For most people, there is only one tree known as willow - a weeping willow. But in nature, there are many different species of this plant, for example, Matsudana willow. A photo of this beauty is now in front of you. Among her relatives she stands out for her unusual beauty.
You will not see such twisted in spirals, twisting branches with silver-olive folded leaves on any tree. Such decorative beauty is created not by human hands, but by nature itself. The color of the leaves changes with the change of each season, thanks to which the garden in which this “miracle of nature” “lives” turns into a real fabulous place. If you decide to “plant” a tree such as Matsudana willow on your site, planting and caring for this plant will not be very difficult for you. And if you plant not one, but several garden beauties, then you can make the Japanese version, instead of the usual Japanese cherry blossom, Japanese willow Matsudana will delight you with its rich and beautiful color.
Yves Matsudana: photo, description
In open ground, Matsudana has the appearance of a tree, whose height is about 8 meters, and a branching crown with a diameter of about 5 meters. The willow crown is very beautiful, openwork, with a wide pyramidal shape.
Young shoots of yellowish-olive color have a slight pubescence, after a while they become naked and acquire a brown color. Leaves lanceolate, can grow up to 10 cm in length. Earrings are small, about two centimeters in length. Flowering begins simultaneously with the appearance of leaves.
Willow Matsudana: breeding
Matsudana, like all its relatives, grows very quickly, in the first years of life the growth of a tree per year is about 1 meter, then an adult plant adds 50-60 cm per year. So in order to plant these beautiful plants in your garden plants, a lot of time and effort is not required.
The winding willow Matsudana does not form root offspring, so the plant cannot be propagated in this way . Reproduction by seed is also ineffective. It is possible to apply the separation of the bush, but the cuttings have proven themselves in the best way.
Cuttings form roots very easily and quickly, so the method of grafting can be said to be quite simple. It is necessary to take lignified cuttings about a finger thick, plant them in spring in nutrient soil and water them. Soon, the roots will grow on the cuttings, and you will be able to see the first young shoots. Thin cuttings should not be used for propagation, as they take root much worse.
Landing
Although Matsudana willow is unpretentious to the soil, it grows best on light and medium loams. Like all willows, it easily tolerates the close occurrence of groundwater. When choosing a place for a Japanese beauty, you need to take into account the fact that she loves the sun, so "settle" her in a place open to the sun. At the same time, the willow does not tolerate the place where the wind freely walks, the gusts of the north-east wind are especially destructive for it. It is best to plant Matsudana surrounded by other trees and shrubs, thereby protecting her.
To plant the willow, you need to dig a hole measuring 50 by 50 cm, 40 cm deep. Then prepare the soil mixture, which should consist in equal proportions of soil, compost or rotted manure and peat. Depending on the soil, sand up to 20% and complex mineral fertilizers can be added to the soil. With the prepared mixture, half fill the pit dug for planting, mix the soil well. If you plan to plant several plants to create an alley or hedge, then immediately prepare a whole trench 50 cm wide, 40 cm deep.
If seedlings with a closed root system, then they are easy to take root at any time of the year, they can be safely planted from April to October. Only in this case it is necessary to ensure that the lump and roots are not overdried. This rule does not apply to all seedlings; plants with open roots are recommended to be planted in early spring, until the buds open, or in mid-autumn, when the leaves begin to crumble. When planting seedlings in October, you need to remove all the leaves.
In the first year of planting, a young plant needs abundant regular watering. Depending on the size of the willow, 20 to 50 liters of water will be required once every two weeks. If the air temperature is too high, in the dry season, water the tree every seven days. When the willow gets stronger, moderate irrigation will be enough for it.
Care
The real decoration of the garden is the willow of Matsudana. Plant care is simple, but some rules must be followed. As mentioned earlier, the tree is very unpretentious, able to tolerate frosts and drought with little help from humans. The adult willow has very deep roots, so that during a drought, it itself copes with a lack of moisture, eating in the depths of the soil. In autumn, it is necessary to remove fallen leaves from the site. In summer or autumn, grafted trees must be freed from wild growth.
Top dressing
Willow Matsudana is growing so quickly, but if she is properly fed, she will sooner begin to delight the owners with her extraordinary rare beauty. Most of all, this plant loves when it is "treated" with organic matter. During the spring and summer, two to three times, it is recommended to introduce complex fertilizers; at the end of August, potassium sulfate and superphosphate should be added.
Pruning
A very branched tree - Matsudana willow, pruning its lush crown is simply necessary both for the purpose of caring for the plant and for creating a beautiful decorative form. Pruning is one of the most interesting steps in caring for a willow willow.
Without a “haircut”, Matsudan is very thickened, so you should definitely do at least corrective pruning.
For creative people, pruning this tree turns into a true creation of a masterpiece. You can “age” the willow and create the most bizarre form of secateurs, you can give the lush crown a standard shape.
Many plant lovers cut a winding willow into a stump every spring, as a result of such a trimming, the willow does not freeze, but grows in a bush. Such an original bush with beautifully curved branches looks very beautiful in any area.
Young shoots need to be trimmed periodically in order to form the crown that you want to see in the garden, there are many options for pruning. No Matsudana garter is required, this is a work of nature itself. The winding willow perfectly tolerates pruning and allows you to "sculpt" all kinds of shapes from its branches.
Thanks to the beautiful branches, willow is used by designers in the design of Japanese gardens - this is already becoming a classic gardening. The willow also looks good both in single landings and when creating complex compositions. Besides the fact that the beautiful plant serves as a decoration of the landscape, you can use the curved willow branches for wicker crafts made of twigs and for flower arrangements.
Winter preparations
Willow Matsudana is considered winter-hardy, but young plants and those varieties that do not tolerate frosts very well need shelter for the winter. Warming your green pets is recommended in October or in the first half of November.
If, despite the efforts of the owner, the branchy beauty froze in the winter, then you should not get too upset, after a while, with proper care and warm weather, the willow will recover and will again delight you with its beautiful view.
Disease
If it was a rainy year, then the owners of the winding willow should be prepared for the fact that black and gray spots, similar to a dirty coating, may appear on the leaves of a tree. Panic, noticing such a nuisance, is not necessary. To return the plant to its former beauty, you need to spray it with copper chloride (HOM) or oxychoma.
Beneficial features
Willow Matsudana, in addition to being very beautiful and exotic, has many useful properties:
- tea from fresh leaves relieves fatigue;
- white willow bark has an astringent, antipyretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic action;
- willow broom in a bath treat osteochondrosis and gout;
- the quinine contained in the plant is a powerful anti-malaria drug;
- a weak solution from the bark is used in the treatment of weakened and brittle hair, it saturates them with all the necessary substances;
- Willow is used externally: for rinsing the mouth and throat, for douching, for varicose veins, for skin diseases, for sweating legs;
- willow - a wound healing agent;
- scientists have proved that willow is able to absorb heavy metals, so the plant perfectly cleans contaminated areas;
- willow is one of the best plants that can trap dust; an adult tree in one summer can hold about 38-40 kg of dust.