- origin
- growth
- blossom
- fruit
- leaves
- use
- bonsai
- Is ironwood tree poisonous?
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- propagation
- sowing
- cuttings
- Ironwood tree in a pot
- balcony
- Water the ironwood tree
- Fertilize ironwood tree properly
- Pruning ironwood tree properly
- hibernate
- How do I plant correctly?
- pests
- fungus
- sorts
Ironwood trees have very special properties that make them popular ornamental trees. They shine in gardens with a stunning fall coloration. If you have found the right location, the wood requires little maintenance. There are now varieties that are also suitable for small gardens.
The Asian ironwood tree is also adorning more and more German gardens
Table of Contents
Show all- origin
- growth
- blossom
- fruit
- leaves
- use
- bonsai
- Is ironwood tree poisonous?
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- propagation
- sowing
- cuttings
- Ironwood tree in a pot
- balcony
- Water the ironwood tree
- Fertilize ironwood tree properly
- Pruning ironwood tree properly
- hibernate
- How do I plant correctly?
- pests
- fungus
- sorts
- Adaptation to wind pollination
- produce no nectar
- Trees conserve energy by not developing petals
- fresh shoots should be wired
- once the desired shape has been achieved, the bonsai is planted in a bowl
- Put bonsai outside in summer
- Cut annual shoots into small pieces
- Place the leaves and shoots in a large bowl
- douse with boiling water
- leave covered for 24 hours
- vanessa: Splendid autumn color with yellow, orange, red, pink and violet hues. Yellow capitate flowers with red stamens. Growth height between eight and twelve meters.
- Persian Spire: Narrow habit, ascending. Shoots violet, leaves dark green with a violet edge in summer. Autumn colors yellow, orange and violet. Growth height up to 250 centimeters.
- bella: Leaf shoots wine-red, leaves turning green, turning deep red in autumn. Grows between eight and ten feet tall.
origin
Parrotia persica describes the ironwood tree, also known as the parrotia. Its natural home is in the Near East, where it prefers to grow in low-lying forests with humid conditions. The suffix persica indicates its distribution area in Persia, which corresponds to today's Iran. Here the tree grows in the northern part. Other areas exist southwest of the Caspian Sea. The ironwood tree is the only species within the genus Parrotia that belongs to the witch hazel family.
In Europe, the tree is a popular ornamental plant in public parks. It was here that its triumphal procession began in 1846. The parrotia, which was named after the German doctor Friedrich W. Parrot, can be found in numerous botanical gardens.
growth
The ironwood tree grows mainly as a shrub with several trunks. Some specimens develop a main stem that branches low to the ground and develops a crown. Arborescent parrotia are remarkably low. The species develops a shallow creeping root system below ground level.
As a deciduous tree, the parrotia sheds its leaves in autumn. The wood has reached a low annual growth after many years of growth between ten and twelve meters. Due to the slow growth, a very hard and dense wood structure develops, which makes the wood a valuable building material.
Typical of the trees is the very smooth bark, which is colored olive green. In winter, the bark becomes increasingly cracked and flakes off in small scales. This creates different colored sections, which are distributed like a puzzle over the trunk, as with the plane trees. The young twigs have bark covered with stellate hairs. They tend to arch upwards, so that the crown usually appears funnel-shaped. With increasing age, it develops a broad, spreading shape.
blossom
Parrotia bloom before the leaves appear. Eight to ten individual flowers crowd together in a terminal inflorescence that appears head-like. The inflorescences are surrounded by dark brown bracts. The flowers can be hermaphroditic or purely male.
They have no strikingly colored petals and between five and seven inconspicuous sepals. These are colored green and end in a brownish tip. The red anthers hanging down on long stamens are striking. The flowering period of the ironwood trees begins in January, when the winter was particularly mild. The flowers will appear in March at the latest.
