All you need to know about growing holly mahonia

If you are going to decorate your garden with ornamental bushes and flowers and only think about which plants to plant there, we advise you to pay attention to holonia hollywood (Mahonia aquifolia).

Believe me, you will not only get a beautiful decor, but also be able to feast on the delicious and healthy berries of this plant, which can be used to make wine, jam and medicinal broth.

Since mahonia is an evergreen shrub, it will delight you year-round. In addition to rich greenery, her bushes will bring in your life and other colors: in May - yellow with flowers, in August - dark blue with berries.

And during the year, it is a pleasure to watch the change of color of Magonia leaves: when blooming, they are yellowish, in summer they are deep green, in autumn they are reddish-bronze, sometimes violet.

Its name "hollow“the mahonia received due to the fact that its leaves resemble holly leaves in shape. The plant is part of the barberry family, reaching sizes up to 1.5 meters.

Its advantages also include the fact that it easily tolerates frosts under snow, is unpretentious and undemanding to the composition of the soil, resistant to pests.

Well, decided? Then we will tell you some important facts about the padubal mahonia and about the features of care and cultivation, so that this process will give you as much pleasant moments as possible and less hassle.

How to choose a place and prepare the ground for planting a hollow leaf mahonia

Despite the fact that mahonia does not require special conditions in terms of the type and composition of the soil, nevertheless, it feels best in fresh, loose, slightly acidic soil with good drainage, rich humus and good moisture retention.

Favorite soil mix Magonia - humus, turf ground, sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. The plant does not like stagnant water and alkaline soils.

There are only two problems that you will need to solve before embarking on a shrub plant: the plant does not tolerate constant winds and direct sunlight.

A great advantage of the shrub is that it is resistant to pollution by exhaust gases, so it can be safely planted in city squares and parks, close to busy roads and even in industrial areas.

How to plant an evergreen shrub

It does not require the bush Mahonia holmbalon and special conditions for planting and care. In order to carry out a successful landing, planting bushes should be no closer than 1-2 meters from each other. The mahonia grows slowly, although it grows well.

It is necessary to plant it in the fossa depth of 50 cm.The root neck of a plant should be at ground level when planted. Immediately after planting, the soil under the bush should be compacted and watered abundantly.

It is possible to replant the shrub at any age, but try to do it until late autumn. The best time to transplant is early spring.

Magonia care, how to grow ornamental shrubs correctly

Caring for shrubs will not cause any difficulties. So, in the spring you only need to weed the soil under the bushes, feed them with a small amount of minerals and fertilizers.

In dry summer shrubs should be watered. If the summer season is rainy, then you can do without watering. Autumn care involves the mulching of the soil and the shelter of the plant with spruce branches.

Pruning do only with decorative purposes. It should be as gentle as possible - shoots should be cut no shorter than half so as not to weaken flowering. This is usually done directly at the end of flowering.

When and how to water the plant

Indicators of soil under the shrub must be monitored. If the summer is very hot and dry, then it must be watered.

Do not overdo it since the stagnant moisture will be unpleasant for the plant. Can be watered both at the root, and with the help of a hose and a diffuser.

After watering, loosen the soil; this will allow the air to additionally flow to the root system, and excess moisture to evaporate.

Peculiarities of the feeding of holonium magonia

It is enough to fertilize magonia twice a season. The first dressing is carried out immediately after the snow melts. To do this, use the fertilizer "Kemira wagon" or "Nitroammofosku" at the rate of 100-120 g per square meter.

The second feeding is carried out in May, before flowering shrubs. "Nitroammofosku" is used in the same volume.

Soil care

The land where magonia grows does not require special care. Shallow loosening of the soil is carried out only after watering and at its hardening.

When loosening, try to be very careful, do not deeply loosen. Mulching after planting in the spring can not be carried out, it should be mandatory in the fall.

How the plant reacts to transplanting, when and how to transplant a magonia

The shrub easily transplants transplants, and at any age. The best time to transplant will be early spring.

