Laurel family. Homeland Mediterranean coast. The laurel genus is evergreen trees and shrubs with dense and odorous leaves. In the natural environment, the trunks of laurel trees can reach 10-15 meters, branch well, the crown is rather vertical, not spreading.
Laurel noble Laurus nobilis is grown at home - the leaves of which are used in cooking as a seasoning. The leaves are about 6-12 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, slightly wavy. Plants are dioecious with male and female flowers on different plants. Each flower is pale yellow-green in color, about 1 cm in diameter, located in the axils of the leaves.
For laurel, as an ornamental plant, it is important to maintain shape. To this end, they are trimmed annually, best in early spring with new growth and in late summer, at the end of growth. Basically, the laurel forms a pyramidal shape or in the form of a rod tree with a round crown. Height is maintained up to 60-70 cm .
Laurel - care and cultivation
Laurel trees can often be found on sale in garden stores. They are intended for growing at home. However, in a warm apartment, a kitchen with a constantly turned on oven, laurel will not live long - a maximum of several pots of soup. The fact is that laurel loves fresh air. Does not tolerate cigarette smoke and stuffiness. But if you have a warm balcony and enough light, laurel grows beautifully at home. The main methods of care - the formation of a crown by pruning and periodic loosening of the soil - does not tolerate caking souring soil.
Temperature: Moderate, in winter about 12-15 ° C, it is possible in a cold room, but not lower than + 8 ° C.
Lighting: Laurel needs bright light, quite tolerates a certain amount of direct sunlight. It will grow well on the east or west window.
Watering: Moderate from spring to autumn - with the obligatory drying of the upper layers of the soil. In winter, watering is very moderate, with good drying of the land. Laurel is watered so often that the soil has time to dry out almost completely in 2-3 days, no longer. It largely depends on the quality of the soil - it should be quite loose.
Top dressing: From April to August every 2-3 weeks with fertilizer for ornamental flowering plants, for example Rainbow or Fertica Suite, etc.
Air humidity: Spray regularly. Plants exposed for the summer under the open air are very fond of evening watering from a shower or hose, washing the entire crown.
Transplant: Annually in the spring. Old plants are replanted once every 2-3 years or even less often, but the topsoil is changed annually. Soil mixture: 2 parts of turf, 1 part of humus, 1 part of leaf, 1 part of fine gravel (2-3 mm). At the bottom of the pot there are more holes for the rapid outflow of excess moisture and drainage from any material, so as not to clog the holes. Adult large laurel trees require can be planted in a bucket or small tub, but the container should not be too spacious.
Reproduction: Seeds, branches, root offspring and cuttings. Laurel curls reluctantly, for several months. At the same time, it is better to cut the cuttings in January-February, dip them in heteroauxin and plant them in a mixture of peat and vermiculite under a jar or bag, periodically ventilated. The same goes for growing from seeds - seedlings grow quickly, but seeds germinate painfully slowly.