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Sea buckthorn planting and care in open ground according to all the rules. Plant sea buckthorn in autumn Proper planting of sea buckthorn in autumn

Sea buckthorn, despite its thorns, is loved by many gardeners. It grows as a shrub or low tree and already in the third year produces a harvest of very healthy berries. The planting technology of this crop is not much different from the others. However, there are biological features that are worth paying attention to even before purchasing a seedling.

Choosing a place, time and seedlings

Sea buckthorn grows in the wild on the shores of lakes, flooded areas of rivers, and mountain slopes up to an altitude of 2100 m. The culture is widespread in Siberia. It is planted to stabilize sandy soil, road slopes, and ravines. And all because sea buckthorn has a superficial root system that envelops the top layer of soil, and it spreads far beyond the crown of the tree. The growth can be found within a radius of 3–5 meters. In addition, this is a dioecious plant: if you want to get a harvest, you need to plant at least two bushes: male and female. When planning a site for sea buckthorn, be sure to take these features into account.

Wild sea buckthorn usually grows near water bodies and on mountain slopes

Sea buckthorn berries are a natural multivitamin concentrate. They contain many vitamins: C, PP, B1, B2, K, E and carotene, organic acids: tartaric, oxalic, malic, as well as trace elements: manganese, boron, iron.

When is the best time to plant

The best time for planting is spring, before the buds bloom on the seedling. Even adult sea buckthorn does not overwinter well: during winters with little snow, the surface roots freeze and some of the branches dry out. In addition, this crop has a very short dormant period; at the first thaw, it opens buds, which are subject to severe spring frosts. And a young and fragile bush has even less chance of surviving as a result of autumn planting. He needs to adapt and take root well in the new area. It is impossible to do this during the short autumn. There are recommendations to plant sea buckthorn in the summer, abandoning autumn planting. However, in summer it is better to buy seedlings with a closed root system, that is, grown in containers.

Selection of planting material

Most often, gardeners simply dig up root shoots in their garden and generously share them with their neighbors. In most cases, such planting material produces a very prickly wild plant with small and sour berries. The reason is that cultivated varieties are grafted onto wild ones, their root shoots repeat the properties of the rootstock, and not the varietal ones. When purchasing seedlings, this also needs to be taken into account; unscrupulous sellers seek to take advantage of the crop’s ability to produce a lot of shoots for their own benefit.

Features of choosing sea buckthorn seedlings:

Buy only zoned varieties adapted to the climate of your region.
You need at least two seedlings: male and female, but usually 3-4 female ones are planted for one male.
Male and female cannot be distinguished until fruiting begins, that is, until flower buds begin to form. Therefore, buy seedlings grown from cuttings. They both repeat the maternal properties and are already easily distinguishable by gender.
The type of male seedling does not matter, it is needed only for pollination, it will not bear berries. You don’t have to buy it, but take the shoots from your neighbors or from the wild.

In female sea buckthorn plants, the buds are small, arranged in pairs, while male plants are larger, covered with many lentils

It is easy to distinguish adult plants by sex if both representatives are in front of you and they can be compared. In females, the buds are small and neat, arranged in pairs; in males, they are large, rough, and covered with lentils. Flowering occurs unnoticed, even before the leaves bloom. In female lentils, green small pistils appear in the axils one at a time, less often in 2–3, and in male lentils, brown dusty stamens appear, collected in a short spike.

If the area is small or you want to plant only one sea buckthorn bush, then you can graft a cutting from a male plant into the crown of a female one. Another option: during flowering, cut a branch with anthers from another garden or from a wild bird and hang it inside the crown of your sea buckthorn.

Video: how to distinguish a male sea buckthorn plant from a female one

And one more feature when choosing sea buckthorn seedlings: on its roots there are round growths - nodules. Inexperienced gardeners take them as a sign of disease, refuse seedlings or cut off these formations. Meanwhile, underground nodules play an important role; with their help, sea buckthorn obtains food for itself - it absorbs nitrogen from the air. In adult plants, such growths reach the size of a chicken egg. According to the observations of gardeners, if a tree grows on fertile soil, then the growths are small, almost invisible, but on poor soil, on the contrary, they are large.

Swelling on the roots of sea buckthorn is not a disease, but a biological feature of the crop

Place for sea buckthorn

Choosing a place for sea buckthorn is also not easy.

Plant in an area that you will not dig up, because the roots of sea buckthorn spread up to 5 m from the tree. You cannot dig them up, pull them out, or otherwise injure them.
A place in the shade of fences, buildings and trees is not suitable. Sea buckthorn loves sunny areas.
You should not plant sea buckthorn along paths or near frequently visited places; the seedling will grow into a lush and thorny bush or tree 3–5 m high.
The male plant can be located at a distance of 50–100 m, that is, even on a neighboring site, but between it and the female plants there should be no wind-impassable obstacles in the form of houses, blind high fences, hillocks, etc.

But it’s better not to rely on neighbors and plant male and 2-3 female seedlings at a distance of at least 2-2.5 m and maximum 50-100 m. You can arrange them relative to each other as you like: in a triangle, in a square, in one row. There is a practice of planting in different corners of the site. If some winds prevail in your region, for example, southeastern ones, then plant the male plant on this, that is, the leeward side.

Planting process

For sea buckthorn, it is not enough just to dig a hole; you need to dig up the entire area that you have allocated for it with the bayonet of a shovel. Skeletal roots will spread in the top layer of soil, which needs to be filled with fertilizers. For a one- to two-year-old seedling, an area of 2x2 m is sufficient. On 1 m², scatter a bucket of humus or compost, 40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate. If the soil is acidic, add a glass of dolomite flour.

