Oak Is A Symbol Of Power And Longevity. Cultivation, Reproduction. Diseases And Pests. Oak Bark Application, Decoction. Kinds. Photo

Table of contents:

Oak Is A Symbol Of Power And Longevity. Cultivation, Reproduction. Diseases And Pests. Oak Bark Application, Decoction. Kinds. Photo
Oak Is A Symbol Of Power And Longevity. Cultivation, Reproduction. Diseases And Pests. Oak Bark Application, Decoction. Kinds. Photo

Video: Oak Is A Symbol Of Power And Longevity. Cultivation, Reproduction. Diseases And Pests. Oak Bark Application, Decoction. Kinds. Photo

Video: Oak Is A Symbol Of Power And Longevity. Cultivation, Reproduction. Diseases And Pests. Oak Bark Application, Decoction. Kinds. Photo
Video: Oak Diseases 2024, March
Anonim

There are several interesting facts about oak: At the Paris exhibition in 1900, an oak ridge was shown cut from a 485-year-old oak 31 m high and 169 cm in diameter. This oak was felled in the Bolshesurskaya forest dacha of the Kurmysh forestry of the Simbirsk province, that is, on the territory of modern Sumerlinsky forestry enterprise of the Chuvash Republic.

And in 1861 in the Yadrinsky district of the Kazan province, an oak "50 feet in length" (that is, 15 m in height) and "48 vershoks in the upper cut" (213 cm in diameter) were cut down. This tree was counted 500 years old, at that time it was completely fresh, healthy and was still increasing in volume …

Oak was a sacred tree of many peoples, including the ancient Slavs and Celts, and was worshiped as a deity. Even today it remains a symbol of courage and resilience, and not only, so to speak, “impenetrability” … By the way, to see an oak tree strewn with acorns in a dream is a sign of prosperity and career growth.

English oak (summer, English, common) (Quercus robur)
English oak (summer, English, common) (Quercus robur)

Botanical description

Oak (Quercus) is a genus of deciduous or evergreen trees of the beech family. The leaves are alternate, simple, pinnately divided, lobed, toothed, sometimes entire. Oak flowers are small, inconspicuous, unisexual, monoecious; staminate - in long hanging catkins, pistillate - single or several, sessile or on a pedicel. The fruit is a one-seeded acorn, partially enclosed in a bowl-shaped woody cupule.

Oak grows slowly, at first (up to 80 years) - stronger in height, later - in thickness. Usually forms a deep tap root system. Gives abundant growth from the stump. Photophilous. Some types of oak are drought-resistant, quite winter-hardy and have little soil demand. Begins to bear fruit at the age of 15-60, in open places earlier than in plantations. Propagated mainly by acorns. For sowing, acorns collected in the same year are used, because they quickly lose their germination. There are about 450 species of oak in the temperate, subtropical and tropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia - 20 (according to other data, 11) wild species in the European part, the Far East and the Caucasus; 43 species of oaks are grown in the culture.

The greatest importance in forestry is the English oak, or summer oak (Quercus robur), - a tree up to 40-50 m high and 1-1.5 m in diameter. Leaves are elongated obovate, with 5-7 pairs of short blades, on petioles up to 1 see Acorns 1-3 on the stalk. It blooms simultaneously with the opening of the leaves from 40-60 years. Bears fruit abundantly every 4-8 years. It grows quite quickly when shaded sideways, but requires good lighting from above. Lives up to 400-1000 years. Distributed in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus and almost throughout Western Europe. In the northern part of the range, it grows along river valleys, to the south it reaches the watersheds and forms mixed forests with spruce, and in the south of the range - pure oak forests; in the steppe zone occurs along ravines and ravines. One of the main forest-forming species of broad-leaved forests in Russia.

The English Oak is close to the Rocky Oak, or winter Oak (Q. petraea), with almost sessile (2-3) acorns, found in the west of the European part of Russia, in the Crimea and in the North Caucasus. In the eastern part of the North Caucasus and in the Transcaucasus, the Georgian Oak (Q. iberica) grows with leathery leaves and sessile (1-2) acorns; in the high-mountain belt of these regions, the large-anthered oak (Quercus macranthera) grows with densely pubescent shoots and acorns sessile or on a short stalk. The main species of the valley forests of Eastern Transcaucasia is the Long-legged Oak (Q. longipes). An important forest-forming species of the Far East - Mongolian Oak (Q. mongolica) is a frost-resistant and drought-resistant tree.

