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One of the first descriptions of Irga rotundifolia was made by the German botanist Jacob Sturm in his book “Deutschlands Flora in Abbildungen” in 1796. In its wild form, this plant of the apple family is found in Central and Southern Europe, in the Crimea and the Caucasus, and even in North Africa.
In Europe irga more often used to create hedges, and in Russia - as a fruit shrub.
Description and characteristics
The round-leaved serviceberry (amelanchier ovalis) is also called the oval-leaved serviceberry, or the common serviceberry. The main characteristics of this shrub are given in the table.
Parameter | Meaning |
Type of crop | Deciduous shrub or small tree |
Root system | Superficial (30-40 cm depth), well developed |
Escapes | Straight, even, up to 4 m tall |
Bark | Olive to brown color |
Kidneys | Ovoid, pubescent, 5–7 mm in size |
Leaves | Green, ovoid, with a wavy edge, 8–12 cm long |
Flowers | Small, white, collected in inflorescences of 3–10 pieces. |
Pollination | Self-pollinating |
Fruit | The berries are dark blue or black, with a bluish bloom, 5–15 mm in diameter |
The berries of serviceberry roundifolia contain a large amount of biologically active substances. They contain:
- vitamins B, C, P;
- carotene;
- Sahara;
- tannins;
- pectins.
Serviceberry berries are extremely tasty and healthy. They can be eaten fresh or prepared. To do this, the fruits are dried. In addition, the berries can be used to prepare compotes, jams, and preserves. Irga retains its shape and taste well when frozen.
A full description of the beneficial properties of these berries can be found in the article “Irga: benefits and harm to the body”, as well as in the video:
Irgi has quite a lot of advantages. It has good winter hardiness, and both the shrub itself and its flowers are resistant to cold. The plant is undemanding to soil and requires little care. It bears fruit well and is an excellent honey plant. A photo of the round-leaved serviceberry during flowering is presented below.
Reproduction of irgi rotundifolia
Propagating shadberry roundifolia is not difficult. This can be done in all the traditional ways for shrubs:
- root shoots;
- layering;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
Powerful root shoots produce many shoots. By cutting off a shoot with part of the root, you can get excellent planting material. Layering is easy to do yourself by bending the shoot to the ground and burying it. You can also use the traditional method of propagation for bushes - cuttings.
Planting with seeds is not the fastest way. However, the planted seeds germinate splendidly and produce an increase of 10–15 cm per year.
Planting and caring for round-leaved irga
When planting, you need to take into account that the round-leaved serviceberry will grow into a tall, spreading tree and create a large shade. It is also worth considering that powerful roots and falling berries will constantly produce a large amount of root growth, and if it is not removed in time, the bush will create real thickets in a few years.
Site selection and preparation
Irga roundifolia is a very unpretentious shrub. It grows well on any type of soil, and even on rock, pushing its roots into cracks. Only heavily swampy and heavily shaded areas should be avoided. To get a good harvest, it is better to choose loamy or sandy loam soils with a neutral acidity level.
How to choose seedlings
For planting shadberry roundifolia, seedlings of the second year of life are selected. By this time, they should have a well-developed root system and reach a height of 35–40 cm. It is better to leave low seedlings for growing.
Planting procedure for round-leaved serviceberry
Before planting, the soil is dug up with the simultaneous addition of organic matter (usually considered 10 kg/m²), also adding two tbsp. spoons of superphosphate and one tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate. The hole for planting must have dimensions of at least 60x60 cm. When planting, you need to deepen the root collar of the serviceberry seedling by 5–6 cm. After planting, shoots are cut into 4-5 buds.
Mass planting of serviceberries is carried out according to a 2.5x2.5 m pattern. When planting in a row to create a hedge, the distance is reduced to 1 m. On industrial plantations, the distance between rows is increased to 4 - 4.5 meters for the passage of equipment.Sapling roundleaf seedlings usually have very good survival rate, and the planting procedure does not cause any difficulties.
Caring for Irga Roundifolia
Irga roundifolia is an extremely unpretentious shrub. Caring for it in the first years of life is similar to caring for currants. Care includes pruning, watering, fertilizing and digging the soil.
Watering
Watering is only needed during the fruiting period, although it will never be superfluous - this plant is not afraid of excess moisture. Lack of water will lead to crushing of the fruits and their premature shedding.
Weeding and loosening the soil
When weeding the round-leaved serviceberry, you must simultaneously remove the basal shoots, which the bush produces in abundance. The roots of the shrub lie shallow, so loosening the soil helps to increase the flow of air to them and enhance plant growth.
Feeding round-leaved serviceberry during the season
Feeding serviceberry roundifolia is done in the first years to accelerate growth and in the future to obtain a good harvest. It is produced in several stages.
Deadlines for depositing | Fertilizer application rates |
Spring (before leaves bloom) | Nitrophoska 30 g per 1 sq. m |
Summer (June) | Urea 40 g per 10 l of water, mullein infusion 0.5 l per 10 l of water |
Autumn (after leaves fall) | Superphosphate 200 g, potassium sulfate 20 g, wood ash 300 g |
Pruning: terms and rules
Pruning fruit bushes is a mandatory procedure. It allows:
- form a bush;
- rejuvenate plantings;
- remove diseased, broken branches.
Pruning can be done either in the spring, before the buds swell, or in the fall, after the leaves fall. Until the age of three years, pruning is not carried out, and in subsequent years, the three strongest shoots are preserved annually. In total, the bush is formed from 15 trunks of different ages.
In the first year after planting, all vertically growing shoots are cut by a quarter. In subsequent years, the bush is either thinned out or shortened. When thinning, excess vertical shoots are removed, as well as branches that grow inside the crown. This pruning is used to increase yield.
If the plant serves as a hedge, then, on the contrary, it is compacted by cutting off the shoots to the bud, which grows inside the bush.
Preparing round-leaved serviceberry for winter
Irga roundifolia has good winter hardiness. No special measures are taken to prepare it for winter. It is enough to clean the foliage, carry out sanitary pruning, dig up the tree trunk, and apply autumn fertilizing.
What diseases and pests can threaten the crop?
Irga oval has good immunity to diseases. Pests also hardly touch it. The main diseases of shadberry are given in the table.
Name of the disease | Signs of appearance | Treatment and prevention |
Gray rot | Gray spots on leaves and berries. | Reduce watering or transplant to another, higher place |
Drying branches | The leaves, and then the shoots, dry out and wrinkle, and then die. | Pruning affected bushes. Treating the bush with Bordeaux mixture before flowering. |
Of the insect pests for serviceberry roundleaf, the caterpillars of the serviceberry moth and the currant leaf roller are dangerous. But the greatest damage to the crop can be caused by fieldfare thrushes, which begin pecking at the berries long before they ripen.
Conclusion
The above description of the round-leaved serviceberry does not cover all the features of growing this shrub. However, such noted facts as excellent winter hardiness, low maintenance requirements and good yield allow us to recommend shadberry for planting in a summer cottage. The flowering tree is very beautiful and is an excellent honey plant. In addition, plantings can also perform protective functions, protecting more heat-loving plants from the cold wind. Planting and caring for round-leaved irga will not cause any difficulties even for a novice gardener.
