The larch is a deciduous conifer that weaves itself a fresh coat of needles every year. Does this have anything to do with some peculiarity of their needles? What else is there to know about it, from the light green shoots to the yellowed specimens?
Why does larch lose its needles and what do they look like?
The larch needles are deciduous and fall off annually to protect the tree from the risk of thirst in winter. In spring, light green, flexible needles emerge, which are arranged in rosette-like clusters and are edible and aromatic.
Losing needles as self-protection
The annual loss of needles is an important survival measure for the larch. Otherwise the needles would cause this magnificent tree to literally die of thirst in winter. Unlike other conifer species, their stomata are fully open even in winter and allow a lot of moisture to escape.
While moisture loss is easily compensated for in summer, the roots in frozen soil cannot absorb water. That's why it's an intelligent move by nature that the larch first removes the chlorophyll from its needles in autumn and then throws them off completely.
Tip
Only add larch needles to the compost heap in small quantities, as they significantly lower the pH value. Very few garden plants like it when they are fertilized with acidic compost.
New growth in spring
The larch says goodbye to each year of life with bare branches, while yellowed and dried needles lie on the ground around the tree trunk. In the new year, however, it doesn't take long until the first tender shoots appear.
- starts in warmer weather
- when the big frosts are over
- sometime between March and May
In the so-called mast years, when the larch blooms, the flower buds appear before the needles.
The appearance of the needles
Light green, dark green and yellow, this is the order of colors that the larch uses for its needles throughout the year.
- rosette-like tufts on short shoots
- consisting of 20 to 40 needles
- some needles on long shoots
- Needle length varies between 10 and 30 mm
- 0.5-0.8 mm narrow, flattened shape
- blunt and flexible
Using fresh needles
The green crown of the larch is not only a soothing and relaxing sight for our eyes, its needles can also pamper our taste buds:
- the needles are aromatic and edible
- especially the tender young shoots
- ideal picking time: March to May
- can be made into tea or syrup
- also in small quantities in smoothies
