Are you still looking for an attractive tree for your property? How about a red beech, for example? It can also be planted as a hedge.
Beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) are native forest trees and are very well adapted to the climatic conditions in our latitudes. Planting beech trees or beech hedges creates a natural flair in the garden. The foliage shows an attractive fall coloration and stays on the branches until spring, providing privacy. The common beech is an attractive and undemanding deciduous tree, which not least also makes a name for itself with its popular beechnuts.
The distribution area
Beech trees were once widespread in Central Europe. During the last ice age, however, there was displacement, and stocks only survived in the Mediterranean region. But little by little, over the past 10,000 years, the plant has regained its ancestral habitat.
Today, beech trees are once again found almost everywhere between southern Scandinavia and the coast of Sicily. In the Allgäu Alps, the trees even grow up to 1,500 meters above sea level. In Germany, the most extensive collections can be found in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. With a share of 15%, beech trees are also the most common deciduous tree in Germany's forests.
Because of its wide distribution and the ability to loosen the soil with its roots and leaves, the common beech is also known as the "mother of the forest". The Romans also seem to have considered beechnuts a valuable part of their diet (eat beechnuts?) and therefore named the trees after "Fagus", a derivational Greek equivalent of "food". Today, the greatest use is made of the hard and stable beech wood. Because the wood of the common beech is used to make furniture and is also used as firewood.
Plant Description
The common beech (Fagus sylvatica) belongs to the beech family and is widespread in Europe. The red beech owes its name to the reddish color of the wood. Since this is the only representative of beech that is native to Central Europe, it is often not referred to as beech, but generally as beechspoken.
Beech trees can grow up to 30 meters tall. Stands of more than 40 meters have also been found in dense forests. The trunks can reach a diameter of up to two meters. Beeches live to be around 300 years old and form expansive crowns. They grow quite quickly until they reach the age of 50. Patience is required until flowering, however, because this only begins at the age of around 30 years. In old age, the trees only grow sporadically and are usually fully grown by the age of 150. On the other hand, a denser crown develops on older trees, which can then shade areas of up to 600 m².
When does the common beech bloom?
It takes 30 to 50 years for the common beech to flower. Since it is a monoecious tree, the male and female inflorescences are found on one plant. First appear the light brown buds, which are surrounded by a few bracts. The flowers then appear between April and May, at the same time as the leaves. The fruits then develop from the blossoms, known as beechnuts, which appear in particularly large numbers after dry and hot summers.
Planting beech trees - Important information and planting instructions
There is something solemn and grand about planting a tree. After all, the tree will still be there long after we and our children and grandchildren are gone. In order for the tree to grow well, however, you should pay attention to a few things when planting.
❍ find the right location:
Red beeches primarily need a lot of space. The trees would like to grow 30 meters high and form expansive crowns. You should take this into account when choosing the location. Walls, fences and other trees and plants can quickly become an obstacle. A unique position is therefore particularly important for the common beech. In addition, the location should be about 15 meters away from buildings and other fixed obstacles so that the trees can develop in a species-appropriate manner.
You can plant the common beech in sunny as well as in shady places. The choice of location does not result in any disadvantages for the development of the tree.
❍ select the ideal substrate:
Beech trees should be planted in loose, well-drained soil, because the tree does not tolerate waterlogging at all. The plant also does not like dry soil.
Tip: By adding compost and clay, you can keep the moisture in the soil longer. Compost is also avaluable natural fertilizer.
If you have the ability to measure pH, you should. Ideal growth conditions for the plants result from a pH value between 5 and 7.5. Reading tip: Measuring the pH value in the soil - That's how it's done.
❍ Planting Instructions:
- Loosen, clean and upgrade the soil.
- Dig a planting hole three times the depth and width of the root ball.
- Water the root ball.
- Place plant.
- To make the soil more permeable, mix larger stones under the substrate.
- Close the planting hole.
- Water the plant extensively.
Planting beech trees as a hedge
Beech trees are very suitable for hedges because the trees do not shed their leaves. The attractive autumn colors of the leaves remain until the new leaves sprout in spring. This makes a red beech hedge an attractive eye-catcher and a practical privacy screen in one.
Plant the beech hedge in late autumn. You should use three plants per meter. Plant as just described.
Tip: To ensure that the planting appears straight, you should stretch a rope along the planned area.
Cultivate red beech as bonsai
Beech trees are preferably cultivated as bonsai because the necessary starting material can easily be found on a walk in the forest. Beech trees are also very easy to cut and allow a wide variety of design variants. The desired shape of the bonsai can be achieved, for example, through targeted pruning measures and by bracing the branches. You should wire the bonsai in spring, because then the branches are most flexible. Care must be taken to ensure that the wire does not damage the sensitive bark. There is a particular risk that the wire will grow in during the growth spurts of the plant, which take place in spring and summer.
