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The small elm is an ornamental tree that is actively used not only for “urban”, but also for “private” landscaping. It is often found in household plots, is distinguished by “longevity”, retains its decorative effect for most of the season. No specific tree care is required, the main thing is to choose a suitable place for planting it.
Description of the small elm
The small elm (Ulmus Minor), also leafy or hornbeam, is a deciduous tree from the genus and family of the same name. The life span is up to 300 years. During this time, the small elm manages to stretch 25-30 m in height. It grows rapidly, especially at a young age (up to 8-10 years). At the same time, his crown is narrow, “vertical” (its diameter does not exceed 1,5 m).
The bark on young shoots is yellowish-brown, smooth to the touch. As the branches “age”, it becomes rough, changes its shade to grayish-brown with an ash tint, and longitudinal “grooves” appear.
The small elm can “boast” of having many nicknames – birch bark, elm, cork or red elm
The tree is densely leafy. Leaf blades are elongated, obovate, with a toothed edge, a pointed tip and a “ribbed” surface. The approximate length of the leaves is 10-12 cm, width – 5-6 cm.
The rough “edge” from the inside disappears as the leaves grow.
The small elm blossoms early, in March-April. The flowers, collected in small “brushes” or almost spherical “bunches”, open when there are no leaves on the tree yet. They are clearly visible due to the reddish or brick-rusty bracts.
The plant is melliferous; small elm is often planted along the perimeter of apiaries
After flowering, ovoid fruits – “lionfish” ripen. Their appearance is quite specific, therefore, there were disputes in botany whether to classify the small elm as an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However, given the presence of flowers in the tree, as well as the possibility of pollination by bees and other insects, and not only by the wind, it was found that the small elm belongs to the angiosperms.
Where grows
The natural habitat of the small elm includes almost all of Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East (Iran, Syria), North Africa. In the European part of Our Country, the tree is also found everywhere, with the exception of the Northern and North-Western regions.
The small elm grows both in broad-leaved and mixed forests, semi-deserts, steppes and forest-steppes. The tree prefers plains and riverbanks, but can “rise” to a height of up to 1500 m, takes root in gorges and on hillsides.
Southern Europe is considered the historical homeland of the small elm.
Rules of landing
The adult elm is light-requiring and drought-resistant. In light penumbra, it will also take root, but with a lack of light, its growth rate slows down, the shoots become thinner and deformed, the leaves become smaller.
Small elm does not need a highly nutritious substrate; soil with medium fertility is preferable, loose, providing normal air access to the roots and not creating prerequisites for stagnant water. Acid-base balance – neutral or close to it.
Direct sunlight does not harm the tree
You can plant a small elm both in spring (May-June) and in autumn (August-September). In regions with a temperate climate, the first option is more often preferred, in warm southern regions, the second.
The landing pit is always prepared in advance, according to the standard scheme. Before and after planting, the soil must be well moistened. The final stage of the procedure is mulching the near-stem circle with a diameter of 50-60 cm.
Care instructions
The gardener’s attention to the small elm is required mainly at a young age. Further, you can limit yourself to minimal care. Agricultural technology includes:
- Watering. In the first 2-3 seasons after planting, the soil should not be allowed to dry out, it should always be moderately moist. An adult tree in most cases manages with melt water and natural precipitation, it is watered only during extreme heat and prolonged drought.
- Top dressing. To maintain the nutritional value of the soil annually or every 2-3 seasons in the middle of spring, the tree is fed with natural organic matter. You can also use purchased fertilizers based on humates.
- Pruning. The crown is quite neat, symmetrical. Therefore, you can limit yourself to sanitary pruning at the beginning and end of the season. Although, in principle, the tree tolerates a “haircut”, even a radical one, well, so it is even used to form bonsai.
Reproduction
Lesser elm successfully reproduces both generatively and vegetatively. The first method is longer and more laborious, so amateur gardeners usually practice overgrowth transplantation. The best time for the procedure is June.
If the seedling already has roots, you just need to carefully dig it out, keeping a clod of soil and transplant it to a new place. The shoots on the stump are cut off and the cuttings are rooted in ordinary water or a moisture-intensive substrate, creating a “greenhouse effect” and providing a long daylight hours.
It takes 3-4 weeks for roots to appear.
If you grow a seedling from seeds, you need to consider that they show the best germination immediately after ripening. For growing seedlings, universal soil for seedlings is quite suitable. They are buried in the soil by 1-1,5 cm. If the seeds were planted in a common container, their seedlings dive in the phase of the third true leaf.
Germination does not last long, it is already useless to plant seeds that have ripened more than a year ago
Diseases and pests
Insects of the small elm rarely attack. This applies to both crop-specific and “universal” garden pests. It is also quite resistant to fungal and other infections.
The only exception is Dutch disease. Its symptoms appear at the “junction” of spring and summer. The disease develops quickly: the leaves of the small elm curl, dry up and fall off, the branches also dry up and die. Destroy the pathogen with fungicides. The first treatment of the tree itself and the soil in the trunk circle is carried out when symptoms are detected, then repeated in early August and mid-autumn.
It is possible to save the small elm affected by the “Dutch disease” only if the disease is detected at an early stage.
Conclusion
Among other ornamental trees, the small elm is distinguished by the original shape of the leaves and the “lionfish” fruits. Its growth rates are quite high, the tree lives up to 300 years, it does not impose special requirements on agricultural technology. All this determines the stable “demand” of the small elm both by amateur gardeners and professional landscape designers.
