Chinese soapwort (Koelreuteria paniculata)

One of the deciduous trees that can be planted in medium or even small gardens is the Koelreuteria paniculata. Much better known by the names Chinese lantern tree or soap tree, it is a plant with great ornamental value, capable of withstanding frost and does not require much maintenance.

So if the climate in your area is temperate, and the four seasons are well differentiated, then we are going to tell you everything about this plant so you can enjoy it in your garden.

What is the origin and characteristics of the Koelreuteria paniculata?

It is a deciduous tree native to China and Korea that grows to a height of about 7-8 meters. It develops a more or less straight trunk, and a rounded and wide crown formed by branches from which green, pinnate leaves sprout. These reach 40 centimeters long, and have serrated margins. With the arrival of the autumn cold they turn yellow and orange before falling to the ground.

Its flowers are also yellow and sprout in panicles up to 40 centimeters long in summer.. And the fruit is a capsule about 6 centimeters long by 4 centimeters wide that, at first, is green and later when it matures in autumn it becomes orange-pink. Inside are brown or blackish seeds about 7mm in diameter.

What uses does it have?

The lantern tree used as an ornamental plant in private and public gardens. It is an ideal plant for decoration, as it not only has very beautiful flowers and autumn color, but it is also useful for providing shade during the warm months of the year.

Sometimes it is also pruned to form a bonsai, since it resists cuts well. Although it is not easy to maintain it as such, since it is necessary to avoid applying fertilizers rich in nitrogen and trim it from time to time so that its leaves do not grow too much.

Caring for the Koelreuteria paniculata

The lantern tree is an easy plant to care for. Now, so that problems do not arise in the short or long term, it is important that you know what your needs are:

Location

We are talking about a plant that will be kept outdoors, otherwise it will not be able to do well. In addition, it has to be put in a sunny place from the first day. Its roots are not invasive, although it is advisable to plant it about 2-3 meters from walls so that it can grow straight and not leaning to one side.

Soil or substrate

• Garden: it is a tree that grows in almost any type of soil, as long as they are fertile.
• Flower pot: although it is not recommended to grow in a pot, it can be kept for a few years if it is planted in one with drainage holes and filled with universal growing medium (for sale here).

Irrigation and fertilizer

La Koelreuteria paniculata it has to be watered from time to time, since it does not resist drought. Therefore, if we live in an area where it does not rain much, it will be advisable to water it once or several times a week, depending on the weather. And it is that, in general, in summer it will be necessary to water more often than in winter, since the land dries faster.

As for the subscriber, must be paid in spring and summer with mulch, guano, humus or fertilizers for green plants such as this. The instructions for use will be followed so that no problems arise.

Multiplication

The soap from China multiplies by seeds in spring. To do this, follow these steps:

1. First, they will be placed in a glass of water, and those that remain floating will be discarded since these will most likely not germinate.
2. A seed tray like this will then be filled with universal substrate.
3. Then it will be watered. The earth has to be moist, so water will be poured until it comes out through the drainage holes.
4. Next, a maximum of two seeds will be placed in each alveolus, and they will be treated with fungicide (for sale No products found.) so that the fungi do not spoil them.
5. Finally, they are covered with a thin layer of substrate, and the tray is placed outside, in full sun.

And now it's just a matter of watering when we see dry land, and waiting 1-2 months for them to germinate. When the roots come out of the holes, we can plant them in pots.

Pruning

We do not recommend pruning it, unless you want to remove dry or dead branches. It is a tree that looks better the less it is pruned. Now, if we are going to always grow it in a pot, then we will have no choice but to do it at the end of winter. For this reason, in this case, what we will do is cut the branches a little, trying to keep the crown rounded.

Rusticity

It is a tree that resists frost up to -18ºC.

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