Planting stages:

In the prepared area, dig a hole 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter.
The planting hole should be 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter
Place a 10 cm layer of broken brick, crushed stone or shell rock on the bottom.
The drainage layer in the hole should be about 10 cm
On top of the drainage, in the center of the hole, make a mound from the earth removed during digging. If the soil is heavy clay, mix it with river sand and peat in a 1:1:1 ratio.
Sometimes you have to fill the hole not with dug up soil, but with a mixture of peat and river sand.
Drive a peg into the center of the mound, which will serve as a support for the seedling.
Place the seedling on the south side of the peg, on the top of the mound, and spread the roots along its slopes. In this case, the root collar should be at the level of the horizon of the earth on your site. You can put a strip on top of the hole, it will serve as a level.
The root collar of the seedling should be at the level of the ground horizon
Fill the hole with soil, lightly compacting it and constantly holding the seedling at the desired level.
Make a watering hole.
One of the effective methods of watering is using a hole
Tie the seedling to the stake with a loose loop, water and mulch.
The seedling needs to be attached to a peg

Video: planting sea buckthorn in spring

If you need a transplant

If there is an urgent need to transplant the sea buckthorn to another place, then it is better to do this also in the spring, and while the tree is still small - 2-3 years old. An adult fruit-bearing tree will not take root, since it is impossible to dig out all its roots that have spread throughout the area. It is better to take shoots from ungrafted rooted sea buckthorn and replant it.

Carefully dig up the young plant.
Use your hands to rake the soil around to find out how the roots are located and identify the main maternal one coming from the tree.
Cut the main root at a distance of 20–30 cm from the seedling.
Plant the young plant according to the diagram above.

The shoots and the mother plant have a common root, which must be cut when transplanting

Young trees are replanted in the same way, raking the top layer of soil to get an idea of the location of the roots. The less you damage them, the higher the chance that sea buckthorn will take root. If the roots are damaged, then reduce the volume of the above-ground part: cut off the branches, shorten the trunks. It will be easier for sea buckthorn to take root, and then it will quickly restore the crown.

The planting process itself is very simple, but there are many nuances when choosing seedlings and planning the site. Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant, so one bush will bear fruit only if there is a male plant nearby, within a radius of up to 100 m. You also need to take into account the location of the roots: they spread horizontally and far from the tree, it will not be possible to dig the ground next to the sea buckthorn. This means that before purchasing seedlings, you need to decide whether you have such a place in the garden and whether it is a pity to allocate so much land for sea buckthorn.

Sea buckthorn is a shrub of the Sucker family, mainly growing along the banks of rivers and lakes. It can also grow high in the mountains. It was used for treatment back in Ancient Greece. Then it was undeservedly forgotten. But now sea buckthorn is becoming popular again. It has been grown in Russia since the 19th century; varietal plants appeared only in the 30s of the last century.

If the question arises about how to properly plant sea buckthorn, it means that the gardener has already made the right decision: this useful shrub is necessary on the site.

You immediately need to decide on botanical terminology: sea buckthorn can be called both a tree and a shrub. And now more about

Growing sea buckthorn - proper planting and care

Male and female

Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant. This means that there are male and female trees. When choosing seedlings for planting, this circumstance must be taken into account first. You won’t be able to tell the ladies from the gentlemen on your own. This can be done during the formation of flower buds - on male plants they are much larger.

On the left are male buds, on the right is a branch of a female tree.

Female buds are not only half the size, but they also have only 2 covering scales, while male buds have 5-6 scales.

If one fruit-bearing tree on a plot is enough, you will still have to plant two: a female and a male. For more plants, the sex ratio looks like this: one male to three females. After planting, sea buckthorn begins to bear fruit in 4-6 years.

Video from the Garden World website

If you are still in doubt which tree is male and which is female, watch this video.

Selection of seedlings

How many trees do you need?

For a family of 4 – 5 people, 3 fruit-bearing trees are quite enough. This means you need to buy 1 male tree and 3 female trees.

This means the constant year-round presence of this product in the diet in various forms: jelly, jam, juice, butter, fresh frozen berries, compotes.

How to choose correctly

The main rule when buying seedlings, both sea buckthorn and other plants, is not to buy from random sellers.

A standard seedling has 4–6 skeletal roots about 20 cm long; a trunk with a diameter of approximately 7-9 mm and several shoots.

There should be no scratches, wrinkled areas or characteristic pronounced darkening on the bark, indicating frozen planting material.

Sea buckthorn propagates by seeds, root shoots and cuttings. The best purchased planting material is cuttings.

It is quite difficult for an inexperienced gardener to determine the type of origin. If you look closely at a seedling from the root shoots, you will notice that its upper part is more developed than its lower part.

This only applies to female plants. The properties of the male plant do not affect the quality of the fruit. Therefore, you can borrow them from friends or neighbors. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the gender and not to confuse it. The shoots appear quite far from the mother tree. And if two plants grow side by side, then the female can be mistaken for male.

When choosing sea buckthorn, you need to give preference to zoned varieties, that is, those that were grown for a specific climatic zone.

Varieties that grow well, for example, in Altai, will bear fruit poorly in the Northwestern part of Russia, where the climate is unstable and thaws can be replaced by frosts.

As already mentioned, sea buckthorn wakes up very quickly after winter. In other words, it is very sensitive to thaws. Therefore, a plant that is intended for Siberia reacts differently to warming than a variety for a humid coastal climate.

The best option for purchasing the right seedlings is to choose a nursery with a good reputation and trust the advice of experienced specialists.

