Today we will talk about where blueberries grow in Russia, and also consider this plant from all sides. Blueberries are a storehouse of vitamins that a person needs for normal life.
Blueberry
In Russian popular and scientific literature, you can find several names: marsh, stunted and swamp blueberries. Also, this plant in various regions of the country is called in its own way: blueberry, drunkard, gonoboy, dope, gonobob, etc.
What do we know?
Not everyone knows how to grow blueberries and where to find it. This is due to the fact that it is customary among the people: some berries are considered more valuable. But this is a big mistake, because other fruits remain underestimated and very in vain. For example, everyone and everything knows about blueberries, this is a berry healer, which is written about in all reference books on traditional medicine. But finding a mention of blueberries is not so simple. Some people do not even know that this berry is edible. And besides this, she is still very, very helpful. Vitamin C, which is so necessary for a person, is 2 times more in it than in blueberries.
The conversation about blueberries is caused by the fact that these berries are very often confused due to their similarity. So how do you distinguish them?
How to distinguish blueberries and blueberries?
The first thing you should pay attention to is the size of the berries. In blueberries, they are noticeably larger. Secondly, we must remember about the gray plaque, which is inherent only in blueberry. In this case, the flesh of the berry has a greenish tint. However, the surest sign is different - blueberries do not paint the mouth and hands, do not leave a bluish tint. You can eat it as much as you want, and not be afraid for a bright mark on the lips.
Natural conditions
In what conditions and where does blueberry grow ? This berry is distributed almost throughout the world, as we will discuss below. Most often it is found in swamps. It is rather difficult to attribute a berry to a certain type of vegetation, because it adapts to any environmental conditions. It will be more correct to characterize those conditions in which it most often grows. This is an area with high humidity. Winters are usually long and harsh, and summers are short and hot. Some scientists believe that sometimes blueberries grow on the fact that even the soil cannot be called by scientific standards. Usually it is soil with permafrost, a thin layer of organic matter and large pillows of moss.
Surprisingly, the plant can survive temporary flooding, extreme heat, drought, and even great cold. Given all of the above, we can conclude that most of all the plant belongs to the tundra. The most interesting thing is that on good fertile soils and on warmed slopes you will not find this berry! She does not like too good conditions. However, if you purposefully plant it on normal soil and care for it, the plant will respond with a rich harvest and excellent growth.
Where does blueberry grow in Russia? Here it is found in the Caucasus, the Urals, Altai, Siberia, the Far East. Most common in the middle tundra.
Spread
Despite the fact that the topic of the article concerns where blueberries grow in Russia, it is worth knowing that it is spread all over the world. You can find blueberries in almost any region of the Northern Hemisphere, where cold reigns. Blueberries grow well in swamps, peatlands, in the mountains, forest zone and tundra. In Eurasia, this berry is in Iceland, Great Britain. The Far East, Japan, Spain, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, North America - blueberries grow everywhere. Interestingly, one can meet both rare berry bushes stretching along the rivers, and vast territories covered with a blue “sheet” (up to several tens of square meters).
Note that the plant is so unpretentious that it sometimes bears better fruit on poor acidic soils than on rich ones. On scorched soils, it is blueberries that are best accepted.
This berry can be different. Creeping, she looks like a huge sheet. But blueberries in America look different. Here it grows almost to the height of a person and is a strong tree.
Researchers believe that of all modern fruit crops, blueberries were introduced into agricultural circulation the latest. The berry is the result of crossing seedlings. The hybrid was obtained in New Jersey in 1916. Selective methods helped to invent various varieties of berries (for juice, pies, etc.), increase its diameter, and also make it unpretentious.
Growing
How and where does blueberry grow, we have already figured out. Now let's talk about the culture of cultivation. In North America and Europe, it is not customary to plant it in small bushes. Entire plantations are planted here. But in Russia no one pays such attention. It grows most often, anywhere. Some people believe that the point is not that blueberries are not valued, but that Russians have special traditions of walking in the forest for herbs and berries, rather than growing them under their windows. However, when berry seedlings appear on the market, they are quickly taken apart. Since blueberries are very fond of acidic soils (with boundary indicators of 2.5-3), when breeding it on the farm, it is worth acidifying the soil with special preparations.
You should also know that the berry requires a lot of moisture. And although it is resistant to dryness, it is still better and faster to grow with enough water. The plant can adapt and live in cold water. However, then it acts in the same way as cacti and spruce. The leaf plate is reduced and covered with a dense skin, which helps to reduce fumes. Do not forget that the surface root system can extract useful substances not only from the deep, but also from the upper organic layers of the soil. That is why the plant grows perfectly almost without soil, on a compacted pillow of moss.
Features
We have already completed the description of the blueberry plant. We know where the berry grows and how. It remains to consider certain subtleties, which not everyone knows about. If you plant the plant at home, then for a good harvest, it is advisable to lay a dense layer of mulch between the bushes. It should consist of leaves and sawdust - this will be enough. You can add moss, this will benefit, but it is unlikely to grow under normal conditions. A large organic layer solves two problems at once. Firstly, it creates an ideal humidity mode for blueberries, and secondly, it maintains the desired level of acidity. In this case, you can not even acidify the soil artificially.
A serious problem is that often the plant survives through symbiosis with mushrooms. This interferes with cultivation. However, fungi can appear in moist soil, where there are a lot of organic substances. On clean, good soil, they are unlikely to grow, so it’s most logical to just bring spores of mushrooms from the territory where they grew. To do this, just go to the forest, find a place with high humidity, but without swampiness. As a rule, in such an area there is a thick litter from a perennial layer of organic matter.
The economic importance of blueberries
What are the beneficial properties of a berry? For human health, it is of great importance, but more on that below. Let's talk about the economic importance of the plant. Edible berries are harvested in order to eat them raw or processed. Fresh juice from blueberries is not stored for long, so you should immediately drink it or preserve it. Berries also make jam and wine. However, berries are rarely used alone. For a richer taste, they are combined with lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries, etc.
Blueberry: useful properties and contraindications
Berries are a source of valuable vitamins. However, in order to get them, you will have to try, because collecting blueberries and not damaging them is quite difficult. It is best to use it fresh when the most beneficial substances. With regular use, berries counteract radioactive radiation, strengthen the human circulatory system and blood vessels, have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, and support the functioning of the intestines and pancreas. In addition, blueberries can slow down the aging process of nerve cells and the brain. It is used for angina, hypertension, rheumatism, atherosclerosis, etc.
For diabetics, the plant is a real salvation, because it significantly lowers blood sugar. Dry berries are useful for dysentery; decoction of the leaves is used as a laxative. An important useful property of blueberries is that it enhances metabolism. Due to the large amount of antioxidants, the berry resists the appearance of cancer cells.
However, it is worth remembering about contraindications. If there is too much blueberry, it can disrupt muscle function. Pregnant and lactating women should abandon the berries so as not to cause allergies or intoxication in the baby. With biliary dyskinesia, the use of berries is prohibited.
So we figured out where blueberries grow in Russia, how to grow it, and how it is useful. Remember that everything needs a measure.