Oak wood has high strength, hardness, durability and beautiful texture (cut pattern). Used in shipbuilding, for underwater structures, because does not give in to rotting; it is used in car building, furniture, carpentry, cooperage production, house construction, etc. Some types of bark (Cork oak - Q. suber) gives a cork. Bark and wood contain tannins (tannides) used to tan leather. The dried bark of young branches and thin trunks of English oak is used as an astringent in the form of a water decoction for rinsing in inflammatory processes of the oral cavity, pharynx, pharynx, as well as for lotions in the treatment of burns. Acorns are used as a substitute for coffee and feed for pigs and some other agricultural products. animals. Many species, for example Chestnut Oak (Q. castaneifolia) are cultivated in gardens and parks as ornamental plants.

Growing oak

Oak acorns, unlike the seeds of the vast majority of our other trees, do not retain their germination when dried and stored for a long time at room temperature. Therefore, it is necessary either to sow them in the fall before the snow falls and freezing of the soil, or to provide them with special storage conditions. Sowing in autumn is the simplest, but with it there is a serious risk of damage to some of the acorns by rodents.

For spring sowing, oak acorns must be properly preserved. The best storage conditions are achieved with low (about 0 ° or slightly above) temperature, high humidity and moderate ventilation. Acorns can be stored in the basement, where potatoes are well preserved in winter; you can also bury them in the soil in the fall to a depth of at least 20 cm, covering the top with a sheet of waterproof material, leaving a layer of air between this sheet and the acorns and providing protection from mice. In any case, it is necessary to lay healthy acorns for winter storage without external damage, preferably collected in dry weather and dried at room temperature for a week. No special preparation of winterized seeds is required before sowing.

Before sowing, evaluate the quality of the acorns by opening several of them. Live oak acorns have yellow cotyledons, and at the point where they join each other, there is a living (yellow or red-yellow) embryo. Dead acorns are black or gray inside. According to external signs, it is not always possible to distinguish living acorns from dead ones. Quite good results are obtained by soaking acorns in a container of water - dead acorns mostly float up, live ones mostly sink (if there are a lot of acorns, then this method of separating the dead from the living can be recommended, but a small part of the living acorns will be lost).

If you have not been able to stock up on acorns in the fall, then in some years (after a large harvest of acorns and under the condition of a "crop failure" of mice, and if the winter was not very frosty) you can collect live and germinating acorns in the springin the nearest forest or park. It is necessary to collect sprouting acorns in early spring, almost immediately after the snow melts, otherwise you will find damaged roots on many acorns. Collected oak acorns must either be sown immediately, or stored until sowing in such a way that the roots do not dry out (for example, mixed with wet leaves in a plastic box put in a refrigerator or cold basement). Even with short-term storage, it is necessary to ensure that the germinating acorns do not grow moldy (discard damaged ones immediately), and ensure their ventilation. The faster you can sow the acorns harvested in the spring, the more of them can develop into seedlings.

Oak acorns
Oak acorns
Sprouted oak acorn
Sprouted oak acorn

Sowing acorns

When sowing acorns, mark parallel furrows in the garden bed at a distance of 15-25 cm from each other. Place the acorns in the grooves at the rate of 15-50 pieces. per 1 m of furrow length, depending on the quality and size (if the acorns are large and almost all live, then they should be laid out less often, if the small ones and with a large proportion of dead and doubtful ones are thicker). If you plan to plant annual oak seedlings in a permanent place, then acorns should be sown even less often - at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other (this will ensure the maximum growth of each tree). Press the acorns into the bottom of the furrow so that they are 2–3 cm below the soil surface for spring planting and 3–6 cm for autumn planting. After that, level the furrow by covering the acorns with earth.

Acorns take a very long time to germinate. First, they develop a powerful root, reaching a length of several tens of centimeters, and only after that the stem begins to grow. Therefore, oak sprouts can appear on the soil surface only a month and a half after the start of germination. Do not rush to conclude that your oak trees have died and dig up a bed of crops (as the experience of novice amateur arborists shows, this happens). If in doubt, try digging up some acorns. If their roots have grown, then the acorns are alive.