What makes the flowers so unique:
fruit
After the flowering period, inconspicuous capsule fruits develop on the hermaphrodite flowers. They can develop two to four valves containing numerous shiny light brown seeds. The fruits open explosively along pre-formed structures and eject the oblong to elliptical seeds, which disperse with wind and rain.
leaves
Ironwood trees develop alternate leaves, the leaf blade of which is obovate in shape. Her shape appears slightly asymmetrical. Above the middle of the sheet, the edge is covered with curved teeth. The leaf base is rounded or slightly heart-shaped. The short-stemmed leaves grow between six and ten centimeters long and are hairy on the top and bottom.
From afar, the leaves are reminiscent of the foliage of the beech trees. When they sprout fresh, they are reddish in color. With age, the leaves turn dark green. Ironwood trees are attractive because of their aesthetic fall colors. Shortly before winter, the trees shine in bright yellow and orange tones with reddish nuances or in Bordeaux red.
use
The crown of the ironwood trees appears ornamental and sprawling. Due to this growth form, the parrotia is perfect for solitary placement in parks and gardens. The species is well suited for medium-sized gardens as it grows slowly and does not require too much space. In old age the tree reaches the size of a large pear tree.
The specimens cultivated as a standard tree are popular avenue trees along streets and park paths. Its popularity was due to the attractive autumn colors. In New Zealand, the flowering period shifts to December. Here the inflorescences are a popular Christmas decoration.
bonsai
Parrotia are suitable as bonsai. They are formed by cutting measures and can be brought into various forms. The style of the freely upright tree shape is preferred. To do this, you have to cut the tree back regularly in the first few years. The ironwood tree tolerates a radical pruning. You can remove all side branches from the main stem except for one leafy shoot. After a year, many side shoots have formed on the main trunk, which can then be shaped further.
Tips for designing an ironwood tree bonsai:
Is ironwood tree poisonous?
Parrotia persica is considered non-toxic. There are no known signs of poisoning. You can safely plant the tree in gardens where there are children or pets.
Which location is suitable?
The adaptable ironwood tree can cope with different soil types. It grows in both moderately dry and moist locations. The species tolerates hot periods. In full sun, the autumn colors shine particularly intensely. You can also plant the parrotia in partially shaded places. Wind-exposed locations cause problems for the wood.
What soil does the plant need?
The parrotia prefers a slightly acidic loamy soil with a permeable structure. Avoid waterlogging in the soil, as excessive moisture promotes rotting processes in the root area. Heavy clay soils should be loosened up with sand. A humus-rich substrate provides ideal growth conditions. The pH value of the soil is a maximum of 7. If your soil has a higher value, you should work special fertilizers or peat into the substrate.
propagation
An easy method of propagation is to lower shoots that grow close to the ground. Bend the branches down to the ground and score the top of the shoot in a cross pattern. The branch is fixed to the ground at this point with a stone so that the scratched surface is in permanent contact with the substrate. The tip sticks out from under the stone.
Root formation requires patience. After two years, the shoot has developed enough roots so that it can be separated from the mother plant. Plant the sinker in the desired location.
sowing
You can cut off the infructescences before the capsules have burst open. Store the shoots in a tall container in a warm and sunny place. Here the fruit continues to ripen until the capsules rupture and the seeds are released.
Scatter the seeds on a moist growing substrate and cover the container with transparent foil. Under optimal conditions, the seeds germinate after three weeks at the earliest and eight weeks at the latest. It can take up to ten years for the plants propagated by seedlings to flower for the first time. The autumn colors of these plants can be very different. Note that this propagation method will not produce varietal offspring. The young plants will develop different combinations of the traits inherited from their parent plants.
cuttings
Cut off shoots that are between 15 and 20 centimeters long just below a leaf node. The lower half of the cutting is defoliated. Submerge the interface in a bowl of willow water. The growth hormones from the willow branches stimulate root formation.
