Silver Tree (Leucadendron)

Today you will have the opportunity to meet a species of bush whose variations are many and that you can perfectly have in your garden if that is what you want. It is a species that stands out a lot for its physical characteristics.

This is the leucadendron, so we invite you to know all the necessary information that will allow you to offer the proper care and cultivation of this plant, if you ever have the possibility of acquiring one.

General data of leucadendron

It is a genus of evergreen shrubs, where most species manage to reach a height of no more than two meters. Although in proper condition and with due care, they are plants that easily manage to exceed 10 meters in height.

Now these are plants which are native to the South African continent. They stand out a lot for how colorful they are and for their great versatility to grow in almost any part of the world, so it is not uncommon to find this plant in other places than its continent of origin.

The truth is that they are a great option for people with low maintenance gardens, since these are plants that do not require too much demand in this aspect and even so, they manage to offer a visual spectacle with their leaves and especially with their flowers. In the same way, it is necessary to mention a relevant fact to this subject, and that is that the leucadendron is a plant that is closely related to plants known as Proteas.

Features

As we said in previous paragraphs, ideally and in general, the plant manages to grow between one or two meters in height, at the most it manages to reach ten meters if the appropriate conditions are met.

Stem

The stems of these shrubs tend to have a covering that gives them a kind of inflorescence. Therefore, both the leaves and the Flowers take on vibrant colors that attract a lot of attention. It is even known that such an inflorescence can reach up to 30 cm in diameter.

You also have to know that these plants have a rather peculiar habit and that is that the growth is very similar to that of ordinary bushes and that they manage to measure up to almost two meters wide.

Leaves

The leaves of these colorful shrubs are found in most of the time arranged in a spiral in a simple and completely whole way. These in the vast majority of the time are green, the only thing that varies is the tonality and the intensity of the color.

Flowers

Flowers are the main elements that capture anyone's attention. Y everything is thanks to the inflorescence they have, which is quite dense. Not to mention that colors vary by type of leucadendron that you have, since you can find them from reds, oranges, purples and other colors.

Features

There are not too many things to highlight about this plant. The truth is that it requires a warm or mild climate, that the soil is acidic and that irrigation is only occasional. In addition, it is a plant that does not have any type of medicinal use or anything like that. It is only limited to decorative uses.

Farming

It is quite simple if you carefully study the requirements or the steps you have to follow to bring this shrub to life in your garden, or anywhere you want to plant it. So, you just have to consider the following aspects.

Choice of soil

Choose a soil that is in suitable conditions to drain the water what you will receive in the future is quite important. Similarly, the type of soil must be sandy and whose location has to be fully exposed to sunlight.

PH study

After choosing the place, you have to proceed to test the soil pH, since the leucadendron prefers acidic soil with a pH less than 6. If the soil pH is higher than 6, you will have to dig three to four inches of peat moss, which is highly acidic. Also you can add elemental sulfur at a rate of approximately three to six kilos for every 300 meters of garden space.

Give it enough space

As you well know, It is a shrub that, under ideal conditions, can grow to several meters in height., as well as several meters wide. Therefore, it is important that you study very well the space that the plant will have once it is in its development phase. In the same way, you have to take good care that air circulation is not poor, since it needs this aspect to be able to survive and be in optimal conditions.

It is worth mentioning that the bush does not have to touch other plants a bit, so space becomes necessary for him leucadendron.

The corresponding irrigation

You have to water the silver tree deeply in the absence of rain, allowing a hose to drip slowly close to the trunk for an hour or two. As a general rule, one watering per week is sufficient.

Let the soil dry out between waterings and never water it if the soil is still damp from the previous watering. After the first few years, el leucadendron requires water only during long dry periods.

Try to conserve moisture

Use 4 to 7 cm of mulch around the shrub to conserve moisture, keep roots cool, and prevent weed growth. Use an organic mulch like pine needles or wood chips. Don't let the mulch pile up against the log, as moisture can cause the log to rot.

The fertilizer you should use

Fertilize the silver tree only if growth appears stunted, since the plant does not respond well to intensive fertilization. Apply a low phosphorous, water soluble fertilizer with an NPK ratio like 6-0-4. Mix the fertilizer to a ratio of one-fourth of the recommended mix in the container.

Pruning

You should prune during and after flowering to keep bushes full and vigorous, so prune branches above at least four leaves and never prune branches without leaves. In the same way, you have to cut off withered flowers to keep the plant tidy and encourage the development of new flowers.