What plant is called a tree pumping its bark. Plants for draining the soil of the site. And now about those plants that are ideal for draining your garden plot

Well, what other tree, if not a wonderful one, could have grown on the amazing land of the Green Continent. Eucalyptus has now spread all over the world, but nowhere is it loved as much as in its homeland.

Well, what other tree, if not a wonderful one, could have grown on the amazing land of the Green Continent. Eucalyptus has now spread all over the world, but nowhere is it loved as much as in its homeland. Of course, koalas have special feelings for it, as they do not take anything other than the leaves of this pump tree into their mouths. He is both food and water for them.

These trees are called pumps for their exceptional ability to absorb moisture - they not only consume it in large quantities, but also evaporate it. An adult tree can “pump” and evaporate more than 300 liters of water per day (for comparison, a birch tree only 40). Therefore, eucalyptus trees are often planted in swampy areas for drainage. And then it will be possible to make something useful from the wood.

The wood of eucalyptus trees is wonderful - dense, smooth, resinous and heavy (heavier than water), almost impossible to rot. It is often used to make cladding for ships, supports for bridges, and handles for carpentry tools. The bark makes excellent paper.

But you won’t get any shade from the miracle tree. Even under the largest representatives (and they can be truly gigantic - up to 100 meters in height and up to 20 meters in girth) there is no hiding from the heat - its leaves always turn edge-on towards the sun, apparently afraid of burns. But in such a forest it is light and easy to breathe - the air is filled with the fresh smell of essential oils. And they are known to kill various harmful bacteria. True, for this, the leaves still need to be processed; the disinfected air of eucalyptus forests is most likely a myth.

Australians also respect eucalyptus for its extraordinary love of life - frequent fires that occur in the country's dry climate are not capable of destroying green spaces. Eucalyptus trees crack in the fire, and after a few days shoots begin to grow wildly from the cracks (the olive was revered by the Greeks for approximately the same properties). And some botanists claim that in a number of eucalyptus species the fruits do not burst unless a fire occurs. That is, they don’t just tolerate fire, they simply need it.

In Australia and Tasmania, there are several hundred species of eucalyptus - scientists still have not decided how many. According to some sources - 150, in others their number reaches 800. But no matter how many different types no eucalyptus trees grew on hot earth Green continent, all of them will enjoy the attention and warm affection of local residents.

The tallest trees!

• "Eucalyptus"
  Green "skyscrapers" that reach 100 meters in height with a trunk over 30 meters thick - these are eucalyptus trees, evergreen trees. Interesting feature eucalyptus trees is that they shed not leaves, but bark, after which their trunk acquires a light yellow or blue color and becomes smooth and shiny. This huge tree is native to Australia.

  "Eucalyptus" from Greek language translates as “I cover well,” which is not true, since trees of this type do not shade the area near them at all. This is explained by the fact that eucalyptus has a specific arrangement of leaves; they are turned towards the sun not with their surface, as we are used to seeing, but with an edge, therefore Sun rays pass freely through the leaves of the eucalyptus and no shadow is formed.

  Eucalyptus trees grow very quickly; in the first year of their life they reach 3 meters in height. Over 20 years, one hectare of eucalyptus forest produces 800 cubic meters. m. wood. No other tree can produce so much material even in 140 years. Thanks to this feature, eucalyptus trees are very useful trees In addition, their wood is very strong and durable. Therefore, it is used for the construction of ships, dams, furniture, and houses. In addition, eucalyptus wood almost never rots. Another positive property of this tree is that it is almost impossible to light it, at the same time, charcoal extracted from it burns very well. Most types of eucalyptus (and there are more than 300 of them) have tannins for processing leather.

  Valuable substances are widely used in medicine essential oil, extracted from eucalyptus tree. By the way, eucalyptus leaves contain a lot of it. It is also used to make ointments, varnishes, soaps and perfumes.

  Eucalyptus grows in wet soil near lakes, rivers and sea ​​coast. Residents of Australia say: “If you see tall trees with blue trunks, then there must be a river bed near them.” Eucalyptus is sometimes called a pump tree due to its ability to drain the soil. The root system of this plant absorbs a lot of moisture from the soil, which then evaporates through the leaves. By drying out swamps, eucalyptus destroys malaria mosquitoes, which is extremely beneficial to people. It is thanks to this property that eucalyptus trees are now planted in different countries peace. People use lands freed from swamps to grow crops.

