The author of the text is Dr. Przemysław Bąbelewski from the University of Life Sciences in Wrocław
Laurel, which is the noble laurel Laurus nobilis, is one of the oldest plants grown in the Mediterranean, where it occurs naturally. It is also planted in southern Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece - wherever there are mild winters that allow you to winter without cover.
Laurel is one of the oldest spice plants.Its stiff, leathery, oblong lanceolate leaves (popular bay leaf) are used. They give off a characteristic aroma, giving the dishes an attractive aroma. Famous wreaths in antiquity were made of the leaves and young shoots of Laurus cerasus. The plant has inconspicuous yellowish flowers, later producing blue to black-green elongated fruits.
Ideal positions for laurels
The noble laurel creates tall shrubs or trees, always low, growing up to 12 meters in natural sites. A single tree can be approximately 5 meters in diameter.In Poland, laurel is grown in pots, which are placed in the garden or on balconies and terraces from mid-May, placed in a sunny position or in light partial shade.Sometimes a pot with laurel is dug into the bed.
In our conditions, the plants are moved from the garden to the room in mid-September, before the onset of autumn frosts. In spring and summer, remember to water it systematically (every 2-3 days). The soil in the pot should be evenly moist (we also water it on rainy days).At the bottom of the container there should be drainage from gravel, broken ceramic pots or expanded clay. It will allow excess water to drain away and allow the root system to breathe.
Laurel care
Once every two weeks (in spring and summer), fertilize the bay with compound fertilizer dissolved in water or water it with diluted liquid manure or slurry.Older plants are transplanted every 2-3 years to a substrate consisting of a mixture of well-decomposed compost soil with the addition of decomposed cow and clay soil.Before putting the laurels in the garden, it is good to trim them, shortening the one-year shoots by half.
Laurels in pots should winter in rooms where the temperature does not exceed 15ºC. It is also possible to overwinter at temperatures as low as 0ºC, but not below.Wintering at temperatures above 15ºC causes plants to grow poorly, which is caused by a short day and a lack of light. Good places for a winter rest are the porch, a glazed balcony, a winter garden, and even a staircase in a block of flats.
Laurels wonderfully decorate spacious, cool rooms. They perfectly withstand pruning and shaping, are used as shaped shrubs in the shape of a ball, pyramid or column.