When to plant - planting dates

It is best to plant sea buckthorn in early spring. Over the summer, the seedling will strengthen its roots, grow stronger and overwinter well.

When planting in the fall, plants may not take root for two reasons:

the seedling is weak and may not survive frosts;
sea buckthorn reacts very quickly with growth to high temperatures, therefore, in the event of an unexpected thaw, it will begin the growing season ahead of time and die with further cooling.

Landing place

The root system of sea buckthorn has its own characteristics: the roots grow in width, reaching a distance of up to 5 meters from the mother tree. At the same time, they lie only 15–20 cm deep in the soil. When choosing a place for a plant, this circumstance must be taken into account first.

It is better to plant the shrub away from the place where you plan to dig up the earth. Otherwise, you can damage the roots, which will reduce fruiting and even kill the tree. In addition, intensive loosening of the soil in the area of the sea buckthorn root system causes abundant growth of shoots, which makes the tree weak.

The best places for shrubs are along the perimeter of the site, in the farthest corners, where there are no plans to plant vegetables.

Sea buckthorn is a light-loving tree. Therefore, it is advisable that the shadow from outbuildings does not fall on the bushes. Considering the small areas of household plots, choosing such a place is not easy. You need to carefully observe where the sun is at one time or another and choose the best planting option.

Soil preparation

You need to prepare the soil for sea buckthorn in the fall.

Reducing acidity

The ground where the tree will grow must be leveled. Distribute slaked lime over the surface at a rate of 250-400 g/m2 and dig up. Under trees and shrubs, the soil is always turned over onto the tip of the shovel.

10-15 days after these activities, fertilizers can be applied.

Fertilizing the soil

Sea buckthorn needs organic fertilizers - humus, compost and manure.

From minerals, you can add superphosphate or complex additives. Such fertilizers are sold in ready-made combinations in specialized stores with instructions for use.

If the soil is heavy, which often happens in clayey areas, then it is good to add sand at the rate of 2 buckets per 1 m2.

Fertilizers can be placed over the entire area of the intended planting or specifically in the holes for each tree. The distance between the recesses is 2 m. This option is much more economical than distribution over the entire site.

How to plant sea buckthorn correctly

Make holes at a distance of at least 2.5 m from each other in one row. If there are many trees and there will be several rows, then there should be at least 3 m between the rows.

Dig holes about 30–40 cm deep and about 50 cm in diameter.

Build a small mound in the hole and plant a plant on the top of this mound. Distribute the roots carefully along the slopes and sprinkle with soil up to the root collar of the plant.

Set up a tree-trunk circle (about 70 cm in diameter) around the seedling, into which pour water at the rate of 2 buckets per hole.

Mulch the ground with peat or humus to retain moisture.

How to care for a young tree

A young plant does not require special care. Everything you need is included in the hole when planting, so there is no need to fertilize the soil in the first year. Apply nitrogen fertilizers every other year.

Loosen the soil in the tree trunk carefully to a depth of no more than 5 cm. This is done to remove weeds and enrich the root system with oxygen.

Crown pruning of young plants is not done.

Caring for an adult tree

Trimming

Mature trees begin to be pruned three to four years after planting. Remove dry and broken branches. After 7 years, anti-aging pruning can be done.

You can shape the crown of annual bushes by trimming the top.

Watering

If the spring is dry, water the trees before flowering. For watering, pour 3-4 buckets per plant. And adult plants require 6-7 buckets of water.

Sea buckthorn loves moisture, but does not tolerate stagnant water. In hot weather, water thoroughly, but do not allow it to become swampy.

In autumn, watering increases by one and a half times - for full fruiting next year you need good moisture-recharging watering.

Feeding

Once every 3 years, add humus to the soil at the rate of 1 bucket and a glass of ash per 1 m2 of tree trunk circle.

Protection from diseases

As you know, diseases are easier to prevent than to treat. In early spring, before flowering and in autumn, after harvesting, the bushes are sprayed with a three percent solution of copper sulfate. You can also treat the branches with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture to prevent diseases.

If pests appear on the trees during the ripening of berries, then you need either the Fitoverm preparation.

Reproduction

Overgrowth

This is the easiest way to propagate sea buckthorn.

At the age of 4 years, the tree produces root shoots from which seedlings can be grown.

With the onset of spring, you need to cut off a sprout from the mother tree with a shovel, dig a hole, cover it with earth, watering it periodically. By autumn, the seedling will have its own root system and can be planted in a permanent place of growth.

It is important to remember here that the offspring does not retain the properties of the tree from which it was separated.

If you want to experiment with shoots and don’t want to wait for the babies to appear on their own, you can speed up the process. To do this, you need to find a skeletal root in the ground and cut it close to the tree. Leave the cut open on the outside. After some time, sprouts will form in this place, on which roots will appear.

The shoots need to be separated from the mother a year before transplantation and can be planted in the spring.

This property of sea buckthorn saves it from freezing. If suddenly your sea buckthorn is frozen, then simply saw it off and wait until it grows back from the root.

By layering

Reproduction by layering is quite simple.

In this case, it is better to take the mother plant short and young. One of the lower branches needs to be bent to the ground and sprinkled. Place an object on top to prevent the process from returning to its original position. This should be done in early spring. By autumn, the branch will give roots and it can be separated from the mother and planted immediately, or wait until spring.

Seeds

At the beginning of autumn, ordinary beds are made, as for vegetables, with fertilizers and the addition of sand. Furrows about 2 cm deep are constructed. The earth is compacted tightly in them.

