Bay laurel is known to chefs for its fragrant leaves.
It is difficult to imagine many hot dishes without bay leaves, especially soups, cabbage soup, and borscht.
However, it is not necessary to buy this seasoning.
Growing Laurus nobilis at home
will allow you to provide yourself with fresh, high-quality raw materials.
Noble laurel
In nature, noble laurel - evergreen up to 18 meters high.
Its young leaves and shoots are used as a spice ( Bay leaf), they also have medicinal properties.
Most essential oils accumulates in leaves in autumn or winter.
Branches with leaves are cut from a 3-4 year old plant and hung in the shade to dry.
When the leaves are dry, they are picked and stored in linen bags.
Up to a third of the crown is cut at a time.
And after a year, new leaves are harvested from the same plant - it grows so quickly.
This plant is unpretentious and easily tolerates pruning.
Therefore, in the south it is sometimes used for hedges , giving the most varied, sometimes bizarre shape.
Laurel laurel is a fairly frost-resistant plant.
It dies only at 15 degrees below zero.
The drier the air, the lower the temperature it can tolerate.
The laurel tree grows on almost any soil except swampy soil, but prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soil.
Laurel at home
Noble laurel grows well at home.
He is not afraid of drafts. Therefore, in the summer it is exhibited open air, slightly shading from straight lines sun rays.
The only condition when growing laurel
It's necessary water correctly , avoiding waterlogging of the soil, and regularly spray the leaves.
In summer, plants are sprayed so that water penetrates deep into the crown. This helps prevent pests, especially scale insects. When watering, add baking soda to the water (half a teaspoon per 1 liter).
Laurel is placed both in the sun and in the shade, although it branches better in the sun.
In winter, the noble laurel is more comfortable at a temperature of 13 degrees, but it tolerates drops of up to 2 - 5 degrees. If the room temperature is above 18 degrees, then the plant needs to be sprayed frequently. Otherwise, due to the dry air, the leaves of the laurel tree will begin to fall off, which often happens.
At proper care Only those leaves that have been growing for more than three years fall off.
The leaves are harvested as a spice when they grow more than 10 cm in length.
Laurel is replanted in the spring , choosing a pot 2 cm larger than the old one. This limits the growth of the root system, and therefore the growth of the bush itself.
Broken shards and coarse sand must be placed at the bottom of the pot in a layer of 3-4 cm for drainage. The soil mixture is prepared from turf, leaf soil and sand (2:1:0.5). 
Plant formation
Growing laurel can turn into exciting activity. After all, the noble laurel can be given any shape!
In the south there are entire parks with animals, figures, and hedges made from living laurel plants.
At home you can also form various compositions from laurel. To do this, the plant will have to be trimmed frequently.
A laurel in the shape of a ball or pyramid looks beautiful. They begin to form a crown for this in the spring of the second year of life.
The upper part of the main shoot is cut at a height of 10-12 cm above the soil surface. After this, 2-3 shoots grow from the underlying buds. When these shoots are 15-20 cm long, they are pinched.
Thus, the bushes grow by 8-10 cm per year. You can also form them in standard form.
Propagation of Laurus nobilis
Laurel plants become better accustomed to living conditions in the room when propagation by seeds .
To plant seeds, they are cleared of pulp, as it delays their germination. When the seeds dry out, they quickly lose their viability, so they are usually sown in the fall. But if this is not possible, then store them sprinkled with sand in a cold place until spring.
The seeds are sown in a bowl with a soil mixture of turf, leaf soil and sand (1:1:0.5), covered with film or glass on top.
They germinate faster at temperatures above 18 degrees.
When the seedlings grow up and have two leaves, they are planted according to a 2x2 cm pattern or in small pots.
Later they are planted in separate pots.
TO propagation of laurel by cuttings start in March-April.
For this purpose, cuttings are cut 6-8 cm long from ripened but not lignified shoots. When cutting a cutting at the bottom, the following technique is used: the knife is moved almost to the end, and then the bark and adjacent tissues are partially torn off.
It looks like the heel is lower bottom node. The lower leaves are removed.
Cuttings have difficulty rooting
Therefore, root formation stimulants are used, for example Kornevin
(wetted cuttings are lowered with their bottoms into this growth powder; excess powder is shaken off).