Oak seedlings care

Oak seedlings suffer much less from weeds and drying out of the soil than seedlings of conifers (thanks to the supply of nutrients in the acorn, large roots and leaves develop immediately). However, try to keep crops free of weeds at all times and ensure watering during severe drought, especially if you want large seedlings in one year. Stop any additional watering about a month and a half before the time when massive leaf fall begins in your area - this will allow oak seedlings to better prepare for wintering (too late growths in an oak often freeze in winter).

In summer, oak seedlings are often affected by powdery mildew, a fungal disease. Powdery mildew is not capable of killing oak seedlings, but can significantly reduce their growth. With a strong development of powdery mildew (if white bloom will cover more than half of the area of all leaves), seedlings can be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or 1% sulfur suspension. Oak seedlings can be grown for two years in one place without transplanting, or they can be transplanted in the second year in a "school". The second method is preferable, since it allows the formation of a more compact and branched root system, which suffers less when transplanting to a permanent place (in two-year-old seedlings grown without transplanting, the length of the main root can be more than a meter, and it is almost impossible to transplant them without damaging the root).

Transplanting oak seedlings into a “school” should be done in spring, preferably as early as possible, so that the root system damaged during transplanting has time to partially recover even before the leaves bloom (it is also important that the soil is still moist during transplantation). When transplanting, cut the main root of each oak seedling at a distance of 15-20 cm from the place where the acorn was located (in most seedlings, the remains of the acorn are still visible in the second year). This will form a more compact root system. It is possible not to cut the main root, but in this case it will be very difficult to dig up two-year-old seedlings without serious damage to their root system.

Oak seedlings
Oak seedlings

In the "school", place rows of seedlings at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, and the seedlings in a row - after 12-15 cm. When planting under each seedling of an oak, make a stake or a shovel handle pits 20-25 cm deep (the depth of the hole should be such that when planting a seedling, the place of attachment of the acorn is 2-3 cm below the soil surface). Insert the seedlings into the holes (the main root of the oak seedlings, as opposed to the coniferous root, is firm and straight and fits into the holes without problems). Then cover the holes with earth and compact it with your hands so that the earth adheres more closely to the roots of the seedlings.

Transplanted oak seedlings in the first weeks after transplanting suffer greatly from root damage - leaf blooming is rather slow, and the growth of shoots is relatively small. Nevertheless, by the middle of summer the normal development of seedlings is restored, and by autumn, as a rule, large and quite suitable for planting in a permanent place seedlings (30-50 cm high) are obtained. If the size of the seedlings by the fall leaves much to be desired, then only the largest can be selected for transplantation, and the rest can be left in the "school" for one more year.

If you are replanting annual oak seedlings to a permanent place (this is quite possible if planting is carried out in areas with low grass cover or on plowed soil), then do not cut the main roots of the seedlings - try to keep as much of their length as possible. The root system of an annual oak seedling is represented mainly by a long and straight tap root with weak and short lateral roots, therefore, for transplanting, it is enough to make a narrow hole of the appropriate depth using a stake or a shovel handle.

Types of oak

English oak (summer, English, or ordinary) - Quercus robur

Found naturally in the European part of Russia, Central and Western Europe. A very powerful tree up to 50 m tall, in close plantations with a slender trunk, highly de-twigs, in single plantings in open places - with a short trunk and a wide, spreading, low-planted crown. Lives 500-900 years.

English oak (Quercus robur)
English oak (Quercus robur)

The bark on the trunks up to 40 years old is smooth, olive-brown, later grayish-brown, almost black. The leaves are alternate, at the apex of the shoots, close in bunches, leathery, oblong, obovate, up to 15 cm long, with an elongated apex and 3-7 pairs of obtuse, lateral lobes of unequal length. The lobes are whole-edged or with 1-3 teeth, at the base of the leaf blade, often with ears. Leaves above are shiny, glabrous, dark green, lighter below, sometimes with sparse hairs. In the spring, the oak blossoms late, one of the last among our trees. The oak blooms in April-May, when it still has very small leaves. Flowers are unisexual, monoecious, very small and inconspicuous. Male or staminate flowers are collected in peculiar inflorescences - long and thin, yellowish-greenish drooping earrings, reminiscent of hazel earrings. Acorns up to 3.5 cm, 1/5 covered with plyus,ripen in early autumn.

