Daurian birch (black birch) is a plant that is found mainly in the Far East, in Mongolia, Japan, Korea, and Northern China. This tree is an indicator of the suitability of the soil for planting crops. Let's find out more about this unique plant.
More on this plant
Daurian birch is a plant listed in the Red Book and is under state protection in specialized reserves. This tree grows in the lower parts of the mountain slopes, mainly in soil, characterized by moisture and friability. An example of such soil is admixture in deciduous forests. Daurian birch is very often cultivated in the botanical gardens of European countries and the Far East.
Description
Daurian birch is a tree about 25 meters high, having a spreading openwork crown. A distinctive feature of this plant is an interesting color of the bark. Young trees have a pinkish bark, closer to a reddish one. And the color of the old birch is from dark brown to dark brown. The main part of the bark falls off, but part remains to hang in rags, creating a feeling of curls. This effect is quite attractive, but visible only at close range. If you see a photo of Daurian birch from afar, you will not notice anything special on the trunk.
The leaves of this plant are oval in shape, dark green in summer, and yellow-brown in autumn. The flowering period of a tree begins almost immediately after the appearance of leaves, the vegetation period is short.
Daurian birch (black) is very demanding on the soil, but there are no special claims to the purity of groundwater. It does not tolerate both pruning and transplanting, it begins to grow worse from soil compaction. Perfect for beautiful landscaping of forest belts and city parks, as it harmonizes perfectly with group and clean plantings in a lighted area. The first description of Daurian birch was made in 1883.
The nuances of care
This tree feels great in a well-lit or slightly shaded area. If you want to artificially grow such a birch, remember that the distance between the sprouts should be about 3-4 meters.
The soil for planting a tree should consist of sheet soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 2. It is advisable to pour sand drainage of about 15 cm. Planting is best done in early spring, while the trees should be no older than 5-7 years. Older trees are planted in the winter with a lump of frozen land, because when planting in the fall, there is a high probability of a big fall.
In early spring, you should take care of high-quality top dressing of trees: 1 kg of mullein, 10 grams of urea, 15 grams of ammonium nitrate are bred in a bucket of water. If the plant is from 10 to 20 years old, then 30 liters of solution is enough, and if more, then the amount of solution should be increased to 50 liters.
Be sure to water the plant during planting and within a week after this event.
Disease protection and cultivation
The soil for planting birch is loosened at a depth of 3 centimeters during harvesting of weeds. Mulch the circles around the trunk with peat or peat compost, and sprinkle wood chips on top, about 15 cm thick. Dry branches are pruned in spring.
One of the pests of birch are tube-beetle beetles. They damage young leaves and shoots. And a large colony can quickly destroy a tree. If the plant is affected by this beetle, then it is better to burn the leaves, and dig around the trunk circles.
Pests such as silkworm nuns and bucephalus crested gnaw on Daurian birch leaves right up to the veins. It is advisable to brush off the caterpillars and treat the tree with insecticides. If the larva of the May beetle damaged the roots of the birch, then you need to dig a trunk circle and check the ground for parasites.
It should be remembered that birch is susceptible to parasitic fungi, for example, such as tinder fungus. If you do not want rust to form on the tree, spray the trunk with copper chlorine.
Breeding
Daurian birch is propagated by sowing seeds that are collected during the ripening period of the earrings. Almost universal germination quickly falls, so it is better to sow immediately or in late autumn. Dried seeds are stored in an airtight container until a suitable seedling period. With such storage, one hundred percent germination is maintained for two years.
The birch is distinguished by Daurian speed and good survival rate; shoots grow into strong specimens. If the seeds are freshly picked, then they are sensitive to light: in a dark room they germinate at a temperature of +15 ... + 32 ° . At temperatures of 15 ° C and below, sprouts are produced only with proper lighting. Before sowing, seeds must be stratified at a temperature of 1 to 10 ° for 2-3 months. You can also treat them with gibberellic acid at a concentration of 100 mg / l during the day. This will protect the seeds from diseases and pests.
Using
These trees can be attributed to the number of park crops and highly desirable plants on alley plantings and gardens, but it is worth remembering that they feel good only on the lawn. Their openwork crown, bright color of the bark, spring light-green foliage and autumn golden-yellow fit perfectly into the park zone. They are perfectly combined with oaks, maples, beech, willows, bird cherry, mountain ash and even conifers. When planting with unsuitable tree species, this species of birch acts as a “whip”, because of this, some varieties of coniferous crops suffer.