Laurel is a plant known to all. Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a dish prepared without a bay leaf that gives the food a specific taste and aroma. Even in ancient Rome, home laurel was grown. Caring for an unpretentious plant is simple, in addition, it takes root pretty well on loggias and balconies.
Main characteristics
Laurel is a houseplant, the care of which is possible even for beginner growers. Under the natural conditions of growth, this tree is capable of reaching a height of 18 meters. By the way, in the region of Sochi, you can find specimens having a 15-meter height.
Despite the fact that the laurel does not require special care, it is still desirable to create the most favorable environment for the plant. Indoor culture prefers to be in a sunny place, but it will grow well in the shade. Also, a plant such as laurel is not afraid of drafts and drought. Home care should be carried out so that it does not experience stress due to lack of water, or, conversely, does not suffer from waterlogging of the soil. Laurel is resistant to diseases and pests, it can be trimmed, giving various forms. Many gardeners manage to grow large trees that have an openwork twisted trunk.
Varieties of indoor laurel
This plant has only two types:
- laurel noble;
- canary laurel.
Unlike his compatriot, the Canarian species has large wide leaves, slightly wrinkled at the edges. But his aroma is somewhat weaker than that of a noble fellow.
Several varieties of noble laurel trees are known . A houseplant, the care of which is quite simple, is in high demand among gardeners. The main botanical species has three varieties: narrow-leaved, golden and wrinkled. All of them differ from each other only in the shape and color of the foliage.
Healing properties
In addition to being fragrant, seasoning known to everyone, the laurel also has a number of healing properties. This applies not only to the leaves, but also to the fruits. They contain aromatic essential oils and tannins. So, the inhalation of vapors of tinctures prepared from the components of the plant helps to fight cancer.
Experts also argue that laurel, which is properly managed at home, can prevent the development of a disease such as coronary heart disease.
Care Features
Despite the fact that there is no particular hassle when growing laurel, you still need to take care of it. Otherwise, even such an unpretentious plant may die. Possessing a lot of useful advantages, it can look very beautiful and decorative, but this requires care. The laurel noble loves pruning crowns, spraying foliage. It is desirable to constantly wipe dark green fragrant leaves from the dust collecting on them.
Temperature
For good growth, it is advisable for each plant to create the conditions to which it is accustomed to in its native places. This also applies to such a flower as indoor laurel. Winter care is, first of all, the optimum air temperature (not higher than 18 degrees). And in January, experts generally recommend lowering it to 10 degrees. Therefore, in the heating season, especially in apartments with central heating, it is better to keep the plant away from heat sources.
Breeding
Such a plant as laurel, which is properly maintained at home, is propagated quite easily by cuttings. It can also be grown from seeds, but the processes and root cuttings take root for a very long time.
If you decide to grow a plant from seeds, then be sure to look at the expiration date of the seed. Take care of the special soil and note that in order to get good seedlings, a few other conditions are necessary.
For greater efficiency, experienced growers recommend soaking the material for sowing in warm water for several hours. Do not place seeds deep in the soil, it is advisable to sprinkle them with a layer of earth and cover with a film.
If you plant laurel with cuttings, then you should cut them from the shoots of this year, which have not yet managed to completely lignify. The preparation of future seedlings is carried out in the spring - in March or April. Cropped processes are planted in moist soil. It is advisable to remove most of the leaves, leaving two or three that are better to shorten. The length of the planting material should be 6-8 cm. For better and faster rooting, it is advisable to use very wet sand. It takes about a month for rooting young seedlings.
Transfer
A transplant should not be performed frequently. You should not choose a large capacity for a small tree. The plant feels best in a small pot. When it becomes crowded, the new capacity should be 4 centimeters larger. The transplant should be carried out by reloading an earthen coma, filling up the necessary soil in a new pot. After planting, laurel must be watered. Transplantation can be performed in spring and summer.
Top dressing
All plants need periodic top dressing, even laurel. Home care does not require feeding the tree often, it is enough to do this twice a month, in the active period of growth, that is, from June to September. For top dressing, nitrate, potassium salt, liquid superphosphate are used. All fertilizers are bred in water.
Lighting
In order to preserve the decorativeness and beauty of the leaves of the laurel, it is desirable to put it on the bright, warm, well-lit side. Despite the fact that the flower also feels normal in the shade, its color may slightly change, the leaves will no longer have such a bright color, and the tree itself may stretch out and the leaves will thinn.
In indoor conditions, it is very difficult to achieve a flowering plant such as laurel. Home care, consistent with natural factors, can help the tree bloom. True, his flowers are not too beautiful. Basically, these are small inflorescences of yellow flowers with a pleasant aroma.
Useful Tips
Laurel is a plant, the care of which will be a joy even for children, since, basically, this is the correct watering and location. If you do not know how to water a decorative tree, then do it when the top layer of soil is slightly dry. Do not fill the flower, because even in an unpretentious laurel, the roots can rot due to the abundance of water.
Before planting or transplanting, be sure to drain. Try to refrain from transplanting a one-year laurel. The only thing this tree doesn’t really like is frequent transplants, its roots are very sensitive.
If you plant a flower with cuttings, then when cutting, try not to cut the shoot from the big tree to the end, try to tear it gently. The resulting "heel" will contribute to a more rapid development of the root system of a young seedling.
Do not forget about moisture and spray the plant in hot weather daily. Try to do this in the evening, as moisture drops on the sheets when exposed to sunlight turn into very strong lenses that can leave severe burns on the foliage, which will lead not only to an ugly appearance, but also to their death.
Do not feed the plant in winter during dormancy, otherwise in natural time for active growth the laurel will not be able to develop normally, as it will not have time to gain strength. In winter, watering is also desirable to reduce.