It grows slowly, the greatest growth energy is in 5-20 years. Medium photophilous, due to the powerful root system, wind-resistant. Excessive waterlogging of the soil does not tolerate, but withstands temporary flooding up to 20 days. It prefers deep, fertile, fresh soils, but is capable of developing on any, including dry and saline soils, which makes it indispensable for green building in many regions of Russia. Possesses high drought and heat resistance. One of the most durable breeds, some sources indicate a lifespan of up to 1500 years.

Possesses powerful energy. Oak in Russia was considered a sacred tree. In the springs located in oak forests, the water has an excellent taste and is distinguished by its special purity.

Propagated by sowing acorns, decorative forms - by grafting and green cuttings. It is well renewed by shoots from the stump. Acorns do not tolerate drying, as soon as they lose even a small part of the water, they die. In warmth, they easily rot, and are very sensitive to cold and frost. This circumstance presents a certain difficulty for preserving acorns for seeds. In nature, there is no such problem: acorns that have fallen in the forest in late autumn winter in a damp bed of leaves under a thick layer of snow, which protects them from both drying out and frost. The germination of an acorn resembles the germination of a pea: its cotyledons do not rise above the soil surface, as in many plants, but remain in the ground. A thin green stalk rises upward. At first it is leafless, and only after some time small leaves appear on its top.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

In nature, it occurs along the banks of rivers where there is no stagnation of water in the soil, north of the 35th parallel of the North American continent, up to Canada. Tree up to 25 m in height.

A slender tree with a dense tent-shaped crown.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

The trunk is covered with thin, smooth, gray bark, cracking in old trees. Young shoots are reddish-tomentose, annuals are red-brown, smooth. Leaves are deeply crimson, thin, shiny, up to 15-25 cm, with 4-5 pointed blades on each side of the leaf, reddish when blooming, in summer dark green, lighter below, in autumn, before falling off, in young trees - scarlet red, the old ones are brownish-brown. It blooms at the same time as the leaves open. Acorns are spherical, up to 2 cm, red-brown, as if chopped off from below, unlike pedunculate oak, ripen in the fall of the second year. Fruiting steadily and abundantly from 15-20 years. At a young age, it grows faster than European oaks.

Frost resistant. Medium light-loving, easily tolerates lateral shading, but prefers full coverage of the crown top. Drought-resistant. Wind-resistant, not very picky about soil fertility, withstands even an acid reaction, however, does not tolerate calcareous and moist soils. Resistant to pests and diseases, including powdery mildew - the scourge of our oaks. Possesses high phytoncidal properties. Due to its high decorativeness, resistance to unfavorable environmental factors, magnificent autumn decoration, it deserves the widest use in green construction, for the creation of single and group plantings, alleys, massifs, casing roads and streets.

Downy oak (Quercus pubescens)

It is found naturally in southern Crimea, northern Transcaucasia, southern Europe and Asia Minor. Tree up to 10 m tall. Long lasting.

Downy oak (Quercus pubescens)
Downy oak (Quercus pubescens)

It is much inferior in size to the previous species, with a low, winding trunk and a wide crown, sometimes even a shrub. Young shoots are strongly pubescent. Leaves 5-10 cm long, very variable in shape and size, with 4-8 pairs of obtuse or pointed lobes, dark green, glabrous above, gray-green, pubescent below. The scales of the plyus surrounding the acorn are also fluffy.

It grows slowly, light-loving and thermophilic, inhabits dry rocky slopes and soils containing lime. Tolerates a haircut well. Valuable for green building in dry areas, it grows on rocky soils where other species do not thrive. Excellent material for tall hedges and curly, clipped forms.

White Oak (Quercus alba)

Homeland - the east of North America. Grows in forests along with other types of oak and brown, on various soils, but better on deep, rich, well-drained, limestone; in the north of the range, it spreads no higher than 200 m above sea level. sea, in the south up to 1500 m above sea level. seas.

