God's tree: features of planting and caring for wormwood medicinal

God's tree (lemon wormwood, decorative wormwood, dill, oak-grass, abrotane, kudravits, bezdrev, holy tree, etc.) has long been grown in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus; Healers widely used it for various purposes. In addition, the oak-grass is a beautiful ornamental plant.

God's tree: plant description

God's tree is an evergreen (in southern countries) perennial shrub up to 1.2 meters high. The leaves of the wormwood decorative pinnate-dissected. Stems are semi-woody, and the root is woody. The homeland of this plant is considered to be Eastern Mediterranean (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.) and Asia Minor (Turkey).

The holy tree loves moist soil, grows well near the shores of lakes and rivers.It is also found in birch forests and on the roadsides. It grows well at home: in the garden, in the garden, in a flower bed. Decorative wormwood, or the tree of God has upright lumbering shoots. The leaves of the abrotan are light gray. The leaves of the middle and lower tiers of the stem grow with petioles. The flowers have a spherical shape, resembling small baskets. They form loose paniculate inflorescences. In our climate zone, the tree of God blooms in July and August.

Some gardeners confuse medical wormwood (God's tree) and wormwood wormwood. Paniculate wormwood in the common people is also called the tree of God, but there are some differences in these plants:

• Panicle wormwood is a two-year-old plant, and medicinal wormwood is a perennial;
• Therapeutic wormwood has a more pleasant smell;
• Panicle wormwood propagates by seeds, and the seeds of medicinal wormwood in our area do not fully ripen.

Given the above information, we can conclude that medical wormwood in our area reproduces only vegetatively - layering, rhizome division, cuttings.

Features of growing

God's tree does not require special planting and care if the bush is not grown for decorative purposes. Oak-grass grows well on almost any soil, except sand. This plant tolerates our frosts and snowless winters. However, some conditions for choosing a landing site need to know. This will help the abrotana grow better.

Lighting and wind protection

Bezdrev loves a lot of sunlight, so the southern side of your site will be the best place to land. This is not surprising, because bezdrev is a southern plant. In addition, it does not tolerate cold northerly winds.

Best of all, abrotane will grow between trees and other grasses. So it will get less cold winds. Consider the fact that trees can block sunlight.

Soil for planting

Wormwood grows on any moist soil. Before planting, the soil must be fertilized with organic and mineral substances. At one place can grow 10-12 years, after which requires a transplant. It grows well among other annual and perennial herbs.Poor tolerates soil with high acidity.

Planting technology seedlings

The best way to reproduce dill is by dividing a bush or grafting. Cuttings for planting choose a two-year, fully matured. Planted plants should be immediately in a moist soil (before planting the hole should be watered with warm water). The best time for landing will be mid-end of April. At this time, the soil is wet, so the sapling will take root, even if it is not watered.

Abrotan seedlings can be put in water for 7-10 days, and then planted in the soil. In the water, the cuttings form a young root system. After that, they grow faster in the soil.

The length of the cuttings to be planted should be 10-15 cm. There should be a meter and a half of free space between the seedlings so that the bushes can easily grow. When planting, saplings can be fertilized with humus and the first 10-14 days should be watered regularly. In some flower shops sell seeds abrotana. They are intended for growing seedlings. Since this plant loves a lot of heat, it is best to plant the wormwood in small pots and put it on a windowsill with constant sunlight. After the plant is 15–20 cm high, it can be planted in the garden or in the garden.

Care

Many amateur gardeners say that abrotane grows without special care. Some even forget about the plant, but it does not die and grows without special requirements. However, for the formation of a beautiful ornamental bush care for the plant is still necessary.

How often to water wormwood

Decorative wormwood is a drought-resistant plant, so it does not need frequent watering. Enough to water the plant in the first days after planting. To maintain decorative beauty can be watered on hot summer days once every two weeks.Under each bush is recommended to pour 3-4 liters of water at room temperature.

Caring for the soil and plant nutrition

Wormwood after planting requires special care. Caring for an abrotane does not take you much time. Sometimes aphids may appear on the leaves of a plant. In this case, the bush needs to be sprayed. For spraying dill, you can use a solution of household soap. For 10 liters of water take 250-300 g of soap. Spray need 2-3 times with an interval of 5-7 days.

Weeds can also grow around the bush, so regular weeding of the soil is necessary. After weeding, more organic and mineral substances will get into the root of abrotane.

Shrubs from sagebrush are recommended to be fed with complex fertilizers. Also under the bush you can pour a few handfuls of ash. Before the beginning of winter, abrotane must be mulched. If desired, sprinkle soil near the bush with humus.

Dill Tree Pruning Rules

For the formation of a beautiful ornamental shrub lemon wormwood should be regularly cut. The best time for pruning will be early spring, when the bitter cold has already passed.

The shoots of an annual plant should be cut at a height of 3-5 cm.It is recommended to pinch the tops of wormwood to stimulate the growth of the bush. Formed bushes need to regularly prune last year's increments, and to rejuvenate a plant - strongly prune all shoots.

Breeding methods

In our climate zone, abrotane breeds only vegetatively. That is why the best seedlings for planting will be: cuttings, cuttings and separated parts of the rhizome.

Division bush

This breeding method is best carried out in April. To do this, dig a wormwood bush. Then the whole earth is gently shaken from the root. Next, the plant is divided into several parts. Each plant should be more or less large, as the bushes with small roots can not settle down and die.

After separation, each plant is planted in separate pits. Before planting the pit, it is desirable to pour warm water and fertilize with humus. For 10-15 days, all divided bushes abrotana should be watered regularly. Watering can be stopped only after strengthening the root system of seedlings.

Reproduction by layering

The best time for breeding in this way is mid-end of May. For breeding, a shoot of 20-30 cm in length is selected, from which all leaves are removed.

On such a shoot, an annular incision is made. The site of injury is treated with growth stimulants for better root formation. They also apply sphagnum moss on it and press it tightly with their hands. The place under the incision is reinforced with black film, which contains peat, and both its ends (below and above the incision) are fixed with electrical tape. After the roots have broken through the peat, a rooted shoot is cut below the ribbon and planted in a pot.

Cuttings

Wormwood during propagation by cuttings is very good and grows quickly. The best time for planting cuttings is May-June. Usually planted seedlings in the soil.

Planting them is very simple: you just need to put them in the prepared land. Fertilize the soil before planting and pour water over it. You cannot take out the stalk and see if its roots have sprouted. If a seedling has new shoots, it means that the root system of the plant has already become stronger in the soil.

Growing through seedlings

In some stores in our country you can find the seeds of abrotane.They are planted in peat cups and grow in a warm place, best in the house, until their root system is strengthened. The seedling period takes about 25-30 days. After that, the plant can be planted in the soil with cups.

By the way, lemon wormwood has healing properties. It helps with headaches and dermatitis. Our ancestors used the branches of wormwood to scare away evil spirits. In our time, this shrub, among other things, is an excellent decoration for gardens and terraces.