Sea buckthorn is a useful shrub that grows almost every gardener on its summer cottage. Berry is used for freezing, for making jam and tinctures of various ointments. The amazing properties of this shrub exceed almost everything that grows in our climatic conditions. If your site has sea buckthorn and viburnum, then you can be sure that the immune system is fully protected throughout the winter. However, today the topic of our article is how to plant sea buckthorn. We will talk about what conditions this shrubbery prefers, what he loves, and what he should be protected from.
Choose seedlings for planting
It would seem easier. It is enough to get to any familiar summer resident and dig up the treasured bush. It turns out that everything is not so simple. The fact is that there are male and female trees, and in order to get a crop, you need to have both on your site. Since it is necessary to plant sea buckthorn in the autumn period, or in early spring, when the bushes are completely bare, it is not possible to distinguish one from the other. The only option to mark ladies and gentlemen is to compare flower buds during their formation. On male plants, they are almost twice as large. In this case, the covering scales on them are 5-6, and only two cover the female kidneys.
How many seedlings are needed
Just a few more words and we will go directly to how to plant sea buckthorn. In the meantime, let's determine the number of trees on the site. They bear fruit superbly, but the bushes themselves are relatively small. Therefore, for a family of 3-4 people, about three adult plants will be required to ensure the annual presence in the diet of this product. Thus, you will need to purchase 1 male tree and three female. They can have a different origin. It is entirely permissible that the male plant be a native of wild growth, but the female must necessarily be of cultural origin.
The main rules when choosing a seedling:
- Do not buy them from random sellers, even if the price is attractive enough.
- A healthy tree should have 4-6 skeletal roots about 20 cm long and a trunk with a diameter of 7-9 mm.
- It should not have cracks and scratches, as well as traces of rot. Wrinkled areas and darkening indicate that the seedling has been injured or frostbitten.
- Give preference to zoned varieties, because sea buckthorn is very sensitive to thaws. She quickly wakes up after the winter, and late frosts will easily destroy her. It is not surprising that plants that are intended for Siberia react a little differently to warming than those that were bred for the southern regions.
The best time
How to plant sea buckthorn so that it takes root as quickly as possible, and preferably, suffered the first winter without loss? To do this, you need to choose the most successful time, which is considered to be early spring. It is in March-April (this time may vary for different climatic zones) conditions can be considered optimal. The sapling will hardly feel the change, and with the onset of the summer period, it will take root and strengthen perfectly.
Since it is not always possible to plant sea buckthorn in the spring for seasonal concerns, sometimes this is left for the fall. But there are at least two drawbacks:
- A weak seedling may simply not survive the frost.
- If autumn turns out to be long and warm, sea buckthorn will begin the vegetative period and die during the cold snap.
Therefore, if possible, then wait until next spring, at the same time choosing and preparing a hole for the future tree.
The best place for sea buckthorn
Here you need to pay attention to the anatomical features of the shrub itself. He is short, rather neat, but loves to give growth. If the beds with vegetables are located nearby, then there will be difficulties with digging out new bushes from an undesirable place of deployment.
But the main thing is a unique root system. It is good if you get a plant in a special nursery. Experts will tell you how to plant sea buckthorn in the spring so that during the summer season and next year not to injure it with inept actions. This happens for the simple reason that the roots grow in width, sometimes reaching a distance of 5 meters from a tree trunk. At the same time, they go to a depth of 15-20 cm. That is, you should not plant a bush near places where it is planned to regularly dig the earth and intensively loosen the soil. Damage to the roots may not be fatal for an adult plant, but it will definitely reduce fruiting and cause intensive growth of young animals .
Lighting
Continuing the theme, it should be noted that the dark corners of the garden are not suitable for this plant. Where the shadow from various buildings covers the soil, it is better to plant shade-loving ferns and hosts. Since it is possible to plant sea buckthorn correctly only once (its repeated digging will entail a long rehabilitation, and perhaps death), then choose a place in advance. The best choice would be the line around the perimeter of the site. Feel free to occupy all distant corners where it is not planned to break seasonal beds.
As we said, this is a photophilous tree, so avoid dark areas. Given that the useful area of our gardens is relatively small, you will have to think carefully about the location.