Although you need to draw your attention, that this is acceptable only if the spring in the region where you live is calm, with a gradual increase in temperature and heavy rain. If the spring in your latitudes is short, and in May the heat and drought sets in, it is better to replant the shrub in early autumn.

The most undesirable period for transplanting Magonia is late autumn.

Propagation of holonomy Magonia

There are three ways to propagate holly mahony: seeds, root suckers and cuttings. The best of them is considered vegetative.

However, you need to understand that even this method will not help you quickly and easily plant trees in the area. Each of the methods is rather laborious and time consuming, and also requires certain knowledge and skills.

Cuttings

Reproduction of Magonia with holm cuttings is the most common method. In this case, use green intact shoots with leaves.

In order to properly and successfully conduct cuttings, you can use these tips florists and gardeners:

• it is necessary to cut the cuttings so that the upper cut is straight and the lower cut is oblique;
• for the fastest development of cuttings, it is possible to treat the lower section with root growth stimulants;
• large sheets shortened by half;
• prepared cuttings are placed in a pre-cooked ground with a depression to the first lower bud;
• after planting, the cuttings should be watered abundantly and then covered for faster rooting;
• can be treated with fungicide for the prevention of diseases.

Division of rhizomes

Spring breeding is no less popular. Mahonia aquifolium layering. To do this, strong shoots shoots bend to the soil and sprinkled with earth so that the top is above the ground.

In the place of the bend it is necessary to make a wire waist that will contribute to rooting.

While the rooting period lasts, the plant must be watered abundantly and sprinkled with earth, if necessary. If during the autumn a good root system forms at the bend, the layers are separated from the parent bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

If the roots are weak, the layering should be left for the next year.

Seed method

Seed propagation is carried out in spring or autumn, immediately after collecting the seeds.This type of breeding is quite long: Before sowing, seeds must be stratified for 3 months at a temperature of + 5 ° С (in a refrigerator).

If the seeds are sown in autumn, long before frost, in this case they will undergo a natural stratification. Seeds are sown in the grooves to a depth of 1-2 cm.

One more breeding method is possible, which is sometimes advised by experienced owners of magonia. In winter, several branches can be put in banks on a cool bright window sill.

After a couple of months, half of them form roots. Try to plant them in the spring. According to observations, such plants develop powerful roots, these shrubs grow rapidly and have a strong immunity to disease.

Major pests and plant diseases

In general, mahonia has established itself as a very resistant plant for all sorts of pests and diseases. However, it can also comprehend various ailments: spot, rust, mealy dew.

Therefore, prophylactic sprays play an important role in the care of the plant.

So, you can protect the shrub from spotting by treating it with copper-containing preparations.

This may be, for example, a mixture of copper sulphate (20 g) and green soap (180-200 g), diluted in water (10 l), or Bordeaux liquid.

From powdery mildew (white deposits on the upper and lower sides of leaves and petioles), gardeners recommend spraying with "Fundazole", "Callatan" or colloidal sulfur (2 times a month).

Sulfur-containing preparations help to defeat rust, as well as spring treatment of the crown with the “Tsineb” preparation. At the first detection of red spots on the leaves, they must be removed.. In this way, further infection can be avoided.

Mahonia Padubolist: How to Prepare a Plant for Winter

All experienced owners of Magonia claim that it tolerates frosts easily (even over -20 ° C), heavy snow. But this applies only to adult plants.

Young magoni are better prepared for the winter cold. Closer to winter, they are covered with spruce branches or dry foliage, which is removed after the snow melts. Such insulation is recommended for 2-3 years, until the final "maturing" of the plant.

The versatility and unpretentiousness of the decorative flower Magonia allows its wide use in landscape design. Magonia looks good among the stones, in groups on the lawn, near the walls of houses. Roses, Japanese quince, barberry, primroses perfectly adjoin to it.

It is suitable for hedge and longlines. Be sure to have it in your front garden. And most importantly - do not forget that, despite its endurance, the holly-leaf mahonia still requires proper fit and care.