With the onset of the first frost, the seeds are placed in grooves at a distance of 1 - 2 cm from each other. Then they are carefully covered with humus to a layer thickness of at least 1 cm.

Sea buckthorn sprout from seeds

Can be planted in spring. In this case, you must first soak the seeds in water at a temperature of +25 degrees and wait about a week. Sprouted seeds are planted in the ground when the soil has warmed to a depth of 3–5 cm. And only after 2 years can the seedlings be planted in a permanent place.

Cuttings

This is done in late autumn or early spring. Annual shoots are cut from trees at the age of 4-5 years and stored in compliance with the temperature regime from 0 to +2 degrees.

At the very beginning of spring, cuttings are cut to a length of about 20 cm and a diameter of 0.5 cm.

Collect the trimmings in a bundle, tie them and place them in water for several days. After this, plant them in the beds with their buds up.

In the fall, the plant will be quite suitable for planting in a permanent place. But it's better to wait until spring.

Varieties

To navigate the varieties, you need to decide what you would like. At the nursery, you can voice your wishes using the following search criteria:

A variety for a specific region or climate zone.
Richest in vitamin C content.
Sea buckthorn with high yield.
With the highest proportion of oil.
Content of carotenoids.
Winter-hardy variety.
With the best taste.

There are more than 60 varieties officially registered in the state register.

Canadian sea buckthorn or shepherdia

This shrub cannot be called sea buckthorn, although it is also from the sucker family and is very similar to the usual plant in appearance and properties.

A tree about 7 meters high with a wide crown. Dioecious plant, like sea buckthorn.

The berries are small, 5 mm in diameter, but very aromatic. A bit similar to red currants in appearance and taste.

Daurskaya

Low shrub about 3 meters. Frost-resistant. Unlike many other varieties, it does not have thorns. Gives a very high yield of berries.

Requires care. Does not tolerate weeds or other trees nearby.

If the site has heavy soil or stagnant water, it will not grow.

Altai

Very good for growing in Western Siberia. The name itself speaks about its regional affiliation. Few thorns. The berries are oval, bright orange, sweet. Easy to assemble.

Darling

This variety grows well in the Urals and the Central region of Russia. Medium-prickly. The fruits are orange, oval, with dense skin. The taste is moderately sour. Very fragrant. High yield. Winters well.

Useful video about the features of growing sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn is a wonderful and useful shrub and easily grows and reproduces. Grow on your plots and do not forget about proper care.

Delicious and healthy berries!

Despite the fact that the healing power and benefits of sea buckthorn are known to everyone, not everyone is in a hurry to plant it on their plot. The reason is that very often an unpleasantly thorny tall tree grows on the site,

producing a large amount of difficult-to-remove shoots, from which it is not so easy to harvest, the berries of which have a sour taste and tend to burst in your hands when collected from the branches. However, all this is absolutely not true if we are talking about varietal sea buckthorn, and not about wild seedlings, which, alas, are not so rarely passed off as varietal specimens. Real high-quality garden sea buckthorn is large, bright fruits with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. A properly planted and formed tree makes the harvesting process convenient and comfortable. Let's talk about how to plant sea buckthorn so that the impressions from its cultivation remain the most positive.

General description with photo

The name sea buckthorn is a Russian variation and was given to the tree for the peculiarity of its fruiting - the branches of the plant seem to be covered with short-petioled berries on all sides. The genus is assigned to the Lokhov family. Among its representatives there are both low-growing varieties and very tall varieties. Sea buckthorn leaves are easily recognizable, thin, similar to willow leaves, gray-gray in color. Anyone who does not know how sea buckthorn blooms sometimes mistakes its flowers for leaves in the spring, which appear before them and have a very inconspicuous appearance and a complete lack of aroma. The two most common varieties in cultivation are buckthorn and willow-leaved sea buckthorn. The first has a very wide habitat throughout the world, the second grows mainly in the wild nature of India, Bhutan, as well as in Nepal and southern China.

Features of sea buckthorn

Since this species is grown in our gardens more often than others, it is worth talking about its characteristics to understand agricultural technology and obtain a high-quality future harvest. First of all, you should know that the plant is dioecious, which means it requires planting two seedlings of different sexes in close proximity to each other. In this case, the origin of the male specimen does not play a big role; it can also be taken from the wild. As for the female, it must be purebred and belong to a high-quality varietal line. For those who do not want to take risks and want to have a decent pair, we can recommend specially bred varieties “Ural” or “Aley” as a male pollinator. The “Dear Friend” variety also performs very well. This recommendation applies to the central Russian region (all three varieties are zoned, which is very important for this fruit crop).

To correctly and reliably determine the sex of a purchased seedling, you need to pay attention to the type of buds. It is best to do this in the absence of leaves, i.e. not in summer. The difference is clearly visible in a large photo of sea buckthorn in spring. However, in the summer it is not difficult to do this based on the fruits. So, the main differences between male and female seedlings:

When comparing male and female buds, the former will be twice or three times larger.
Female buds have only 2 covering scales.
On male kidneys there may be 5-7 covering scales.

Important! When purchasing a seedling, you should pay attention to the issue of regionalization of the variety. This is important because sea buckthorn has a short dormant period and can awaken during short-term warming, mistaking it for spring. In a climate to which it is not adapted, it can then easily die during the next cold snap.

How to plant sea buckthorn

Like other fruit trees, sea buckthorn can be planted both in the spring and after the end of the season in the fall. According to experienced gardeners, the spring option is the most preferable due to the fact that possible thaws at the beginning of winter can provoke the awakening of a lightly sleeping seedling. In this case, the still weakly rooted bush can very easily die. In a well-rooted specimen, the roots go to a depth of about 20-40 cm.