The cuttings are planted in coarse sand to a depth of 1-2 cm according to a 10x10 cm pattern. To maintain air humidity, a plastic bag is pulled over the top.
To prevent it from touching the cuttings, pegs are installed - you get a mini greenhouse.
A month later, when the cuttings have taken root, they are planted in pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm, using the same soil mixture as for the seedlings. 
Healing properties of laurel
Bay laurel is used not only as a super popular seasoning. It also has healing properties.
In particular, there is laurel in the house purifies the air . Its aroma is useful for intestinal spasms, inflammation of the respiratory and biliary tract.
To make the aroma stronger, the laurel is placed near a window, watered with water twice a week with the addition of a glucose solution (5 ml per 5 liters of water) or aspirin (5 g per 1 liter).
At high humidity, the aromaticity of plants increases, so a vessel with water is placed between the plants.
Be sure to remove dead leaves.
Laurel is used not only as a spice, but also for treatment. rheumatoid arthritis, gout, flaccid paralysis , for spastic pain, as well as for diabetes mellitus .
By growing bay laurel at home, you will acquire useful plant very fragrant, beautiful and healing.
Good day everyone!
Noble laurel (laurus nobilis) or laurel tree, with the fragrant leaves of which every housewife is familiar, grows naturally in the south of Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Western Caucasus. But laurel can also act as indoor plant, especially since caring for it at home is not at all difficult.
And the health benefits of this plant in the room are very great. Bay leaves contain many phytoncides and essential oils that purify and heal the air. And the energy of the plant is very good, it’s not for nothing that it is a noble laurel! Heroes and winners were awarded with wreaths of laurel branches!
The laurel bush is very suitable for both the bedroom and the living room. It improves sleep, harmonizes relationships, smooths out rough edges, and helps mutual understanding.
The most popular use of bay leaves is as a spice. Also noticed a long time ago medicinal properties plants to which it owes the large presence of essential oil in its leaves. This oil is widely used in perfumery and cooking.
I got a laurel about ten years ago. I accidentally bought it in some store. I brought it home and was very happy.
But the plant sat in one place and did not grow. What's happened? I began to look carefully - and there was a scale insect on it! That's why my bay laurel isn't growing! And now I will tell you about my experience in caring for indoor laurel and how I got rid of the scale insects on it.
The laurel plant itself is quite unpretentious, loves light and fresh air, and is not afraid of drafts. Grows well in regular soil suitable for most evergreens.
If you want to prepare the soil yourself, take this mixture - 2 parts turf soil, and 1 part each sand, humus and well-decomposed peat. The soil should be sufficiently breathable with neutral acidity.
In summer, during the growing season, laurel needs feeding. As for home remedies, I use water after washing the meat, a little ash, and also feed fertilizers for indoor flowers according to the instructions. Feeding can be done once every two weeks.
The tree tolerates pruning well, and the branches can then be used in the kitchen. By pruning you can shape the plant and prevent it from growing too much.
The temperature for growing bay trees is normal, room temperature. In winter, if it is possible to keep it cooler, then it is better to do so. But I have a laurel in an ordinary room, although in the winter we maintain the temperature in the house at 19-20 degrees, sometimes it can be lower, that is, without heat.
In winter, the plant is in a dormant period, so there is no need to feed it, but water it moderately when the soil dries out. In winter, the bush tolerates even a lack of light well; it stands in the back of my room on coffee table.
But when it begins to grow, it is better to put it in a brighter place so that the shoots do not stretch out.
Propagation of Laurus nobilis.
The easiest way to propagate laurel indoors is by root shoots during transplantation. There are times when seeds are found in a bag of bay leaves and for some people they sprout.
My laurel has never bloomed, perhaps in room conditions this is not always possible.
I tried to root the cutting under a jar, it sat for a very long time, but it never took root. Now I propagate only by division during transplantation and by root shoots, which appear in abundance around the main trunk.
Watering a bay tree.
One of the main conditions successful cultivation Lavra - proper watering. The main rule is not to overwater the plant, especially in winter, when it is dormant. In summer, watering should be sufficient; in hot weather, you can water every day.