White Oak (Quercus alba)
White Oak (Quercus alba)

Large beautiful tree up to 30 m, with powerful spreading branches forming a wide, tent-like crown. The shoots are glabrous, the bark of the trunk is gray, shallowly cracking. It is remarkable for its very large, oblong-oval leaves, up to 22 cm, with 5-9 obtuse lobes; when blooming - bright red, in summer - bright green, with a whitish-gray underside. In autumn, the leaves turn dark red or purple-purple tones. Acorns up to 2.5 cm, a quarter covered with plush. The seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand. In the fall, sow immediately after harvesting and air drying. Seed germination is maintained until the spring of next year. Ground germination rate 80 - 85%. Embedment depth with. 5 - 6 cm.

Marsh oak (Quercus palustris)

Homeland North America.

Slender tree up to 25 m tall, in youth with a narrow pyramidal crown, later with a wide pyramidal crown. Young shoots are thin, hanging, reddish-brown. The bark of the trunk is greenish-brown, remains smooth for a long time. Leaves up to 12 cm long, with 5-7 deeply cut, almost to the middle of the leaf, toothed lobes, bright green above, lighter below, with bunches of hairs in the corners of the veins. In autumn they are bright purple. Acorns are sessile, almost spherical, up to 1.5 cm, 1/3 covered with plyus. The seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand. In the fall with. sow after harvesting and air drying. Seed germination is maintained until the spring of next year. Soil germination with. 80 - 90%. Embedment depth with. 5 - 6 cm.

Marsh oak (Quercus palustris)
Marsh oak (Quercus palustris)

It grows quickly, less hardy than red oak and northern oak. More demanding on the soil and its moisture, as it grows in nature on deep, moist soils of river banks and swamps. Well tolerates city conditions. Looks great in single, group and alley plantings, along the banks of reservoirs. In culture since the middle of the 18th century. Grows in parks of Ukraine (Chernivtsi), Belarus, Voronezh region. In St. Petersburg freezes.

Willow oak (Quercus phellos)

Wildly grows in the east of North America.

A beautiful deciduous tree up to 20 m tall, with a slender trunk and a wide-round (pyramidal in youth) crown. It is remarkable for its original shiny green leaves resembling willow leaves (up to 12 cm in length by 2 cm in width). This similarity is further enhanced in young leaves, which are heavily pubescent underneath. In autumn, the leaves turn dull yellow.

Willow oak (Quercus phellos)
Willow oak (Quercus phellos)

Differs in rapid growth, photophilous, unpretentious to the soil, tolerates temperature drops down to -23 ºС. Used in single and group plantings. In culture since 1680.

Stone oak (Quercus ilex)

Homeland Mediterranean, Southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor.

An evergreen tree up to 25 m tall, with a smooth dark gray trunk and a dense, broadly spreading crown. Shoots are grayish-tomentose, leaves are small, up to 8 cm, highly variable in shape, leathery, shiny, dark green, yellowish or whitish-pubescent below. Acorns ripen in the second year.

Storage of freshly harvested acorns in trenches is recommended. The permissible dry storage period is until the next spring. Acorns are stratified in moderately moist sand for 2 - 3 months at 2 - 5 ° С, then sown in greenhouses or ridges, where they germinate for 20 - 30 days at 0 - 15 ° С. Embedment depth with. 4 - 7 cm.

Stone oak (Quercus ilex)
Stone oak (Quercus ilex)

It grows quickly, quite shade-tolerant, frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures up to -20 ° C without damage. Drought-resistant. Grows on dry, rocky slopes and all types of soil. It tolerates a haircut well, is durable. A valuable, beautiful breed for park construction in the south of Russia. It is good in group, alley and street plantings, in regular gardens - for creating dense high hedges and high walls, for which its small-leaved forms are suitable. In culture since 1819.

Chestnut Oak (Quercus castaneifolia)

Grows wildly in Armenia, the Caucasus and northern Iran. Listed in the Red Book of the USSR. Protected in the Hyrkan Nature Reserve. Forms clear forests or with an admixture of other deciduous species on the ridges. Photophilous mesoxerophyte.

