The larch is a deciduous coniferous tree that weaves a fresh coat of needles every year. Does this have to do with anything special about their needles? What else is there to learn about it, from the light green shoots to the yellowed specimens?

Larch needles grow again every spring

Needle loss as self-protection

The annual loss of needles is an important survival measure for the larch. Otherwise, the needles would cause this magnificent tree to die of thirst in winter. Unlike other types of conifers, their stomata are fully open even in winter and allow a lot of moisture to escape.

While the loss of moisture is easily compensated for in summer, the roots cannot absorb water in frozen soil. It is therefore an intelligent move of nature that the larch first removes the chlorophyll from its needles in autumn and then sheds them entirely.

tips

Only add small amounts of larch needles to the compost heap, as they greatly lower the pH. Very few garden plants like it when they are fertilized with acidic compost.

New growth in spring

The larch says goodbye to each year with bare branches, while yellowed and dried up needles lie on the ground around the tree trunk. In the new year, however, it doesn't take long for the first tender shoots to appear.

  • starts in warmer weather
  • when the great frosts are over
  • sometime between March and May

In the so-called mast years, when the larch blooms, the flower buds appear before the needles.

The appearance of the needles

Light green, dark green and yellow, that is the order of the colors that the larch uses for its needles over the course of the year.

  • rosette-like clusters on short shoots
  • consisting of 20 to 40 needles
  • occasional needles on long shoots
  • Needle length varies between 10 and 30 mm
  • 0.5-0.8 mm narrow, flattened shape
  • blunt and flexible

Use of the fresh needles

The green crown of the larch is not only a soothing and relaxing sight for our eyes, its needles can also spoil our taste buds:

  • the needles are fragrant and edible
  • especially the tender young shoots
  • ideal picking time: March to May
  • can be made into tea or syrup
  • in small amounts also in smoothies

Category:

Trees