“Naked” birch tree under my window: why birch groves are dying in Russia. Massive death of trees in Russia and Europe Why does birch dry in the countryside?

On many garden plots Birch trees grow, which the owners did not cut down in the process of developing their plots. Two or three years ago we noticed that the tops of some mature, healthy-looking trees suddenly began to dry out without any damage. visible reasons and any human intervention. What could this be connected with? Will the same fate await all the birch trees in the area?

The candidate of agricultural sciences answers. Science Olga Chemarina:

The answer to this question depends on the specific circumstances.

The average lifespan of birches is 100-120 years. But foresters believe that after 70, these trees enter old age and may gradually dry out in the future. And one of the “age signs” indicating a strong weakening of birch is dryness. However, such “old ladies” can live for quite a long time. I saw dry-top birches, according to legend, planted by order of Prince Potemkin along the road along which Empress Catherine II was supposed to travel: that is, these trees are more than 200 years old.

If a dry top appears on a young birch tree, then this is a sign of either some disease or a weakening of the plant caused by stress or environmental changes. Such sad consequences can result, for example, from disruption of the water-air regime of the soil due to reclamation work, road construction, as well as the construction of buildings, permanent fences or other structures on the foundation. In addition, the dry top may be a consequence of the fact that the root collar is covered with a layer of soil - this happens quite often when developing land plots. Sometimes the soil selected when digging a pit is used to level the area or to create a lawn. For the same purpose, fertile soil is brought in, and part of it, when backfilled, ends up in the root collar area.

If you want to preserve the dry top birch, you need to watch it. Weakened trees are susceptible to attack by pests, which often turn out to be carriers of bacterial diseases. If you wish, you can contact specialists from the nearest forestry enterprise, who will examine your trees, assess their condition and give qualified recommendations for care. But you should regularly inspect the birch trees yourself. For example, on trees affected by bacterial dropsy, traces of bacterial activity appear - weeping reddish spots. Sometimes the discharge accumulates under the bark, forming swellings. The bast and wood in the affected areas become wet, acquire a dark brown color and a sour odor. Foci of the disease detected in a timely manner can be treated. To do this, you need to remove dead bark, strip the wood to healthy tissue, and etch with a 5% solution copper sulfate and paint with oil or nitro paint. This makes sense if the disease has affected only part of the circumference of the trunk. Mechanical damage is also treated in the same way to prevent the germination of fungal spores on them.

If the treatment procedure seems laborious to you or the disease has gone too far, then it is better to cut down the tree.

“Yesterday I was driving along the Kyiv highway. Along the entire path, almost all the birches stood dry, bare, and scary. The ones with the remains of leaves are somehow gnawed!” - this is how an eyewitness who encountered a frightening picture along the highway began her letter to us. It should be noted that such landscapes that attract people’s attention have long been not uncommon in Russia. A particular peak of such cases occurred in the period after 2010 - a year of unprecedented, abnormal heat. But is this the only reason for the “sick” birches, since since that time the number of diseased trees has hardly decreased. We tried to understand this issue and found five main reasons that could affect the condition of trees.

One of the main factors is a direct consequence human activity. If, for example, during the treatment of roads with reagents, which are now very actively used in Russia, the technology was violated, then harmful fumes will rise into the air.And the cars, rushing at speed, will raise a toxic salt cloud, which will then envelop the trees. In this case, the affected area can reach thirty meters in height. In winter, snow contaminated with the reagent is often piled directly on lawns, contrary to the ban. As a result, the soil becomes salty and the vegetation dies.

It should be noted that most of the complaints from eyewitnesses concern trees growing along the route. Under the influence of such factors, they usually either they die or produce weak, diseased foliage in the spring, the condition of which is also affected by the high concentration of heavy metals contained in the exhaust gases.

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Is it worth talking about how good birch is? The general opinion will be clear. But it also happens that land owners are not at all happy with the white-trunked trees that have grown near the house, in the garden or vegetable garden. They can be understood. This is the fragility of the trunk in hurricane winds. Mature trees shade the area. Often there are wires in the crown of a fast-growing tree. Birch works as a powerful pump that dries out the soil. In some cases, this is pleasing, in others, there is a need to moisten the soil. Many troubles can be avoided if you pick up a pruning shear and begin to form a seedling, and as a reward you will receive strong, low trees and garden bonsai. Then the birch trees, the height of which will be under control at all times, will help drain damp places, and the garden bonsai will decorate the area.

Ferns look beautiful next to a birch tree

Where can I get birch?