High up to 30 m, a beautiful tree with a slender trunk, the bark of which remains smooth for a long time, with a wide hipped crown and large leaves resembling the leaves of a sowing chestnut, up to 18 cm long, with large, sharp, triangular teeth. Above, the leaves are dull, dark green, almost glabrous; below, finely pubescent, grayish-white. Acorns up to 3 cm, 1/3 covered with plyus.

Chestnut Oak (Quercus castaneifolia)
Chestnut Oak (Quercus castaneifolia)

It grows relatively quickly, moderately frost-resistant, insufficiently drought-resistant. Good in alleys, group and single plantings of parks and forest parks. Suitable for culture in the southwestern and southern parts of Russia, on the Black Sea coast. In culture since 1830.

Large oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

North American species growing in the form of a tree up to 30 m high, with a thick trunk and a spreading, tent-like crown. The bark on the trunk is light brown, cracking. Leaves are obovate, oblong, up to 25 cm long, deeply lobed; from above shiny, dark green, from below whitish-green, pubescent, in autumn acquire a spectacular yellow-brown color. Acorns are oval, large, up to 5 cm, 1/3 covered with a plyus.

The seeds are stored for spring sowing in semi-moist sand in the basement. In the fall, seeds are sown after harvesting and air drying. Seed germination is maintained until the spring of next year. Ground germination rate 80 - 85%. Seeding depth is 5 - 6 cm.

Large oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
Large oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

In terms of growth rate, it is almost equal to the pedunculate oak; in terms of frost resistance, it is close to it and to red oak, but more moisture-loving than these species. Decorative, used in green building, like other types. In culture since 1826.

Diseases and pests of oak

The most dangerous diseases of wood plants. Infectious diseases affecting wood are divided into two groups. Non-rot diseases include cancerous ulcers and tumors, vascular diseases of trunks and branches, necrosis of bark and sapwood. Diseases of this group affect the most important tissues of trunks and branches and, with strong development, lead to the drying out of trees. Cancer ulcers and tumors develop and spread slowly and are usually caused by fungi and bacteria. Vascular diseases develop and spread quickly and can dry out trees over several years or months. Trunk and branch necrosis can also form extensive foci of shrinkage. Their distribution is ensured by the ability of pathogens to accumulate a huge amount of infection in the dead tissues of affected trees. The causative agents of necrosis are also semi-parasitic imperfect and marsupial fungi, sometimes bacteria. Rotting diseases include rotting wood of branches and trunks, root and butt rot.

Gallica

By autumn, yellowish or yellow-pink balls - galls - the size of a small cherry often develop on oak leaves. They look like tiny apples of the correct spherical shape.

Gauls - painful proliferation of leaf tissue. The gall midge insect, similar to a very small fly, is to blame for their appearance. Gall midge pierces the skin of the leaf with a thin sharp ovipositor and lays an egg there. After a while, a "ball" grows on the leaf. If you break such a ball in late autumn, in the middle of it you can find a small white worm - a gall midge larva - or an adult insect. In some years, oak leaves are literally dotted with galls - there are several of them on each leaf.

Gall on oak leaf
Gall on oak leaf
Gall on oak
Gall on oak
Gall on oak
Gall on oak

Gauls are sometimes called inknuts. This name is not accidental. Our ancestors at the time of Pushkin used them to prepare black ink. How do you get ink in this way? It is necessary to prepare a decoction of nuts and add a solution of ferrous sulfate to it. Merging two slightly colored liquids, we get a liquid completely black. This chemical "trick" is easy to explain. Halle contains many tannins, and they have the ability to combine with iron salts to give a thick black color. The same can be done with tea infusion (it also contains a lot of tannins). If you add a few drops of a yellowish solution of ferric chloride to a glass of weak tea, the liquid becomes completely black.

Oak pests

Leaf-gnawing and stem pests, and fungal diseases are the most important factor that enhances the drying out of oak stands. Violation of the ecological balance of oak phytocenoses, especially in forest oak monocultures, leads to disturbances in the water regime of the territories, changes in light and temperature conditions in the plantation, and all together - to the formation of conditions more favorable for the development of pests and diseases.