• Sequoia
  Coniferous trees North America– redwoods, like eucalyptus, reach above 100 meters in height, but their trunks are thicker - 45 meters. These trees grew on Earth during the pre-glacial period. On average, their age is 3-4 thousand years. All large redwoods are protected by law and are even given names such as "General Sherman" and "Abraham Lincoln".

  The history of the name of the sequoia tree is quite interesting. This a big tree first called California pine or mammoth tree, since the ends of the branches bent upward, resembled the fangs of mammoths. In 1859, the Swedish botanist Linnaeus decided to call it huge tree in honor of the English commander Wellington. The new name “Wellingtonia enormous” did not exist for long. The Americans decided that such a significant plant should bear their name national hero- George Washington. After which the tree received the name “huge Washingtonian”.

  Disputes over what should be the best name for this tree continued. After some time, it finally got its name - sequoia, in honor of the leader of one of the Indian tribes - Sequoia, it was he who led the liberation struggle against foreign invaders for many years. Some people still call this tree "mammoth".

Of course, the most the right decision for draining garden soil or personal plot is drainage device . Especially when we're talking about O landscape design and site design is not a question at all. By the way, I have a good article about this on my personal website, describing the most proven methods of installing drainage in garden and summer cottage plots. If anyone wants, they can read “How to dry a summer cottage?” .

But sometimes a situation occurs when ideal drainage is simply impossible, for example there is no way to drain groundwater due to the built-up area or, as often happens, lack of finance. But I want to decorate the site and at the same time it would be nice to have a garden on the site, or at least fruit-bearing bushes.
In this case, well-known ornamental or fruit plants can come to our rescue. For example, using eucalyptus rid the Pitsunda region in Abkhazia of swamps and mosquitoes. Of course, eucalyptus does not grow here, but it turns out there are many other plants with which you can dry and at the same time .

Tatar maple - photo.

We will focus on the middle zone; what is suitable for it will naturally be suitable for more southern regions.
About poplars, of course, you all know, poplar is eucalyptus for middle zone Russia, but in Lately and, probably rightly, they began to refuse it, because of the huge amount of fluff during the flowering period, and where there is fluff, there are allergies. There is also pyramidal poplars, but their shadows are smaller and they grow very quickly and at the same time have a low-lying root system. They dry out quickly and very often fall even with weak gusts of wind, thereby damaging our property. Therefore, let's forget about poplars. I advise planting only to those lucky ones who have a river in their garden. Ordinary poplar strengthens well coastline and creates . Naturally, poplar is not suitable for our garden plots of six acres; its crown can cover a couple of acres.

And now about those plants that are ideal for draining a personal plot.

Birch is fluffy.

If you have a personal plot, the ideal water farm for it fluffy birch. A couple or three trees planted in the lower part of the site or the water drainage point on the site and the problem with flooding from spring to autumn will be solved. Despite the fact that the birch root system is very developed, the roots do not penetrate deep into the soil, so the trees can be subject to wind blows. Downy birch is the most cold-resistant of the birches.
Please note that this is the second time in the article that I have mentioned local drainage; if general drainage cannot be done, or it is not possible to drain groundwater outside the site, the site must still be planned with a slight slope and local drainage must be installed at the lowest point. And in the place planned for planting plants that will help you drain the soil, arrange drainage well, its optimal dimensions are 3x3 meters. It would be even better if there were several such wells, they would be connected by a system of pipes and a tree would be planted near each one.

Holes for planting trees To drain the area, it is also necessary to prepare it somewhat differently than for normal planting. As I already mentioned, the root system of trees for draining the site is very well developed and lies at a depth of 60-80 cm. In this regard, the planting pit for plants used in draining the site should be meter by meter in size and also at least 0.8 meters deep . The lower part of the planting hole should be filled 50 centimeters large stone, the simplest and cheapest way is to use a plaster mixed with soil; the stone (not brick) will support the roots and create additional drainage. This method of planting trees used to drain the site should be followed for any plants.

Red maple.

For draining and at the same time decorating a personal plot in landscape design also used alder, larch, ash and Tatar maple. The site is dedicated to each of these plants separate page, you can go to it by clicking on the corresponding highlighted word. I will dwell in more detail only on the ash tree at the end of the article, I have a connection with it another story with landscape design.

What fruit plants are best to plant in the garden to drain the soil?

