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Natural Vibes
Natural Vibes
GROW THE MAGIC OF COLORS
Nature is the teacher
Nature is the teacher
“Awaken the senses to perceive the invisible through the visible”
Awaken your ancestral connection with nature
Awaken your ancestral connection with nature
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Katsura Tree
Oudoor tree
Cercidiphyllum Japonicum
A deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves, related to the magnolia family.
Distinguished by its iridescent foliage, the leaves are reddish after bud break, then dark green, and in autumn they turn yellow-pink, orange, and many shades of red.
The flowers have a very distinctive scent, similar to caramel and gingerbread.
Native to China and Japan, we selected it for its hardiness and the beautiful color of its leaves.
In a pot, the plant grows to about 1.80 meters tall; if planted in the ground, it can reach 3.50 meters.
The message of The Magic of Colors
What is the Magic of Colors
It's an invitation to awaken the senses.
The Cercidiphyllum japonicum is not just a tree, but a sensory portal that teaches us how sacredness can smell of sugar and shimmer with iridescent hues.
With its chromatic metamorphosis, it teaches us to connect with every nuance of nature. We develop our senses to expand our vision: just as the tree changes from green to pink, gold, and purple, we learn to attribute infinite and wonderful facets to our existence. Transformation is the scent of the soul.
It represents Spiritual Union: a point of contact where the purity of paradise meets the density of the earth. Standing beneath its branches means finding oneself in a place of sacredness, where time stands still and dialogue with the beyond becomes possible.
Development of Intuition
The Katsura, linked to the rhythms of the moon and its inexorable cycles, invites us to attune to our most subtle selves. Its heart-shaped leaves are guardians of a sweet love and a sensitivity that doesn't fear vulnerability, but transforms it into an intuitive strength capable of reading the signs of the cosmos.
The Sweetness of Change
We welcome transformation not as a loss, but as a revelation, a sweet change.
The tree teaches us that emotions can transform, just like its leaves, while maintaining their beauty intact. It is an invitation to find the divine in earthly things and to remember that grace often manifests itself in moments of transition.
The Essence of Decline
The Katsura has the ability to release its sweetest scent of cotton candy and caramel just as the leaves begin to fall. This reminds us that the most beautiful things and the deepest truths often manifest in the phase of decline or transformation. The end is but the beginning of a new spiritual fragrance.
Resilience and Rebirth
It embodies the Katsura's strength to bounce back from adversity. Despite its apparent delicacy, it possesses an ancient resilience.
It teaches us that, after every winter of the soul, the magic of colors will manifest itself again, more vivid and aware than before.
"Look into the heart of the leaves and breathe in the scent of passing time: you will discover that every shade is a step toward heaven."
Instructions
Seed characteristics:
It contains a supply of nutrients that, after germination, ensures that the young plant can develop its basic organs—roots, stems, and leaves—before it is able to photosynthesize and grow with its nourished green leafy organs (autotrophy).
Nutrient reserves are usually created in the cotyledons (first embryonic leaves), and in some species also in a special nutrient-rich tissue (endosperm) found within the seed.
The seedling initially grows thanks to the nutrients stored in the seed, which are transported to the growing parts and used there as building materials. A large seed contains many nutrients. The seedling is correspondingly large from the start. When the cotyledons are open, light for photosynthesis, temperature, and water supply play an important role in growth.
Even if the seedling suddenly appears to stop growing, there will be increased root growth in the soil as a basis for optimal care, which your seedling needs for vigorous above-ground growth.
Growing medium:
Ordinary potting soil is not particularly suitable for sowing. It contains too many fertilizer salts. This means that the seeds can rot in it, or the germinated plants will die because the fertilizer salts damage their delicate roots. The provided substrate is low in nutrients, germ-free, and water-permeable. At the beginning of growth, the seedling substrate is used primarily to anchor the seedling and provide uniform moisture. Minerals (fertilizers) are not initially necessary, as the seeds "bring" them with them.
There is another advantage to a seedling substrate with only a low fertilizer content: the plant then forms more root mass (main and lateral roots, nourished by the seed's nutritive tissue) and thus, to put it anthropomorphically, increasingly "seeks" minerals, which allows for vigorous growth after the start of photosynthetic activity.
Plants grown in well-fertilized soil (e.g., potting soil from gardening stores) invest more in shoot and leaf growth and less in root growth, which often leads to less plant stability after planting.
Water and Proper Irrigation
Water should have as little limescale as possible. In most cities, water is unfortunately hard and calcareous.
Rainwater is ideal, or you can boil tap water and water your plants. It's best if the irrigation water is at room temperature.
After moistening the entire growing medium once at the beginning, it's best to prepare the water in a spray bottle and spray the growing medium daily. This way, the moisture is applied more evenly and prevents the seeds from washing away.
Air
Plants need water. However, the fact that plant roots also need air and breathe oxygen is often overlooked. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the soil is not compacted, that the pots are not directly in water, and that air can return to the roots after watering.
Protection:
Most pests, such as whiteflies, spider mites, red spiders, aphids, and scale insects, appear when the room air is too dry. In this case, ventilate more frequently or spray the plant leaves with water as low in lime as possible to increase humidity. This method is very successful.
Spray the leaves and soil surface with a vegetable broth, for example. To do this, add 100 g of fresh herbs to 1 liter of water and let it steep for 24 hours.