Selecting a location

Sea buckthorn should be planted as far as possible from seasonal crops, i.e. from cultivated land. You can plant it next to outbuildings, near the road, somewhere on the edge of the plot. The reason lies in the well-branched root system with a superficial occurrence. The roots of the tree do not go to great depths, but grow horizontally, which creates the risk of injury during gardening work, and damage to the roots greatly affects the fruiting of the crop. This point must be taken into account when planting sea buckthorn, since digging up the soil in the immediate vicinity of the tree is very often the main reason not only for crop loss, but sometimes for the death of the specimen. In addition, the consequence of this is the appearance of abundant growth around the tree, which creates additional problems.

Another condition when choosing a location is its openness to the sun. The culture is light-loving and does not tolerate shading. It is important to take into account that it also does not tolerate transplants, so the place must be chosen immediately for many years.

The soil requirements are looseness and lightness, as well as a neutral acidity level.

For pollination, one male specimen per 5-6 female trees is sufficient. The distance between seedlings of different sexes should be within 5-6 m.

Best planting time

As already mentioned, the preferred season for planting sea buckthorn is spring. Moreover, the sooner it is planted, the better. This issue is especially important for seedlings with an open root system. This should also be taken into account if there is a need to replant an already growing tree, since it loses part of its root system, and the beginning of the spring movement of plant juices aggravates this problem. For planting specimens that grow in a container, the issue is greatly simplified; they can be planted on the site at a later date. But spring, in this case, will be preferable to autumn.

It is highly not recommended to use fresh organic matter for adding fresh organic matter to planting holes; it must be extremely mature. You should not overdo it with mineral fertilizers. You can limit yourself to a bucket of compost and add a handful of superphosphate and a glass of ash to the hole. If the soil is prone to acidification, it is better to use double superphosphate.
When moving a young tree to another place, you should try to capture as many roots as possible, but they grow very long.
If, during transplantation or a purchased seedling, the roots are greatly shortened, then the above-ground part should also be short. It’s better to trim a little more from the top than necessary, rather than leaving too much.
Old specimens for transplantation are pruned to the maximum, literally leaving only a bare trunk without side branches.

Step-by-step instructions for planting sea buckthorn

In general, it is completely identical to other fruit trees, taking into account the above-described features.

A hole is prepared with a depth of 35-40 cm and a width of about 40-50 cm. A drainage layer can only be provided in an area with poorly permeable clay soil.
Mature organic matter is placed at the bottom, which is mixed with ash and superphosphate.
A mound of earth is poured in height almost to the ground level. It is necessary to compact it tightly enough to avoid future subsidence of the root collar.
A seedling is placed on a mound, and its roots are carefully distributed along the slopes of this mound.
A peg is driven parallel to the trunk, the height of which should be above ground level. The seedling is securely tied to it. Attention! The garter must be above the ground so that it can be removed over time, otherwise it may pinch the trunk in the future and destroy the tree.
The hole is filled with soil, which is gently kneaded without strong pressure.
Abundant watering is carried out.

Important! The root collar should remain at its level after the soil shrinks!

Pruning and rejuvenation

The sea buckthorn tree, if not limited in growth, grows too tall, which becomes inconvenient for picking berries. This fruit tree, unlike replanting, tolerates pruning without much damage at any age, so you can trim its trunk and branches to the desired height without regret. The age of maximum productivity of the crop is 8-12 years. If a garden specimen has crossed this threshold, and this has become noticeable based on the harvest results, it should, as experts say, be “planted on a stump” (in other words, cut down, leaving one stump). A cut tree will produce stump shoots, which will retain all the parental characteristics, will very soon grow and begin to actively bear fruit. If there is too much of it, you can leave a few shoots to choose from. As a result of such radical pruning, the tree rejuvenates and produces a full harvest for many years to come.

Radical pruning is only relevant for ungrafted sea buckthorn specimens. Otherwise, it will no longer be possible to preserve varietal characteristics.

In addition to planting seeds, which, if collected independently, are almost guaranteed to lose varietal characteristics already in the first generation, there are a number of vegetative methods for propagating this useful fruit crop. The seed method is hardly of interest to gardeners, so we will focus on vegetative propagation.

Root suckers and layering

For propagation by root suckers, restrictions on grafted mother plants are also relevant, otherwise the variety will be lost. The root shoots are simply dug up and transplanted to a new location. You can get young shoots yourself using lower branches that bend to the ground and dig into the grooves, leaving the top open. The escape is secured using wooden slingshots. It is advisable to dig up and fertilize the soil in advance at the site of future rooting; you can make neat cuts on the shoot with a sharp knife and treat them with “Kornevin” to speed up root formation. It is best to do this in the spring, immediately on thawed ground.

Layers can be either arcuate or horizontal. In the first case, in the end one new seedling will be obtained, in the second, when the shoot is buried along its entire length, there will be several of them.

When the young shoots reach a height of 10-12 cm, they are re-sprinkled with earth with the addition of humus to strengthen the root system of the seedling. You can plant it in the fall, but to ensure reliable results, it is better to do this every other year in early spring.

To obtain root shoots, you can resort to the method of injuring the roots using a sharp shovel. This will give impetus to the growth of the layering, but will cause some damage to the mother tree.

Rhizome division

Not the most reliable and painless method, which can be resorted to in case of emergency and only for young plants. The root system is divided using a sharp ax with the condition that a portion of a viable rhizome and at least 2-3 strong above-ground shoots are preserved on each division.

