Laburnum - location, planting and care instructions

The small genus of the laburnum has enjoyed great popularity as an ornamental plant for several centuries due to the intense yellow color of the flowers. Its modesty and adaptable nature make Laburnum the ideal ornamental shrubs that do not require a lot of care and can even withstand winter without protection. Nevertheless, you have to exercise caution if you have a laburnum in the garden, as the petals are extremely poisonous for humans, pets and farm animals.

Characteristics

• botanical name: Laburnum
• Genus: Laburnum (Laburnum)
• belongs to the subfamily of the butterflies (Fabaceae) in the plant family of legumes (Faboideae)
• Common names: gold rush, Bean tree, Yellow shrub, false ebony, German ebony, marrow willow, clover tree
• deciduous small tree or shrub, perennial
• Height: 4-7 m
• Leaves: narrowly elliptical to narrowly ovate, green leaves between 3 and 8 cm in length
• Flower: five-fold zygmorphic on racemose inflorescences, five yellow petals
• Flowering period: April to June
• Origin: southern Central Europe to Southeastern Europe
• hardy
• prefers lime
• short lifespan of 20 to 30 years
• very poisonous in all parts of the plant
• Toxin: cytisine
• produces inedible seeds
• forms stipules
• Genus has two species and one hybrid
• was previously used to detect blood group 0 in the field of criminology
• attracts the following insects to: bees, Wasps, Butterflies

Location

Laburnum, regardless of whether it is the common laburnum (bot. Laburnum anagyroides), Alpine laburnum (Laburnum alpinum) or hybrid laburnum (Laburnum watereri) is an undemanding plant that can be easily planted in numerous gardens. One of the most important prerequisites for maintenance is the location through which the plant grows robustly and can easily survive the winter. The location should be as follows:

• Light requirement: sunny to partially shaded
• warm
• airy

In addition, the laburnum needs a lot of space, as the width is about half the height. In most cases, fully grown specimens reached a width of three to five meters. Therefore, you should plant the butterfly family so that it does not collide with other plants or against the wall of the house, as this has a negative effect on growth. Likewise, the height of up to seven meters can be a problem if you are planting laburnum in a covered area. If you keep the plant in the tub, the location must also be sunny and warm. The sunnier the location, the greater the abundance of flowers.

Tip: You can even plant laburnum in shady spots as long as they are not too humid and warm as described above. However, you will then have to be satisfied with a not so abundant bloom, since a lot of sun is necessary for the formation of the golden yellow, racemose inflorescences.

floor

In addition to the location, a suitable soil is important. This should have the following properties:

• permeable to water
• nutritious
• calcareous
• humus
• air permeable
• pH value: 6.0 - 8.0
• tolerates rocky soil
• tolerates dry grass

Buy preferred potted plants

If you do not already have a Laburnum specimen in or nearby that you can use to propagate the plant, the purchase of a preferred potted plant is a good idea. When buying, however, you should pay attention to a few points so that you do not buy a snail-prone specimen if you plan to plant the plant out. The following points should be mentioned:

• a size of at least 100 cm
• three or five shoots
• should appear healthy and not be infested with lice or spider mites

If you decide on a still young plant that has not yet reached a height of one meter, you should keep it in a bucket for that time. This will protect the plant from infestation by snails, which will happily feast on the young plants. The older and bigger the golden rain, the more resistant it is and thus develops its high resistance to weather influences, Pests and diseases.

Tip: Also, be careful not to hit the Indian laburnum (bot. Cassia fistula) to be confused with the Laburnum species when buying. This plant is not a laburnum, but a cassia that requires extremely care is non-toxic and its fruits are even edible, making them a decorative alternative to laburnum power.

plants

The best time to plant in the garden is before spring, from February to the end of March. During this time, the roots can develop well. Autumn is also ideal from October to November. Because the crop is hardy after planting outdoors, there is no need to worry about Laburnum's health. When planting, do the following:

• prepare a hole in the desired location
• this should measure twice the size of the bale
• it does not have to be planted deep
• put the plant in the hole
• fill up the hole
• water sufficiently, do not fertilize

Make sure the location you choose is the final place for the laburnum. With increasing age, the family of peoples reacts with high stress to a possible transplant and often dies.