How to make willow water:
The cuttings are placed in a seed pot with a sand-peat mixture. Moisten the substrate and put a glass over the planter. You can also place the pots in a greenhouse that is in a bright location with temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius. It takes between two and four weeks for the cuttings to form their first roots.
Ironwood tree in a pot
Due to the slow growth, young ironwood trees are suitable for pot cultivation. Choose a large container with the widest possible diameter, as the trees have shallow roots in the substrate. A drainage hole in the pot ensures water drainage. Pour off excess water from the saucer so that the moisture does not accumulate in the substrate. A mixture of loamy soil and sand is suitable as a substrate. When the plants become too small for the container, they should be planted in the garden.
balcony
As a young plant in a pot, the ironwood tree spends the year outdoors. As a container plant, it embellishes sunny balconies and terraces that offer a wind-protected location. In winter you can leave the tree outside. Make sure you have appropriate winter protection for the bucket. So that the root ball does not freeze, you should wrap the pot generously in plastic foil and place it on a styrofoam plate (€35.50) or a piece of wood.
Water the ironwood tree
Ironwood trees have moderate water requirements. They only need to be watered during long periods of drought. If you cultivate your plant in a container, ironwood trees enjoy regular watering
Fertilize ironwood tree properly
In the spring, give the plant a fertilizer with compost that you work into the soil. An additional nutrient supply is not necessary for outdoor shrubs. Container plants should be supplied with a mineral fertilizer every four weeks. Deliveries will be made by September. The wood then goes into hibernation and does not need any further fertilization until spring.
Pruning ironwood tree properly
The sprawling crown of the parrotia rarely needs pruning when some branches interfere with the picture. Choose a cool day between March and April, after the flowers have withered. Use sharp pruning shears for the cut, the blades of which have been thoroughly cleaned.
In order to avoid unsightly cuts and branch stumps, you should proceed with caution when cutting. Avoid radically pruning back into the old wood. The tree also sprout after radical pruning. However, this measure destroys the aesthetic form.
Continue reading
hibernate
Fully grown specimens that are well rooted can tolerate temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius. Additional protective measures are recommended in particularly harsh winter months. Wrap the trunk and crown with reed mats or jute ribbons. They act as an insulating layer against the freezing cold. Cover the root area with coconut mats (€21.90) and spread leaves and brushwood on the underlay.
Young plants need winter protection in the first few years, even when temperatures are below zero. From July onwards, do not use nitrogenous fertilizers, as these prevent the wood from maturing and the branches become susceptible to frost damage.
How do I plant correctly?
When planting, you should already pay attention to the growth height of the parrotia, because late transplanting of mature trees is difficult. The shallow root loses numerous roots with this measure and can no longer adequately supply the powerful crown at the new location. Trees that are too badly damaged often die after transplanting.
pests
The vine weevil occasionally infests ironwood trees. The pest feeds on the leaf mass and lays its eggs on the substrate. The larvae damage the fine roots. Nematodes, which are administered via the irrigation water, fight the larvae. Beetles should be collected regularly at dusk. A nematode trap has proven itself for pest control.
fungus
If dried leaves are not due to incorrect care measures or suboptimal site conditions, a colonization of spores can be the cause.
Verticillium wilt
Withering leaves indicate an infestation by Verticillium fungi, which is killing off young trees. Older trees can often fight the fungal disease on their own. It is not uncommon for chronic infections to occur afterwards, in which shoots die off. Generously remove infested plant parts and dispose of them with household waste.
Phytophthora
The fungi within this genus are responsible for root rot. If the disease has spread widely, the tree may die. Waterlogging promotes the spread of spores. The fungal infestation cannot be actively combated. Infested trees should be removed to prevent the spores from spreading further.
tips
Spread bark mulch on the substrate. The shredded wood waste protects the floor from drying out and keeps it warm. The valuable nutrients from the pieces of wood are released when the soil organisms decompose the material. They increase the vitality of the tree. At the same time, bark mulch creates a decorative look and a harmonious picture.