Here it is necessary to monitor the condition of the earthen clod and not allow it to dry out. The laurel will respond to a lack of water by wilting its leaves. If you water in time, the leaves will restore turgor.
For the last few years, I have been taking my laurel outside in the summer, and it stands on my terrace until frost. When it’s hot in the evenings, I can spray the flowers with water; when it rains, I expose them to the rain. so that the dust can be washed away.
In winter, instead of rain, I give the laurel a cool shower. He loves it very much, the plant really cheers up after a bath. During the shower, I put a plastic bag over the potty so that water does not flow into the potty.
Bay tree pests and their control.
One of the most malicious pests indoor laurel is a scale insect. Many people wrote to me about this in the comments under the article about. I promised to tell you how I dealt with the scale insects.
Yes, it was not easy. What didn’t I do after I discovered this nasty thing on the branches! Say. I can’t say that one thing helped, most likely everything in combination helped.
I washed the plant several times with laundry soap and kerosene. I wrapped the pot with film, and applied soap foam from the entire crown. laundry soap with the addition of kerosene. For a liter of water - a spoonful of kerosene. I left the foam on the plant for a couple of hours, then washed it off with a shower.
Since I have the laurel on my coffee table in the winter, I inspected the plant in the evenings and used a cotton pad soaked in alcohol to remove scale insects from the branches and leaves.
But I found the scale insect not only on the laurel, it also affected the lemons and even on the window.
Therefore, in the summer I went on a real attack. I took all the flowers out into the yard, stained the window with dichlorvos, and then washed it thoroughly.
I cut off the leaves of the hippeastrums, and treated all the plants - laurel, lemons, hippeastrum with Aktara. Moreover, I not only treated the crown, but also watered it a little with a ball of earth, since scale insect larvae live in the soil.
This treatment was repeated two or three times with an interval of 10-14 days. And after that the scale insect disappeared.
Now, for preventive purposes, before bringing indoor flowers into the house after a summer stay outside, I make sure to process them all right on the terrace, preferably twice with an interval of 7-10 days.
And in winter I periodically examine my pets so that if something happens, I can take timely measures.
So you have learned how you can grow a bay tree at home and how to overcome scale insects. We’ll talk more about the benefits of laurel another time. If you have any questions, ask, if I can, I will answer.
That's not all for today. Bye bye! I would be grateful if you share the publication with your friends on social networks.
Noble laurel - care and cultivation at home.
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Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay tree or laurel laurel. This plant belongs to the Laurel family. It is believed that laurel originally grew in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. In general, this culture is one of the oldest spices. In addition, laurel was considered sacred plant for many peoples. It is known that winners of sports competitions were crowned with laurel leaves. Ancient Greece and war heroes in the Roman Empire. It is no coincidence that the term “laureate” comes from the word “laurel”. In the Middle Ages, the laurel tree was considered a symbol of good, capable of protecting against evil forces. There are many ways to grow a bay tree yourself. We'll tell you more about everything below.
Today, laurel is grown in Greece, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, the Caucasus, Portugal, Guatemala and Albania. Bay leaves are used not only for culinary but also for medicinal purposes. In addition, it is used in the chemical industry as a raw material for the production of camphor and cineole.
The bay tree usually grows only in sunny areas, but in frosts and in the shade it does not feel well. Bay leaves are collected in autumn and winter, starting in November and ending in February. At the same time, the leaves of only those trees that are 3-4 years old or more are suitable for collection. And this is done together with the branches. In this form they are dried, then separated and placed in special bags. Dried bay leaves can be stored for several years. Only in this case they should be in a dry room.
Bay leaves are known for their specific smell, which they have due to the unique essential oils found in their composition. They contain concentrated nylon, valerian, acetic acid. In addition, essential oils contain quite a lot of phytoncides, which have antibacterial properties, as well as fatty acids, tannins and trace elements.
How to grow a bay tree
How to grow a bay tree from a leaf
Laurel reproduces in several ways:
- seeds,
- dividing the bush,
- cuttings (leaves).
We will talk about the last method of growing a bay tree at home below.
Stages of planting laurel:
- Laurel cuttings should be harvested in summer or early autumn. Shoots are cut off from an adult tree. It is desirable that the cutting size be 7-9 cm.
