The rowan rowan is a beautiful plant, characterized by year-round decor with contrasting attire, dynamically changing depending on the season.
The beauty of four seasons
In early spring, rowan-tree rowan, planting and caring for which is not particularly difficult, dresses in a transparent net of young foliage. At the beginning of summer, fully bloomed green leaves become the backdrop for chic white inflorescences.
In the second half of the hot season, in the process of ripening berries, there is another change of colors; the most juicy shades can be admired in the middle of autumn. In winter, mountain ash with clusters of snow-covered grapes becomes the most beautiful inhabitant of a sleeping garden.
Description of rowanberry
The oak-leaved mountain ash is a spectacular tall (from 10 to 12 meters in height) representative of the genus Sorbus. At a young age, it is characterized by a narrow pyramidal crown, which over time takes a spherical shape with a diameter of 5-7 meters. The leaves at the base are simple, with a deep (almost to the veins) dissection; closer to the apex, less dissected and similar in shape to oak leaves. Leaf plates in the upper plane are painted in a dark green tone, light underneath (grayish or white), covered with fluff. Shoots under the age of 2 years are characterized by gray-brown color, light brown color is inherent in old branches.
Of the oak-leafed, rowan intermediate is most popular, most found in northern Europe, in the countries of Scandinavia and the Baltic. For binding to the place, the plant is also called the "Swedish" mountain ash. The tree reaches a height of 12-15 meters. Unlike oak- leafed mountain ash with complex leaves, the intermediate mountain ash has solid and simple leafy plates with shallow, very pubescent blades, which makes the leafy crown seem silver. Falling foliage occurs after the first frost. The bark of the trunk is smooth, has a gray color. Inflorescences are wide, corymbose, pubescent. Flowers in diameter - about 1.2 cm. Fruits are red-orange in color, up to 1 cm in diameter, when consumed fresh, they are bitter.
The value of rowan fruits
The berries are dense, juicy orange in color, with felt pubescence. Ripen at the end of September. Fresh are not very tasty, as they have a tart-bitter taste due to the high content of tannin. When the berries are frozen, this drawback disappears partially, while processing and drying - completely. For the qualitative preservation of available nutrients, the collection of fruits is recommended to be made in whole bunches.
In the fruits of mountain ash there is a whole range of useful substances: nutritious vitamins, sugars, pectins, organic acids. By the presence of vitamin C, mountain ash is close to lemon and blackcurrant; in terms of carotene content even surpasses carrots. To meet the daily need for vitamins P and C, as well as carotene, it is enough to consume one bunch per day. By filling biologically active compounds, rowan fruits occupy the first positions among garden crops.
Rowan fruits have decongestant and choleretic properties, can inhibit fermentation processes in the intestine. In folk medicine, they are widely used as a diuretic and tonic, significantly reduce capillary fragility and are beneficial for cholesterol metabolism. Since ancient times, a therapeutic culture has been valued for its anti-scurvy properties; today it is used in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Fresh berry juice helps with hemorrhoids and gastritis, its use is useful for low acidity of gastric juice - before eating a teaspoon.
Mountain ash in traditional medicine
Rowan leaves containing a large number of volatile and vitamins also possess medicinal properties. This feature allows you to use leaf mass when growing domestic animals and birds as a useful top dressing. In order to avoid the development of rot, root crops and tubers are shifted when laying on a sheet of rowan for storage. It is believed that vegetables planted in the rows of garden crops will not be affected by fungal diseases.
There is a belief that oak-leafed mountain ash has cleansing properties and is able to make marsh and musty water suitable for drinking. For this, a fresh branch of the plant is required to be immersed in the liquid. After 3 hours, the unpleasant odor and taste will disappear, and pathogenic microbes will die.
Growing area
The mountain ash is oak-leaved, the useful properties of which are highly appreciated by connoisseurs of traditional medicine, is characterized by high development activity and annually gives 30-50 cm of growth. The average life expectancy is 60-120 years. Garden culture is unpretentious to the conditions of detention and is able to develop in conditions that are uncomfortable for many garden plants. Most of all, he prefers fertile moist lands mixed with lime. Mountain ash oak (intermediate or Swedish) is used in urban landscaping, for casing highways and roads. True, due to gas contamination, soil contamination, the use of icing reagents and the high pedestrian load that compacts the soil, the life of oak rowan in a metropolis is reduced by 10-20 years. But this absolutely does not affect the fruiting dates of such an attractive crop: the first rowanberry yields in the 8-10th year of planting.
