Planting, caring for and pruning ginkgo

The ginkgo is one of the oldest tree species on the planet and is also known as the "living fossil". You can find out from us where the ginkgo tree comes from and how it is cultivated.

The ginkgo occupies a very special position within the plants, because it belongs neither to the conifers nor to the deciduous trees. We present the primeval plant and give tips on planting, caring for and using the ginkgo tree.

Ginkgo: flower, leaf and properties

Already 250 million years ago the Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) in the primeval forests of the Permian. It would take another 100 million years for the first deciduous trees to appear. Unlike many tree species that are now extinct, the ginkgo survived the era of the dinosaurs, the development of the first birds and was still far away in Central Europe about 30 million years ago spread. The Ice Age finally pushed the primeval tree to warmer regions in China. It was there that botanists and plant lovers discovered the ginkgo tree and spread it around the world again. It is the only living member of the ginkgo family (Ginkgoaceae). There is therefore no selection of ginkgo species, but some ornamental forms and varieties.

As medium-sized trees, ginkgoes reach a height of 15 - 30 m and grow 10 - 15 m and more in width. It grows about 35 - 40 cm in height every year. The bark is grey-brown and heavily grooved, the wood of the ginkgo is light yellow. Because of the striking leaves and seeds, the ginkgo is also known as a fan leaf tree, duck foot tree or silver apricot.

ginkgo leaves

The leaves of the ginkgo are distinctively fan-shaped and long-stalked, deeply notched in the center and lobed laterally. They feel quite thick and coarse. In spring, the deciduous ginkgo shows light green foliage, which turns golden yellow in autumn.

ginkgo flower

Ginkgo plants have either purely male or purely female flowers on each plant. Male ginkgoes form long, inconspicuous catkins that spread their pollen with the wind. Female trees show their single flowers on long stalks between April and May at the time when the leaves sprout.

ginkgo fruit

Botanically, ginkgoes do not form fruit, but hard seeds with a fleshy, silvery-yellow seed coat. These are only formed on the female trees and deter many with their unpleasant smell of butyric acid. That is why almost exclusively male ginkgos are planted in gardens. In September, the 2 - 3 cm large seeds fall from the tree, the stinking seed coat rots and what remains is the edible stone core.

The most beautiful Ginkgo varieties

In addition to the wild form, there are numerous ornamental forms to choose from, which are purely male and therefore do not produce any unpleasant-smelling fruits. However, all varieties have a sunny yellow autumn colour. We introduce you to the most beautiful Ginkgo varieties.

• 'Fastigiata': Few branched, stiffly upright variety with a growth height of up to more than 20 m and a width of up to 4 – 8 m when old. As a young plant, this variety is rather slow-growing.
• ‘Fastigiata Blagon’: This selection was made around 1980 in France. The compact and upright growing tree reaches a final height of 10 - 15 m, in exceptional cases up to 20 m. The variety is ideal as a standard tree and for narrow planting spaces, as it only grows to a width of 2 - 4 m.
• 'horizontalis': The wide, slightly hanging growth of this ginkgo variety forms a spreading, protruding crown when it is about 3 - 4.5 m high and wide.
• 'Mariken': Dwarf ginkgo with a dense, spherical crown and very weak growth of only about 10 cm per year. This variety reaches its final height at 1.25 – 1.5 m and up to 2 m in width.
• 'Pendula': Hanging ginkgo up to 20 m high and 15 m wide. This ornamental, vigorous Ginkgo form forms a wide crown and is best suited for planting in isolation.
• 'Princeton Sentry': Medium-sized tree to over 20 m tall with a narrow and conical crown. The variety is resistant to air pollution and exhaust fumes, making it an ideal city tree for roadside greening.

plant ginkgo

Ginkgoes are not affected by diseases in Europe and can still tolerate severe air pollution, wind and drought. The robust and tolerant tree loves sunny to shady locations. The ideal location for ginkgoes is moderately dry to moist soil with a pH between 5 and 7. Deep, permeable and nutrient-rich substrates promote the growth of the primeval tree. The adaptable plants can be grown as a spherical ginkgo standard, bonsai, in an umbrella shape or as a trellis. Depending on the growth form and training, they require different planting distances. Stately trees in solitary position should have a distance of 6 - 7 m to other plants in all directions. Narrow shapes can be assembled down to 2-3 m. The exact growth sizes of the individual varieties can be found in the above description of the variety. The best time for planting the frost-sensitive young plants is in March, before the young leaves sprout.