We are preparing a landing pit
And we continue the conversation on how to plant sea buckthorn correctly in the spring. In order for this event to go as smoothly as possible, you must first select and prepare a place for the bush. The earth must be carefully leveled, and slaked lime spread on the surface. The amount is approximate, calculated at 250 g / m2. Be sure to turn the soil over to the bayonet of the shovel and leave for two weeks so that the necessary processes occur in it. After about 14 days, fertilizer can be applied. Let's talk now about what micronutrients are needed for optimal growth and development of sea buckthorn.
Fertilizing the soil
This topic logically follows from what we talked about above. It is necessary to create all conditions for optimal growth and development of the tree, which means that you need not only to know the technique of how to plant sea buckthorn correctly, but also to take into account all the nuances. So, first of all, she needs organics. To form a huge array of fruits, a tree must absorb a tremendous amount of nutrients. In the fall, humus, compost and manure are introduced to the place of future planting. In addition, mineral fertilizers are important. You can add superphosphate, which has proven itself among summer residents, as well as complex additives. Do not forget to read the instructions in advance. You have two options for laying fertilizer. In the first case, you can distribute them over the entire area of the proposed landing, and in the second directly to each hole. Do not forget to maintain a distance between them of at least two meters.
Soil nutrition is an important indicator, but not everything. When choosing where it is better to plant sea buckthorn, be sure to pay attention to the composition and structure of the soil. Clay areas with heavy soil are poorly suited for sea buckthorn. If this is your case, then you need to add sand at the rate of 2 buckets per 1 sq. M.
Landing technique
Starting from this time, you will have your own sea buckthorn on the site. It’s very easy to plant seedlings correctly, you just need to strictly adhere to the recommendations of specialists. So, in the fall, pits were prepared at a distance of 2-2.5 meters from each other. If you plan to land in several rows, then at least 3 meters should be left between them. The holes themselves are pits with a depth of 30-40 cm and a diameter of about 50 cm. Until your work is completed, all fertilizers have been applied to the soil, which means you can patiently wait for the start of the next season.
And now let's see how to plant sea buckthorn in the spring. As soon as the soil has thawed, a small mound can be built in the hole. Plant a plant on its top, and carefully distribute the roots along the slopes. Now sprinkle them with earth to the root neck of the plant.
Trunk circle, what is it for?
Most gardeners calm down on this. The tree holds steady, you can water it and do other things. This is the wrong decision. Since it is not difficult to plant sea buckthorn in the spring with seedlings, you need to finish the job and equip a special circle for watering and feeding. It will help you out again more than once. The diameter of the trunk circle is about 70 cm. About 2 buckets of water can be immediately poured into it. At the same time, the water does not run away from the seedling, but calmly soaks up the entire necessary area. That's all, you need to mulch the soil with peat or humus to keep moisture. Now you can leave sea buckthorn alone for a week, and if the weather is mild, then two. During this time, the roots take root and begin to fulfill their function.
Young plant on your site
Some gardeners do not know what this tree is, how to care for it later, so they simply do not consider it as an alternative to ordinary gooseberries and currants. But in vain, since even a novice can plant sea buckthorn in the country, and at the same time she will willingly bear fruit every year. Its small but very healthy berries will become a pleasant variety of diet for your family.
A young seedling practically does not require additional care. All you need is done before planting, loosened and fertilized the soil, so you only need to water it sometimes, if it rains too little to moisturize naturally. In the second year, you can make nitrogen fertilizers, this will give sea buckthorn strength for a new spurt of growth and active flowering.
Now a little about loosening. We have already said that the root system of sea buckthorn lies very close to the surface. This applies to young and adult plants. However, enrichment with soil oxygen is extremely beneficial. Therefore, it is so important to choose where to plant sea buckthorn. Heavy, clay or loamy lowlands are characterized by the fact that even with regular loosening, the soil quickly coalesces and practically does not allow air to pass through, and also retains moisture. Therefore, it is better to avoid such places, or optimize the soil before planting.
So, loosening the soil should be carried out regularly. To do this, the trunk circle pass with a special spatula, to a depth of not more than 5 cm. This is done to remove weeds and enrich the root system with oxygen. The crown is formed by itself and you will not need to make a correction in the coming years.
Watering
It is good if the garden is outside the window. You can go out in the evening and water it. After a hot day, this is just a pleasure. And if for this you need to go to the summer cottage, then here the issue with the availability of free time is more acute. And more often than not, we leave such trips for the weekend. Sea buckthorn loves moisture, so you need to try to shed it very well. However, stagnant water, which often stands in swampy lowlands, can destroy it. Therefore, choosing where to plant sea buckthorn in the area, we avoid pits into which water can drain.
