Currently, in the garden plots you can see a variety of fruit and berry crops. The name of some of them is not always known to gardeners. One such crop is the berry. Gardeners often argue about the culture of the plant. Sunberry refers to nightshade crops. Many perceive the plant as a weed and throw it from their garden. In general, the sunberry has its fans and opponents. Some love the plant for its beneficial properties, while others perceive it only as a weed. If you are one of the first, then you will be interested in our article. In it we want to talk about the sunberry, about planting and caring for her and other nuances.
Culture Description
Sunberry can rightly be called a controversial culture. Some people do not take it seriously at all. Sunberry (photo provided in the article) is a hybrid culture belonging to the nightshade family. In our country, it is often found in gardens, but, as a rule, housewives dig a plant like any other weed. In fact, the plant is perennial. It was obtained by crossing tall nightshade with blueberries.
The natural habitat of the plant is the territory of North America and Canada. It was here that in 1905 the first sample of the sunberry of the sunberry was obtained by a breeder and scientist of American origin. The culture is rightly considered the closest relative of tomatoes and potatoes. In the people it is often called Canadian blueberries or blueberries forte. It is worth saying that the sunberry with wild berries has nothing in common, except for appearance. People often call the plant a funnel or garden nightshade.
Despite the many beneficial properties of sunberry, the berry is very rare in the gardens of Russia and Asia. Recently, however, gardeners' attention is increasingly focused on unique crops that give a good harvest. Therefore, information about sunberry, landing and caring for it is relevant for readers.
The plant is considered a herbaceous perennial. However, in cold and temperate climates it is grown as an annual. In recent years, the culture has adapted perfectly to growth in central Russia. She tolerates winters well and gives excellent harvests.
Beneficial features
Gardeners most often grow a crop for its beneficial properties. Berries contain many minerals: magnesium, calcium, iron, sodium. It is also worth noting that in Sunberry there are a lot of vitamins C and P, pectin and tannins. Due to the high carotene content, berries help to eliminate toxins in case of poisoning. Manganese helps to strengthen the immune system and has a positive effect on the blood formation process. Berries are useful for the treatment of joints; they improve vision and stimulate digestion. They also have antimicrobial effects. With their help, you can normalize the pressure.
Breeding methods
The beneficial properties of sunberry deserve the greatest attention. Planting and caring for the crop is a simple matter. If you are attracted by the healing properties of the berry, you can start growing it. If there are already such plants in the garden, then you will get new ones even from self-seeding. After the berries fall, their seeds tend to germinate.
So, let's figure out how to grow sunberry.
You can get a plant from seeds. This is the only way that is most convenient. Experienced gardeners recommend not sowing seeds in open ground. The fact is that the vegetative period of the plant is long, so it is highly likely that the seedlings will not have time to grow and give a good harvest. Therefore, it makes sense to plant seedlings of sunberry.
When is it necessary to sow seeds?
If you decide to cultivate the crop, you will be interested in the question of when to plant a sunberry. For seedlings, seeds are best sown in late February. If you do not have time to do this, do not be discouraged. You can do this in March. Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to carefully prepare the planting material. This will increase the percentage of germination.
Sunberry seeds have a very thick shell, which prevents rapid germination. Therefore, before sowing, you can neatly cut each seed or puncture each of them. But it is necessary to act carefully so as not to damage the nucleolus. After the seeds must be soaked in a normal solution of potassium permanganate. This will speed up the germination process. Seeds should be in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for at least 30-40 minutes. After planting material is usually washed in running water and dried. Prepared seeds can be sown in boxes.
Sunberry: planting and care
After processing the seed, it can be immediately sown or allowed to hatch. If you are interested in the latter option, you should place the seeds in a damp cloth or napkin, which must be placed in a sunny place. It is best to put it on the windowsill. Seeds will hatch in a few days.
After that, they can be sown in the soil. While seeds are pecking, you can start preparing seedlings. To do this, you can use plastic containers or wooden boxes. In general, any container will do. At the bottom you need to put a layer of drainage. It is very important, because in its absence, the seeds will begin to rot from an excess of moisture.
Peat cannot be used for planting. Containers fill the soil and moisten it slightly. And only after this is the sowing of seeds. However, they should not be placed to a depth of more than 0.5 cm.
Crates with crops are placed in a sunny place. From above they need to be covered with glass. Seeds are enough if the temperature in the room is around 22-24 degrees. It is necessary to water the soil 3-4 times a week.
Sunberry seeds (photo in the article) sprout for a very long time. As a rule, the process lasts three months. After the appearance of several leaves, seedlings must be dived into pots or glasses. It’s best to do this by transshipment. In open ground, seedlings can be transplanted when five or six strong leaves appear on it. As a rule, this happens in late May and early July.