- Next, you need to remove all the lower and upper leaves from the seedling.
- One end of the cutting should be placed in a mineral mixture that stimulates the growth of the root system.
- Then the seedling is placed in a seedling box half filled with sand and peat moss.
- The container is wrapped in a plastic bag. Just do this carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the cutting. In this way, the most favorable conditions for the growth of the root system. This process is quite lengthy. The first roots will appear only after 7-8 months.
- Next, the germinated seedlings are planted in a special substrate consisting of moss and leaf soil. Immediately before planting, the soil is checked for the presence of pathogenic bacteria that can harm the cuttings.
- The planted cuttings are wrapped in film, so that moisture will not escape from the soil. Please note that for the successful growth of the seedling, the room temperature should be maintained at +21 degrees.
- After the seedling has taken root, it should be transplanted into a pot filled with soil for planting. It should include sand, turf soil, peat and manure.
- After transplanting, the planting containers should be covered with large glass jars. This is necessary in order to maintain the required soil moisture.
- The sprouts are sprayed twice a day. After 1 month, you can introduce soil fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and manure. Feeding should be alternated. Immediately before fertilizing, the soil should be moistened abundantly.
- If a plant needs to be replanted, soil with the same composition in which the bay tree previously grew is used.
Growing a bay tree from seeds
Seeds brought from the south are used. The most optimal period for planting is winter (February).
The order of disembarkation is this way:
- Clay containers are used for planting seeds. A layer of expanded clay (3 cm) and then sand (2-3 cm) should be poured onto its bottom. Next, the container is filled with planting soil.
- Bay tree seeds are planted at a depth of 1.5 cm. The soil temperature should be approximately 20-21 degrees. Seed growth period is 3-4 months.
- Before planting seeds that have sprouted, the soil should be moistened abundantly. Until the sprouts sprout, the ground should be ventilated daily for 15-25 minutes.
- When the sprout has sprouted, the plant needs to be replanted. The composition of the soil should be the same as when planting by cuttings (sand, turf soil, peat and manure).
- Place drainage at the bottom of the pot. Next, a layer of prepared soil is poured.
- When the plant is transplanted, water it. Settled water is used for irrigation.
- After which the container with the seedling should be kept in a dark and warm place for 2 weeks. Then it can be transferred to the windowsill.
Bay tree: care
- Laurel "loves" mineral fertilizers and other fertilizers. The soil should be fertilized once every 3 weeks.
- In addition, the plant needs to be watered very often. In summer, you need to water once every 3 days, and in winter - once every 4-5 days.
- The bay tree should be replanted every 3-4 years. It is best to plant the plant in wooden boxes.
Why should you grow bay leaves?
Exquisite spice
Perhaps no other seasoning is used as often as bay leaf. Fresh and dry laurel leaves are suitable as a spice. Sometimes its seeds are used. Bay leaf can improve the taste of almost any product. It is used for preparing meat and fish dishes. In addition, it is added to marinades, sauces, broths and soups. In particular, it is used for preserving cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, squash and other vegetables. Laurel goes best with beets, tomatoes, cucumbers and cabbage. Essential oil is obtained from bay leaves, which can be used in the production of confectionery and alcoholic beverages.
It is recommended to add laurel to dishes before the end of cooking. Otherwise, it may begin to taste bitter, which will only ruin the dish. It is good to put a lot of bay leaves in a dish, but for a short time, and then remove them from there. In this case, they will release only the best notes of their aroma.
About the benefits of the plant
Even in ancient times, bay leaves were used for treatment various diseases. In particular, it is believed that it can reduce painful sensations during childbirth, and the oil obtained from the plant helps with cramps. In addition, ancient healers used laurel for nervous tension, joint pain, and to relieve shortness of breath. The seeds and bark of the tree were used to prepare a decoction for urolithiasis and cholecystitis.
Today, bay leaves are used to improve digestion, appetite, lower blood pressure, relieve swelling, suppress the development of tuberculosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Laurel is considered a good natural antibiotic. It is also used to improve metabolic processes. Thanks to tannins, it helps relieve swelling and inflammation. If you prepare a decoction of bay leaves correctly, then with regular use it will be an excellent way to strengthen the immune system and restore the body after a long illness.
