Ornamental trees and shrubs: blunt-leaved privet

Obtuse privet (also blunt-leaved privet or wolfberry) is an ornamental deciduous shrub of a densely branched type, which is very popular in Russia. The reason for this is primarily the high resistance of the variety to low temperatures, which allows the plant to be grown in regions with cold climates. In addition, privet blunt-leaved is valued for its immunity to air pollution, wind resistance, heat resistance and undemandingness to soil composition.

Description of privet

Privet blunt-leaved is a spreading shrub, the height of which varies from 2 to 3 m. The diameter of the crown of cultivated plants is approximately 2 m, of wild plants - 5 m.

Privet grows slowly - the average annual growth does not exceed 15 cm. The shoots of the bush are thin and pubescent. They are positioned horizontally and sag slightly.

The leaves of the variety are opposite, ovate. They densely cover the branches and occupy 1 plane. The length of the leaf blade is on average 5 cm. The width of the leaves does not exceed 3 cm.

The foliage color is dark green in summer, turning to rich purple in autumn.The blunt-leaved privet blooms in July, and the flowering is quite abundant. The flowers of the shrub are small, up to 1 cm in diameter. They are collected in neat dense panicles about 4-5 cm long and up to 3 cm wide. The color of the petals is white with cream notes.

Fruiting begins in late September - early October, when privet produces small purple berries with a diameter of 8 mm.

Ripe dried berries can be used as a base for tinctures.

Planting and caring for privet

You can plant blunted privet both in spring and autumn. When planting in spring, it is important to do it before the sap begins to flow. The exact dates for autumn planting are September-October.

Privet does not have any special requirements for soil composition. It grows equally well in alkaline and acidic soil, but prefers fertile areas. In poor soils, privet leaves may turn yellow.

The lighting level is also not important. The shrub is planted both in open sunny areas and in partial shade or shade. When planting near buildings, you must retreat at least 1 m from them.

Preparing seedlings and planting area

Planting material, if desired, can be treated with growth stimulants before planting in open ground.This treatment promotes better rooting of privet in a new place. The seedlings do not need any other procedures.

It is recommended to dig up the soil before planting privet. If the soil in the selected area is heavy, it can be corrected by applying fertilizers. As a corrective mixture, you can use a combination of humus, turf soil and fine-grained sand, taken in a ratio of 2:3:1.

If the soil is highly acidic, it is advisable to dilute it slightly for better growth of blunt-leaved privet. To do this, you need to add a small amount of crushed chalk or slaked lime to the soil.

Landing rules

The algorithm for planting privet blunt-leaved is as follows:

1. In the selected area, dig a hole 60-70 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. When determining the size of the planting hole, it is recommended to focus on the size of the root system of the seedling - it should fit freely into the hole without touching its walls.
2. Then the planting hole is filled with a small amount of water.
3. After the water has completely gone into the soil, the bottom of the hole is sprinkled with a drainage layer. Pieces of brick, gravel, pebbles and broken clay shards are used as drainage. The optimal layer thickness is 15-20 cm.
4. Following the drainage layer, a soil mixture diluted with complex mineral fertilizer is placed in the hole.
5. Fertilizers must be sprinkled with a small amount of soil, forming a neat hill from it. This is done in order to avoid direct contact of the roots of the seedlings with the soil mixture.
6. The root system of privet obtufolia is evenly distributed over this hill and covered with soil.In this case, the root collar of the plant should be at ground level; it cannot be buried.
7. The tree trunk area is lightly pressed down and watered.
8. For better moisture retention and growth prevention weed seedlings are mulched with old sawdust or bark. You can also use non-acidic peat.

If blunt-leaved privet is planted to create a hedge, instead of planting holes, a trench of the same depth and width is dug in the area. The recommended distance between 2 adjacent bushes is 45-50 cm.

Watering and fertilizing

Young seedlings need frequent watering - they do not tolerate soil drying out well. The surface of the earth in the area of ​​the tree trunk circle should not dry out.

Mature privet bushes are watered only during periods of prolonged drought. On average, 1 plant requires 2 to 3 buckets of water; during the growing season, this amount is increased to 4 buckets. The rest of the time, especially in the presence of frequent rains, natural rainfall is enough for privet.

In the spring, blunt-leaved privet is fed with organic fertilizers. To do this, add a bucket of humus or compost to the tree trunk circle. The fertilizer is additionally diluted with granulated superphosphate (no more than 10 g of substance per 1 m²). Fertilizing with ash has worked well.

After feeding, the tree trunk circle must be properly watered.

In the fall, it is recommended to feed blunted privet with mineral fertilizers, preferably after pruning the bushes.Potassium and phosphorus are primarily used as fertilizing at this time of year.