Planting sea buckthorn with lignified cuttings

The procedure is as follows:

In early spring, cuttings are taken from lignified or semi-lignified shoots about 15 cm long.
The blanks are placed in water for several days. You can put them in water at the ends, or you can soak them completely. During this time, the buds, which are like roots, should swell.
The cuttings, observing the direction of growth, are planted in a prepared nutrient substrate (humus, top peat, sand). 2-3 buds should remain above the surface.
Regular watering is carried out. Covering with a transparent material to increase humidity will speed up germination. The optimal temperature for this period is +27C.
After signs of new shoots appear, the film is removed.
Transplantation to a permanent place can be carried out when the shoots reach a height of half a meter, subject to the season and weather conditions.

A propagation method using apical green shoots is also available. It is similar to the previous one, but does not require long soaking and has a shorter period of obtaining new seedlings, which should be taken into account when determining the timing of cutting planting material.

I would never have thought that sea buckthorn was such a harmful plant. But having planted it on the site using seeds, I realized that I had made a big mistake. The berries were small, sour and tasteless, and the root system became excessively large and grew several meters. That’s when I thought that, most likely, I had planted it incorrectly. In this article I will describe all the mistakes in growing this crop and tell you how to properly plant and manage this plant.

Sea buckthorn has many medicinal properties. With the help of berries, leaves and branches, sclerosis, stomach ulcers, frostbite, gout, rheumatism, burns, indigestion, diabetes and many other diseases are treated. Its fruits are saturated with various useful acids, vitamins C, E, B1, B2, PP, K, manganese, boron, carotene, iron, etc.

An indispensable medicinal plant for the whole body! When and how to plant sea buckthorn and how to care for it? When sowing seeds, you will not get a good harvest, so the best thing is to grow seedlings. Planting sea buckthorn is practically no different from planting other fruit trees, but is still characterized by its own specifics.

Sea buckthorn has a difficult time surviving the winter months and begins the vegetative process quite early. Based on this, the best time to plant a plant is considered to be early spring, when the buds on the trees have not yet blossomed. This is a favorable period for sea buckthorn roots to plant or replant (when it loses some of its roots). Before autumn and cold weather, the plant manages to grow enough of a root system to prepare for winter and withstand frosts.

If a seedling grows indoors in a certain container, then replanting it will not be difficult. The root system will not be damaged and the plant will quickly adapt. But this procedure can only be carried out if the seedling is one year old or more. Otherwise, it is necessary to purchase ready-made seedlings for one to two years. If the roots of the tree are limp and dry, they are placed in a bucket of water and soaked until elasticity returns.

It is not recommended to plant sea buckthorn in the fall, as there is a risk that it will not take root. But if this is necessary, then it is best to plant the plant before mid-October, before the onset of frost, so that it has time to take root well. The sooner this procedure occurs, the better. We plant sea buckthorn in the fall only if the seedling is completely healthy.

Which seedling to buy

Requirements for purchased seedlings:

There are at least three skeletal roots up to 20 cm and a large number of small root processes;
Trunk height: minimum 35 cm, maximum 50 cm, trunk diameter: not less than 6 cm;
The presence of shoots on the trunk;
Elasticity of the bark without damage or wrinkling;
The bark does not peel off, and the wood under the bark does not have a brown tint (if it does, this means that the plant is frostbitten).
The fewer thorns on the sea buckthorn, the better the variety. The absence of thorns is also welcome.
It is enough to have 4 female sea buckthorns and one male pollinator on the site so that there is enough sea buckthorn for five people for the whole year.
If there is already a male plant in the neighboring garden and there are less than 10-12 meters between the plants, it is enough to plant only the female plant.

Where to plant

Place. Sea buckthorn should be planted away from areas of constantly cultivated soil. For example, a good location would be a corner at the edge of a vegetable garden, garden, lawn, near a road or building. It has to do with the roots of the plant. They, like a net, develop and grow shallowly (15-35 cm from the surface), as a result they are easy to damage when digging up the ground. It should also be remembered that the roots grow several meters around the plant, they are easily injured, and this entails weakening of the bush or tree. As a result, the plant produces less fruit and may even die.

Light

Another important factor for sea buckthorn is the availability of light. The plant does not like shady places, so it needs to be planted in the sun. In dark areas it bears little fruit.

The soil

Sea buckthorn likes moist, light soils. It may not be accepted on clay or acidic soil. To avoid this, the acidic soil is dug up together with ground limestone (approximately 300-450 g per square meter). First, lime is scattered over the surface of the earth, and then dug up to a depth of 20-30 cm. Do not pour lime into the hole when planting, so as not to burn the roots. It is advisable to do this procedure in mid-autumn. This fertilizer lasts for 8-10 years.

The groundwater

They should be located at a depth of more than 1 m from the ground cover, since sea buckthorn does not like water stagnation.

Air

For better penetration of air into the soil, the soil around the sea buckthorn should be fluffed up. The depth for fluffing should not exceed 10 cm, as there is a possibility of damaging the roots. On clay soils, to allow air to penetrate into the soil, it is recommended to mix the top layer of soil with coarse river sand, adding humus in a one-to-one ratio. If desired, add up to 300 g of superphosphates and up to 50 g of potassium salt.

Wind

Sea buckthorn is a wind-pollinated crop, so the male should be planted at the beginning of the row on the windy side. Or in the middle, where the female species are surrounded in a circle. Sea buckthorn blooms from 7 to 12 days, so if there is no wind outside, a branch with a flower is cut from the “male” and shaken over the female flowers, pollinating them. How to distinguish the sex of a plant? In “men” the buds are half as large and have 4-7 scales, while in “women” the buds are longer, smaller, and have only a couple of scales. For one male individual, 4-6 female seedlings are enough.