If spring pleases with rains, then you can do without additional watering. But when the weather is dry, you will definitely need your participation. This is especially important during flowering. In order to provide sea buckthorn with a sufficient amount of liquid, you need to pour 3-4 buckets under one young plant. An adult will need at least 70 liters. A hot summer will require regular repetition of this procedure during the flowering and fruiting period. But that is not all. With the onset of autumn, watering usually decreases. But not in the case of sea buckthorn. On the contrary, in September, watering is recommended to be increased one and a half times. This creates the conditions for active fruiting for the next year. Therefore, your trips to the country will remain regular for a long time. Then young sea-buckthorn will feel great. How to plant and care for this tree, you can additionally ask neighbors-summer residents. Surely many of them have practical experience, and have already learned from their own mistakes what to avoid. So, experienced gardeners say that too often feeding sea buckthorn is not recommended. It is enough to bring humus into the near-stem circle once every three years at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 sq. M. It will be very useful to add a glass of ash to it.
Disease protection
Like any other plant, it is not protected from various ailments and sea buckthorn. Therefore, with the onset of spring, the gardener has to perform complex processing of all fruit trees. Be sure to catch it before flowering. The most popular remedy is a solution of copper sulfate (3%). After a week, you can treat the branches with a weak Bordeaux liquid (1%). This is usually enough. If during the summer season pests appeared on the bushes, it is recommended to treat with a gentle and safe drug called Fitoverm. All other diseases are not typical for sea buckthorn, but can occur. Therefore, the treatment will be symptomatic. When black spots appear on branches and berries, mold and rot, growths of unknown origin, it is necessary to perform a double treatment from fungi and viruses.
Breeding
Since the first bushes of sea buckthorn appeared on your garden plot, several years have passed? So, you can expect that soon you will see the root offspring with which this plant reproduces. This usually occurs at the age of 4 years. If you have free space where to plant sea buckthorn, in your opinion, it would be nice, then with the onset of spring you need to chop off the sprout from the mother's root with a shovel, dig a hole and sprinkle with earth. Periodically watering, you will stimulate the early growth of your own root system. As soon as it gets stronger, you can transplant a young bush to a new place. It is important to know that the offspring does not preserve the properties of the tree from which it was separated. Therefore, it is so easy to buy game on the market.
The second method, which is also popular among gardeners, is reproduction by layering. To do this, it is enough in the spring to choose a young branch and bend to the ground. Press firmly so that it does not return to its original position. By autumn, it will give good roots, and next year it will be possible to separate from the mother plant.
We consider options
It is very important to choose which sea buckthorn is best planted on the site, because the varieties are very different from each other.
- Often, the choice of our fellow citizens is Daurian sea buckthorn. This is a low shrub whose branches do not rise higher than three meters from the ground. It is extremely convenient for harvesting. This plant is frost-resistant and has no thorns. Anyone who has already gained experience in picking berries understands the advantage well. It does not tolerate weeds, heavy soil and stagnation of water.
- Altai sea buckthorn. Ideal for growing in Siberia. There are few thorns on the trunk. The berries are very elegant, red-orange, sweet. They are easily separated from the branches, which is also convenient when assembling.
- Sea Buckthorn Beloved. Distributed almost throughout Russia. The branches are moderately prickly. The berries are orange, oval, with a dense skin, very fragrant. The taste is sour, the yield is high.
In total, about 60 varieties of sea buckthorn are indicated in the register. Each of them has certain properties. Even the berries are different for everyone, sour and sweet, yellow and red, large or small. Therefore, when choosing a variety, try to get the most complete information about it.
Instead of a conclusion
Today we told you about the features of planting and growing sea buckthorn in your summer cottage . As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this and each of you can get a decent harvest. It is only necessary to follow simple rules: to prepare light, water and breathable soil, to provide sufficient watering and top dressing. Otherwise, care is not much different from other garden plants. It is necessary to carry out preventive treatment for the most common diseases in spring and autumn. 3-4 years after planting, you can make easy pruning, which includes the removal of dry and broken branches, which only complicate the harvest and interfere with the plant. Despite the abundant harvest, the bush rarely breaks. Its branches are quite flexible and durable.