Trimming

Privet blunt-leaved must be pruned regularly, as the shrub grows very quickly. If the bush is not given the desired shape in time, it will soon lose its attractive appearance. On the other hand, active shoot formation hides all mistakes made during pruning.

The seedling is pruned for the first time soon after planting, when it has taken root in its new location. The procedure consists of removing the ends of the branches, after which the privet will take on a compact shape. After the shoots have grown by about 10 cm, they are cut off again.

Privet blunt-leaved is formed in this way 2-3 years after planting, twice a season, in spring and summer. Adult plants are pruned 3-4 times a year. In addition to the tops of young branches, old and dried shoots are also removed.

The shape of the hedge is adjusted using the twine. It is sometimes recommended to trim old blunt privet bushes to almost the entire length of the shoots in order to rejuvenate the bush.

You can learn more about the features of pruning blunted privet from the video below:

Preparing for winter

Privet blunt-leaved is a cold-resistant plant that can withstand frosts down to -32... -34C, so adult shrubs do not need additional shelter. They only need natural protection from the cold in the form of snow. Moreover, even if blunted privet freezes slightly in particularly harsh winters, the plant quickly recovers in the spring.

It is better to bend young seedlings to the ground for the winter and cover them with spruce branches. Before this, the tree trunk circle is mulched.

Reproduction

Privet obtufolia can be propagated both by seeds and by vegetative methods.The seed method is rarely used, since seed germination is low. In addition, with such breeding, blunted privet loses some of its varietal qualities.

Vegetative methods of propagation include:

• dividing the bush;
• formation of layering;
• cuttings

By dividing the bush, privet blunt-leaved is propagated as follows:

1. The bush is dug up and a shoot with a sufficiently developed root system and buds is separated from it.
2. The branch is cleaned a little, leaving no more than 6 buds on it.
3. The roots of the separated part of the privet are shortened if they are too long. They are then soaked in a growth stimulant. You can use the drug “Kornevin” for this.
4. The seedling is buried in pre-moistened soil at an angle of 40-45°C and covered with plastic film or glass.

Reproduction of blunted privet by layering is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. In June, the shoot from the bottom of the bush is pressed to the ground and its end is slightly buried.
2. During the summer, it is watered in the same way as the mother bush.
3. The next year, when the shoot has formed a full-fledged root system, it is finally separated from the bush and replanted.

There is another way to propagate privet, in which you do not need to add layering. It looks like this:

1. The surface of the selected branch is lightly scratched with a needle. 2-3 scratches are enough.
2. Moistened soil is poured into a plastic bag and fixed to the shoot. In this case, the ground must be in contact with the damaged area. For better contact, the bag is attached to the branch using tape.
3. When the bag is filled with roots, the shoot is cut off and replanted.

Cuttings are the most effective way to propagate privet obtufolia, and, therefore, the most popular.The survival rate of planting material with this dilution is 90-100%. Summer cuttings are best suited for this.

The cutting procedure is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. In the summer, after the privet has faded, mature shoots are selected from the bush and cut off at an angle.
2. The resulting cuts are divided again into parts of 10-15 cm, while the incision is also made diagonally.
3. The cuttings are cleaned by removing the leaves at the bottom, after which the bottom is treated with growth stimulants.
4. Then the planting material is buried in turf soil, sprinkled with coarse sand on top. Deepening is carried out at an angle of 45°C.
5. Containers with cuttings are covered with glass or film to create a greenhouse environment.
6. After 10-15 days, the seedlings form the first roots.
7. Within 2-3 months, they develop a full-fledged root system, but privet cannot be replanted yet. Cuttings must be grown throughout the year.
8. If the roots become too large, the plants are transplanted into larger containers.
9. When the seedlings reach a height of 50 cm, they can be moved to a permanent location. This usually happens in the spring of next year.

Diseases and pests

Privet blunt-leaved is resistant to most diseases. The danger of infection arises only when planted in soil with high acidity - this arrangement makes the plantings vulnerable to powdery mildew and spotting. As a preventative measure in this case, it is recommended to periodically dilute the soil with crushed lime or dolomite flour.

Resistance to pests is also quite high, but sometimes blunted privet is still affected by insects. Of particular danger to shrubs are:

• aphid;
• scale insect;
• spider mite;
• thrips;
• mealybugs.

Against them, the blunt-leaved privet is sprayed with insecticides. The following drugs effectively control pests:

• "Aktellik";
• "ExtraFlor";
• "Fitoverm".

Conclusion

Privet dulled is an unpretentious frost-resistant shrub that looks good both in single plantings and as part of a hedge. Planting the plant is not difficult; caring for privet is also simple. The undoubted advantage of this garden crop is the active shoot formation, thanks to which plantings can be given almost any shape.

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