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European Larch - Larix decidua |
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| Common Name: |
European Larch |
| Scientific Name: |
Larix decidua |
| Hardiness Zone: |
Zone 2 through 6. Larches are cold-weather trees. Will struggle in zone 7 |
| Family: |
Pinaceae |
General Information
Native to the mountains of central Europe, in the Alps and Carpathians, with disjunct lowland populations in northern Poland and southern Lithuania. Larix is an unusual genus, one of the handful of deciduous conifers. It grows very open and pyramidical in habit with horizontal branches and drooping branchlets. Larix bears bright green to bluish-green needle-like leaves that turn yellow in autumn. It has tiny cones which are purplish on most Larix species. Larches are pioneer trees and will not grow properly in the shade. In areas with suitable temperatures, Larch is quite popular as bonsai. It is recommended by its quickly thickening trunk, and its foliage, which is fresh, bright green in spring and lovely golden yellow in autumn. Unlike many conifers, Larix cones are small and seem in proportion to most sizes of bonsai. Larix Kempferi is difficult to distinguish from larix decidua.
Basic Care
| Bark Characteristics: |
Bark: On young trees thin, scaly; on old trees, thick, deeply fissured at the base exposing a reddish brown inner bark which contrast with the grayish brown outer bark. |
| Leaf/Foliage Characteristics: |
Leaves: Of long shoots up to 1 1/4". Texture: medium-fine. Color: bright green when young, eventually turning a soft deep green, turning yellow in autumn. Buds: Small, rounded. |
| Growth Characteristics |
Height: 70 to 75 feet. Width: 25 to 30 feet. Growth: medium to fast. |
| Flower/Fruit Characteristics: |
Cones: 1 to 1/2" long , 3/4 to 1" wide. Flowers: Monoecious, in early spring. Fruit: Cones stalked, 1 to 1 1/2" long. Changing from red to yellow-brown to brown at maturity. |
| Lighting: |
Semi-shade in sumer, full sun otherwise. |
| Watering: |
Regulary throughout the growing season. Sparingly during the winter do not allow soil to dry out. |
| Feeding: |
Feed heavily as soon as buds appear in Spring with a high nitrogen feed to force vigorous growth; this should be reduce for finished trees that require only fine growth. Continue to feed well until mid-summer when the tree will enter a semi-dormant period. From late-Summer onwards revert to a low-nitrogen feed to strengthen the tree for the coming Winter. |
| Pruning/Wiring: |
Shorten the shoots during growth. Wire from late spring-autumn. Hard pruning and formative pruning is best carried out in late winter but always leave 2-3 buds on a branch. Maintenance pruning should be carried out through the year by pinching back new shoots; allowing new growth to extend first before pinching back will allow the branches and trunk to thicken. Larches are very vigorous and can replace pruned growth within a matter of weeks. Larches are best pruned in Spring when the leaf buds are ready to sprout and the bare branches can still be seen; care should be taken not to knock off new buds. Larch branches thicken rapidly and wire should inspected regularly to ensure it is not cutting in. Old branches can be successfully wired though if the bark is rough it can mark easily and the use of guy wires is preferable. |
| Propagation: |
Seeds ( cold stratification in moist medium for 30 to 60 days), cuttings (but survival rate is low). |
| Potting: |
Repotting every 2-4 years or as needed, before buds have extended fully. Larches do not like being root bound. |
| Pests: |
Aphids, Wooly Larch aphids, caterpillars, Larch sawfly, gypsy moth, tussock moth, Japanese Beetle, scale. Larch case-bearer is a serious pest. |
| Diseases: |
Needle rusts, honey-fungus, canker, leaf cast, and the dreaded "mysterious wilting disease" which is always fatal to larch. |
| Bibliography: |
en.wikipedia.org. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants; by Michael A. Dirr. bonsai4me.com. |
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