Choosing a place to land
Before you start talking about how to grow sunberry in the open field, I want to pay attention to the fact that the culture is very unpretentious. Nevertheless, in the process of planting, it is necessary to observe all the stages.
First, you need to choose a good place that will contribute to a solid harvest. Culture prefers bright, open and warm areas. It is very important that the chosen place be protected from drafts and winds.
It is worth paying attention to what predecessors grew before this on the site. Gardeners recommend planting Canadian blueberries after cucumbers or zucchini. But after potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, sunberry is strictly not recommended to be planted. Plants begin to dry quickly and bloom poorly. Gardeners prefer to grow blueberries forts in the garden between other plants.
Soil selection
As we mentioned earlier, culture is easy to care for. Sunberry will not cause much trouble. But before planting, you must choose the right soil, because the crop depends on it. Sunberry loves loose and light soil, in which moisture does not stagnate. In addition, the root system must receive oxygen. The plant does not tolerate acidic soil, so peat cannot be used. If you have a peaty area and there are no other options, you must add lime or dolomite flour before planting. It is better to plant seedlings on a hill so that there is no stagnation of moisture. Before planting, the soil should be dug up and loosened. This will help to get a plentiful harvest.
Landing
It is possible to plant sunberry plants in the open ground (photo is given in the article) in the case when the frost has completely gone. As a rule, this happens at the end of May. A plot of land is leveled with a rake and holes for planting are formed. They must match the size of the roots along with a clod of earth. When preparing holes, it is important to maintain the distance between rows and plants. Between the holes you need to leave 80-100 cm. The bushes will grow very quickly and will interfere with each other.
Before planting, the hole is abundantly filled with water. At the bottom of each hole, you need to fill up a little sand or gravel, which will serve as a drainage.
Seedlings must be watered before transplanting. This will allow them to be easily removed from the pots. The plant is removed along with an earthen lump and placed in a hole. From above the roots are gently sprinkled with earth. After the plant must be watered. The trunk circle is usually mulched to prevent evaporation.
The nuances of care
Ease of plant care is a big plus for the crop. All gardeners prefer to use unpretentious plants. Sunberry is considered a drought tolerant crop. Such plants do not need intensive watering. Watering is only worth it if the weather is hot and there is no rain. It is necessary to focus on the topsoil. If it is dry, then it's time to water.
It is recommended to loosen the bud around the plants and remove weeds. And for mulching, you can use humus.
During planting, manure must be introduced into the soil. In the future, during the growing season, you need to do three top dressings. To do this, use mullein infusion and mineral fertilizers.
Experienced gardeners believe that in the middle of flowering, it is necessary to remove half of the buds, so that all the forces of the plant go to the formation of existing ovaries. During fruit ripening, branches begin to sink to the ground. In this case, it is worth taking care of the props. Sunberry has excellent resistance to diseases, so problems with plants never arise.
Harvesting
Berries must be picked only after they have fully ripened. The harvesting period is in September. The taste of berries is very mediocre. Therefore, they are rarely eaten fresh. Jam is made from berries or juice is obtained, which is mixed with lemon or orange fresh.
Some gardeners believe that it is better to harvest after the first frost. Berries in this case lose astringency. At the end of October, sunberries have a more pleasant and sweet taste.
Canadian blueberries do not rot on the bushes, so you can take your time in picking it. But after picking from the bush, the berries are not stored for a long time. The best way to prepare a sunberry is to freeze in a chamber. This method of harvesting improves the quality of the berries.
Features of the sunberry plant
Planting and care (photo is given in the article) for the culture are simple. Therefore, it is quite possible to grow it on the garden plot. The plant has its own characteristics. It is worth noting that the sunberry blooms for a very long time. The process begins in June and lasts until mid-autumn, so the lovely bushes look very attractive. Flowers have snow-white petals. Outwardly, they resemble stars.
After flowering on the bushes, ovaries begin to develop abundantly. Outwardly, the berries resemble blueberries. In diameter, they reach no more than two centimeters. The fruits are painted black. Their flesh also has a rich purple hue. Berries are usually gathered in clusters and are somewhat reminiscent of cherry tomatoes. They ripen for a very long time. You can judge their readiness by the color of the skin - it should turn black. The uniqueness of the plant lies in the fact that it blooms and bears fruit continuously throughout the season. That is why on each bush at the same time there are berries and flowers. Blueberry forte has a high yield. From one plant you can collect 2-3 liters of berries. A large crop can be obtained only in the first year. Therefore, in our regions it must be used as an annual plant. A huge advantage of the plant is its resistance to ailments.
If you want to try fresh sunberries, it is recommended to scald them with boiling water. This will make them more tasty. Most often, compote or jam is made from berries.