Oak is damaged by a huge number of pests and diseases. Different authors give different figures on the number of pests and diseases that damage oak. In the Tellermanovsky forest area, 184 foliage pests have been identified (Molchanov, 1975). Among the most common pests that damage foliage, it is necessary to name: 5 types of silkworms, 5 types of scoops, 6 types of moths, 8 types of moths, 8 types of sawflies, 2 types of leaf rollers, 11 types of nutcrackers, 2 types of leaf beetles, 5 types of weevils, 2 types Hermes, 2 types of aphids and 3 types of plant mites. Buds and flowers damage 12 types of nutcrackers. Acorns are damaged by 2 species of moth butterflies, 3 species of weevils and 1 species of nut-mongering. The trunk and branches damage 8 species of bark beetles, 7 species of barbel, 3 species of horn-tails, 2 types of wood-gnawing, 1 type of flat-walker, 3 types of goldfish, 1 species from the sharpening family,1 species of woodworms (Napalkov, 1953).

Sawfly caterpillars on oak leaves
Sawfly caterpillars on oak leaves

In Europe, 542 species of harmful insects have been identified that damage oak (Hrast Luznjak…, 1996). In total, 206 species of fungi were found, including zygomycetes - 3 species, mastigomycetes - 2 species, ascomycetes - 50 species, basidiomycetes - 43 species, deuteromycetes - 108 species. Found 1 virus - tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), 14 species of bacteria (Erwinia quercicola Geprges et Bad., Erwinia valachika Geprges et Bad., Pseudomonas quercus Schem, etc.). However, the influence of viruses and bacteria as the reasons for the drying out of oak has not been precisely established (Ragazzi et al., 1995).

The healing power of oak

Young bark of branches and trunks, leaves and acorns of oak are used for treatment. The bark contains acids, resins, pectin, sugar. Acorns contain protein and tannins, starch, fatty oil, sugar. The leaves contain tannins and dyes, pentosans.

Oak bark is used as an astringent, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing agent. Mixed with other plants, it is used to treat gastritis, colitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and spleen diseases. Inside, give a cold infusion (1 teaspoon of crushed bark is insisted in 2 glasses of cold water for 6-8 hours) 2-3 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

A decoction of oak bark (1:10) is used for pharyngitis, sore throat, skin diseases, stomatitis. For the treatment of burns, a stronger decoction of the bark is used (1: 5). For skin diseases, an ointment is also used - one part of a thickened decoction of the bark for four parts of lanolin.

Warm infusion of crushed oak acorns on red wine (25% tincture) in the form of compresses is used to treat hernia, and water decoctions are recommended by folk healers for burns, skin rashes, excessive sweating of the legs. In addition, acorns are used to prepare a nutritious coffee drink that is consumed with milk and sugar.

For stomach bleeding, intestinal inflammation, poisoning with heavy metals, alkaloids, mushrooms, bleached, dope, food poisoning, a decoction of oak bark is used. For this purpose, 20 g of dry crushed raw materials are poured with 1 glass of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the volume of liquid is brought to the original with boiled water. Take 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.

With diarrhea and enterocolitis, an infusion of oak acorns helps. It is prepared as follows: 1 teaspoon of dry crushed raw materials is poured with 1 glass of boiling water and filtered after cooling. Take 1/2 cup 2-3 times a day.

To gargle with chronic tonsillitis, pharyngitis, gum disease and stomatitis, use a decoction of oak bark. When urethritis and cystitis, a decoction of oak bark is taken 2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day. For the same purpose, an infusion of acorns is used in a similar dosage.

For douching with erosion of the cervix, prolapse of the uterus, prolapse of the vaginal walls, vulvovaginitis and Trichomonas colpitis, a decoction of oak bark is used: 20 g of dry crushed raw materials are poured with 1 glass of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the volume of liquid is brought to 1 liter with boiled water …

For baths and washing with allergic diathesis, a decoction of oak bark is used. For this purpose, 100 g of dry crushed raw materials are boiled in 1 liter of water for half an hour and filtered. With sweating of the legs, foot baths are prepared on a decoction of oak bark: 20 g of dry crushed raw materials are poured with 1 glass of hot water, boiled for half an hour, then filtered and the volume of liquid is brought with boiled water to 1 liter.

Cold decoction of the bark makes applications for burns and frostbite, as well as long non-healing wounds.

Recommended: