Content
Planting and caring for chokeberry does not require special skills or craftsmanship. Vigorous, resilient chokeberry develops well, receiving minimal care typical of fruit trees and bushes in the garden. Proper planting largely determines the further development of black rowan. The culture has few peculiarities and vagaries. But only by taking them into account, you can grow truly beautiful, healthy and productive black chokeberry.
How to plant chokeberry
Errors made when choosing a time or place, insufficient soil preparation, or improper placement of chokeberry seedlings in the soil may not have an immediate impact. Correcting such defects can be difficult.
For successful cultivation of chokeberry, the main requirement for the planting site is sufficient lighting.Chokeberry lays fruit buds along the entire periphery of the bush; for full flowering and uniform growth, a lot of sunlight is needed. Even partial shading has a bad effect on the decorative effect of black rowan.
Self-pollinating black chokeberry is able to bloom and bear fruit in single plantings. And yet, proximity to related crops (for example, red rowan) has a beneficial effect on productivity. The ability of chokeberry to tolerate pruning well and grow in dense groups is used when creating free-form hedges.
Where to plant chokeberry
The unpretentious chokeberry can take root in a variety of soils. It grows on sandy, rocky slopes, and in wetlands. But still, the best results are obtained by growing chokeberries on well-drained loams with low acidity. Loose fertile soil and a sunny place are the best choice for chokeberry.
The bulk of the root system of black rowan lies no deeper than 50 cm. It is not afraid of spring flooding. Groundwater that comes close to the surface does not cause any harm to black chokeberry.
When to plant chokeberry
Early spring is suitable for planting chokeberry. When choosing dates, pay attention to the climatic conditions in a particular area: the duration of the warm period, the severity of the climate, the presence of recurrent frosts.
Healthy chokeberry planting material for spring work should have swollen, living buds, but still without leaves. Chokeberry should be planted in the spring after the soil has completely thawed. It is advisable to complete the work before the active growing season begins. Most often this period is observed in April. Planting in the spring gives young black chokeberries a full season to actively grow before going into winter.
Sudden cold snaps in spring are dangerous for young shoots. When there is a threat of return frosts in the spring, black chokeberry seedlings are covered.
How to plant chokeberry correctly
The planting site, as well as the nutrient substrate for the roots, is prepared in advance. The minimum pit size for a chokeberry seedling is 50 cm in width and depth. Even if the rowan roots are small, the place is prepared as standard. The entire volume of the planting pit will be used by the chokeberry during the growth of the bush.
The soil removed when digging a hole is mixed with humus (10 kg), wood ash (about 2 tbsp.) and 1 tbsp. superphosphate. Seats are located at a distance of 3 m from each other. When forming a hedge from black rowan, a slight thickening is permissible, but not closer than 2 m.
The process of planting chokeberry step by step:
- The planting hole is filled 1/3 with the prepared nutrient substrate.
- Spray with well-settled water and wait until it is completely absorbed into the soil.
- The chokeberry seedling is placed in the center of the hole so that after planting the root collar is above the soil.
- The hole is completely filled with fertile substrate, and the soil is pressed around the seedling.
- The chokeberry planting site is watered abundantly. After the soil has settled, it is mulched with a layer of about 2 cm.
What can be planted next to chokeberry
An important factor when choosing a neighborhood for chokeberry is the height of the plants. The chokeberry's requirement for light requires care that surrounding trees and bushes do not shade it even partially.
So, when planting chokeberry and red rowan next to each other, the first one is placed further south. She finds it harder to bear the shadow of her tall relative. Any types of wild and cultivated varieties of rowan get along well side by side and benefit from cross-pollination.
Black chokeberry easily tolerates any neighborhood in the garden. It is not planted only near cherries, due to the presence of pests (aphids and sawflies) that attack both plants. Other garden trees and shrubs tolerate planting well next to chokeberry.
Garden crops also have no contraindications for growing in the same area as chokeberry. However, sometimes there is mutual infestation of aphids in chokeberries with berry crops: strawberries, raspberries, currants.
