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Barberry Natasha is a plant that grows in its original form in the Far East. It was spread to North America and Europe by gardeners who valued the culture for its high decorative value.
Description of barberry Natasha
The plant is a deciduous shrub capable of growing up to 2.5 m in height. When cultivated in specially created conditions, barberry rarely exceeds 1 m.
Description of barberry Thunberg Natasha: the plant has arched ribbed shoots, distinguished by a bright red or red-orange hue. Gradually they change color to brown and brown.
The buds of barberry Natasha are reddish and ovoid in shape. Their length reaches 5 mm. The leaf blades are diamond-oval or round in shape, can be rounded at the top and resemble a wedge at the base.
The leaf plates are located on petioles, their maximum length is 2-3 cm and width 1 cm. The upper side of the leaf has a juicy green tint, and the lower side is bluish in color. In autumn they turn bright red or yellow.
The branches of the plant are equipped with thin thorns. Flowers can be arranged either singly or form bell-shaped clusters in early May.In September-October, elongated fruits of coral-red color ripen.
Gardeners prefer Barberry Natasha, photos of which confirm the unusual appearance of the plant. The culture is popular and due to the fact that it is unpretentious in care, it gets along well with other representatives of the flora.
Planting and caring for the barberry variety Thunberg Natasha
The optimal time for planting is autumn. A seedling transferred to the ground has time to take root before the onset of cold weather and quickly begins to grow after the snow melts. If planting is necessary in spring, the procedure is carried out before the buds open.
If it is necessary to plant bushes separately, leave a distance of at least 1.5-2 m between them. To form a hedge, you need to place 4 bushes one after the other. Gradually, barberry Natasha will grow and occupy the surrounding area.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
Barberry Natasha is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and high vitality, but following the basic rules of agricultural technology will allow you to obtain a worthy ornamental plant. The seedling prefers neutral soil, but grows well in acidic soil.
To make a soil mixture, humus, garden soil and sand are mixed in equal proportions. If it is necessary to transfer the plant to acidic soil, the soil is mixed with limestone.
Preparing a seedling consists of purchasing it and treating it with a stimulant. The main requirement for barberry Natasha is a strong root system and the presence of buds on the branches.
Landing rules
If you give preference to a sunny area, the foliage will quickly acquire a yellow or red tint, while in darkened gardens, Natasha barberry retains the green tint of its leaf blades.
Landing algorithm:
- Prepare a hole at least 0.5 m deep.
- Place the prepared substrate into the hole.
- Transfer the seedling to the hole, straighten the roots in a natural position.
- Fill the hole with soil and compact it tightly around the bush.
It is important to moisten the soil at the end of the process to activate the growth and rooting processes.
Watering and fertilizing
The basis for caring for barberry Natasha includes not only moistening the soil and applying fertilizers, but also loosening the soil, removing weed.
Under favorable weather conditions with periodic precipitation, watering is not necessary. Intense heat causes the need for additional soil moisture. Watering is carried out with warm water at the root, it is necessary to avoid getting liquid on the leaf plates.
Keeping the soil moist is essential for newly planted bushes until they take root.
Excessive watering or bad weather negatively affects the plant, increasing the risk of its death.
Bushes should be fed with fertilizers annually. Preparations containing nitrogen are useful for barberry Natasha. When growing a crop for its fruits, it is fed with potassium and phosphorus.
The best option for applying fertilizer is to use the Kemira-Universal solution, which is used to water the soil in early July.
Trimming
Shortening shoots is an infrequent procedure that is carried out when necessary: disruption of shoot growth, its strong deviation from the crown. Damaged or dried branches must be removed. Pruning is carried out before sap flow begins.
Preparing for winter
Initially, all weeds are removed and the soil is mulched. To preserve the root system, it is recommended to leave fallen leaves under the bush, and cover the lower part of the plant with snow in winter. The above-ground part is pulled with ropes and wrapped in fabric. The barberry bush Natasha can be left either in an upright position or bent to the ground.
Reproduction
There are several ways to propagate barberry Natasha. One of them is seeds. To obtain them, ripe berries are collected, the seeds are separated from the pulp and placed in a solution of potassium permanganate, then dried.
In autumn, the seeds are placed in the soil to a depth of 1 cm and lightly sprinkled with earth. In the spring, after 2-3 leaves appear, the plantings are thinned out and the cultivation of bushes continues for 2 years. After time has passed, they are seated.
For propagation by cuttings, they are first prepared: they are cut in mid-July, the leaf plates from the bottom are removed, and the top ones are shortened by half. After this, the plant is placed for 2-3 hours in a growth stimulator - this is Epin, Kornevin. At the end of the procedure, the cuttings are washed and transferred to a moist substrate consisting of humus, peat and fertile soil.
A plastic dome is formed over the planted cuttings, which is periodically removed to ventilate the plant. After the root system has formed (the process takes about 2 weeks), all fences are removed.It is recommended to grow young barberry in a greenhouse bed for 2 years, after which the bush is transferred to a permanent habitat.
Another method of reproduction is layering. In the spring, a strong one-year-old shoot is selected from the Natasha barberry bush, which is bent to the ground and fixed. The top is lightly sprinkled with soil, leaving only the top.
By autumn, the cuttings will have formed a root system, which will allow the seedling to be separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a new location.
It is convenient to divide low bushes 3-5 years old into seedlings. To do this, the bush is dug up in the spring and cut into equal parts. To separate the roots of barberry, it is recommended to stock up on a saw, which should be used to carefully carry out the procedure, avoiding unnecessary trauma to the plant.
At the end of the work, the sections are treated with crushed coal and distributed among the plots. Bushes whose shoots branch above ground level are not suitable for division.
Diseases and pests
The main pests of barberry Natasha are aphids and moths. The plant is saved from the latter by treating it with Chlorophos or Decis. To get rid of aphids, it is recommended to spray plants with folk remedies in the spring (300 g of soap per 10 liters of water, or 0.5 kg of shag per 10 liters of soap solution). If the procedures are ineffective, treatment is carried out with acaricides - Aktare or Aktellika.
If a whitish coating (powdery mildew) is detected on the leaf blades, the Natasha barberry bushes are sprayed with a sulfur-lime mixture. If the shoots are completely damaged, they are cut off and burned.
Spotting is characterized by the appearance of spots that cause the leaf plate to dry out. To destroy the bacterial infection, use a solution of copper oxychloride (30 g per 10 liters of water), which is sprayed before and after flowering.
When affected by fungal diseases, the affected shoots are cut out and the plant is treated with fungicides.
Often in spring, spots of rich orange color can be seen on the upper side of the leaf. On the reverse side of the plate, orange pads are formed where the spores are stored. This disease is called rust. As it progresses, the leaves dry out and fall off.
To destroy the bacteria, the Natasha barberry bush is treated with a 2% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
It is important to promptly monitor the condition of the plant. If there are signs of complete infection of the bush, it is dug up and burned, and other barberries are treated prophylactically with antibacterial agents.
Conclusion
Barberry Natasha is an ideal plant for creating hedges, creating picturesque corners for relaxation in the garden and implementing interesting landscape designs. Ease of care and strong frost resistance are the undoubted advantages of barberry.