You should preferably set up the bonsai in a semi-shady location. If the bonsai is too shady, large and rather unaesthetic leaves are the result. Be sure to protect it from the blazing midday sun, otherwise it would heat up considerably and the leaves could suffer burns.
Overwintering outdoors is harmless in a free-standing planter down to around -10 degrees. If the frost is heavier, you should either bring the bonsai indoors or bury the planter in the ground.
How to properly care for the red beech
pour:
The water needs of the trees are righthigh. Drought is just as little tolerated as waterlogging of the plant. In summer, the plants need more watering. Before watering, you should check the soil. When the top layer of soil has dried, you can use the watering can again. Since beech trees tolerate lime, you can water them with tap water without hesitation. In winter, however, the tree does not need any extra watering.
fertilize:
Beech trees do very well with a long-term fertilizer. If you upgrade the substrate with compost or horn shavings in spring, the common beech will be sufficiently supplied with fertilizer for one growth period. Since beech trees already stop growing in late summer, the trees should no longer be given any fertilizer from August.
cut:
The common beech tolerates pruning well. If they are cut back heavily, they will sprout again more intensely. So you can't go far wrong when cutting. When cutting, however, a basic distinction is made between tree pruning and hedge pruning.
❍ Pruning:
Pruning is done in late autumn or winter. You should first remove all less well-developed side shoots directly on the trunk. Furthermore, all branches that stand in the way of the desired growth form can be removed. It is particularly important to remove the branches that grow steeply upwards, also known as water shoots. It is best to use a saw for this.
❍ Hedge trimming:
Hedges are trimmed in late winter, before the plants sprout. You can shorten the hedge as you wish. The copper beech also tolerates cuts down to the old wood. A second cut can be made in July. You should only cut the hedge moderately and free it from unsightly side shoots. You can remove diseased or dead plant parts all year round.
hibernate:
Winter protection is not necessary for the common beech, because native deciduous trees are excellently adapted to the climatic conditions. Even young plants can hibernate outdoors without hesitation, even if they are still in the planter and they are seedlings.
Recognize and combat diseases and pests on the common beech
As a robust and hardy plant, the common beech is relatively unaffected by diseases and pests. However, we would like to briefly describe some typical symptoms below.
❍ Beech Aphid:
The infestation with the beech aphid can be easily recognized by the leaves.Affected leaves show a conspicuous brown coloration and the shoot tips curl up. The beech aphid itself is only a few millimeters in size and can therefore hardly be seen with the naked eye. They suck out the cell sap of the Red Book with a proboscis, resulting in the damage mentioned.
Control methods:
Like conventional aphids, the insects can be controlled quite easily without the use of chemical agents. With a rather low infestation, watering and spraying with a brew made from field horsetail (instructions make brew from field horsetail yourself) or nettles (instructions make brew from nettles yourself) can help. The beech aphid also has natural predators in the form of ladybirds, parasitic wasps and lacewings.
❍ Beech Leaf Gall Midge:
Bully-like formations on the leaves of the common beech indicate an infestation with the beech leaf gall midge. The larvae pose a danger here, because they feed on the cell sap of the trees. However, the pests do not pose a serious threat to the trees.
Control methods:
Chemical control is not necessary. Since the larvae hibernate in the foliage of the beech trees, the infestation can be contained by removing and discarding the foliage.
❍ Apiognomonia:
If it rains particularly frequently in summer, a welcome environment is created for the Apiognomonia fungus. The disease is also known as "foliage tan". The foliage withers prematurely and falls off. The plant does not take any major damage from this.
Control methods:
The fungal spores hibernate in fallen leaves. If you discard the leaves, the plant cannot become infected again the following year.
Propagating red beech - Here's how
The popular deciduous tree can be propagated by cuttings or seeds. Sowing proves to be the simpler method. Propagation by cuttings promises only limited success.
Propagation by cuttings:
Propagation by cuttings can be done in spring or autumn. More promising, however, is the propagation of cuttings in the spring. In general, proceed as follows:
- Take cuttings about five inches long from perennial shoots that are not yet woody.
- Then remove the leaves in the lower area.
- Now lay a drainage of coarse sand or gravel on the bottom of the pot so that the liquid can drain off easily.
- Then add conventional potting soil to the pot and thePlant cuttings.
- The cutting can now stand in a warm room or outdoors.
- After about two months the first roots have formed.
Propagation by seeds:
Seeds are most likely to be found on a walk in the woods, because not everyone will have a 30-year-old copper beech in their garden. Then you should proceed as follows:
- Store the seeds in the refrigerator for about two months. Beech trees are dark germs.
- The seeds can then be sown in planters or directly in the bed. Cover the seeds about two centimeters with substrate and overwinter.
- The first shoot tips should appear in spring. After some leaves have become visible, you can move the plants to their desired location.