Then boil for half an hour, let it cool, and pass it through a sieve. Dilute this broth with 2 liters of water and pour it into a spray bottle.
A green thumb requires time and experience:
In nature, only a small fraction germinate successfully and/or subsequently become strong plants.
With an optimal growing environment and a few helpful tips, we try to significantly increase the success rate, but even then, 100 percent success is not guaranteed, and sometimes no seeds germinate at all.
We know firsthand that there are many failures on the road to becoming a green thumb, but we've never let this discourage us; on the contrary, every failure has always given us new energy to try again and again, even better.
Let's learn from the obstacles:
- If the growing medium is too moist, the seed can mold.
- If the growing medium is too dry, even briefly, the germination process can be interrupted, and many seeds will not resume the process later, even if there is sufficient moisture.
- The temperature ranges we specify during cultivation are based on experience, but seeds react individually and are sensitive to temperature changes.
- Germination time is also an empirical average and should not be interpreted too restrictively. Even in nature, there are sometimes significant delays, so much so that germination can occur very, very late.
Sowing Instructions:
Indoor cultivation is possible year-round.
The seed must first be stratified, which means stimulating germination through a seed activation process.
Day 1 - 14: the Cold
Store the seeds in the refrigerator for 7 - 14 days.
Then sow about 1 centimeter deep in moist soil, using the container's glass.
Patience, Perseverance, and Waiting:
Cover the container with plastic wrap (which you will need to pierce) or with the container's lid, which you will also need to pierce. This will protect the soil from drying out.
Every two or three days, remove the plastic wrap for two hours. This prevents mold from forming on the soil.
Week 4: the First Sprout
Place the container in a warm, humid place at 20° - 22° C and keep the soil moist, but not wet. The seeds will germinate after 2 - 8 weeks.
You can also sow in the winter by simply covering the planting box with sand and placing it in a frost-free place.
When the plant is about 10 cm tall, it's time to transfer it to a new pot:
Option 1: Use a cutter to make a vertical cut in the bamboo fiber cup that has been serving as the container, taking care not to cut or damage the camellia's roots.
Without disturbing the root ball, transfer the plant to the new pot and cover with soil.
Option 2: Transplant into a new pot, completely burying it together with the container that has been serving as the container (it is biodegradable, so the root system is not disturbed and can extend and propagate in the new soil at its own pace).
Location:
The preferred location is partially shaded to sunny.
Soil:
It prefers moist, nutrient-rich, well-drained soil.
Water:
Avoid limescale: the most common mistake is using the right substrate but watering with hard (calcareous) tap water.
Winter:
The plant is completely frost-resistant.
Even the newly emerged leaves, which still need to withstand the spring frost, are not damaged.
FAQ
Does Katsura need space around itself?
Yes, don't surround it with too many other tall plants.
It should be free to spread its fan-like foliage. In your space, it should act as a visual focal point: the observer should be able to admire its transformation from emerald green to apricot pink to pure gold without distractions.
Can it live in an apartment?
It is not a houseplant.
How can I water the Katsura plant?
The Katsura is a tree that loves the coolness of the soil. It requires plenty of water to prevent it from drying out and becoming brittle.
It doesn't like drought, which causes it to shed its leaves in self-defense.
Look for a naturally moist area of the garden.
If after a few months I don't see any sprouting, what can I do?
Check the seed by digging it up slightly to make sure it is still there, that it hasn't rotted, and above all, that the substrate is moist.
How can I keep the soil moist during germination?
Spray daily or every other day.
Remove the film for half an hour approximately every three days to prevent mold growth.
Can I fertilize the Katsura plant?
Since yes, in spring (March-April) for reawakening and in June for maintenance.
Do not fertilize in late summer or fall.
Well-rotted manure or organic pellets are ideal. They release nutrients with the same gentle inexorability with which the plant grows.
Or earthworm castings: this is the perfect fertilizer for this plant. It's gentle, doesn't burn the roots, and improves the soil's ability to retain moisture (essential to prevent leaf edges from drying out).
Does it grow fast?
In its youth, Katsura is quite fast.
If planted in the ground and in optimal conditions (cool soil and good light), it can grow 40-60 cm per year.
At this stage, the tree is focused on building its "bridge": it elongates its trunk and main branches.
Once it reaches a certain height (usually after the first 5-7 years), vertical growth slows to make way for the magic of its shape.
The tree begins to spread out, creating the fan-shaped or inverted heart-shaped crown that makes it so iconic.
Growth becomes more measured, about 20-30 cm per year, focusing on the density of its heart-shaped leaves.
If you decide to grow it in a pot (on a terrace or balcony), the plant will sense the limitations of the space and will self-limit its speed.
In a pot, growth will be much slower and more manageable, allowing you to enjoy its presence without it becoming too cumbersome quickly. It's ideal for observing the color transformation up close without being overwhelmed.
The secret to Katsura's speed is hydration.
In soil that stays cool and moist, the tree gallops. If it suffers from drought, it stops immediately and can take a long time to regain its pace (its resilience is high, but requires gentle recovery times).
Root space: The more soil it has available, the faster it will try to occupy the sky.
Climate: It loves cool, long springs. If summer arrives too early with scorching heat, the plant enters a sort of summer "reflective pause."