Plant ginkgo in the garden

If you want to plant a ginkgo tree, you should first loosen and dig up the soil deeply. The primeval plants have deep roots and therefore need a well-prepared planting hole. If necessary, some compost can be mixed into the excavated earth to provide nutrients and food for microorganisms. Now place the root ball of your ginkgo in the planting hole, no deeper than it was before. Then the planting hole is filled with the soil mixture, lightly compacted around the root ball and provided with a watering rim. To secure the tree, drive two stakes into the ground upwind and downwind and tie your ginkgo in place with a rope. Finally, water vigorously to flush soil to the roots.

Plant ginkgo as a bonsai or in a pot

Only slow-growing ginkgo varieties such as 'Mariken' are suitable for long-term keeping in the bucket. Ginkgos can also be raised as delicate bonsai trees. For planting a ginkgo tree in a pot or in a bonsai pot, use a high-quality potting soil such as ours Plantura organic universal soil, recommended. It supplies the ginkgo with important nutrients in the initial period after planting and, thanks to the high compost content, stores sufficient moisture. In order to avoid waterlogging, a drainage layer of about five centimeters made of gravel, sand or expanded clay should also be filled in at the bottom of the pot. Now fill in some potting soil, place the ginkgo tree in it and add soil. Then the substrate is slightly compacted and then watered extensively. The ginkgo should be allowed to move to a larger pot about every two to three years.

Care of the ginkgo tree

As long as the ginkgo has not yet taken root deep enough, you should water it. When keeping buckets, an adequate water supply must always be ensured, especially in dry and hot summers. When watering ginkgos in pots and bonsai pots, make sure that excess water can drain off easily and that no waterlogging forms. Ginkgos are undemanding garden dwellers that require little maintenance. The situation is different with pot culture. Only a limited amount of soil and therefore nutrients is available here. Ginkgos in planters should therefore be fertilized regularly. Organic liquid fertilizers like ours Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer, are particularly well suited for this. The fertilizer is applied regularly together with the irrigation water from March onwards and thus supplies your ginkgo quickly and efficiently with the two main nutrients nitrogen and potassium.

Spring is the right time to prune the ginkgo that tolerates pruning. As long as the tree is still young, the crown can be thinned out and raised as desired. However, a cut is not absolutely necessary.
Ginkgos grown as bonsai, on the other hand, should be cut back again and again to maintain their small shape. As soon as a fresh long shoot with 5 - 6 leaves has formed, it is cut back to two leaves. Avoid large wound areas when cutting bonsai, it is better to cut young and thin shoots regularly.

multiply ginkgo

Ginkgos are propagated by seeds or cuttings. When sowing ginkgo seeds, the seed coat must first be removed and the dormancy broken by a longer period of cold - because it is a cold germinator. Later, the seeds are allowed to germinate at about 15 - 20 °C on a light window sill in nutrient-poor seed soil. However, this can take up to two years. Both male and female ginkgoes can develop here. Alternatively, in summer you can cut 10-15 cm long cuttings from the fresh, soft shoot tips of an existing tree. These are defoliated to the tip and placed in a sandy cultivation substrate. The ginkgo cuttings must always be kept moist at around 20 °C for several weeks until roots have formed.

Is the ginkgo hardy?

The ginkgo is very hardy, only as a young plant it is somewhat sensitive to frost. Freshly planted ginkgo trees should therefore be given good winter protection made of jute or fleece in the first few years. Trees in pots should be wintered frost-free, bright and cool every year.

effect and use

In pharmacy, preparations and tea are prepared from ginkgo leaves. They have a blood circulation-enhancing and vasodilating effect. Symptoms of depression, certain forms of dementia, headaches, tinnitus or arterial occlusive disease can be alleviated effectively. Ginkgo and ginseng are found together in many preparations to increase memory. Here, however, only the ginkgo leaf is used.

Few know that the seeds are edible without the foul-smelling husk. From September, the mature seeds that have fallen from the tree can be collected and freed from the seed coat. Then you roast the hard seeds, crack them and enjoy them like chestnuts. In China and Japan, ginkgo seeds are considered a delicacy and, like nuts, are served as a snack between meals. Traditional Chinese medicine uses extracts of the seeds together with the seed coat to treat asthma, tuberculosis and kidney diseases.

Is the ginkgo poisonous?

All parts of ginkgoes are non-toxic to humans and animals. The seeds are edible, the leaves are made into teas or herbal medicine. However, excessive consumption of fresh leaves can lead to digestive problems and mild symptoms of intoxication such as nausea and headaches.
The fleshy, smelly seed coat contains skin-irritating and allergenic substances. If you want to harvest the tasty seeds, you should wear gloves when collecting and cleaning them.

If you want to raise a ginkgo as a bonsai, you need some specialist knowledge. We explain in our article pruning bonsaithe various pruning measures so that the mini trees can be raised successfully.