All about the beautiful catalpa

The beautiful catalpa was first described by Karl Linnaeus, and she has accumulated several names over the entire period of descriptions - cigar, Indian bean tree, pasta tree. But the most accepted name for the catalpa (probably due to its euphoniousness) is “the tree of happiness”.

Catalpa beautiful (or otherwise magnificent) is a deciduous ornamental tree that appeared in North America, but today it is found in Asia and the CIS countries. The initially heat-loving culture grew near rivers and lakes, but through the efforts of breeders, it began to grow well in temperate conditions, in gardens and near houses, in private estates.

The main thing in the description of the catalpa:

• belongs to the genus Bignonium;
• once it could grow up to 35 m, but in temperate climates rarely exceeds 13-15 m;
• has a straight grayish trunk with lamellar bark;
• the crown of the tree is pyramidal, all in foliage and flowers;
• the leaf plates are dark green, of a decent size, have a heart-shaped shape, they have a glossy structure on top, and roughness at the bottom;
• the leaves do not cease to remain green until the very frost, and only with their arrival turn yellow;
• catalpa blooms richly - with beautiful delicate inflorescences with yellowish and purple inclusions;
• the fruit is represented by a narrow pod, very similar to a legume, after ripening it will crack, and hairy and winged seeds will fall out of it;
• catalpa ripens in October, only the boxes will not fall off, but will remain hanging until spring;
• a pleasant honey aroma emanates from the flowers of the tree, which attracts bees (and not only them);
• catalpa flowers are collected in inflorescences that can reach 25 cm, budding starts in July and lasts 2-4 weeks.

Today it is a frost-resistant plant that can withstand even -40 degrees. But this does not apply to young seedlings, they are very vulnerable, that is, in the cold they will have to be covered. Catalpa grows on soils of moderate acidity. It is capricious in terms of lighting: it will fully develop only in spaces open to the sun. Still somehow a tree with partial shade can "make friends". And young trees need protection from the wind. Culture will not tolerate cramped conditions, it needs space: therefore, trees cannot be planted in less than 4 meters.

Do not transplant the catalpa, it is a huge stress for her. But if there is nothing without it, it is better to start an operation in the spring, before the start of sap flow. In the fall, they are also transplanted, but only after dropping the foliage. And when they dig up the catalpa, an earthen lump should remain on the root system, the earth should in no case be removed from the roots.

For planting, seedlings that are from one to two years old, no older, will fit. The roots of culture should be broad and open - this is very important. If the tree has weak roots, it may not take root. But any special preparation of the tree before planting is not required. You can just water it well, that will be enough. As well as preparing a site for planting, it is especially not necessary: ​​only if the soil is depleted, the site should be dug up, adding compost and gravel there.

Here's how to plant a tree.

• In the spring / fall, the plant will go outdoors. It is good if it is neutral soil.
• The pit itself can be prepared 2 weeks before disembarkation - it will be about 80 cm deep, 1 m wide. This size is required by the root system of the catalpa.
• A mixture of humus, peat and sand, and also sod land (one part of peat and humus and two parts of sod land and sand) is added to the bottom of the pit for planting.
• You can add up to 5 kg of wood ash to this.
• Then a seedling is placed in this place, the roots of which are sprinkled with soil. This place needs to be watered abundantly.
• It is better to mulch the area under the seedling right away - mulch will help keep moisture in the ground, preventing it from quickly evaporating.

With proper care of the tree, flowering can be expected in the fifth year. You need to remember how afraid of young trees of frost: their trunks are often wrapped in burlap or spruce branches for the winter. And the ground is covered with a thick deciduous "fur coat".

Growing a tree on a site is a standard set of procedures, each of which is irreplaceable.

Water the seedlings sparingly, but regularly. Approximate irrigation consumption is 15 liters per one seedling. About once a week will be enough to water the young tree. An adult also, by the way, needs watering, only the water consumption will increase to 20 liters. The main thing is not to flood the area of ​​the trunk circle. There is no need to water the "tree of happiness" during the period of prolonged rains.

But without feeding, it is probably still possible to grow catalpa. At least for the first couple of years, the tree will calmly cope without them. And after 2-3 years, it can be fed with slurry, which is diluted in a ratio of 1 to 20. A liter of fertilizer will be consumed for each plant. The main thing is to have time to feed the tree before the start of the growing season. And when the second part of the growing season begins, you can again fertilize the catalpa with slurry, only already diluted 1 to 10.