Any birch tree is perfectly formed. The seedling can be purchased at a garden center or nursery. It's easier to dig in a vacant lot. If you walk along swollen ditches and embankments, you will have a better chance of finding a tree with a bizarrely twisted trunk.

There are a lot of birches in the forest. Especially in the undergrowth, which is completely or partially removed during sanitary felling. But a trip to a forest near Moscow with a shovel in hand can end in serious trouble. Be sure to read the Forest Code before heading into the forest for planting material for your site.

Remember the Forest Code when going into the forest for planting material

We rarely think about the diversity of birch trees in our area. I realized this when I was forming another tree, found on the site of an old estate near Moscow. There was nothing left there except an ancient birch tree with fairly large velvety leaves. There were many of its seedlings around of different ages. I dug up one of them and planted it on our site.

Nature creates all sorts of forms. The hidden beauty of Karelian birches and the luxury of their wood. Wind-bent trees that have to survive in the harsh North. On lakes Onega and Ladoga, trees grow, the roots of which manage to squeeze into the cracks of stone monoliths.

What forms does nature create!

Choosing the shape of the trunk and crown

Birch trees can be shaped in a variety of ways. There are grafted trees with a weeping crown that can be purchased at garden centers. I prefer to create beauty with my own hands. With pruning shears and garden shears in hands. I do not use bending or tying branches.

The “umbrella” is overgrown, it’s time to trim the crown with sharp garden shears

First, you should take a closer look at the seedling. Determine its purpose. If you have no ideas, form the crown in the shape of an umbrella or a ball. Birch trees with crooked trunks are more suitable for garden bonsai. But you will have to work for a long time on the backbone - the basis of the bonsai.

The basis of a garden bonsai is its backbone

For one birch tree, I had to leave the trunk a little less than two meters high and not allow the crown to expand and grow upward. I need this tree to drain the far corner of the plot where it ends drainage ditch. There are containers with humus, a barrel for watering and a greenhouse, which I would not like to shade.

Take a closer look at the huge birch trees growing in “clumps”. They don't interfere with each other if they have enough light. Low trees planted in a row can also coexist peacefully. Feel free to create hedges and screens from birch trees. Just don’t forget to cut them, giving them the required form. I made a narrow birch screen up to two meters long.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that pruning not only limits the size of the tree, but also inhibits its growth and strengthens the backbone.

There are wires stretched over this birch tree, which is why limiting the growth of the tree is so important

We have two pine trees and two birch trees of the same age growing on our site. This is hard to believe if you compare the size of those trees that were allowed to grow freely and those that were regularly pruned.

Saw and pruning shears are prohibited

All our birches tolerate pruning easily. Unless it is carried out in the spring before the leaves completely bloom. During sap flow, the birch tree should not be touched: it will not cry, but sob. It is during this period that birch sap is collected from mature trees.

No need to form a crown late autumn. There should be some time left for the wounds to dry.

I never prune in rainy weather. I cover large wounds with drying oil paint or pharmaceutical green. Small ones close on their own in dry weather.

Mature (especially old) birch trees do not tolerate trunk pruning well. Our huge birch tree, which grew from a seedling, is no exception. We made a mistake: we let the tree grow and only after that thought about the consequences. Now we have to attach a high folding ladder to the trunk and shorten all the thick branches that have grown on the top.

The mutilated crown of a mature tree is less visible in summer

It is better to limit the growth of birch from a very young age. Then an ugly “stump” will not appear on the top of your head. And the tree itself will be healthier. This does not apply to those birches that were decided not to be limited in growth.

Winter beauty

In winter, birch trees always attract attention, especially formed

In winter we see only the “skeleton” of birch trees. It is at this time of year that the bizarre curves of garden bonsai attract attention. True, all the flaws are more noticeable than under the leaves in summer.

Many people remember who caused a lot of trouble. They did not spare the birch either. Garden bonsai under the ice crust not only were not damaged, but also looked more impressive.

The freezing rain did not damage the strong birch trees with a formed crown. Big trees in forests and parks he did not spare

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Gardeners often approach the selection of seedlings extremely responsibly, trying to plan the planting with maximum accuracy to obtain from the plants maximum benefit. They take into account not only climatic conditions in your region, but also lighting and soil characteristics. However, sometimes owners suburban areas I'm wondering what to water the tree with so that it dries out quickly. This method, of course, can hardly be considered humane, but sometimes there is simply no other way out.

For example, if there is an old tree on the site with a trunk diameter of more than 30 cm, but it cannot be cut down because there are other structures or plants nearby. The only way out in this situation is to dry the tree using special chemicals.