Is it possible to plant chokeberry near an apple tree?
The apple tree is one of the most tolerant trees in the garden. Like chokeberry, it is undemanding to its neighbors. Joint planting can be beneficial for both crops, provided they do not shade each other.
By leaving some of the black berries on the chokeberry, birds are attracted to the garden. Such natural destruction of pests benefits the apple tree. Preventive treatments of crops against diseases can be carried out together, at the same time, with the same preparations. Therefore, the proximity of black rowan and apple trees can be called successful.
How to transplant chokeberry to a new place
With timely planting and good care, black rowan quickly turns into a large bush, and after 2–3 years it begins to bear fruit. But sometimes there is a need to move an adult plant to another place. It is better to carry out such work in early spring, before the leaves bloom on the chokeberry.
The vitality of chokeberry allows it to take root successfully even in adulthood. If a well-developed, dense bush is replanted, then chokeberry can be propagated at the same time. To do this, the dug up plant is divided into several parts by the root, and the resulting “divisions” are planted as independent seedlings.
Painless transplantation of chokeberry as a whole bush:
- The plant is dug deep around the perimeter of the trunk circle (at least 1 m in diameter).
- Using a shovel, cut out as large a fragment of soil as possible with roots.
- The lump of earth should be carefully removed from the soil, slowly lifting the rowan tree by its branches.
- Having laid the roots on burlap or other dense material, transport the black chokeberry to a new location.
The planting pit is prepared according to the size of the resulting coma. Having moistened the soil abundantly, place the chokeberry roots into it no deeper than in the previous place.
A correctly performed transplant will not be a shock to an adult black rowan. According to gardeners, chokeberry bushes can bear fruit in the same season.
How to grow chokeberry
Black chokeberry is tolerant of frost and drought and can grow independently without special attention.But truly gorgeous bushes and an abundance of berries are obtained by gardeners who follow the necessary agricultural practices. Regular pruning of chokeberry, weeding, loosening, several waterings per season, a little fertilizing is all that is required for the normal development of the crop.
How to prune chokeberry
The first formation is required by the chokeberry during planting. The branches are shortened to reduce the load on the root system and to give the black chokeberry bushes the required shape in the future. The position of the last bud on the stem determines the direction of growth of future shoots.
An adult, well-formed chokeberry consists of 10–12 skeletal branches. Rejuvenation of the plant, replacing old shoots with young shoots, begins at the 8th year of chokeberry life. Even a weakened, thickened chokeberry can be brought back to life. Bushes completely cut to the ground are restored within a season. Black berries will appear on such chokeberries in a year.
The main work on pruning chokeberry is carried out in early spring. All old, cracked, dried branches must be removed. Chokeberry lends itself well to shaping: in a few years it can be given the appearance of a spherical bush or miniature tree.
It should be remembered that black rowan plants the next year's harvest at the tips of the branches. Therefore, when cutting off the tops of the shoots, you should accept a temporary loss of yield.
How can you feed chokeberry?
Spring work on caring for chokeberries can be started by applying nitrogen fertilizers to the tree trunk.Chokeberry responds well to both organic and mineral compounds.
Re-fertilize rowan during or after flowering. Potassium preparations and pollination with ash are preferred for chokeberry. The third top dressing may consist of a mixture of phosphorus and potassium complex fertilizers. It is important not to fertilize chokeberry with nitrogen from the second half of summer. Even manure applied late can slow down the preparation of branches and lead to freezing of non-lignified shoots.
Rules for proper watering
Viable chokeberry, when planted and cared for in open ground, can go for a long time without watering. More often than not, rainfall is sufficient for a resilient crop to survive. But luxurious flowering, bright foliage and an abundance of black fruits can only be achieved by abundantly moistening the chokeberry at the following times:
- in early spring, if there is little melted snow and insufficient precipitation, the first deep watering is carried out;
- in the summer, if the fruit-filling period coincides with dry times, the chokeberry is watered a second time.
