Ginkgo biloba is native to Xitianmu Mt., Zhejiang but it is now found all over the world. It grows scattered in broad-leaved forests and valleys on acidic, well-drained, yellow loess (pH = 5-5.5) at elevation of 300-1100 m above sea level. It is hardy to USDA hardiness zone 3-8.
Ginkgo biloba also called as Maidenhair tree, Ginkgo, Salisburia adiantifolia, Ginkgo macrophylla, Salisburia biloba, Salisburia macrophylla, is a species of the genus Ginkgo. This species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771.
IDENTIFY GINKGO BILOBA - MAIDENHAIR TREE PLANTS
Ginkgo biloba is native to Xitianmu Mt., Zhejiang but it is now found all over the world. It grows scattered in broad-leaved forests and valleys on acidic, well-drained, yellow loess (pH = 5-5.5) at elevation of 300-1100 m above sea level. It is hardy to USDA hardiness zone 3-8.
Maidenhair tree is a large tree which reaching up to 40 m tall and to 4 m in diameter trunk with light gray or grayish brown bark and conical initially, finally broadly ovoid crown. The long branchlets are pale brownish yellow initially, finally gray; short branchlets blackish gray. The leaves are pale green, turning bright yellow in autumn, to 13 x 8 cm on young trees. Pollen cones ivory colored, 1.2-2.2 cm. Seeds elliptic, narrowly obovoid, ovoid, or subglobose, 2.5-3.5 × 1.6-2.2 cm, mature in Sep-Oct.
Several horticultural forms are in cultivation, as var. variegata with variegated leaves, var. laciniata with deeply incised leaves, and var. pendtila with pendulous branches.
Ginkgo is now a rare species in the wild, but has been widely cultivated as an ornamental, probably for more than 3000 years. It provides shade and is tolerant of a wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions, including pollution. It is sacred to Buddhists and is often planted near temples. The wood is used in furniture making, the leaves are medicinal and used for pesticides, the roots are used as a cure for leucorrhea, the seeds are edible, and the bark yields tannin. Some of the historical ethnomedical applications of ginkgo leaf extract include the treatment of a variety of ailments and conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis, and fatigue. Nowadays, ginkgo leaf extracts are promoted for the improvement of memory, to treat or help prevent Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia, and to decrease intermittent claudication. Some of these extracts are also used to treat multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, sexual dysfunction, and other health conditions.
GINKGO BILOBA - MAIDENHAIR TREE PLANTS CARE AND CULTIVATION
The cultivation of these plants presents no special difficulties, if proper soil and exposure are available. The question of hardiness is, of course, all-important. It is not only the problem of temperature the given tree will stand, but also the exposure to winds, and, to a considerable extent, the source from which the tree is derived. If the plants are raised from seeds matured in similar or even more rigorous climates, they are usually more hardy.
Soils:
Ginkgo biloba prefer a well-drained porous gravelly subsoil, overlaid with a light sandy loam. They seem to be particularly happy in a soil underlaid with a porous glacial drift. In cultivation, however, they succeed very well in ordinary well-drained soil. When the plants are set in clay soil, which is often done, the soil should be thoroughly loosened by trenching or subsoil plowing, and well underdrained. Any available humus, woodashes, and well-rotted manure incorporated in the soil greatly aid in rendering it friable and porous for the roots.
Manures and mulches:
Mulching with ordinary well-rotted barnyard manure in late autumn affords much stimulus to growth. By the following spring the manure will be in a desiccated condition and can be incorporated with the soil. A heavy mulch of old straw, rotten hay, or any similar material over the roots, and this was maintained throughout the entire growing season is benefit to the plants in a more or less juvenile condition.
In many cases manure is not obtainable. In such event, newly moved plants should be heavily mulched with rotten straw, rotten hay, or any similar rubbish for a few years until they become established. The frequent stirring of the ground over the roots subsequently will conserve sufficient moisture.
An area extending from the stem to one to two feet beyond the branches, stirred up with hoe and rake perhaps five or six times throughout the growing season, is very beneficial in conserving the moisture around the roots.
Pruning:
Removal of the lower branches of Maidenhair tree is a serious mistake, and, if healthy, they should be retained to the base. Pruning or disbudding can be intelligently performed to add much to the natural symmetry. The extraction or removal, early in spring, of the central or terminal bud, will tend to compel the branches which start from the side buds to spread apart and form a much denser growth. Cutting back the previous year's terminal growth to a strong bud or branchlet on the main limbs over the tree, if the plant is inclined to be thin in its branching, always produces a much denser lateral growth.
Transplanting:
Transplanting can be done at all times of the year, excepting midsummer when they are in full growth. The best success is secured in spring when the buds begin to swell. From the end of August to the middle of September, if there have been abundant rains and the ground has been well soaked, is a very good time to move the plants. They may be planted late in autumn when circumstances compel it, but there is likely to be a considerable percentage of loss. Their roots are very susceptible to injury from exposure to the air, and the utmost vigilance should be exercised to keep them covered and moist.
Very interesting read.
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