It is also known that laurel has good diuretic and astringent properties. It is used as an antifungal and antibacterial agent. In addition, it can help with stomatitis, fever, disorders nervous system, amenorrhea. It is also an effective emetic and diaphoretic. It is used in folk medicine for the treatment of sprains, bruises and joint pain.
The essential oil of leaves, flowers and fruits of the tree is used as an insecticidal and disinfectant. It is also used to prepare medicinal soaps and ointments. A decoction of bay leaves is necessary to speed up the removal of excess salts from the body. In addition, it allows you to get rid of salts in the joints, gallstones. The same decoction is useful for diabetes. Just don't take it every day. It is quite enough to conduct a three-week course in a year.
How to choose a bay leaf
Laurel preserves its beneficial features even dry. Therefore, there is no point in looking for fresh leaves somewhere. Dry leaves contain almost the same amount of essential oils. They also retain their anti-cancer and antibacterial properties. Thus, both raw and dried bay leaves can be consumed. You just need to know how to choose it correctly. In particular, you need to pay attention to the outside of the leaf. There should be no stains on it. Leaves, as we have already said, are collected from November to February. Therefore, it is better to buy laurel during this period.
Rules for storing bay leaves
Bay leaves should be protected from moisture. Any sealed packaging will do for this. For example, you can take glass jar and close the lid tightly. Sometimes laurel is already sold in sealed packaging into which air does not penetrate. This is a so-called reusable zip fastener. Despite the fact that bay leaves last quite a long time. You should not store it longer than its expiration date, which must be indicated on the packaging. If the bay leaf gets too old, it can become very bitter.
How to grow a bay tree: video
You can see how laurel is grown in the video:
How to grow a laurel tree, plant propagation, caring for laurel at home, diseases and photos - read all this and more in our article.
Home and garden care
Caring for the laurel tree at home and in open ground Some points must be observed. Let's take a closer look at them.
Lighting
Laurel is a quite hardy plant; it can grow in moderate light, but it will develop best - and actively branch - in bright, mostly diffused light. It should be protected from excess scorching sun rays.
Temperature
Before growing laurel at home, you need to know that the best summer temperature range is from 18 to 20 degrees, and winter - from 10 to 15 degrees.
The laurel lives most pleasantly in the fresh air - on the balcony, in the courtyard or in the country house, including throughout the year - if winter temperatures remain at +5-6.
ATTENTION: zero temperatures for it are already a risk zone, and the laurel can only withstand a drop in temperature to -10-12ºС for a short time.
Priming
To grow laurel at home and in open ground, you need to prepare a soil mixture - this is ordinary garden soil, universal primer from the store or loose nutrient mixture with a neutral reaction, independently prepared according to one of the following recipes:
- one part of leaf, the same amount of turf soil and humus with the addition of two parts of river sand;
- two parts of turf soil and one each of leaf soil, humus, peat and sand with the addition wood ash in small quantities.
Watering
The plant needs to be watered abundantly in spring and summer.
IMPORTANT! At the same time, moisture should not stagnate in the soil: water flowing into the pan after watering should be drained immediately.
Irrigation water is taken soft, not cold - well-settled water supply or rainwater.
During a cool winter, which will bring great benefits to the laurel, moderate watering is needed - about once a week or less, to prevent the soil from drying out. If the winter is warm, water more often and be sure to regularly humidify the air.
Air humidity
IMPORTANT: air humidity in winter should be sufficient, and in summer – increased. This - necessary condition successful cultivation of laurel.
When caring for indoor laurel, you should: Carry out regular spraying with soft water. You can also place the plant in a tray with wet pebbles and place wide containers of water nearby.
ATTENTION: at the same time, the air must be sufficiently fresh. At home, the bay tree should be in a well-ventilated place.
Top dressing
During the spring-summer period of active growing season twice a week support the plant complex fertilizers, alternating mineral and organic compositions.
In autumn and winter, the frequency of fertilizing is reduced to monthly or even less frequently. This depends on the thermal regime in which the laurel is kept: during a cool winter, you will need to fertilize much less often.
Growth and flowering
In indoor culture, the plant lives for about 15 years, on a plot, in the same place - up to 60 years. Bush capable of growing to 10-15 meters in height. Laurel at home is limited to 1.5-2 meters using pruning.