There are many ways to ensure that a tree on your site dries out quickly. However, the most common of them are those that involve the use of chemicals. preparations intended to destroy plants. And no matter how harmful these remedies may be, they nevertheless allow you to perform this work as quickly as possible.

More specifically, the following chemical methods of destroying trees are distinguished:

watering plant tissues with chemical compounds;
coating leaves with special preparations;
grafting that kills trees;
placing the drug in the ground next to the trunk;
complete destruction (including the stump);
applying a chemical to the bark.

Important information! Note that most of the chemicals described below affect the root system of trees. When choosing a specific composition, be sure to take into account the composition of the soil. There are products that act on the bark or living tissues of plants.

Ideally, the tree should be cut down altogether and the remaining stump properly treated. This way you can get rid of the tree as quickly as possible. Be that as it may, first let’s get acquainted with the most effective means and features of their use.

Popular chemicals for killing trees

If you intend to use chemicals, you must select the most suitable suitable option. Below is a list of the most effective (according to summer residents) chemical agents.

Sodium nitrate. As a rule, it is used to destroy stumps, but in our case it should be applied not only to the tree trunk, but also to the ground. To get the desired effect as quickly as possible, it is advisable to inject sodium nitrate into the hollow. In about a year, the tree will be completely dry - then it can be burned. And if you water the soil with this saltpeter, the tree will dry out only after a few years.

. It is very reminiscent of the previous remedy, but still somewhat different from it. For example, ammonium nitrate is made from urea, which is extremely dangerous for plants and can greatly accelerate the decomposition of wood. This contributes to the fact that root system quickly transforms into good fertilizer. It is advisable to uproot the trunk, which is already clearly drying out or has dried out, and treat the exposed root system again with this chemical.

Picloram. Very effective remedy, which is used to spray or water the soil to kill plants. When exposed to picloram, the root system is inhibited, and the tree, as a result, dies.

"Mikado RK". Clopyralid and picloram are systemic substances

"Roundup", "Tornado". These herbicides are used more often than others if it is necessary to quickly destroy a tree. Effective for eliminating both deciduous and coniferous plantations.

Arsenal, Arbonal. These preparations are distinguished by the fact that they penetrate directly into the wood, so they are recommended for use in forest thinning. At the same time, these products are also actively used in agricultural plantations.

Pay attention! A tree is still a living organism, which should be killed only in extreme cases. Don't get too carried away with this procedure.

Now, having familiarized yourself with the main chemicals, capable of quickly drying out wood, let’s consider which processing methods are most popular. Some of these methods involve the use of one or another of the drugs described above.

Prices for ammonium nitrate

ammonium nitrate

The main methods of destroying trees with chemicals

Let’s immediately say that there are many such methods, so we will consider only the most effective of them.

Method number 1. Application of chemicals to living tissue

The tree bark is an obstacle due to which herbicides cannot penetrate the vascular tissues of the plant. Therefore, in order for the product to reach its destination, make downward cuts on the surface of the trunk, but do not tear off the bark. Use a small ax for this. As a result, notches and cuts should be made along the entire circumference of the trunk.

Use the herbicide you have chosen after making the cuts - apply it to the wood tissue.

Pay attention! Do not use herbicides in spring time, since the juice that will ooze from the cuts will prevent the chemical from being absorbed.

Method No. 2. Watering the soil with herbicides

Individual preparations can be used for uniform application to the soil surface. After rain or artificial watering, the herbicide will enter the root system. To concentrate the chemical in one place, you can resort to installing barriers in the ground (for example, concrete).

Pay attention! This method It is advisable to use in cases where it is necessary to destroy several or many trees at the same time.

Method number 3. "Killer" injections

They are very close in their principle of action to method No. 1, and differ only in that they are used to introduce chemicals into tissues. special devices. Maximum efficiency methods is achieved if a targeted effect is applied around the circumference of the trunk in increments of 5-10 cm. Injections are made at a height of approximately 1 m from the ground. The method is used for trees whose trunk diameter exceeds 5 cm.

Step 1. First, prepare a drill, as well as a drill for it, the diameter of which is 5-10 mm.

Step 2. Make holes 4-5 cm deep as described above. It is important that the drill is at an angle of 45-50° relative to the ground surface when working.

Step 3. Take a simple pharmaceutical syringe, fill it with the product, active substance which is glyphosate (for example, “Ground”, “Tornado”, etc.), or, alternatively, pour the chemical directly into the holes. The concentration of glyphosate in the product must be at least 200 g/l.

Herbicide "Ground"

For example: to dry a tree with a trunk diameter of 35 cm, you will need 35-40 ml of a product in which the concentration of glyphosate is 360 g/l.