You definitely cannot refuse it, because the tree without it will not be so decorative. If you do not cut off the shoots in a timely manner, the catalpa will simply grow in all directions, and will look untidy, ugly. It is customary to form the crown in May-June, but without making the pruning rough. For sanitary purposes, the tree can be cut all year round, except for the dormant period - winter.

Adult trees do not need a winter shelter: they have grown, strengthened, they have enough of their own resources to endure even the harsh cold weather. It is customary to cover a young catalpa with sacking for the winter. The trunk, as well as the area included in the near-trunk circle, can be covered with dry leaves or spruce branches. But as soon as the warmth comes in the spring, you need to remove all this, otherwise the tree will mate. If, after the winter, it becomes clear that some shoots are frozen, they will have to be removed.

Only you do not need to radically cut the branches, because this will stimulate the growth of young branches, which will cause the crown to thicken too much. A dense crown is also bad, the light inside it will not enter enough, and this will negatively affect the development and decorativeness of the plant. As for the removal of the winter shelter, immediately after that, the ground around the trunk must be thoroughly loosened. This is done to rule out fungal diseases that can attack the tree.

Two options are considered in demand in relation to catalpa - seed and vegetative. They are both very effective, and everything will be decided by personal choice, personal convenience. How to plant a tree by seed.

• You need to get seeds from ripe fruits. It is best to hide them in a paper bag before sowing. By the way, they can be stored for 3 years.
• Next, the container (pot) for seedlings must be filled with a substrate. All this can be done at normal home conditions. Take plain garden soil.
• At the end of winter, you can get the seeds out of the bag, soak them in filtered water overnight. And then sow into a container with garden soil, deepening each seed by 1 cm.
• Then the container with the seedlings is covered with something transparent (you can use glass) and put away in a well-lit place.
• For 3-4 weeks, the ground needs to be constantly watered, do not forget to ventilate, and as this time passes, you can remove the shelter - shoots should already appear, It must be taken into account that the plant rises unevenly.
• For some time, the catalpa must still be warm, and then it can be hardened - taken out into the air.
• A week of hardening will be enough, and then the seedling can be transferred to the ground, but from the house the plant should only go to the heated soil.

Cuttings are also suitable for breeding, usually they are stored in the middle of summer. 10-centimeter blanks are made from young shoots. Slices are sure to be coated with garden pitch. And the lower cuttings are dipped into Kornevin. Then they must go to separate containers (cut bottles can be used). For a month, the slices should take root. For the winter, they stay in a room where the temperature is above zero. In April, you can plant a tree on the site.

If everything is in order with agricultural technology, and a tree is planted according to all standards, diseases are not very terrible for him. But still sometimes a Spanish front sight can attack a catalpa, but "Karbofos" or "Decis" works well on it. But the main disease for a tree can be considered a verticillus fungus. Because of it, the tree can dry out with lightning speed. It will die very quickly.

As soon as the leaves of the catalpa are found to be drying, it must be treated with fungicides without delay. And in order to prevent fungal diseases, the area of ​​the trunk circle must be regularly loosened. It is also important not to be mistaken with watering rates. If the soil is too waterlogged, the fungi will tend to this place.

The tree is extremely decorative and it can be used in many ways. Examples of beautiful uses of wood.

• In symmetrical compositions, it can be original, very cute. And then the small elements (relatively small, of course) seem to play along with the large ones - the crown of the catalpa is so interestingly combined with a rounded bush.

• Benches under the crown of a catalpa are a very common use, because it looks like a large round visor, under which it is nice to hide. Moreover, you can put more than one bench like this.

• The ordered lower tiers of the garden composition look even more expressive next to the well-groomed, impeccable crown of the catalpa.

• Something especially charming can be grown near the trees. It seems that these are children of a tree with a round crown. But there will be a lot of hassle with formative pruning.

• In a sense, such plants look like palm trees near the house, and it looks exotic. Although such a solution "shoots" in different regions, and not only in warm ones.

• They can grow in clusters, forming a mini-alley, as an invitation to enter the house. Mentally, you can stretch this alley, imagine how unusual it will be.

• This is a very cool idea, but it takes a lot of effort and care for the tree. But it can become the central landscape element, under which several benches are placed at once. But here and with the bushes, a huge formative work is being done.

• The area near the house, front and requiring special attention, is greatly transformed with a group of catalps.

• And you can make the same gentle fluffy substrate / footboard next to the trees - such tiers decorate the garden.