There is only one contender here - plum. Despite this, plum has so many subspecies that you can easily choose the one that is suitable for your garden. Do not forget that the main thing is not the variety or variety of plum, but the rootstock on which it is grafted. It is the roots that grow in the soil and respond to it.
But since an ordinary gardener who purchases plants in a nursery, and most often from hand, does not have the opportunity to influence the rootstock, we will do it simpler. Just trust my experience and take it as faith that it is best renclods drain the soil, but they are also more demanding on the soil, so you will achieve successful growth and abundant fruiting of plums by planting them using the technology described above.

Damsons.

But it gives the least worries and a wonderful harvest of fruits damson . There are also a huge number of varieties; the trees are compact and can be planted three meters apart. At the same time, damson plums practically do not suffer from pests, unlike ordinary plums. And of course, cherry plum is suitable for very lazy summer residents. Her modern views have quite large and tasty fruits, unlike those that we are used to seeing everywhere.

And now about the best plants, about which in Rus' they make up fairy tales and sing songs. Weeping willow. It is suitable for any site, be it a garden, cottage or personal plot. The weeping willow can look like a tree or shrub and has more than 600 species and varieties. Some varieties of willow, under certain conditions, grow to a height of only 20 cm. That is why the weeping willow is considered the best of plants that help drain the soil and at the same time it easily fits into any landscape project.

And finally, as promised, a true story about an ash tree, from the life of a landscape designer. .

Eucalyptus - Latin name Eucalyptus are tall, fast-growing species of trees and shrubs. Homeland of green giants flora is the most small continent— Australia and the islands closest to the mainland. Europeans brought evergreen eucalyptus (tree) to France in the mid-19th century to grow in gardens, and dwarf forms - in greenhouses. Since then these green skyscrapers, natural pumps and a thunderstorm of germs spread throughout the world.

Plant that “changes skin”

There are not many representatives of the flora known on Earth that free themselves from the bark on their own. The Russian writer V. Soloukhin was amazed by this fact when he was vacationing in the Caucasus. He noted that eucalyptus is a tree that “eternally rejuvenates.” It is also capable of shedding its bark on its own. For this feature, the tree is popularly called “shameless.”

Powerful and durable trunks, healing essential oil, and leaves that the eucalyptus tree does not shed are widely used. The description of this includes many interesting details. For example, the outer layer of bark crumbles in March, when southern hemisphere autumn is coming. Then the trunks and branches of eucalyptus trees become gray, greenish, yellow, and sometimes bluish.

Description of eucalyptus

The leaves of the tree are opposite and alternate, and their size depends on age. The main features of the leaf apparatus are the solid shape of the plate and the presence of intercellular glands with essential oil. Mature leaves are lanceolate, with a pointed tip. The length is 12 cm, width - 2.5 cm. When young, they have a more pronounced silvery tint, round or

Eucalyptus is a tree that does not provide shade because the leaf blades turn edge-on towards the sun. White flowers are bisexual, collected in umbellate or paniculate inflorescences, and are also found solitary. The sepals grow together with the ovary, and the petals become lignified, resulting in the formation of a fruit - a box with a lid. Inside there are small seeds that spill out when the doors are opened.

Genus "Eucalyptus"

Flowering evergreen trees and shrubs belong to the myrtle family. In Australia, as recently as the last century, 90% of natural plantings were eucalyptus forests. There are about 700 species that belong to the genus Eucalyptus, most of them are native to Australia, only 15 owe their origin to the islands of Oceania.

For more than 100 years, eucalyptus (tree) has been cultivated in tropical and temperate latitudes, on Africa and America. Widespread got a few thermophilic species, which are grown in the Mediterranean, the United States, Brazil, the Middle East, and China. These include eucalyptus:

• rod-shaped;
• almond;
• ball;
• ashen.

They do not have a strong aroma, but attract bees. These nectar and pollen collectors in Australia prefer eucalyptus. Essential oils of different types of eucalyptus are used in alternative and official medicine, used in perfumery and cosmetology. Medicinal properties The leaves of these amazing Australian plants also possess.

Eucalyptus is the tallest tree in the world

The trees are characterized by rapid, rapid growth. You can find quite large specimens that have reached only ten years of age. Here are some amazing facts:

• almond eucalyptus already in the first few years of life grows up to 3 m with a trunk thickness of up to 6 cm;
• trees in natural conditions can have a height of 12 m at 5 years, a thickness of up to 20 cm; old specimens are known to be more than 150 m high (the girth of this reaches 30 m;
• the height (eucalyptus) of the trunk at 20 years of age is usually 30-40 m;
• genetically modified trees reach 27-30 m in height by 5-6 years.