How to plant

If a seedling is selected in the fall, then it would be best to plant it at home in a container, where it will overwinter and plant it on the site in early spring. Or there is a second option - we dig in until spring. We dig a trench 25-35 cm deep, then pour sand into it and lay the seedlings side by side at an angle of 45°. After everything, bury it with earth, and in winter it is advisable to cover it with dry leaves or peat.

We do not plant shrubs in places where fruit trees with seeds grew (apple, plum, peach, etc.), or after raspberries and strawberries. These shrubs have similar diseases that can be transmitted to sea buckthorn through the soil.

When landing, you must follow some rules and conditions:

The site is dug up in the fall and fertilizers are applied at the same time. It is not recommended to use mineral fertilizers; it is better to use organic fertilizers (humus, peat, ash, lime).
The pit should be 45-65 cm deep, 65 cm wide, 65 cm long.
Maintain a distance of 2 meters between individuals.
Dig a peg 1-1.5 meters high into the center of the hole and cover it with earth, forming a mound.
The seedling is placed in the center near the peg and the root system is spread evenly over the equipped mound.
The hole is filled with soil mixed with sand and humus, so that the beginning of the trunk is immersed in the soil up to 5 cm.
A hole is left around the tree or shrub for further watering.
The plant is tied to a peg.
Up to three buckets of water are poured into the hole.
After the water has been absorbed, the hole is mulched with humus or dried soil. Next, this area is leveled.
Water the plant every day thereafter for a month.

When transplanting a tree to new places, many roots are lost, so you need to try to dig up as many of them as possible. Since the roots are too long, they are often cut off when digging. In this case, you should trim not only the root system, but also the stems and shoots themselves. We are not afraid to overdo it with pruning branches. It will be much easier for a tree or bush to adapt and grow in a new place. When we are dealing with an adult, we cut off all the branches, leaving only the trunk no more than 1.5 meters.

How to fertilize

Sea buckthorn is not harmful in terms of fertilizer. Due to its wide root system, it independently finds nutrients in the soil and there is no need to fertilize it for the first years.

If desired, for better formation of new shoots, plants in the spring can be fertilized with urea (up to 30 g per 1 bucket of water). Each tree or bush is watered with half a bucket of liquid.

It is advisable to fertilize young growth with organic fertilizers. For example, stir humus in water and water the plant around. This procedure should be carried out once every three years.

Sea buckthorn loves moisture, so it is worth watering it infrequently, but with plenty of water. By paying such attention to the plant, sea buckthorn will bring a good, fertile harvest every year and will not interfere with other plants with its roots. Be treated, enjoy the beauty of this plant and do not forget the features of caring for it!

You can hear from many gardeners that growing sea buckthorn is very troublesome. Problematic care is due to the presence of a large amount of growth at the roots and extreme inconvenience during harvesting due to the large crown of the bush. However, this is only true if we are talking about wild varieties. Garden sea buckthorn has much more attractive characteristics with proper agricultural technology.

Description of culture

In nature, sea buckthorn grows on sea coasts or along rivers in the form of low trees or shrubs. Distributed in China, in the mountainous regions of Nepal and India. She is classified as a member of the Lokhov family. The leaves have a characteristic gray color and shape with a bluish tint: they are small, thin and pointed. The flowers appear before the foliage, but they are not as attractive. But because of its unusual foliage, the tree is often used in landscape design. When the fruits ripen, the plant looks even more spectacular.

Most summer residents have sea buckthorn, known as common buckthorn, growing in their garden. It can grow as a tree, but more often it is a thorny bush with needles. You can also find sea buckthorn. Winter-hardy varieties with large berries are common in Barnaul.

Sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn is a shrub that begins to bear fruit when it reaches the age of 4 years. This is a light-loving and fairly frost-resistant tree, but with sudden temperature changes it can partially freeze.

On a note! Productivity depends on the climatic conditions of growth, mainly on the presence of a large amount of sunlight.

Sea buckthorn berries have a sweet and sour taste and in cultivated species they are quite large in size. Their color may vary depending on the species - orange, red or yellowish. There is a bright black dot in the middle. The fruits are ready to eat raw, good for various preparations, and are also widely used in cosmetology. Sea buckthorn oil is also used for medicinal purposes.

Sea buckthorn varieties

To date, a huge number of varieties of this crop with different indicators have been bred.

Large-fruited varieties

Since the fruits of wild sea buckthorn weigh 0.2 g, many garden varieties have been obtained that ripen in the middle zone with large berries:

Openwork. A tree with a spreading crown without thorns, which makes it much easier to care for. The fruits are cylindrical and orange in color. The weight of one piece is within 1 g. Refers to early ripening varieties. It tolerates drought, cold and is resistant to disease.
Augustine. The weight of the fruits can reach 1.1 g. They are egg-shaped and orange in color. They are loose brushes, which facilitates the harvesting process. Early ripening variety. There are few thorns on the branches.
Elizabeth. The crown is compact and does not require constant pruning. It survives frosts well. The weight of the berry is on average 0.9 g, the taste is with a slight hint of pineapple, sweet and sour.

