How to grow a majestic plane tree from seeds on your own plot
The sycamore is one of the most ancient relict trees, the history of which dates back to pre-glacial times. This tree attracts attention with its amazing power, beauty and grace, becoming a decoration of any park or garden. That is why for many gardeners the question of how to grow a sycamore from seeds in their own area becomes relevant.
Description of the tree
The tree grows very quickly, especially in the first years after planting. Prefers a warm climate, but feels great in frosts.
The main features of the plane tree:
- Chinara has an unusual bark color - as a result of annual peeling, it acquires a marbled milky hue. The bark is separated from the trunk in thin, large stripes.
- The leaves are large, light green in color, with noticeable pubescence on both sides. Their size is 22-25 cm.
- In the fall, the leaves of the sycamore turn yellowish-pink, with a golden tint.
- Inflorescences are spherical, up to 3-4 cm in size, dioecious, located on long pedicels. The plane tree blooms in May.
- Inflorescences on male trees are yellow, on female - pink.
There are several regions where the plane tree grows in the wild - Russia, the Caucasus, the Baltic States, Central Asia, North and South America.
The sycamore belongs to the relict trees, the history of which dates back to the Tertiary and Cretaceous, when they were widespread from the equator to the Arctic Circle. The number of their species was estimated at several dozen, but today there are only 10 varieties of sycamore.
How long the sycamore lives depends on the conditions of its growth. Today in the Caucasus there have been preserved individual specimens, the "age" of which is more than 2500 years.
Plane tree propagation
Plane tree propagation is carried out in several ways - self-seeding, cuttings, pegs, root shoots or seeds. Each of these methods has its own advantages and nuances that ensure their effectiveness.
Self seeding
In the wild, plane trees reproduce by self-seeding, without human intervention. In October, ripe nuts begin to fall from the tree, which leads to the appearance of young shoots.
Cuttings
When propagating a sycamore tree in this way, several cuttings must be placed in a container with water and left in a room at a temperature not higher than + 6 ° C. After the buds have swollen, in September the cuttings are transplanted into open soil.
Pegs and processes of roots
Plane tree propagation by pegs or root shoots is used very rarely, since they do not always guarantee a positive result. The necessary process is separated from the mother tree, with small roots.
In early spring or autumn, it is planted in open ground. Before the first frosts, a young tree is mulched with sawdust, dry foliage or coniferous branches.
Seed application
Plane tree propagation by seed method is considered the fastest, easiest and most effective. But before growing plane trees from seeds, they need to be properly prepared.In October or early November, collect the ripe nuts, and then pour them into a bag of flax, cotton or other natural material.
Dip the bag of seeds into a small hole dug in the ground, sprinkle with soil. It should be stored at a temperature not exceeding + 10 ° C. This preparation procedure is called "vernalization" and is a hardening and simultaneous disinfection of seed.
You can store seed in such a place for no longer than 12 months, after which its germination is reduced to a minimum.
How to grow a sycamore tree from seeds
Sowing sycamore seeds in open soil is carried out in early spring or autumn. When planting in autumn, seeds are planted to a depth of 40-50 cm. But most often, gardeners pre-germinate seed in plastic cups or containers with a drainage layer.
Before growing plane trees from seeds, you need to follow a few simple steps.:
- store seed in a natural cloth bag;
- pour water into small containers and dip the prepared seeds into it until germination - a special preparation can be added to the water-rooting stimulator;
- after that, dip the seeds for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- after the first green shoots appear on the seeds, transfer them to containers filled with sand-peat soil mixture;
- deepen the seeds by about 2 cm;
- cover the container with plastic wrap and leave indoors at + 18-20 ° C.
Before young shoots appear, do not forget to regularly ventilate the soil, hide it from direct sunlight and periodically moisturize.
When the young sprouts are old enough and strong enough, dive them and transplant them into separate containers with a high-quality substrate. In persistent warm weather, the seedlings are transplanted into open ground. At first, after planting, plane trees grow extremely quickly - after 2-4 years their height reaches 60-70 cm.
Planting site and soil selection
In order to grow a healthy and luxurious tree, you need to choose a suitable place for the plane tree. For him, warmth, moisture and a sufficient amount of light are important. The plane tree area should be spacious and well lit. In the first few years after planting, a young tree needs an abundance of sunlight, which ensures its active growth.
Plane trees are unpretentious in the choice of soil. They can grow on almost any soil. The only condition is that it must be nutritious and loose enough, otherwise the growth of plane trees slows down.
Watering and feeding the plane tree
In the wild, plane trees, which prefer an abundance of moisture, grow near water bodies, in the lowlands, at the bottom of mountain gorges. In hot and dry weather, plane trees need regular and abundant watering.
When growing a tree, make sure that the soil around it does not dry out. In the case of a lack of moisture, the tree begins to lag behind in growth, its foliage dries and turns yellow.
The sycamore tree is unpretentious in care and does not need special feeding. Additional fertilization is required only for young seedlings - they provide full growth and development of the tree. Also, fertilizing is applied with excessively depleted soil.
For feeding plane trees it is best to use complex mineral fertilizers with a balanced composition - for example, Kemira Universal.
Pruning
To give the sycamore crown a beautiful, neat and well-groomed shape, it must be cut off in time. For this purpose, not only young shoots are shortened, but also "mature" branches, giving the tree an unkempt look.
All dried, diseased shoots are removed at the same time. Plane tree pruning is best done in March-April, before the sap flow begins.
Plane tree wintering
Platan is characterized by average frost resistance. It tolerates air temperatures up to -15 ° С well, but at -25 ° С it can freeze and die.That is why plane trees need to be properly prepared for wintering.
In order to prevent the sycamore root system from freezing, mulch it with coniferous branches, sawdust, dry fallen leaves.
Diseases and pests
Platans are often subject to fungal diseases, which is why their number in the wild is rapidly declining. The shoots of the tree begin to dry out, the bark becomes covered with a black bloom, after which the tree dies. To date, effective measures to combat fungal diseases of plane trees have not been developed.
No less often plane trees suffer from anthracnose, a dangerous fungal disease that affects the foliage of the tree. It becomes brown and cracked. If the disease is detected in the early stages, the fight against the fungus is carried out using the drug Fundazol.
The most common pest found on the plane tree is the roundworm. She not only feeds on its foliage, but also carries dangerous fungal diseases. For the destruction of pests, the preparations Actellik, Aktara, Karbofos are used.
The plane tree is one of the most ancient and amazing trees, distinguished by its power, grace and extraordinary longevity. Knowing how to grow a plane tree from seeds at home, you can decorate your own backyard with a beautiful stately tree.