Mountain ash in landscape design
Being an excellent decoration of the garden, oak-leaf mountain ash perfectly combines in plantings with fir, spruce, pine; harmoniously looks among ash-trees and lindens. Effective in hedges and group plantings (in the foreground and background), it is a beautiful background for perennial herbaceous plants. Many types of mountain ash easily get along with honeysuckle, barberry, rose, spirea, viburnum.
Due to the structure of the root system, the plant normally grows in territories that are inconvenient for other crops, which allows it to be used to strengthen the walls of ravines.
Development conditions
The mountain ash is oak-leaved, the description of which causes a great desire to acquire such a plant on its own site, is a drought-resistant and frost-resistant crop, unpretentious to soils. Uncomfortable to the plant on sandy and peaty-swampy lands. Growth and development are detrimental to the proximity of groundwater and excessive soil moisture. Garden culture is demanding on light. With its deficiency, it can grow up to 20 meters, while losing the shape of the crown and natural grace. A valuable quality of mountain ash is high winter hardiness, so the plant can be planted in regions with harsh climates.
Rowan planting
The best time to plant mountain ash is autumn. At the bottom of the pit, in which oak-rowan rowan will be located, the main fertilizer should be laid, consisting of 2 parts of compost or rotted manure and 1 part of fertile soil (upper layer of soil obtained during digging of the planting pit) and river sand.
The mountain ash is oak-leaved, the seedlings of which can be purchased at any garden store, characterized by rapid survival. The prices of planting material are diverse. For example, a 2-meter tree costs from 500 to 1500 rubles.
At first, it is important for a plant to provide watering in too hot weather and the removal of weeds in the area of the trunk circle.
Feeding Activities
Feeding is recommended to start from the third year of life:
- in early spring, before flowering, it is recommended to apply 20 g of nitrogen, 15 g of potash and 25 g of phosphate fertilizers per 1 meter square truncated circle;
- in the summer season - 10 g of potash and phosphorus and 15 g of nitrogen fertilizers;
- in the fall, after harvesting, 10 g of potassium and phosphorus preparations.
Fertilizers should be scattered over the surface of the soil, and then repacked to a depth of 15 cm by digging. Further, the soil is recommended to be moistened.
Of the pests, the plant can be affected by mountain ash moth, which can actively multiply and infect neighboring fruit trees, preferring apple trees. Due to the high content of volatile fungal diseases, mountain ash is rarely affected.
Reproduction: methods
The mountain ash is oak-leaved, the fruits of which are valued for its rich vitamin composition, propagated in several ways: seed, grafting and grafting. The seed method is the simplest, but longer in time than the rest. First, the seeds of the plant need to arrange a long stratification, starting in the fall. Then, before landing, soak for 3-4 hours. Sowing is recommended to be done in the autumn, with warming of crops with mulch (a thick layer of fallen leaves). Plants obtained from seedlings are also recommended to be planted at a constant place of growth in autumn.
How does the rowan rowan tree propagate by vaccination? The price of plant seedlings may not be affordable for everyone, since it is quite high, so rowan can be propagated independently. Almost all plant varieties are grafted on the mountain ash in late July - early August. The form of this procedure is budding with a sleeping “eye”.
Propagation by cuttings is characterized by a high percentage of rooting of young plants - about 60%.
Rowan in cooking
The fruits are used in the preparation of jams, compotes, kvass, jelly, liquors, candy, candied fruit; in dry or dried form, they can be stored at room temperature and consumed throughout the entire vitamin-free period.
At home, delicious jelly is prepared from mountain ash. Rowan is collected after freezing or specially frozen in the refrigerator, washed, poured with water per 1 cup of berries, 2 cups of water. Boil for 10-15 minutes. The mass is squeezed and boiled from 1 kg of sugar to 2/3 of the original volume. Hot poured into glass containers and rolled up.