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The beech tree is considered a valuable breed all over the world. In modern Europe, it is often planted for landscaping the areas of city parks. In the wild, you can meet pure beech forests. Beech grows even in the mountains, the habitat of this tree is limited to a height of 2300 m above sea level.
Beech – what kind of tree is it
Beech is a broad-leaved, tall, deciduous, slow growing tree belonging to the Beech family. In many languages, the name of the beech tree is similar to the word for “book”. This is due to the fact that bark and wooden sticks carved from beech were used in ancient times to write the first runes.
What does a beech tree look like?
The height of the beech tree reaches 30 m, the girth of the trunk in diameter is approximately 2 m. The trunk is covered with a thin layer of smooth gray bark. The beech crown has unusual properties, it is so thick that sunlight simply does not reach the lower branches, as a result of which photosynthesis processes are disrupted, the branches die and fall off. That is why they are located only in the upper part of the crown, almost to the very top of the tree, the trunk remains bare.
The beech tree is a cozy home for birds. It looks stunning at any time of the year. In autumn, the beech forest is full of juicy, bright shades, and in summer and spring it pleases the eye with lush green foliage.
Botanical description of the beech tree
The powerful branches of the beech are covered with oval or oval-oblong leaves, the length of which is from 5 to 15 cm, the width is from 4 to 10 cm. They may have slight notches or be entire. In the autumn-winter period, the beech sheds its foliage.
Scaly buds are elongated and bloom on shoots to replace leaves in winter. The flowering of the tree begins in the spring months, when the first leaves begin to open. The flowers collected in earrings are unisexual and are pollinated with the help of the wind.
The trihedral beech fruits are shaped like an acorn. Their length is 10 – 15 mm. The fruits have a dense, woody peel, collected 2-4 pieces in a shell consisting of 4 blades, which is called a plush. The fruits are considered edible, despite the high content of tannin, which has a bitter aftertaste. In the people they received the name “beech nuts”.
Single-standing trees begin to bear fruit after 20-40 years. Fruiting of beeches growing in groups begins at least 60 years later.
Beech roots are powerful and close to the soil surface, there is no pronounced tap root. Often the roots of several adjacent trees are intertwined.
Where does a beech tree grow in Our Country?
Beech is considered one of the most common tree crops in Europe. The territory of mixed and deciduous forests in Europe, North America and Asia is literally strewn with beech trees.
In Our Country, you can find forest and oriental beech, they grow in the Crimea and the Caucasus. In central Our Country, growing this tree will not be easy. Without damage, it can only withstand short-term frosts down to -35 oC even at rest. The plant does not tolerate prolonged frosts. For young shoots, leaves and seedlings, even cold snaps down to -2 are detrimental. oC.
Beech in landscape design
In landscape design, beech is used for landscaping city parks and alleys. Curly hedges are often formed from it. Trees are planted both singly and in groups, thereby creating an unusually beautiful green landscape of parks and forest parks.
The lush beech crown forms a pleasant partial shade under it, in which you can place a summerhouse or a bench to enjoy a slight coolness on hot summer days.
Thanks to its dense foliage and dense crown, beech is perfect for planting in industrial areas of the city. The benefit of beech is that the tree cleans the water and air around it, protects the soil from erosion. Its roots are able to release mineral and organic substances into the soil, which make it more fertile.
Sowing chestnut, oriental and common spruce, weymouth pine, oak, birch, white fir, berry yew, juniper, mountain ash, hornbeam get along well with this plant.
Types and varieties of beech
The most common both in the wild and in horticulture are the following types of beech:
- Eastern beech (Caucasian). It is found in the vast territories of the Crimea, the Caucasus and the north of Asia Minor. Often grown in protected natural complexes of the European part of Our Country. It grows in beech forests or in proximity to other broad-leaved crops. The height of the tree can reach 50 m. It is distinguished from the forest beech by a more rounded and even crown and larger elongated leaves, reaching 20 cm in length. Oriental beech is also more thermophilic;
- European beech (forest). It is the most common member of this family. It grows wild in Western Ukraine, Belarus and Western Europe. In Our Country, it is also present in some reserves in the European part. The height of the forest beech reaches 30 m, its crown is powerful, has an ovoid shape. On the branches are oval leaves up to 10 cm long;
- Engler. Considered a rare breed, in the wild this type of beech grows only in China. Cultivated specimens are used in park and garden landscape design in other countries. The height of the Engler beech tree reaches 20 m, its trunk is divided into several branches, thereby forming a wide oval crown. The plant is also distinguished from other species by the elongated oval shape of the leaves;
- Large-leaved beech. Most common in eastern North America and Western Europe. Prefers mixed deciduous forests, gets along well with maples, birches and lindens. The main feature of the species is large, elongated leaf blades and buds, stretching up to 2,5 cm in length.
