Ginkgo seeds «Relic»

Ginkgo or gingko «Relic» / Ginkgo biloba

This legendary plant is a «living fossil», older than conifers. None of the modern gymnosperms has such decorative leaves.

The tree is deciduous, with a slender crown, single or multi-stemmed. It grows at home up to 30 meters in height. The branches extend from the trunk at almost a right angle. The bark is gray with longitudinal folds, wrinkled. The leaves are leathery, with frequent parallel veins, fan-shaped, dissected into two lobes, collected in bunches on shortened shoots, due to which the branches acquire an original look in winter. In autumn, the leaves turn an attractive golden-yellow color.

The plant is dioecious. Grows well in garden soil in full sun or partial shade. Ginkgo takes root well, is undemanding to soils, is quite frost-resistant (up to - 30 ° C), easily propagated by seeds. Before sowing, the fleshy ginkgo fruits are best cleaned by soaking in salt water.

Cleaned seeds are sown to a depth of 3-5 cm after 1-2 months of stratification in wet sand in a refrigerator at a temperature of +2°C. In the conditions of the non-chernozem zone, the plant is often formed in the form of a stunted shrub, since it freezes slightly in severe winters. It is better to cover young plants for the winter with covering material.

In the southern regions, ginkgo is used for urban landscaping as it is resistant to industrial air smoke, fungal and viral diseases, and insect damage. It is considered a valuable medicinal plant, has a rejuvenating effect. From the leaves, medicines are prepared to improve cerebral circulation, with atherosclerosis, diabetes, and sleep disorders.