Step 4. Seal the holes with earth to hide traces of injections, remove the shavings and see if the drug leaks out (the latter is good because it dries for a long time and is clearly visible on the bark). Soon enough the plant will begin to dry out.

Pay attention! You can use other herbicides, but it is still better to give preference to preparations with glyphosate, since they are immediately inactivated by soil microflora after the root system dies.

Heavier herbicides based on sulfometuron-methyl or imazapyr, on the contrary, penetrate into the soil after the death of trees and often kill plants located nearby. Although you can take care of the barriers described earlier.

Method No. 4. Treatment of leaves with drugs

This method is very popular when destroying shrubs whose height does not exceed 4 m. It can be used from the beginning of spring to the end of summer (the exact time depends on the specific herbicide). The effectiveness of the preparations is noticeably reduced if the weather is dry and hot, and the tree suffers from moisture deficiency.

If preparations are applied to the leaves of crops with large annual growth, this can lead to the appearance of excessive growth (the only exception is certain extremely susceptible species). If you use this method, it is not necessary to impregnate the barrel with chemicals.

Method No. 5. Simultaneous destruction of trunk and stump

Here, first, the tree itself is removed using an ax or chainsaw, and then a chemical is produced. stump removal (more details on this at the end of the article). If you use this method, apply the herbicide only to a fresh stump. If the diameter of the trunk is large, treat only the outer edge of the stump (no more than 5-10 cm), including the cambium - the internal tissues of such trees are mostly already dead.

If the trunk diameter is less than 10 cm, apply the chemical to the entire cut surface. Apply the drug immediately after cutting the tree - this way the effectiveness will be maximum.

Method number 6. Processing tree bark

Measure 30-35 cm from the surface of the ground, make a mark on the trunk and process the area below this mark chemical preparation. It is advisable to hold the event in spring or summer. Before application, mix the product with oil, then treat the bark until it is completely saturated. What is typical is that this method is applicable to all trees, regardless of what type they are and what size they are.

Greenhouse cleaning work begins with clearing debris and washing the structure. And the first stages are carried out even before the onset of frost. Read more about this in.

Herbicide prices

herbicides

Below are useful tips, which will help you with the destruction of unwanted trees.

The person who destroys trees with chemicals bears full responsibility for the final effect.
Remember that the accuracy of the application can be improved by adding a coloring agent to the herbicide. Trees that have been treated this way are much easier to track, so you are less likely to miss them when re-treating them (if necessary).
Trees can “cork” cuts and damage, thereby protecting themselves. In other words, a protective layer is formed around damaged tissues, which can reduce the effectiveness of the drug used. For this reason, when using method No. 1, the chemical must be applied immediately after making the cuts.

The herbicide released from the tree can be absorbed by neighboring plants. This should also not be forgotten.

Some trees may have one vascular system (this is a consequence of root fusion). This often happens between members of the same species, but not always. Be that as it may, the herbicide can be transferred from the tree being destroyed to one that is not subject to destruction.

Pay attention! It is believed that on the eastern side the root system grows to the height of the crown, while on the western side it grows to ½ of this height. You can use this rule of thumb.

Alternative Methods

There are also several alternative ways, allowing the tree to dry out quickly. Let's look at the most effective, and therefore popular, ones. For the convenience of visitors, the information below is presented in table form.

Table. How else can you treat wood to make it dry?

Methods, illustrations	Description of actions
	It has long been known that salt destroys vegetation when it enters the soil. Therefore, salt can easily destroy the roots and the tree itself. It is advisable to use a salt solution if you are concerned that the vegetation near the tree may also be destroyed. Water the soil with the solution while it absorbs it. The salt concentration depends on the size of the tree (the larger it is, the more it should be).
	You can block the flow of moisture and oxygen to the roots - to do this, you just need to fill them with concrete to the very base of the trunk. After 2-4 weeks, the roots will die, and the tree itself, accordingly, will begin to dry out. This method is advisable if a path is planned to be built in place of the tree.
	The method resembles the previous one, but is more attractive and environmentally friendly. Place a layer of mulch (from 15 cm) over the roots and up the tree itself. This way you will partially block the flow nutrients, and the tree will slowly begin to die.

Pay attention! By the way, if the roots are blocking the sewer line, you can use Root Destroyer (if you can find it), which you just need to flush down the toilet. This way you will only kill the roots that have penetrated the network, but will not harm the tree.

When the tree dries out, it is cut down and burned. But after this, roots remain in the ground, which can also cause a lot of trouble. Below is a short guide to mechanically removing a stump.

