Growing sea buckthorn: the subtleties of planting and plant care

In the garden of every self-respecting gardener, a wide variety of trees, shrubs and plants grow, but far from every yard you can find such a seemingly unremarkable tree, like sea buckthorn. What features of sea buckthorn, rules of planting, growing and care, what kind of crop we can gather and what to prepare from it - about all this in this article.

Sea buckthorn: botanical description

Sea buckthorn (Latin Hippóphaë) is a thorny tree or shrub from 1 to 3 meters high, belongs to the Lokhovae family (Elaeagnaceae). The leaves are greenish, long and narrow, in a white speck.

Not very noticeable sea buckthorn during flowering, as it blooms quite inconspicuously, and the flowers are small and appear before the leaves begin to bloom.Rounded or elongated fruits, from yellow to bright orange and even red, adorn the branches in thick clusters (hence the name of the tree). Fruits ripen in late summer and mid-autumn and do not crumble when ripe, and may hang on the branches throughout the winter.

The plant originally spread over the territory of Central and Northern Asia, and today it can be found all over the world.

Prefers sandy and pebble soils, often found on the banks of reservoirs, rivers and streams.

Features of planting sea buckthorn

The most important stage of cultivation is the correct and competent approach to planting a tree. Let's see how to plant a plant so that it not only begins, but also begins to develop and bear fruit.

What kind of lighting does sea buckthorn love?

Sea buckthorn is a light-loving and moisture-loving tree. It is planted on sunny, not shaded by other plants areas and especially requires care in the first years of growth.

If you plant a small tree and allow strong overgrowing by weeds, then already the first year in the garden will be a test for the tree, and it can easily die from a lack of light.

Selection of soil for planting

Moisture in the soil is especially necessary in the beginning of the life of the tree. Sandy loam or loam will be ideal, as they retain moisture for quite a long time, preventing rapid evaporation from the soil. At the same time, we choose an overestimated place, since sea buckthorn does not tolerate stagnant groundwater.

Competent planting of sea buckthorn seedlings

Proper planting of seedlings is a guarantee of good tree development and a bountiful harvest in the future.

Planting dates: when planting sea buckthorn, in spring or autumn

The best option is to plant in the spring, before the buds swell, or at least before flowering, as the plant survival rate is too low when the sea buckthorn is planted in the fall.And if we plant in the fall, then until the beginning of October, when there are still enough warm days to strengthen the seedling.

Selection and preparation of seedlings for planting

Biennial seedlings are best taken root, but if you carefully care for an annual plant, you can also grow a strong tree with high yields. A good seedling in height is 35-50 cm, with a diameter of 0.6-0.8 cm, it has at least 3 main root processes and a lot of fibrous. The bark of the seedling should look resilient, without brown spots and darkening, which means that the plant is freezing in winter, and it is unsuitable for planting.

Digging the hole

Holes for planting are digging with a size of 0.6 x 0.6 x 0.6 m. A drainage thickness of 10-12 cm falls asleep at the bottom. A hillock must be built in the hole and the seedling should be placed vertically, carefully straightening the roots. Gently pour a mixture of organic fertilizer, sand and soil in equal proportions with the root of the neck to be 3-5 cm deep in the ground. Once we have planted the sea buckthorn, we make a hole around, pouring 2 buckets of water at once, and mulch it.

Landing pattern

Do not forget that we need to plant male and female trees.Developed sea buckthorn crown gives us to understand that the distance between the trees should be not less than 2.5 m. There are two methods for planting sea buckthorn:

• male plant in the center, and female around;
• male planting downwind, followed by several women.

Rules for the care of sea buckthorn in the garden

So, the tree is already well established in our garden, now it is important not to abandon it, but to take care and care in a timely manner.

When to water a plant

As a moisture-loving plant, sea buckthorn likes regular watering. During any growing season, especially in the first year after planting, regularly pour 3 buckets of water into the hole, and during fruiting 5-6 buckets are possible.

Soil care

The soil is regularly loosened, but it is important not to forget that the roots are high, loosening should be carried out no deeper than 7 cm, and digging is generally undesirable.

Plant nutrition

Along with this, every year the tree requires bait. In the first year, you can not fertilize, and in the future every spring they bring organic matter (compost or humus at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 square.m near-barrel area). Nitrogen supplements are also excellent for 1 bucket of water - up to 30 g, which has a positive effect on tree growth and yield.

How to trim sea buckthorn

If a young plant in the early years is properly formed, then the tree can not be cut. If there are very few young shoots, the trunk must be shortened. On a 4-5-year-old tree, they make formative pruning, removing unnecessary and parallel branches to the trunk.

An older tree needs careful pruning, as many branches dry out and fruiting is reduced. All old, dried branches are removed and rejuvenate the plant to three-year shoots. Do not forget about the root growth, which must be removed closer to the root, so as not to form a new one on the root buds.

A bit of breeding sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn propagates by cuttings, seeds, offspring and grafting.

• The easiest way to get a new tree is to separate an offspring with a shovel grown near the mother tree, water it, and transplant it to a new place in the spring.
• Seeds rarely convey the quality of varietal trees, but if you decide to choose this method, it is best to sow them in the spring, after soaking for 4-5 days in water.The earth should already be heated, and after seed germination, place them in the wells 5-7 cm deep.
• During reproduction by lignified cuttings, in late autumn one- or two-year-old shoots are cut, which overwinter at a temperature of 0 - +2 ° C. In the spring, cuttings are cut 15–20 cm in length, 10 cm deep into the ground, leaving the kidneys above the surface. With daily watering, by autumn there will be rooted cuttings with a developed root and above-ground system.
• Vaccination is not the most common form of reproduction. As a rule, a male cutting is grafted onto a female tree for pollination, if it is impossible to plant a whole tree next to it.

Major plant diseases and pests

The most common are plant pests:

• sea ​​buckthorn moth;
• sea ​​buckthorn fly;
• sea ​​buckthorn aphid;
• gall mite.

You can fight them by spraying with special fungicides, which are sold in specialized stores.

The tree is sick with scab, endomycosis, black leg and verticillous wilting. In the fight will help copper oxychloride, a solution of potassium permanganate or preparations based on "Nitrafen".

Sea buckthorn: harvesting

And then came the long-awaited moment when it was time to harvest a carefully grown crop. When the berries have acquired a rich bright orange color, elastic, but not crushed, choose the day of assembly with a temperature not below -15 ° C. Gather berries in the morning or evening, plucking or cutting them from the branches. And rattling can be carried out even in winter. The berries are stored frozen or dried in a plastic bag in a dark place for up to six months. Sea buckthorn has such a number of useful vitamins and trace elements that it is difficult to find equal ones. Plant this tree in your garden and you will be fascinated not only by its decorative beauty, but also by the healing properties of its fruits.