Planting and caring for a snowberry - a successful cultivation experience
A deciduous shrub of the genus honeysuckle in its wild form is found only on the American continent. Of the 15 species of ornamental plants in our latitudes, the white snowberry is the most popular. Planting and caring for a snowberry is not difficult and does not take much time. Its bushes adorn gardens and parks, its fruits help wintering birds of the Central region survive the cold season.
Description of the plant
At the end of summer, in July or August, the snowfield blooms: flowers of the correct shape are collected in a racemose inflorescence of 5-15 pieces. Good honey plant, late flowering shrub allows bees to prepare for winter.
In autumn, the snowberry bushes are unusually decorative: juicy spherical drupes up to 2 cm in diameter are tightly pressed against each other. The fruits of the snowfield, depending on the type of plant, are found in red, black-purple color, most often - white with snow-white crumbly pulp.
Snowfields with red fruits do not winter well and grow in the conditions of the Central region - they prefer mild winters and nutritious chernozems. Bushes with the usual white berries are very undemanding to soil conditions and can withstand -30 degrees.
In addition to their high winter hardiness, the snow berry bushes have a unique property: they do not care about exhaust gases and smoke - an invaluable quality in a metropolis.
Pros and cons of snow berry
The gardeners of the Middle Lane came to the yard with an unpretentious ornamental shrub. In contrast to the thermophilic and soil-demanding species with pink fruits, the classic snowberry is ideal for growing in the Central Region:
- completely undemanding to the light regime - it grows in the sun and partial shade;
- grows in wet lowlands and dry hills;
- practically does not suffer from fungal diseases;
- in our latitudes, a native of America has not acquired dangerous pests.
The bush is distinguished by long flowering and retains its decorative appearance almost all year round. Openwork young greens with fragrant flowers are replaced by weighty lumps of snow berries.
There is still no consensus on the harmful effects of snowfield berries on the human body. Due to the high content of acids and saponin, the fruits of the snowfield are considered dangerous. An adult will not eat them, and a small child can taste beautiful berries - this is absolutely contraindicated.
Forest animals and birds feed on the fruits of the snowfield in winter - frost destroys hazardous substances. The Indians of North America knew about the medicinal properties of the snow berry bush - they treated stomach ulcers with fresh juice. Wild fruits are still used in the production of dosage forms.
Traditional medicine recipes use the snowfield to treat skin diseases, non-healing wounds, inflammation, and even tuberculosis.
Do not forget about the toxic properties of snow berries and consult a doctor for recommendations on the method of treatment and dosage.
Snezhnik - planting an unpretentious bush
A snow berry bush is ideal for decorating a summer cottage.For planting a bush, any free place will fit: in the sun or in the shade, on a hillock or in a damp lowland - an unpretentious plant feels great in any conditions.
You can get acquainted with the technology of autumn planting of a snowberry in general terms from the video:
A snowberry planted on a crumbling slope with tenacious branched roots will stop soil erosion.
You can plant snow berry bushes in both spring and autumn. With enough attention to planting, seedlings take root well, planted even in the summer heat. For the rapid growth of a young plant, planting should be done in a soil prepared in advance.
What you need to know about planting a snowfield
For a separately located bush, a planting pit 50 x 50 cm with a depth of 50 ... 60 cm is prepared.
Planting snowberry layering for formation hedge produced in a trench of a similar section (50 x 60 cm). Given the spreading shape of an adult bush, the density of planting layers should be at least
- . 150 cm - for single plants;
- 4-5 plants per running meter - in a hedge trench.
A trench or pit for planting a snowberry in the fall is prepared in advance - in spring, and for spring planting - for the winter. A period of time is necessary for soil shrinkage and averaging of the nutrient composition with which the pit was filled.
At the bottom of the pit (trench) 10 ... 15 cm of drainage is laid and filled with separately prepared soil mixture:
- 1 part coarse river sand;
- one part of compost or loose humus;
- 1 part peat;
- 600 g per bush wood ash;
- 200 g dolomite flour per bush;
- 200 g superphosphate per bush.
After a 2-week period (the minimum time for soil shrinkage), snowberry seedlings are planted. It is most convenient to plant seedlings with a closed root system. Transplanting with a clod of earth is painless for the plant. Such an operation is not tied to the season.
When planting, it is necessary to control the depth of the snowfield seedling. After watering and subsidence of the soil, the root collar of the plant should be flush with the soil surface.
For guaranteed quick acclimatization, the layering in a new place and good contact of the root system with the soil is recommended to dip its roots into a clay mash before planting. The first 4-5 days after planting, the snowberry is watered daily at the rate of 3 ... 5 liters per bush.
Layers for planting an ornamental bush can be obtained independently in any quantity.
A very simple method of obtaining seedlings
A variant of grafting: a snowfield shrub easily forms layering by the "Chinese" method: the branches of the bush are buried to a depth of 2 ... 5 cm and fixed with a stone or a wire bracket. Depending on the conditions, the new bush is ready for transplanting in a maximum of six months.
Snowfield care
After planting a snowberry bush, minimal care is required. The implementation of simple rules of agricultural technology will not take much time:
- Mulching near the trunk circle with 8 ... 10 cm layer of peat solves the problem of regular watering, weeding and loosening of the soil.
- Watering the snowberry is given only in extreme heat - 15 ... 20 l / bush.
- In the fall, the trunk circle is dug up.
- Sanitary pruning of the bush is carried out in early spring.
- In mid-April (Central Region), they give additional fertilizing: 5 ... 6 kg (1 bucket) of humus or compost, 100 g of superphosphate and potassium salt are introduced into the trunk circle for digging.
- The second top dressing is given in the middle of the season (July-August) - 50 g of Agricola is dissolved in 10 liters of water for 1 bush.
There is no need to worry about the wintering of the white snowberry - all its hybrids easily tolerate 30-degree frost.
Ornamental trimming of bushes is carried out at the end of May-June - a month before flowering. This prudence allows the plant to form flower buds on already shortened branches. A neatly trimmed bush or hedge in flowers or hung with fruits is doubly decorative and will delight you with a beautiful view until next spring.