Small yellowish flowers bloom in early spring, in March-April, and on some plants there are only staminates, on others only pistillates. When growing Flowering in a room is very rare. After pollination, the fruits ripen - blue berries.
Trimming
When caring for a laurel tree at home - bush responds well to pruning, forming a lush crown: spherical, cubic, pyramidal.
Laurel pruning is carried out starting from the age of 5 years.
There are two deadlines for this operation: end of summer (August), immediately after the end of the active growing season and end of autumn (October-November), in the transition to a state of rest.
On open area Damaged branches are pruned in early spring.
Landing
How to grow laurel at home? When answering this question, it is important to remember that when planting laurel at home, a container with a mandatory drainage hole must have standard sizes and the optimal relationship with seedling growth: The vertical size of the pot is between a quarter and a third of the height of the plant.
Before planting the laurel, a drainage layer (expanded clay, small pebbles, broken bricks) is placed at the bottom of the container.
Then pour a small amount of prepared soil, on top of it - root system with saved if possible, earthen lump. Add soil mixture until the required level, carefully compacting it.
Transfer
Young, first five years of life, plants are replanted, as a rule, every year, adults - once every 2-3 years, and then even less often.
ATTENTION! The method of replanting should be transshipment, in which the earthen lump is preserved as much as possible, and the new pot is not much, 2-4 centimeters, larger in diameter than the old one.
Here is an indoor laurel and its photo:
You can also watch a video on how to care for laurel at home:
Reproduction
Laurel can be propagated by seeds, as well as vegetatively - by cuttings and layering.
Seeds at home
ATTENTION! When growing laurel from seed, there are two main difficulties: laurel seeds quickly, in 3-5 months, lose a significant percentage of germination and, due to the high oil content, germinate very slowly, up to six months.
Therefore, the seed should be as fresh as possible, and in order to see the sprouted seeds, you should be patient. Laurel is sown in January-February. To speed up germination seeds are treated with a solution growth stimulant, and then planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm in moistened light soil.
Close plastic film, kept at 18 degrees, regularly ventilated and maintain substrate moisture.
IMPORTANT! Monitor the possible appearance of mold on the seeds, monitoring their condition weekly. If white plaque, remove it and wash the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
As soon as germination begins, the seed shell cracks and then they can be immediately planted in separate containers, placing it in the ground at a depth of five centimeters,- but you will need to wait about another month for seedlings.
IMPORTANT: Young “bay leaves” should be protected from heat and excess sunlight.
In the open ground
Laurel fruits ripen in October-November. After collecting them, the seeds are released and scattered in a permanent area, at a depth of about 5 cm. Shoots, usually appear from late spring to late summer, at a temperature of +20-22ºС.
When planting laurel seeds, seedlings are thinned to a distance of 5-8 cm between individual plants. Sometimes there are January shoots, which, for the most part, die.
Propagation by cuttings
The best time for harvesting and rooting laurel cuttings in indoor culture is March–April or June–July;
ATTENTION: in an open area, cuttings are carried out only in June-July.
Cuttings with three internodes (usually their length is 6-8 cm) are cut from the middle and lower parts of semi-lignified shoots.
Lower the sheet is removed, the rest are shortened by half and the prepared cuttings are sent for rooting.
At 16-20 degrees, they are buried 1-1.5 cm in moistened sand. Cover with plastic wrap, ventilate, spray.
Rooted cuttings begin to grow, as a rule, after a month and, when they grow by 2-3 cm, they are planted in separate containers.
Here is a video about propagating laurel by cuttings at home:
Reproduction by layering
Usually, laurel gives lateral processes with a more or less developed root system, which are carefully separated and planted. The injured areas are sprinkled with crushed charcoal.
Thus, when growing laurel You can refer to the following calendars of main works:
In the open ground
Spring
March-April – sanitary pruning: removal of damaged and frostbitten branches. Rooting cuttings in a cold greenhouse.
Top dressing
Summer
The entire period is the germination of seeds sown in autumn. Regular feeding
August – formative pruning
Autumn
October-November: pruning, harvesting leafy raw materials, collecting fruits, sowing seeds
At home
Spring
March – sowing seeds.