Video - How to remove a stump using a chemical method

A houseplant in the form of an evergreen liana with chic decorative leaves called birch or cissus. Growing such a green decoration, which belongs to the Grape family, is not particularly difficult. This one has leaves hanging plant have a diamond shape, flowers - small size and nondescript. At home, the home flower birch rarely blooms.

Birch flower: care at home

Caring for a home birch flower usually does not cause any difficulties, since the plant is unpretentious and favorable conditions growing quickly.

Illumination

Partial shade is considered a suitable place for it. Although it also grows well in a well-lit place. The main thing is that direct sunlight does not burn its leaves.

Temperature

The minimum temperature for cissus is 15 degrees. To prevent the plant from dropping its leaves in the cold season, it is better to protect it from drafts.

Watering

For irrigation, it is better to use only settled water at room temperature. Excess moisture is contraindicated for the plant. In summer, watering is best done after sunset. The basic rule is: the higher the flower is, the more often it is recommended to water it. In the cold season, it is recommended to water the plant warm water. It is better to do this in the morning using a watering can with small holes.

IN warm time year, cissus needs regular spraying.

Soil care rules

If water slowly seeps into the ground, it needs to be changed.

home flower birch tree Care

It is necessary to feed the birch tree once a week with complex and mineral fertilizers.

Advice: in order for the cissus to grow actively, it is recommended to draw up a schedule of fertilizing, watering, loosening the soil and other actions to care for the flower.

Replanting and pruning

turf soil - 2 parts;
sheet soil - 2 parts;
humus - 2 parts;
coarse sand - 1 part.

Tip: it is better to use a ceramic pot for replanting. The diameter of the flowerpot depends on the volume of the root system.

The process of transplanting cissus is as follows:

Place a drainage layer 10-20 mm thick on the bottom of the flowerpot.
Place a piece of water on top of the drainage layer soil mixture. It should fill one third of the container.
Carefully place the rhizomes of the plant in the center and sprinkle with the remaining soil.
The plant must be placed in such a way that upper roots did not reach the surface by 3-4 cm.
The soil is not compacted.
After transplantation, the plant must be immediately watered and moved to dark place for a few days.

To give the plant a beautiful shape and decorative look pruning is recommended. Spring is considered a suitable time for this.

Reproduction of home flower birch

Cissus is usually propagated using Cherenkov subject to temperature regime about 20 degrees. To do this, it is necessary to cut off the apical shoot from the plant. Water or sand-peat substrate is suitable for rooting cuttings.

Birch can also be propagated using twigs. The most suitable period for this is spring. The branches that remain after pruning the plant are suitable for propagation.

After rooting, the branches or cuttings are transplanted into nutrient soil. At proper care the plant will grow quickly.

What to do if the leaves of your home birch tree dry out or turn yellow?

When growing cissus, the following problems may arise:

Dry leaf tips indicate that the air in the room is too dry.
If there is mold or brown spots on the leaves, this indicates that the soil is too wet.
If a birch tree grows quickly upward, while its leaves become dull or look unnatural, this means that the flower needs fertilizer.
When there is a sharp change in temperature or when the roots rot, the leaves of the plant may fall off en masse.
In the cold season, the growth of birch trees slows down. This is considered a natural process. The disadvantage of nutrients is slower growth in summer.

Home flower birch: signs

WITH indoor plant The birch tree is associated with some superstitions and signs. People believe that this flower brings men out of the house. There is no direct evidence of this, but still many do not risk having this flower at home. Everyone has their own opinion on this matter. Below are some of them.

Oksana, 30 years old, writes: “I am of the opinion that it is undesirable to keep a birch tree in the house. It seems to me that this is not all fiction. I no longer keep this plant in my apartment; I threw it out a long time ago. And I want to say that my personal life has improved. I don’t know, of course, maybe it all coincided like that, but I don’t want to take any more risks.”

Milana, 35 years old, writes: “Birch is a harmless plant, and it is also very unpretentious and grows quickly. Copes well with gas pollution. I don't think it's beautiful plant may have a negative impact on family relationships.”

Lena, 27 years old, writes: “If you believe in omens, then they will definitely come true. My family grew several of these birch trees. They grew magnificently and beautifully, but in our house we had a woman’s monastery. The men didn’t stay in the family for long until we put the cissus in the entrance.”

Olga, 29 years old, writes: “I once had a birch tree growing, but, unfortunately, it recently dried up. I believe that this flower cannot keep men out of the house. My mother-in-law has been growing this plant for decades. Despite this, she has lived with her father-in-law for 40 years in perfect harmony. My husband and I are doing well too.”

Home flower birch, care. Video