Content
Shepherdia silver is similar to sea buckthorn. But this is a completely different plant. It is worth finding out how these plants differ, what characterizes the American guest, and the reasons for its appearance in Russian gardens.
Description of the berry crop
A plant of the Lokhov family, which includes sea buckthorn. It is also known as red sea buckthorn. It is a tall shrub, thorny, sometimes not. The plant is dioecious. Female specimens require a male pollinator.
General idea of the plant
The bushes grow to a height of 4 meters. The branches are thin, crooked, often prickly. The leaves are oblong, covered with silvery down. Small yellow flowers appear before the leaves emerge in April.
Male and female plants are distinguished by the type of flower buds. Female bushes are covered with small pointed buds; in the male species they are large and round. The plant is very decorative at any time of spring and summer. The silver bush is decorated with yellow flowers in spring and red berries in summer.
Berries
Berries appear in the second year after planting. The berries are round, up to one and a half centimeters in diameter. Bright red, finely speckled, edible for humans and birds. The taste is sour with bitterness, tart. Ripen by early September. The tasting score is not high, it is simply impossible to eat them.
Red sea buckthorn Shepherdia is shown in the photo.
Characteristic
Shepherdia silver is a deciduous plant. Its growth zone is quite wide. This is due to its winter hardiness. Other American varieties of these berries are less popular in Russia. Canadian Shepherdia bears fruits that are unsuitable for food, and Round-leaved has low frost resistance.
Main advantages
Shepherdia Silver has taken root well in the European climate. This is a frost-resistant plant and is not afraid of drought. It is not affected by diseases and pests. Unpretentious, requires minimal care. Coexists calmly with various plants.
Flowering period and ripening time
Shepherdia Silveria blooms in April before the leaves appear. Clusters of small flowers stay on the branches for no more than 10 days. The berries reach maturity by the end of August. If you leave them on the bush until frost, they will become sweeter.
Yield indicators, fruiting dates
With proper care, the plant will bring a bountiful harvest.A young bush will produce 15 kg of berries 2 years after planting. Fruits every year up to 30-50 years. Every year the yield increases and can reach 30 kg per tree.
Area of application of berries
It is almost never consumed fresh due to its astringent, tart taste. Prepared desserts, sweet preparations in the form of jam or compote, and low-alcohol drinks are popular. The benefits of Shepherdia are invaluable. It is added to sauces for meat and fish dishes.
Benefits and harms of Shepherdia
Shepherdia berries contain vitamin C more than sea buckthorn, black currant, and lemon. Contained carotene, tannins, vitamins A, E, P have a positive effect on the human body. The beneficial properties of Shepherdia Silveria for humans are as follows:
- Increases tone.
- Strengthens the immune system.
- Slows down the aging of the body.
- Prevents and treats viral infections and inflammations.
- Strengthens blood vessels, prevents hypertension, atherosclerosis.
- Has a choleretic and diuretic effect.
May cause harm to people with an allergic reaction to the berries.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Shepherdia is highly resistant to various fungal and viral plant diseases. Pests also do not bother her. This characteristic of Shepherdia makes it possible to eliminate the treatment of shrubs with insecticides and obtain an environmentally friendly harvest.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Shepherdia's advantages are as follows:
- Unpretentiousness.
- Frost resistance.
- Easy reproduction.
- Immunity to diseases and pests.
- Useful medicinal qualities.
- Good transportability.
Disadvantages include the plant’s self-sterility and the mandatory selection of a male plant for pollination.
Landing rules
The Shepherdia tree does not require special growing conditions.Its branched root system allows it to grow in rocky and steep areas.
Recommended timing
The best time for planting is spring. This is especially true in the Urals and Siberia. In the spring, Shepherdia is planted in April, when the soil has thawed, but the buds have not yet woken up.
Choosing a suitable location
Shepherdia bushes are planted in sunny places. She needs space. Low swampy places where fog and stagnation of groundwater are possible are not suitable.