March-April – propagation by cuttings, separation of lateral shoots.
Top dressing
Summer
The entire period is the germination of seeds sown in February-April. Regular feeding.
June-July – propagation by cuttings
August – formative pruning
Autumn
October-November: pruning, harvesting of leafy raw materials. Rare feeding.
Winter
February - sowing seeds
Signs of trouble
Leaves turn yellow, curl and fall off– insufficient air humidity. Regular spraying should be done.
The outer side of the leaves becomes covered with brown spots– waterlogging of the soil, especially in combination with low air and/or irrigation water temperatures. Watering needs to be optimized.
Why do the leaves turn black?
The leaves are covered with a spotted black coating, which is easily erased from the surface of the leaf blade - a sooty fungus that settles where there is traces of insect pest activity: scale insects or mealybugs. First of all, they get rid of pests, then remove plaque. In case of severe damage, remove the affected leaves.
Diseases and pests
A healthy, properly cared for plant is practically not susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. If incorrect home care on the laurel may appear spider mite, scale insect, mealybug. This is especially likely when there is insufficient air humidity.
As a first measure, treat the affected areas with soapy water, and then reliable means Insecticides for controlling insect pests are directed action insecticides.
Beneficial features
The aroma and pleasant bitterness inherent in laurel have made its leaves an extremely popular spice that stimulates appetite and aids digestion.
Essential Bay oil has disinfectant and insecticidal properties.
As a preventive measure against painful processes in the intestines and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, it is enough to simply grow laurel in the room and inhale its aroma.
To enhance the smell of the plant Twice a week you can pour in an aspirin solution(5g per liter of water) or glucose (1 ml per 1 liter of water). Healing decoctions and infusions of bay leaves are also prepared.
Application
A fatty oil is extracted from the fruit and is used in medical practice to make balls and candles. Moreover, it is good antiseptic, and is also used in massage procedures. Laurel fruits are also used as a spice.
You learned the difference between a laurel tree, caring for it in the open ground and at home, how to grow it from seeds, and that having your own personal bush-tree completely covered with ready-made laurel leaves, you can say goodbye to colds forever, all year round inhaling air saturated with phytoncides tree of winners.
Bay leaf is the most popular spice in our country, without which it is impossible to stew. But not everyone knows that these leaves are high content essential oils can be grown on your own windowsill.
In addition to its benefits for cooking, this magnificent spreading bush will decorate any room and also improve its health, because the volatile substances released by the plant successfully fight pathogenic microbes, including mycobacterium, the causative agent of tuberculosis.
Growing laurel at home
Practice shows that it is very easy to grow a laurel tree at home; it is very undemanding to conditions and can even grow on a northern windowsill. But if you move it closer to the sun, the plant will immediately respond with abundant branching.
Caring for laurel at home comes down to regular light watering and spraying. To make the glossy leaves shine attractively, you need to arrange the bush once a week warm shower. Thus, it will be possible not only to decorate the room with a green beauty, but also to grow foliage for subsequent winter cutting for consumption.
The soil for laurel is light, but in no case acidic, which can even destroy the plant. Therefore, when planting, you should add a little slaked lime to the soil.
Noble laurel tolerates drafts and other unfavorable conditions without problems. In the summer, it is advisable to take it out to a sunny balcony, not forgetting to increase the frequency of watering, or transport the tree to the dacha, where it will feel great throughout the warm season.
Laurel propagation at home
If you decide to propagate your tree at home, then there is nothing complicated about it - for this, a shoot from a bay leaf, or rather a woody shoot 3-4 years old, is cut off with a sharp knife under acute angle. After this, the twig is placed for a day in Kornevin’s solution to stimulate root formation. So that all efforts go towards the appearance of roots, 
existing leaves are cut in half.
For a young plant, not ordinary soil, but river sand is suitable. It is poured into a small flowerpot, watered, compacted and a laurel shoot is planted in it strictly vertically. After this, the plant should be covered with a plastic bag or glass jar to create a favorable microclimate inside. In a month, the young plant will have roots and young leaves will begin to grow.
An adult plant is transplanted into fresh soil every 2-3 years, not forgetting to add to the soil slaked lime, preventing soil acidification.
