Hawthorn. About the plant, how to propagate and care for
Content:
Hawthorn in the garden is an ornamental shrub that does not need special care, it is rather unpretentious. Its beauty is not inferior to other species, moreover, you can collect a tasty and healthy harvest from it.
Blooming hawthorn in the garden
1) Height ranges from three to twelve meters;
2) The crown of the bush is very lush;
3) The bark of the stems, brownish with the presence of texture and small cracks;
4) Branches can be both straight-growing and drooping;
5) The foliage is arranged in a spiral, the shape and structure depends on the variety;
6) With the arrival of the autumn period, the leaves acquire yellow, red and dark purple hues;
7) The inflorescences are rather small, but smell very tasty;
8) By the end of summer, at the beginning of autumn, small fruits ripen, which can reach four centimeters in diameter.
The fruits and inflorescences of this shrub are abundantly used in medicine.
Hawthorn in the garden: planting
Hawthorn in the garden: photo
A very important part, because in four to five years, the root system will grow well and the hawthorn will be very difficult to transplant. The place should be well lit, but a semi-shaded area will work too. Can be planted next to some kind of building, or in the form of a hedge. Due to the fact that the bush grows strongly and forms a lush crown, it is necessary to observe the distance of the neighborhood. The ideal soil option would be non-acidic loam. However, the constituent of the soil does not really care about the shrub, it can grow even in swampy areas with poor drainage, but then this will pay attention to its appearance and yield.
How to choose the right hawthorn seedlings for growing in the garden
It will not be difficult to buy hawthorn seedlings, because this is not a rare representative of the flora. This can be done in almost any nursery or garden store. When buying a seedling, it is recommended to consider these factors:
1) It should already have formed two or four branches;
2) The root system must be developed and healthy, without foulbrood, defects, tumors and various wounds;
3) The height should be approximately one hundred to one hundred and fifty centimeters;
4) The color of the trunk should be brown, without any lesions, let alone decay.
It is recommended to buy planting material at the age of two to three years, this is the best choice. During this life cycle, the plant will root better and get used to the new soil. If the culture is older, then its root system will be more powerful, which will complicate transplantation and the roots will have to be cut off.
Optimal time for planting hawthorn in the garden
It is better to plant a crop in the spring, when the earth is already warmed up and frosts are not expected. In the autumn period, this venture can also be carried out, but this must be done before the onset of frost. Since the shrub staunchly tolerates winter conditions, it will easily go through a period of adaptation in winter, and in the spring it will please you with a riot of colors.
Hawthorn in the garden: photo
How to prepare a site
It is best to start preparing the site, it is best one month before the planned planting. The selected place needs to be dug, two bayonets of a garden shovel deep into it. Clear the place from various organic debris, stones, gravel, glass. If the soil is too acidic, then add dolomite flour and lime.One hole goes for one plant, its size should be about seventy by seventy centimeters. At the very bottom, you need to create a drainage layer up to seven centimeters thick from expanded clay, pebbles or broken brick. Above you need to lay a pre-prepared mixture, consisting of: fertile soil, peat soil, organic humus and mullein. It is necessary to fill the hole sixty percent, then close it with a thick film.
How to plant in open ground
It's not as difficult as it sounds. You need: 1) The root system of the pet, you need to straighten and sprinkle with a means for the prevention of diseases; 2) Carefully deepen the bush into the prepared hole and cover it with a mixture of turf and peat soil; 3) Carry out tamping. Spill well with water at room temperature. One plant needs about ten liters. And the surface of the soil should be mulched, the layer should not be more than seven centimeters.
In order for the bush to feel comfortable, grow and develop well, and its trunk does not rot, it is necessary that when planting, its root collar is flush with the ground. Shrubs need to be planted at a distance of three to four meters, with the exception of hedges, then the distance can be reduced to one or two meters.
Hawthorn in the garden: shrub care
Hawthorn in the garden: photo
Based on the fact that this culture is unpretentious and does not require special attention, there are not so many rules for caring for it:
1) You need to water once every two weeks. On hot days, it is best to spray and water the plant every week;
2) You need to fertilize only once a season, even before the formation of buds. You need to apply fertilizer under the roots;
3) It is necessary to cut off all damaged and dry branches in time. If your hawthorn serves as a hedge, then you will have to form a crown every autumn and spring, and shorten the shoots and branches themselves by thirty percent;
4) A mulch layer must be present.
And in the fall, you need to loosen up the space around the trunk.
Since the crop is very frost-resistant, it does not need additional coverage, just provide the bush with a layer of mulch of ten centimeters.
How to propagate hawthorn in the garden?
Hawthorn in the garden: photo
In fact, the hawthorn in the garden is not difficult to propagate. There are several ways to do this:
1) With the help of seeds;
2) Using layering;
3) Using root cuttings;
4) By vaccination.
You need to determine the method based on your skills and experience. The most popular is the method of propagation by layering; it is also great for
recreation of hedges.
How to do it:
1) At the beginning of the spring period, after the snow has melted, a small ditch with a depth of eight to ten centimeters must be dug from the parent plant;
2) The lower stems of the shrub must be placed in a dug hole and covered with a layer of fertile soil. Next, the selected branch must be fit so that the upper buds remain on the surface of the earth;
3) During the summer period, you need to water this place in a timely manner, as well as loosen and huddle;
4) With the arrival of autumn, it will already be a separately formed plant that can be transplanted into a separate place.
When you breed this plant, you need to know one detail, if you slightly damage its root system, then over time a large number of shoots will form on it.
Hawthorn fruit
Hawthorn in the garden: photo
The fruits and flowers of the culture are mainly used, that is, they need to be collected on time. It is better to collect inflorescences at the very beginning, at this time there are many useful substances in them. You need to choose already fully opened buds, they are better stored and processed. It is better to collect shrub berries at the end of the first month of autumn. If the berries are rich in color and soft to the touch, then they are already ripe enough. They need to be collected before the frost begins, because it adversely affects the amount of vitamin C in the fruit.Inflorescences and fruits can be frozen and dried.
This plant is unpretentious, it can be grown for both benefit and beauty. It takes two to three years to buy seedlings, with an ideal root system and branches. The holes should be small, it is important to keep the distance. For good growth, all you need to do is water, mulch and prune. Several breeding methods.