Soil preparation
Sandy and loamy soils will be good. They are quite nutritious and fluffy. Shepherdia itself can improve the soil in which it grows. Balls of bacteria located on the roots provide the soil with nitrogen.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
For planting, seedlings with a developed root system are used. Cut off dry and diseased roots. Healthy ones are cut to 3 cm without touching the nodules. The branches are shortened by 1/3. The seedlings are placed in a solution of "Epin", "Heteroauxin" or potassium permanganate.
Algorithm and landing scheme
Planting and caring for Shepherdia is nothing special. First of all, prepare a planting hole 50 x 50 x 50 cm. A mound of fertile soil is poured into the middle. A seedling is placed on it, the roots are straightened.
The seedling is sprinkled with earth, and it is lightly shaken to compact the soil. Plantings are watered and mulched. Leave 1.5-2 m between seedlings. If you plan to make a hedge, half a meter is enough.
Subsequent care of the crop
Any plant requires care. And for shepherdia, a number of measures should be carried out in order to obtain a sea buckthorn harvest.
Necessary activities
Shepherdia responds gratefully to the application of fertilizers.In the spring, rotted manure containing nitrogen, urea or ammonium sulfate is applied. In the middle and at the end of summer, superphosphate, potassium sulfate, and ash infusion are added.
During the period of berry formation, the bush is watered, especially in dry summers. Young trees are loosened and mulched. This protects the shallow root system. An adult plant does not require this.
Shrub pruning
Shepherdia grows quickly and branches intensively. This plant needs pruning. It should be formed. The central shoot is cut at a height of 2.5 m, the lateral ones - at the first branch. This is done every 3-5 years, preventing the tree from growing and facilitating the conditions for picking berries.
Anti-aging pruning is carried out every 7 years. Branches older than 7 years are pruned, giving room for the growth of young shoots. And another important point is sanitary pruning, removal of diseased and broken branches. It is held every spring.
Preparing for winter
The winter hardiness zone of Shepherdia Silver is quite wide. These are all regions of Russia, except for the Far North. It tolerates frosts down to -40 0C. Winter shelter for the bush is not required. Only young seedlings are insulated and mulched.
How does Shepherdia reproduce?
The main methods of propagation of Shepherdia:
- Seeds.
- Root suckers.
- Cuttings.
Propagation by seeds
You can get Shepherdia seeds yourself. To do this, the berries are ground into porridge and dried in the sun, then the grains are separated. They are planted in the year of harvest, as they quickly lose the ability to germinate.
The seeds are planted in an unheated greenhouse in November. Planting depth is 2-3 cm. Shoots appear at the end of April. By autumn, the seedlings reach a height of 15 cm; they are transplanted to the chosen location. Shepherdia from seeds retains all the varietal characteristics of the plant.It begins to bear fruit after 5 years.
Reproduction by root shoots
They use shoots that form at a distance of 1.5-2 m from the tree. Choose 2-year-old plants. Having dug up the soil, cut off a shoot from the main bush and dig it up. The cut sites are disinfected. The bushes are planted immediately in a permanent place. They are watered and protected from the heat.
Propagation by cuttings
The top of a green shoot or its middle part is used as a cutting. It is necessary to choose shoots that have not yet lignified. Cuttings are prepared in early July. Further actions are fully consistent with the principles of propagation by cuttings of berry bushes.
Shepherdia in landscape design
This shrub is often used to decorate gardens and landscapes in urban and home gardens. Shepherdia is suitable for constructing hedges and strengthening slopes.
In single plantings, the tree becomes a noticeable accent, covered with silvery foliage and red berries. Varieties of Shepherdia Serebristaya for the Moscow region include the decorative species Goldenia. The tree is strewn with bright yellow berries.
A photo of Shepherdia Silver can be seen below.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
No matter how hard they tried to find diseases that affect Shepherdia, it should still be recognized that they are absent. The same can be said about pests.
Conclusion
Shepherdia Silver was also noticed by Michurin. Currently, it is not very popular among Russian gardeners. Sea buckthorn is better known. But Shepherdia deserves to be used to produce healthy berries and decorate the garden.
