Cultivation of the spice or false pepper tree (Schinus molle)

Today we are going to talk about a very curious tree belonging to the Anacardiaceae family , which later we will comment on some trees of this family. We will talk about the characteristics of this tree, the qualities it has and the best conditions for its cultivation. A good tree for our garden that will produce a great shade wherever we choose. We are prepared?

Whether it is winter or summer, we will find our grocer with the same leaves all year round and it is an evergreen tree. We have said before that it belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, which includes around 500 species of plants, some well known such as mango or incense. The false pepper tree is originally from South America and is widely cultivated in countries such as Brazil, Uruguay or Argentina. In Spain we have also seen it a lot of times in parks and gardens because of its curious shape and the fall of its leaves.

CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FALSE PEPPER SHAKER

The false pepper shaker is used to hot climates where high temperatures are achieved. You have to pay special attention to cold and frost as it is not a tree used to withstand low temperatures. Those below 0 ºC already represent the beginning of damage for the grocer. It is a tree that is usually planted in full sun and we will not find any problem in it. It will reach 15 meters in height and it will be the tree itself that generates shade.

SOIL CONDITIONS FOR THE GROCER

It is a vigorous tree and shows it growing in any type of soil. In fact, it is better adapted to soils with low organic matter content than rich soils. The false pepper tree is a tree especially indicated for areas where the earth has an alkaline pH , since it resists limestone very well. We have also seen it grow many times in coastal environments as it also supports salt . We have a tree that accepts everything! Be very careful with excessive humidity on the floor, yes.

FERTILIZER AND IRRIGATION

SUBSCRIBER

Normally we put these two sections of the article together, fertilizer and irrigation, when we do not have much to say, and that is that with the spice rack or false pepper shaker we do not need to carry a special control in either case. In the subscriber  we have already commented before that it is preferable that the soil is not very grateful in terms of organic matter, but we will not leave it without it no matter how much they say. A couple of contributions of compost a year do not hurt;).

IRRIGATION

Regarding irrigation, it is a tree used to periods of drought and that excess water has never been good for it. In fact, we tell you that it is a widely used crop in areas where it is necessary to recover eroded soil , which is normally poor, saline and with a water deficit.

MULTIPLICATION OF THE FALSE PEPPER SHAKER

The grocer produces red balls that are its seeds. Oblivious to all our future studies in agronomic engineering we dedicated ourselves to throwing them at classmates and waging wars. After maturing (we think we have;)) we have known that these seeds are perfect for multiplying the false pepper shaker.

So with all this you can already decide if you want to incorporate a spice rack or a false pepper shaker in your garden. It will provide you with a great shade space !;)

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