Katsura, a tree species that belongs to Japan, is a type of deciduous tree that can grow moderately and even fast. This tree grows at the medium height, which makes it perfect for urban and suburban properties. It is hard to grow tall trees in urban areas like American-Beech Trees due to various factors. But a Katsura tree is best for house owners to grow in their garden or backyard that also enhances the beauty of their property. This deciduous and Japan native tree is famous for its yellow leaves during the fall. The shape of Katsura tree leaves is in the round and little pyramidal form. This attractive and beautiful heart-shaped katsura tree leaves are arranged in a line opposite to each other along their branches. The best to grow this Japanese Katsura tree is during the early spring or around the end of winter.
Some Facts About Katsura Tree:
- Cercidiphyllum Japonicum is the Botanical Name Of Katsura Tree
- Katsura Tree is also known as Japanese Katsura
- The size of Katsura mature tree is about 25-60 feet wide and 40-60 feet tall
- The tree can grow in neutral to little acidic soil pH level and require well-drained and rich mineral soil to grow.
- The plant type is dioecious, so the color of flowers in female trees is green, and the color of male trees is red.
- Katsura tree growth rate ranges from medium to faster.
How To Grow Katsura Tree
Katsura trees only grow in the rich and high content soil, which means that you need to collect and no need to waste the compost by throwing them into the trash bin. But you can use it to make the soil richer. Mixing compost into the soil is not only about feeding the Katsura tree, but it also makes the soil richer with organic content. Adding compost to soil also improves the drainage of the soil.
Read More-Olive Tree Care And How To Keep Them Healthy Inside Your House
Growing Katsura is a bit easy to grow as it can tolerate so many factors that other trees cannot. These factors include:
- Acidic Soil
- Clay Soil
- Salt
- Wet Soil
In order to maintain the even moisturization in the soil, you can use mulch and place it around the trunk of the Katsura tree. Placing the layer of mulch three inches thickness over the soil around the planted tree can help in retaining the moisture underneath the ground. If you are using organic mulch around the planted tree, that will do wonders to the Katsura Tree growth as well as make your soil more rich and healthy. You can use organic mulch like bark mulches, as the barks will break down, they will add further organic compounds to the soil that result in improving the soil drainage, highly important for growing Katsura trees.
Essential Things Required To Grow Katsura Tree
Soil
To grow a Katsura tree, you are required to plant it in moist, rich, and well-drained soil. The pH level of soil can range from neutral to a little acidic. However, the katsura can also tolerate the clayey as well as acidic soil.
Water
The need to water the Katsura tree is moderate, but in the dry areas, there is a need to frequently water the plant. One of the best characteristics of this plant is that once it gets established and has solid roots in the soil, the plant can ever tolerate drought and without water for several days. But for quick and healthy growth, you are required to water the tree frequently in a moderate amount.
Sunlight
As this tree comes under the category of understory trees, means those trees that can grow under the large canopies for tall trees requires the partial sunlight and partial shade to grow. For the southern part regions, you are required to keep the plant in the shade so that leaves cannot become scorched due to the harsh sun rays in summers. Whereas for the northern regions, you can keep the plant under the full sun so that the leaves of the Katsura tree will become better in fall-foliage hues due to these conditions. It will help if you keep care of the region where you are planting the katsura tree.
Humidity And Temperature
This tree can be suitable to grow in the zones range from 4 to 8. Katsura trees are able to tolerate a broad range of temperatures, and it is not very much required for a humid environment. Make sure in the rainy or damp climate, do not water the tree by pouring the water overhead of the plant so that mildew on leaves can be prevented from growing.
Fertilizers
You are required to use balanced fertilizers to fertilize the Japanese Katsura. Rather than going for chemical fertilizers, use compost made from green and brown waste. This organic fertilizer not only makes your plant grow fast but also makes the soil rich. From time to time, give your plant the dose of organic manure for keeping the soil rich and high content. Also remember that every time you put fertilizers in the soil, water the soil nicely afterwards so that it penetrates through the soil and reaches to the roots of the plant.
Katsura Trees Varieties
There are two varieties of Katsura Tree:
- Weeping Tree: This is also called Cercidiphyllum Japonicum Pendulum.’ This is a 15-25 feet tall tree with a small to bit largely spread. The branches of this type of tree are a bit smaller, like droop down. This tree can also be spread up to 30 feet. The leaves of this tree are blue-green foliage that turns into burgundy during the fall.
- Red-Fox Japanese: This is also called Cercidiphyllum Japonicum ‘Rotfuchs.’ This variety of Katsura tree is a little bigger than the previous one. The size of this tree is about 30-feet in height and 16-feet wide. This is the most colourful tree type that bears green-bronze leaves during summers, purple-bronze during spring, and orange-bronze during fall-foliage.