The bulk of the roots of chokeberry lie shallow, however, each plant requires at least 40 liters of water for proper watering.
Mulching and loosening the soil
Watering can be combined with feeding chokeberry and weeding weed. The moistened soil is loosened and covered with a layer of mulch. A layer of herbaceous residues (without seeds) protects the soil from drying out, and also significantly reduces the time spent on subsequent loosening and weeding around the chokeberry.
Is it possible to grow chokeberry from seeds?
The chokeberry bush is propagated in different ways: cuttings, layering, root division, suckers. But even with only the fruits of the variety you like, it is quite possible to grow chokeberry from seeds. This method is more complicated than vegetative propagation and has several features.
Rules for seed growing of black rowan:
- purchased or own planting material requires cold stratification for at least 90 days;
- before placing in the refrigerator, black rowan seeds are soaked for a day, then dried a little;
- before planting, the material should be warmed at room temperature;
- sand and sawdust are added to the substrate for chokeberry seedlings to lighten the structure;
- Bury chokeberry seeds into the soil by 5–7 cm.
The emerging chokeberry sprouts should be watered regularly and planted, as they grow, in separate containers. The plants will be ready for removal into open ground by autumn next year.
Chokeberry diseases
With proper planting and minimal care of chokeberry, the resistant plant does not suffer from anything. A healthy bush exhibits high immunity to viral and bacterial infections and is of little interest to pests. Most black chokeberry diseases noted by gardeners are caused by various strains of fungi:
- peripheral rot – affects wood;
- cytosporosis – leads to withering of branches, death of bark;
- ramularia, septoria, phyllostictosis spots – the leaves of the chokeberry are the first to be destroyed;
- fruit rot chokeberry appears on the berries.
Provoking factors for the appearance of a fungal infection on chokeberry can be cracking of the bark, weakening of the plant during a period of drought or after wintering, as well as thickening of the bushes. Diseases are especially activated during a cold, prolonged spring with heavy rainfall.
The methods for combating all fungal infections of black chokeberry are the same:
- Double preventive treatment of rowan bushes with Bordeaux mixture (1%): before leafing and after flowering.
- Destruction of all infected residues during sanitary pruning of chokeberry.
- At the first signs of infection in the garden, the soil around the chokeberry is shed with copper-containing solutions.
If damage to the chokeberry could not be avoided, continue treatment with iron sulfate. Diseased berries, stems, and leaves should be collected and destroyed. Dead black rowan plants are removed from the site along with the roots and burned. Chemical preparations used for spraying include: HOM, foundationazol, Abiga-Pik, and other systemic fungicides.
Pests of chokeberry
Black chokeberry has no specific pests; all insects are capable of causing damage to other garden and wild crops. Therefore, their appearance, even in small quantities, should not be ignored.
Pests of chokeberry:
- rapeseed bug – a black beetle with a metallic tint to the elytra, appears en masse in August;
- willow weevil – a jumping black insect with a downward-curved rostrum, appears at the end of May, whitish larvae eat leaves from the inside;
- different types of sawflies, affecting wild trees, garden crops, berry fields;
- beech moth and leaf roller – small butterflies that appear in April, their caterpillar larvae cause enormous damage to foliage.
You can protect chokeberries, as well as other garden plants from pests, by regularly carrying out the following activities:
- When the buds swell and after flowering, the branches are sprayed with one of the preparations: Karbofos, Kemifos, Fufanon, Actellik.
- Fallen leaves and chokeberry fruits are collected and burned.
- If pests appear en masse, repeat the treatments, taking a break before picking the berries.
An important measure of protection against pests is the spring treatment of all plantings in the garden. Prevention is required not only for fruit trees or berry bushes.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for chokeberry does not cause problems even for novice gardeners. Viable chokeberry, with proper agricultural technology, is decorative from early spring until frost. Yields of black, healthy berries increase noticeably with appropriate care and timely disease prevention.
