Sea buckthorn is called the sunny beauty of the gardens. Each nation ascribes its own epithets to it: sea thorn, Siberian pineapple, pheasant berry, tablet berry, sand berry, etc. One spoonful of sun berries contains a daily norm of vitamins.
This plant got its name because of abundant fruiting: the branches are literally strewn with berries. Sea buckthorn of elite varieties annually gives a good harvest, and high productivity has the opposite side of the coin - berries growing in large quantities are difficult to collect. In addition, the fruits are so tightly attached to the trunk of the bush that picking them by hand turns into a tedious process. And the thorns on the branches and the short stalk prevent the harvest. The thorns hurt painfully, and the soft berries crumple easily in the hands, highlighting the juice that nips the skin.
Understanding the full value of these berries, it is important to know the rules and time of collection of the plant.
The collection and properties of sea buckthorn
Medicinal raw materials are the leaves, fruits, and seeds of a given plant. Many ask when it is possible to collect sea buckthorn. It is believed that fruit harvesting should begin with the onset of frost, it is then that its fruits ripen completely. However, in different regions, berries ripen at different times. Most fruiting is observed from August to October. You need to navigate by the degree of maturity of the fruit. You need to know several factors that are useful for collecting this medicinal plant.
Sea buckthorn berries are very tasty, with a sweet and sour flavor resembling pineapple. In addition, they have a unique composition. The Chinese carefully preserve the ancient knowledge and practice of alternative medicine. They made buckthorn juice the official drink of the Beijing Olympics.
Plant history
In ancient Greece, sea buckthorn was considered a wild plant. Its shoots served as food for sick and wounded horses. The animals recovered very quickly, became smooth, strong and glossy. Therefore, the ancient Greeks called sea buckthorn "shiny horse." This name has survived to this day.
Many gardeners, growing this plant, are faced with the problem of harvesting. The experience gained over the years has prompted them with different options for picking berries.
How best to collect sea buckthorn
In small areas, sea buckthorn is collected by hand or with forceps. Such an arrangement ensures that the berries remain intact and the bush is not damaged. But this is a slow harvest, and not everyone has time for a long harvest, so consider how to quickly collect sea buckthorn.
High speed spin
If it is planned to harvest non-whole berries, then it is possible to simplify the collection of sea buckthorn, limiting itself to obtaining "nectar". This process is as follows: moving from the base to the end of the branch, the berries are pressed directly on it so that the juice flows into a specially substituted container. The result of the collection is 3-4 liters of sea buckthorn "fresh" in one hour. It is important to remember that plant juice can damage the skin, so clean cooking gloves or cotton gloves must be worn.
Simplified way
There is another way to quickly collect sea buckthorn. After the first frost, the berries easily crumble. It is necessary to spread a tarp, blanket or film on the ground under the shrub in advance and shake or hit something on the branches of the plant - all the berries will be on the litter. But this method is not effective, because the berries are overripe, damaged by birds and spoiled from the rain. To avoid this, you should remember when you need to collect sea buckthorn.
Berry pickers
For the cultivation of sea buckthorn in your area, it is better to give preference to varieties with a dry margin and large berries. Harvest is necessary during the ripening period, when the fruits have acquired a red-orange color and did not have time to lose their elasticity. Overripe berries are very soft and crush when torn. Before collecting sea buckthorn, devices must be built independently or purchased. A good tool for quick berry picking is a comb comb, U-shaped hair clip or eyelet. Also use a homemade loop, which is made of thin steel wire. The top is made in the form of a loop, and the ends are bent inward, after which they are attached to a wooden handle. The fastening place is wrapped first with wire, and then with electrical tape. The top of the loop must be pressed with your fingers so that it takes on the shape of a burning candle. Such a device will become a real helper in deciding how to quickly collect sea buckthorn. In addition, it can be used to easily cut berries in an inaccessible place.
Blind selection
This method of harvesting is acceptable on those shrubs that bear fruit for more than a year. A quarter pruned fruiting branches are cut off by secateurs, leaving a stump about 5 centimeters long. At its base, shoots will appear that will begin to bear fruit abundantly after 2-3 years. From the rest of the crown, the berries are picked by hand. The next year, fruit-bearing branches from the rest of the shrub are cut. This method of harvesting simultaneously performs the role of anti-aging pruning.
General Harvest Rules
Most beginner gardeners are interested in the question of how best to collect sea buckthorn with subsequent transportation. Ripe "ears" should be cut whole. This will result in a short branch densely covered with berries. They are stacked on top of each other, then sorted into crates. Sea buckthorn with branches is better stored and transported than bulk fruits.
The fruits of sea buckthorn can still be picked with a blade and a small knife. There is another way how to collect sea buckthorn. Adaptations contribute to this. One of them is a tool in the form of a
plastic bag, which is attached to a tin tube. She, in turn, is brought under the base of the leg of berries, after which they roll directly into the package.
Sea buckthorn is a dicotyledonous plant. For high productivity, specimens of two sexes are needed: female and male. Fruits are plants of a female individual, a male shrub acts as a pollinator. An experienced gardener can experiment by planting female shoots on top of a male plant. Fruits on such a hybrid will grow large and sweet.
The above methods will tell you how to quickly collect sea buckthorn. It remains only to cook it, providing yourself with incredibly tasty and useful medicinal raw materials. The knowledge gained will help to make the process of assembling sun berries enjoyable and beloved.