Bucket culture

If you want to keep a laburnum in a bucket culture, you should definitely repot it after buying it, as the soil in the pot is often compacted. Repotting is very easy, you just need the right substrate:

• Garden soil is completely sufficient for the laburnum
• Soil should be enriched with a little compost
• Add sand to loosen up, because Laburnum likes it permeable

Simply mix the substrate together beforehand and add half of it to the pot. Then put the laburnum in the pot and fill in the remaining substrate until the entire root ball is covered. Then water and fertilize according to the care instructions.

care

Caring for the laburnum is not difficult. Once Laburnum has made itself comfortable in the garden, all you have to do is make sure you have the right amount of fertilizer and water, especially when it is dry. Note: any care that you touch the plant should be done with gloves, as the toxins could cause allergic reactions on the skin.

to water

A planted laburnum only needs to be poured over long dry periods. Container plants need to be watered regularly, but you should always do a finger test to see if it is really necessary. The following types of water are suitable for pouring:

• Rainwater
• filtered rainwater
• stale tap water

Just make sure that there is no waterlogging. Alternatively, you can spread bark mulch around the plant to retain more moisture, but never over-water.

Fertilize

Fertilization is only used in soils that are poor in nutrients or when the plant is weakened, for example by pests. Use fertilizers that are high in phosphate and potassium, for example special laburnum or Wisteria-Fertilizer. Fertilizers for large, flowering plants can also be used. Either follow the instructions on the manufacturer's bottle or dilute the fertilizer heavily and only use small amounts of fertilizer if the laburnum is not doing well.

Cut

The laburnum does not need a cut. As long as it is healthy, the plant takes care of itself in this regard and looks lush even after a harsh winter. You only need to use scissors when branches are kinked or attacked by pests and diseases. At the beginning of spring, cut off the affected branch with clean secateurs. If it is an infestation or disease, you should immediately take the pruning measures to contain it. You should prune potted plants a little so that they do not grow over your head, but excessive pruning results in poor flowering:

• Shoots less than 2 cm thick are cut
• cut this off with a neat cut
• only shoots growing upwards are shortened in order to contain the height of the golden rain
• alternatively, you can carefully thin out the plant in summer

Tip: if you want to stimulate flowering, remove the grapes that have already dried out over the summer. This approach ensures that the plant can put more nutrients into the development of flowers.

Overwinter

Wintering is very easy. Specimens planted in the open do not need any winter protection at all, unless it is a freshly planted specimen. This must be completely insulated with winter protection. The following are suitable for this:

• brushwood
• Clippings
• straw
• Bamboo mats
• Garden fleece

The procedure for potted plants is as follows:

• place the plant in an unheated room
• Conservatories and garages are particularly suitable for this
• the room should be bright
• reduce watering
• do not fertilize

If the laburnum is too big or no space is available, wrap it in one of the following ways:

• wrap in garden fleece
• Cover the root ball with grass clippings, straw or bark mulch
• Bamboo mats now follow around the garden fleece
• alternatively use brushwood or a foil with air holes

Multiply

You can propagate laburnum from either seeds or cuttings. When propagating via seeds, proceed as follows:

• plant golden rain seeds in normal potting soil
• cover them with a thin layer of earth
• then allow to germinate at normal room temperature
• don't forget to keep the soil a little moist
• after the seedlings are 10 cm high, prick out

Seed cultivation succeeds in most cases. For propagation by cuttings, cut off a green or woody shoot that is 15 centimeters long. Then follow these instructions:

• place this in a glass of water or potting soil
• If the cuttings are planted in potting soil, do not forget to moisten the soil regularly
• As soon as new roots or leaves can be seen, the cultivation is successful
• overwinter the cuttings indoors and immediately plant them outdoors or in a pot next spring

Tip: the laburnum likes to multiply on its own. If you leave the plant alone, it will lose seeds that will mature into seedlings over the next year, which you can then dig up and plant in pots.

Pests and diseases

Laburnum does not in itself suffer from pests and diseases, but in rare exceptional cases it can be infested with galena, spider mites and lice. But that only happens if the location is incorrect, waterlogged or if it is too dry. If there is a possible infestation, proceed as follows:

• remove all affected branches
• this is particularly effective against galena
• Do not dispose of the infected branches on the compost, otherwise the fungus will spread further
• use beneficial insects like ladybugs to contain the infestation
• use spider mite home remedies, such as a spray mix of rapeseed oil and water
• if the infestation cannot be contained, remove the entire plant
• this is the only way to protect other plants

Toxicity

All types of laburnum are poisonous in all parts of the plant. A lot of the plant's poison, cytisine, can be found in the seeds in particular. When consuming small amounts of the plant parts, the following symptoms occur:

• Vomit
• diarrhea
• nausea
• Signs of paralysis
• chills
• Sweats
• Dizziness
• headache

These symptoms will subside over time as the ingredients induce immediate vomiting. However, it becomes dangerous if the vomiting is not induced, because then most of the poison remains in the body and can lead to respiratory failure or death. Therefore, laburnum should never be planted in households with small children and pets, as the seeds in particular simply fall to the ground and are found there.