.
The plant got its name "elm" on the basis of the Old Slavonic "knit", since the bast of this representative of the green world of the planet has long been used by people because of its flexible and durable properties. In ancient times, elm birch bark was widely used in households; baskets were made on its basis. And also elm trees in the ancient and Middle Ages were planted in vineyards and with their help made support for the vines. With the arrival of autumn, ripe bunches of grapes could be harvested from drooping elm branches. Apparently, therefore, in Greece and ancient Rome, the elm was dedicated to the god Dionysus, or as he was also called Bacchus, who was responsible for winemaking and viticulture.
Also in Greece, it was customary to plant elm on the graves of dead soldiers, and it was believed that from such a neighborhood, the bark and leaves begin to acquire healing properties, as if absorbing the strength and courage of the heroes. The oldest of all elms mentioned in history grew in France in the province of Normandy. It was rumored that he was about 800 years old and nine men could not grasp the trunk of this "giant" while holding hands. This great tree bore the name "Elm of the World", since under the crown of its branches, the crowned persons of that time of England and France met to conclude negotiations.
People also paid attention to the healing properties of the elm. The bark of the plant is used in the treatment of rheumatism, gout or various edema, and also helps to eliminate diarrhea. Here the leaves can bring improvement in intestinal and renal colic.
Elm species
There are many varieties of this plant, here are the most popular of them.
- Common Elm (Ulmus laevis) or as it is also called Smooth Elm. Under natural conditions, it is found in the western regions of Europe, on the European territory of Russia, in its western Siberian part, as well as in the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. For distribution "chooses" broad-leaved forests with nutritious soils, has increased shade tolerance. Its height can reach 25 m, the crown takes a wide elliptical shape. The branches of the tree hanging to the surface of the soil are thin. When they are young, they have pubescence, which is lost over time and the surface of the branch becomes smooth and glossy. The bark is colored light brown. In adult specimens, it darkens and acquires a brownish-brown color, while its detachment occurs in the form of thin scales. The leaf blades have an oblong shape, a sharpening goes to the top, and the leaves are unequal at the base. The edge of the leaf is serrated, the teeth are sickle-shaped. The color of the foliage from the top is dark green and bare, and the reverse side is shaded with a light green tone with a coating of soft hairs. With the arrival of autumn days, the color of the leaves takes on a brown-purple hue. When blooming, small flowers appear with a brown tint and stamens that protrude from the corolla. Stamens are painted in a purple tone. The flower stalks of the buds are long, descending. The flowering process stretches for 10 days, and then winged nut-shaped seeds with a ciliated edge appear immediately. Some specimens live up to the 300-year mark. The growth rate of this species is fast, it tolerates crown pruning well. In a city with depleted soils, its growth slows down, and in this case, the crown dries up and early foliage is shed.
- English elm (Ulmus procera) grows in southern and western Europe, abundantly distributed in deciduous and mixed forests, which are located along river arteries and in their floodplains, on rich soils. Plant height reaches 50 meters, and it is highly winter-hardy.
- Squat elm (Ulmus pumila), also called the Small-leaved Elm or Ilmovik. Under natural conditions, this plant is widespread in the regions of the Far East, in the North Mongolian lands, as well as in Japan, Korea and in the regions of Transbaikalia. You can find these specimens in broad-leaved and mixed forests on fertile soils. This variety does not exceed 15 meters in height, but sometimes it can even take on a shrub form. The crown of the plant is dense, rounded outlines. Branches are thin, in youth, with pubescence. The leaf plates are small in size, with elliptical contours, their surface is leathery, and at the top there is a short sharpening, they are slightly unequal. In the spring, the leaves are green, and on the back the color is light greenish. With the arrival of summer, the color scheme becomes more intense and dark, and with the arrival of autumn, the shade changes to olive yellow. Flowers are collected in inflorescences in the form of bunches. When fruits ripen, seeds with wings appear. Their color is ocher or yellowish brown. This variety has an average winter hardiness, but loves good lighting. It is not particularly picky about the soil, it can grow well on depleted and dry ones.
More information about elm in the following video:
