Secrets of planting and caring for chokeberry (chokeberry)

Aronia Aronia refers to the fruit shrub family Pink. Previously, this plant was grown exclusively for decorative purposes, but over time it was discovered that the fruits of this plant have many medicinal properties.

Also chokeberry is unpretentious in care, which makes it an excellent garden plant, and today it can be found in many gardens.

The homeland of this shrub is North America. Although this type of chokeberry is called chokeberry, they have practically no similarities.The only thing that unites them is belonging to the same family. Also, this plant is often referred to as the blackfly.

How to choose the seedlings chokeberry Aronia when buying

Much depends on planting material: if you purchased a low-quality seedling, then you will not see a beautiful plant, no matter how you look after it. It is best to take planting material from trusted manufacturers and avoid buying seedlings from hands.

Contact your local nursery or use the services of trusted companies that send chokeberry saplings by mail.

The purchase should not be postponed for the spring, it is better to do this in the fall. At this time, the choice is much wider, and the quality of seed will be much better.

The roots should be soft to the touch, not dry. After buying the root system, it is best to dip it into a talker or at least pour water on it, and then pack them in a plastic bag. In this form, until the landing they can stay for several days.

Planting chokeberry (rowan) Aronia on the site

Planting chokeberry aronia on your site is not difficult. The procedure is very similar to the planting of other fruit crops.

When is it better to plant

Planting chokeberry usually occurs in the fall, as this is the best time to buy planting material.

Where to plant

This culture is not demanding on the composition of the soil, it does not fit only saline. But if you want to give Aroni maximum ideal conditions, then it’s better to choose places with neutral, moist loamy soil, and it is desirable that this site was well lit.

Preparatory procedures and landing aronia

For chokeberry it will be enough to prepare a hole with a diameter and depth of 50-60 cm. When digging up, put a fertile layer of soil in one direction, and lower layers - in another. Nothing needs to be added to the lower part of the ground; there’s almost no root there.

But in the top layer you need to add:

• 1 bucket of humus;
• 100 g of superphosphate;
• 60 grams of potassium sulphide.

Pour the lower part of the earth into a hole, then lower the seedling there. After that, fill the pit with the mixture. At the same time, the root neck needs to be deepened by no more than 15 mm.

Then the seedling is watered with one bucket of water. After that, it is desirable to mulch the earth with sawdust, humus and dry earth.

Nuances of seasonal care for chokeberry Aronia

Chokeberry does not belong to capricious plants, seasonal care will not take you much time. The plant just needs to be watered in time and carry out preventive treatments from pests.

Aronia protection from pests and diseases

The first treatment of chokeberry is carried out in early spring, while Aronia has not yet dissolved the buds. The plant is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid (1% solution). This procedure will protect the plant in spring and summer.

The same procedure is carried out in November, after the leaves fall.

How to conduct watering

Watering should be carried out at the beginning of the growing season, especially in the absence of rain and in the heat. Also watering chokeberry especially needed at the stage of formation of the fruit. Grooves are made around the bushes (at a distance of 30 cm from the crown's projection), and 2-3 buckets of water are poured in there.

Loosening the soil is best done after irrigation, when the soil is wet. At this time, it is also necessary to remove all weed grass. The first loosening is carried out in early spring, then during the summer this procedure must be repeated 4-5 times. Loosening depth - 6-8 cm.

What to spend feeding

Growing chokeberry also involves timely feeding. During the season it must be fed three times.

Each time the composition of the feeding will be different, so consider them all separately:

• First feeding held in spring when the leaves bloom. As a fertilizer, “Effecton” is used, 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Young plants will be enough 5 liters of solution, and fruiting plants need to make 2 buckets per bush.
• Second feeding strengthens flowering, and is held at the very beginning. For 10 liters of water, dilute 2 tablespoons of Ross fertilizer and 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate. You can spend 2 buckets of water on a fruiting shrub, and 6-8 liters will be enough for a young plant.
• Third dressing held after picking berries in the fall. To do this, take 2 tablespoons of potassium sulfate and superphosphate and dilute them in 10 liters of water. Young plants make 1 bucket of solution, and fruiting - 2.

When to collect the fruits of chokeberry

The fruits of chokeberry begin to fill with color already in August, but they will have a very astringent and tart taste, therefore they cannot be called mature. The berries continue to ripen until the end of September, and although there is still a little tartness in them, the fruit tastes much juicier and sweeter, therefore it is best to pick the fruit at this time.

Sanitary and formative pruning

Pruning of mountain ash is mainly done in spring, but there is also a pruning scheme in autumn. If you ignore this procedure, the plant will quickly lose its decorative appearance, and flowering will be sluggish and poor. Therefore, the adjustment of the number of branches and the height of the bush for chokeberry is obligatory.

Spring pruning

If you didn’t know how to cut the chokeberry, then do not worry - there is nothing complicated about it. In the first spring, the saplings are pruned at a height of 15-20 cm. Next year there will be young growth from which it is necessary to leave some strong branches and level them in height, and cut off the rest of the growth at the base.

A year later, again add several branches to the bush and level them in height. Repeat this procedure until the number of branches reaches 10-12, then we can assume that the black chokeberry has been formed.

In addition, a thinning pruning is performed, which in combination is also sanitary. The main objective of this procedure is to remove unnecessary shoots, so that the light penetrates well into the bush. To do this, you must remove the competing shoots that grow deep into the crown, as well as dried, broken and diseased shoots.

Branches of chokeberry are younger than 8 years old; therefore, the shoots that have reached this age must be cut out, and a developed shoot from the root shoots should be left in its place.

It is necessary to remove old branches as close as possible to the ground in order to minimize the risk of pests or pathogens appearing on stumps. If, in your opinion, the entire bush has already lost its appearance, then radical rejuvenating pruning takes place - cut down all the branches, despite the age, and when new growth begins to form in their place, begin to form a new bush.

Autumn pruning

Pruning of mountain ash, if necessary, is done in the fall, if, after harvesting, broken branches are found or some shoots are affected by pests. Slices of thick branches must be treated with a garden solution.

But, with the exception of these situations, pruning of chokeberry chokeberry is carried out in the spring.

How to prepare young bushes of chokeberry for winter

Adult black chokeberry bushes are resistant to frost, but young bushes need to bend down. To do this, stakes are driven into the ground, and branches tied with twine are tied to them by several branches. In winter, snow accumulates on them and prevents the root system from freezing..

It is worth starting a shelter with the onset of the first frost, when the soil begins to freeze, but the temperature does not exceed 10-15 ° C of frost. For this, black chokeberry will thank you for a rich harvest and become a good decoration in your garden.