The famous Russian naturalist writer K. Paustovsky compared eucalyptus and conifers. It turns out that at the age of five this amazing plant produces more wood than spruce or fir at 120 years of age.

The benefits of a “green skyscraper”

The height of a 20-year-old eucalyptus tree is as tall as a 15-story building. Plantings are fully mature and ready for industrial felling at the age of 25-30 years. By age 40, trees can be taller and thicker than two-hundred-year-old oaks. Paper and cardboard are obtained from eucalyptus. Its hard and durable wood, comparable in quality to black walnut, has gained worldwide fame. It hardly rots, sinks in water, and repels wood-boring insects.

Eucalyptus trunks are used where durability of the material is required. Piles made of straight and smooth trees will stand in sea ​​water two decades without signs of rotting. Wood of different species is colored differently and has different textures. Yellow, olive, white and reddish tones predominate, which are especially valued in the furniture industry and building decoration.

Transgenic trees

Eucalyptus wood is difficult to light, but the charcoal produced from it is different high quality. Biotechnology departments of industrial companies have created genetically modified specimens that grow 40% faster even in dense plantings and produce more wood and coal. Plantations of transgenic plants - eucalyptus, pine, poplar, papaya and other fruits, rapeseed, soybeans, vegetables - occupy more and more space on Earth. Their experimental cultivation has been carried out since the 1980s in different countries. With the help of these plants food, raw materials problems, the world's ever-increasing energy needs are met.

Israeli biotechnologists have been studying the possibilities for more than 10 years industrial cultivation GMO eucalyptus and poplar trees. The mass introduction of such commercial plantings is limited only by laws in the field of biological safety. They regulate the circulation of transgenic products, but are not accepted in all countries.

The consequences of the introduction of GMOs have not been sufficiently studied, but it is already clear that transgenic eucalyptus trees are more resistant to pests and may have an unaccounted effect on the soil and living organisms. Possible consequences associated with in ecosystems. Eucalyptus and poplar trees disperse pollen over a wide area and live for decades, so the harmful effects last longer.

How can modified eucalyptus (tree) be dangerous? Where a transgenic specimen grows surrounded by natural forms, their mutual cross-pollination can occur. This, according to biosecurity experts, is fraught with uncontrollable consequences. Nightmarish scenes from science fiction films may come true, when shoots grow at incredible speed and break through walls.

Eucalyptus in landscape design

The evergreen plant has excellent windproof properties and drains damp soils. Eucalyptus roots are capable of absorbing an unusually large volume of water, which is why the tree is called the “green pump”. The landscape architect will name many other valuable features that eucalyptus has.

The tree is being grown at home more and more often; it is unpretentious and requires minimal care. More time and care will be required to form a bonsai by trimming branches and the main shoot. In landscape design, eucalyptus is suitable for stabilizing soil on slopes, slopes and banks of reservoirs, to prevent erosion. The plant prefers moist but well-drained sandy loam soils (pH value - from neutral to slightly acidic).

Healing properties of eucalyptus

Australian hospitals have long hung eucalyptus branches to disinfect the air. The phytoncides secreted by the plant have an antiseptic and calming effect. An infusion of leaves is used in folk medicine as an expectorant, disinfectant and anti-inflammatory agent. Infected wounds are washed with 15% decoction eucalyptus leaves(pre-sterilized).

Eucalyptus oil

The most suitable for treatment is the essential oil obtained from the eucalyptus globulus species. Only old leaves of the plant are suitable as medicinal raw materials. They are collected in summer and autumn, when the percentage of oil increases. Both fresh and dried leaves can be extracted to obtain volatile aromatic substances. Eucalyptus oil is a colorless, yellow or greenish liquid with a pleasant odor. This leaf processing product perfectly refreshes the air, saturates it with a healthy and pleasant aroma. Eucalyptol, which is part of the oil, has an antiseptic and expectorant effect, helps with diseases of the mouth and throat. It is used in sprays and lozenges for sore throats and flu.

To grow eucalyptus indoors, it is better to use seeds of relatively low-growing species and place seedlings and saplings in a small container. It will require annual transshipment or replanting, intense sunlight and good moisture.

The fragrant leaves of each type of eucalyptus have their own aroma, which combines notes of lemon, rose, violet, and lilac. Most of all, the oil smells like laurel, turpentine, and camphor. In rooms where eucalyptus is grown, the trees delight the eye with elegant and healthy foliage and purify the air with phytoncides.