Currently, there are even varieties of beech with leaves painted in unusual shades, these include the European beech Tricolor.
Planting and caring for beech
You can also grow a beech in a summer cottage. This is a very shade-tolerant culture that can withstand even a long stay in the shade. However, the plant feels comfortable in the sun. The beech tree does not tolerate drought and needs abundant watering. It is not demanding on the soil, wet and dry, slightly acidic and alkaline – at least somewhat fertile lands are suitable for it. Planting work usually begins in the spring.
Seedling and planting preparation
Despite the fact that beech can grow on almost any soil, it prefers loamy, calcareous soil. Polluted and saline soils have a negative impact on beech. Beech seedlings are best purchased in specialized stores, but you can also germinate them yourself from seeds.
How to plant a beech
The main thing when planting beech is to choose the right time, seedlings are planted in the spring before the first buds appear. Otherwise, the tree will have a weak immunity to diseases and grow slowly.
Landing algorithm:
- Dig a hole measuring 80 by 80 cm. The large size of the hole will help the roots grow faster.
- Drain the beech planting hole with stones.
- Add fertilizers that stimulate the active growth of the root system.
- Place the beech seedling in the planting hole.
- Cover with soil and water thoroughly.
- To better preserve the soil, the surface around the trunk of a young beech must be mulched with dry grass.
Watering and top dressing
Young beeches need to be watered once a week. Twice a month, they also need spraying, which allows you to wash off all the dust and pests from parts of the plant.
Top dressing after planting is carried out only while the beech tree is small. Plants are fed twice a year: in autumn and spring.
Mulching and loosening
Twice a month, after spraying, the soil around young beech seedlings must also be loosened. After loosening, the trunk circle is mulched with a layer of dry grass, which allows you to keep the soil moist for a long time.
Trimming
The beech crown lends itself well to pruning and shaping. That is why the tree is so highly valued and is often used in landscape design to form green hedges and various compositions with other plants.
Regular pruning also helps to rejuvenate the plant. However, beech branches and leaves grow very slowly, so pruning is infrequent. Usually annual pruning is carried out in the spring.
In addition to the decorative function, pruning allows you to free the plant from old and unnecessary branches. The need for such procedures disappears only when the tree becomes an adult.
Preparation for winter
To survive the autumn-winter period, the beech tree needs a lot of moisture. Mature plants are not afraid of short-term cooling down to -35 oC. However, young seedlings are not suitable for such temperatures. For the winter, they need a thick layer of mulch and extra shelter.
beech breeding
The beech tree is propagated with:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- vaccination;
- taps.
Experienced gardeners recommend propagating beech seeds. Seeds for planting can be harvested independently. To do this, the fruits, as they ripen, must be collected and stored until planting in semi-moist sand. Immediately before planting, they are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, after which they are planted at home in seedling containers. Only with the advent of warm, sunny days, seedlings can be transplanted into the ground.
Other propagation methods are laterals, grafting, and cuttings. However, the rooting of plants in this case is reduced to 12%. For three years after planting, the tree will grow very slowly, subsequently the growth rate will accelerate significantly. A good shoot is obtained from a stump.
Diseases and pests
The beech tree can be affected by a number of parasitic fungi that are extremely dangerous to the health and life of the plant. They cause diseases such as trunk cancer, brown spot, and various types of rot.
trunk cancer | Its causative agent is marsupial fungus. The disease can be detected by the presence of cancerous ulcers on the trunk. The mycelium of the fungus contributes to the death and damage to the cells of the tree. Every year, cancerous ulcers increase in size, they can even provoke the death of a tree. Small wounds must be cut and smeared with creosote mixed with oil. Running trees are to be cut down and destroyed. |
Brown leaf spot | A fungal disease that is detected by the presence of brown spots on the leaves. Usually it threatens only young trees. When affected by spotting, trees are sprayed with special solutions (Bordeaux liquid, Horus, Barrier) |
White marble rot | It is caused by the tinder fungus, its mycelium penetrates the wood, destroying it and forming rot. If the tinder fungus is not removed in a timely manner, the tree may die. |
Conclusion
The beech tree is able to fit into the landscape design of any suburban area. It will become an indispensable part of garden compositions and will create a light penumbra under it, in which it is so pleasant to be on hot summer days. Despite the fact that the plant can withstand severe temperature drops, it is extremely unstable to prolonged frosts. Beech planting is recommended in regions with warm winter climates.
