Catalpa (Catalpa) is a flowering ornamental tree from the Bignoniev family. There are approximately 10 to 40 species of this plant. The place where catalpa grows in nature is North America, the West Indies, China and Japan.
Catalpa tree description
Catalpa is a deciduous, ornamental, evergreen or deciduous tree. It grows up to 20 m in height, the crown is rounded. The leaves are large enough, 30 cm long and about 20 cm wide. They can be opposite, whorled silt, long-petiolate. The flowers are funnel-shaped, have a pleasant aroma, creamy color with dark spots on the throat. Erect inflorescences of paniculate-pyramidal shape. The fruits are similar to hanging lines, in which flying seeds ripen, are quite long and grow up to 40 cm in length. The tree blooms in the middle of summer, and its unusual fruits can sag all winter.
Planting catalpa in open ground
In planting and caring for this ornamental plant, you must adhere to the general rules for growing trees. It is best to purchase catalpa seedlings in special centers and nurseries. Catalpa can be planted in early spring, before sap flow has begun, or in autumn after the leaves fall off. The planting site should be free of drafts and protected from the wind so that the delicate leaves of the tree are not damaged.
You also need to choose a site where the groundwater was deep enough. This is a sprawling decorative tree, so it needs a lot of space. When planting, the distance between the seedlings should be at least 5 m.The pit for planting should be deep, go about 1 m deep, and at least 70 cm in diameter.
It is best to use prepared soil from a mixture of sand, humus, peat and leafy earth as a substrate. Add wood ash and phosphate rock. It should be borne in mind that the soil must be neutral acidity. At the bottom of the pit, you need to place a thick layer of rubble, a biography of a brick or pebble, this will serve as drainage. Then fill the drainage layer with a large amount of prepared soil and place the seedling on top. Gently spread the roots, cover the empty areas with nutritious soil and crush them well. After planting, abundant watering is required. You need to plant a seedling so that the neck is slightly above ground level. After watering, when the water is well absorbed, it is necessary to make a thick layer of mulch from peat, dry leaves or sawdust around the plant.
Catalpa care in the garden
Watering
Catalpa loves moisture very much, so she needs regular watering once a week. This is especially important in dry times. If you water the plant incorrectly, then the leaves will hang and begin to wither, because of this, the tree will lose its decorative effect. When watering, one plant needs at least two buckets of water. If the weather is cool and rainy, and the trunk circle is well mulched, then watering can be reduced to 2-3 times a month.After each watering or rain, the soil in the trunk circle must be loosened and weeds must be removed. If the weather is too hot and dry, then watering should be a little more often, a couple of times a week.
Top dressing and fertilizers
As for the application of fertilizers, they cannot be neglected, they must be and must be regular. Twice a season, a solution with the addition of rotted manure must be added to the trunk circles. In the spring, the catalpa will be delighted with the introduction of Nitroammofoska, in the fall the plant needs fertilizers with a high content of potassium and phosphorus, the tree does not need nitrogen at this time.
Pruning
Spring is considered a good time for pruning, while the buds are not yet swollen. During spring pruning of catalpa, branches that are frozen, damaged, dry and improperly growing must be removed. In the spring, you need to carry out pruning, which will create a beautiful and neat crown shape. The left main branches sometimes need to be shortened, and excess and improperly growing branches must be completely removed.
Reproduction of catalpa
You can propagate catalpa using seeds or summer cuttings.
Seed propagation
The most suitable time for planting catalpa seeds for seedlings is the end of February and the beginning of March. You must first soak the seeds in water for 8 to 12 hours. Soaking is not required during autumn planting before winter. In prepared containers with soil, it is necessary to make grooves and evenly distribute the seeds in them. Cover everything with soil and water gently so as not to wash the seeds out of the soil. To create a greenhouse effect, containers must be covered with plastic wrap or glass. You need to grow seeds at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. Remove the film daily and leave the containers to ventilate for 10 minutes. The lighting should be good, but not exposed to direct ultraviolet rays. Watering should be regular but moderate. It is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground in the second half of May, at which time the soil has already warmed up enough and the night frosts will probably not return.
Propagation by cuttings
It is necessary to harvest cuttings for propagation in the second decade of summer. The stalk must be at least 8 cm long and with several living buds. They must be immediately planted in a mixture of sand and peat, covered with plastic bottles to create a greenhouse effect. You need to take care of the cuttings in the same way as for the seedlings. As soon as the leaves appear, this will mean that the plant has successfully rooted. It is necessary to plant cuttings in open ground in the second decade of May.
Diseases and pests
Catalpa is quite resistant to various diseases and attacks of harmful insects, but if not properly cared for, it can be affected by such pests as spanish flies. You can get rid of them only by processing special means. Decis and Fastak are great for this. A dangerous pest for catalpa is the stem pest - horntail. They lay larvae in the bark of trees, which damage it. This leads to a weakening of the entire tree, impaired development and growth. The plant begins to wither and the words dies completely over time. Usually, trees affected by this insect die and cannot be saved. Therefore, it is imperative to carry out preventive measures.
Of the diseases, the catalpa can get sick with verticillary wilting. With this disease, the leaves at the bottom of the tree turn yellow and fall off. The plant can be cured only at the beginning of development with the help of special preparations. For example, Fundazol, Rovral or Maxim. A neglected disease cannot be cured, therefore it is best to prevent its occurrence and carry out various preventive treatments of the tree.
Types and varieties of catalpa
Not all species are grown in culture, but only some of them:
Common catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides), or bignonium-shaped catalpa - a tree grows up to 20 m in height. The crown is spreading, wide-round in shape.The bark is thin-lamellar, light brown in color. The leaves are similar in shape to lilac leaves, only they are several times larger in size. Light green in color, up to 20 cm long, and up to 15 cm wide. The leaves are smooth from above, and from below they are covered with fluff along the veins, if you grind them, you will feel an unpleasant aroma. The flowers are white with a red-brown speck, very fragrant, collected in loose pyramidal inflorescences. About 30 cm long and 20 cm wide. The tree blooms for about 20 days. Pod-shaped fruits, small seeds. Decorative forms of this type:
- Golden (Aurea) - This catalpa has bright yellow leaves.
- Kene - very interesting yellow leaves with greenish veins and a dark spot in the middle.
- Low (nana) - This shape has a spherical crown.
Catalpa speciosa, or beautiful catalpa - a very tall tree, grows up to 30 m in height. The trunk is slender, the crown is wide-pyramidal. The bark is thin-lamellar, grayish in color. The leaves are glossy, green, up to 30 cm long, up to 15 cm wide. The flowers are creamy white with purple dots, the edge is wavy, very fragrant.
Catalpa ovate (Catalpa ovata) - in nature it grows up to 10 m, and in gardens it is not more than 4 m. The crown is spreading, tent-shaped. The flowers are creamy white with a purple shade of throat. The leaves are three-lobed, dark green in color, up to 30 cm long, about 15 cm wide. Fruits are stricken, up to 45 cm long. This variety is very light-loving and picky about the composition of the soil and its fertility.
Catalpa fargesii - grows up to 20 m in height. Leaves are simple, opposite, entire, dark green in color. The flowers are pink or pink-purple, with a speck of purple. This species is one of the most decorative and early flowering species, as it shines almost 3 weeks earlier than others.
Catalpa hybrid (Catalpa hybrida), or spherical catalpa - reaches a height of 16 m. The crown is rounded. The leaves are light green; when rubbed, they emit an unpleasant aroma. Small flowers are collected in loose inflorescences. This type is most often used to create interesting and original landscape design.