Sea buckthorn

Thornless varieties

Breeders, through their efforts, deprived the plant of thorns and made its processing and harvesting much easier. Many gardeners have planted such varieties and were satisfied. The most popular thornless varieties:

Giant. It can be a shrub or a full-fledged tree. The crown is in the form of a cone, 3.5 m high. The berries are shaped like a cylinder and are orange in color. They taste sweet and sour, and are held on a branch on a small stalk.
Solar is a large shrub, devoid of needles. The fruits are closer to amber in color, weighing 0.7 g. They have an increased concentration of oils and a sweet taste.
Altai. The tree is small in appearance with very few thorns. The berries ripen at the end of August, each weighing about 0.7 g. The taste is pleasant with a subtle aroma of pineapple. The fruits easily come off the stalk with a dry detachment.
Girlfriend. This is a shrub with a spreading crown. The leaves are light green in color and slightly pubescent. Large fruits weighing 1 g, oval in shape and orange in color. This variety is recommended both for fresh consumption and for creating various preparations.

Yield varieties

Relatively recently, varieties with high yields have appeared. If previously 5 kg were collected from a bush, now this figure has been increased to 17 kg:

Botanical. This species is used mainly for commercial purposes. Yields up to 20 kg per tree. The fruits are large in size and tolerate transportation well.
Moscow beauty. Bush with a compact crown. The berries have a dessert taste and are deep orange in color. The variety has high immunity to diseases, good frost resistance, and bears fruit consistently, yielding 15 kg of berries from 1 bush.
Chuyskaya. A tree with a spreading crown that is easy to shape. The fruits have a slightly elongated oval shape and ripen in summer. Yield up to 12 kg per plant.
Darling. A bush shaped like a slightly flattened oval. There is a whitish coating on the shoots, and there are almost no thorns. The fruits are orange, oblong. Although they have a thick skin, the flesh is very pleasant to taste. Ripens at the end of August. The variety is resistant to many diseases and colds.

Yield varieties

Pollination of sea buckthorn

If you don’t know how the sea buckthorn tree is pollinated, you may not get a harvest. Garden sea buckthorn has separate female and male trees. Pollination occurs with the help of wind. It is worth considering at what distance you need to plant male sea buckthorn from female ones. It should not exceed 10 m, otherwise the plants will not be able to interact.

Important! It is necessary to have several sea buckthorn trees on the site for normal pollination.

In spring, autumn or winter, the sex of seedlings is determined, because planting same-sex trees in the garden will not give results. It is important that there are no leaves on the branches. The buds of the female sea buckthorn tree are much smaller in size with 2 scales. The male has larger buds and already has 6-7 scales on the inflorescence.

For 1 male plant, you can plant up to 8 female ones. The main thing is to understand which direction the wind blows in the spring and how it will spread pollen. The female group can position itself opposite or near the male tree.

Experienced gardeners have 2 male plants, because they are more sensitive to adverse conditions than female ones. There is a chance that at least one sea buckthorn tree will survive. The distance between them can be 1 m. 27

For your information! When planting, it is worth paying close attention to female seedlings, since they must be varietal, but wild ones will do for male ones, or they can be Ural, Alei and Dear Friend.

Landing

Mostly sea buckthorn is planted in spring or autumn. The best time to plant a tree is still spring, almost immediately after the snow melts. This ensures better survival of seedlings. And further care of planted sea buckthorn in the spring is not difficult. In the fall, the roots of a young plant may not have time to prepare for the upcoming frosts, and sudden temperature changes in the spring will be destructive for it.

Sea buckthorn loves light areas

If sea buckthorn was not bred in the climate where it will be planted, then planting it in the fall is strictly not recommended.

Important! The root system of the shrub is located mainly at a depth of 40 cm.

Sea buckthorn does not really like transplants and damage to the roots. When grown in a container for more than a year, the seedling is ready to be planted in the ground. A younger shoot may die due to the underdevelopment of the root system.

In general, planting and growing a tree such as common sea buckthorn is not that difficult.

Sea buckthorn loves light areas. The roots can grow beyond the deciduous part of the tree, so any planting next to sea buckthorn is contraindicated, as it will be crowded both for itself and for its neighbors. It is usually located at the edge of the site.

You should not plant a tree after stone fruit crops to prevent a number of diseases. It is necessary to ensure that groundwater does not come closer than 1 m to the surface of the earth. The soil for sea buckthorn is preferably light and fertile. The culture loves sufficient moisture, but does not tolerate waterlogging.

Important! The most important thing in planting is choosing a suitable seedling; how to plant sea buckthorn is a secondary task. The productivity, endurance of the tree and the quality of the fruit will depend on this. It is better to purchase varietal trees in specialized stores.

It is recommended to purchase sea buckthorn seedlings that are 2 years old, as they already have a fairly developed root system. There should be at least 3 main roots 20 cm long. Secondary roots should also be present in sufficient quantities. Several shoots should emerge from a trunk approximately 7 mm thick. It is better if its height is 40-50 cm.

You also need to pay attention to the bark: there should be no scratches, delaminations and other irregularities and defects. A brown tint to the wood indicates that the plant has been exposed to cold and most likely will not take root in its new location.

Propagation by seeds is not suitable for sea buckthorn. In this case, the characteristics of the parent variety will not be preserved. Cuttings or plants with root shoots are replanted. Moreover, with trees surrounded by shoots, extreme care should be taken so as not to injure the roots of the shoots and the mother bush during planting. If a gardener knows how to transplant sea buckthorn to another place, then there will be no difficulties.

Important! When transplanting, the separated shoot may wilt slightly, so it is worth trimming the leafy part in advance. In this way, the plant’s strength will be saved, but the ability to bear fruit in the current season will be reduced.

Propagation by seeds is not applicable for sea buckthorn

The rules for planting sea buckthorn do not differ from those for all fruit trees. The step-by-step instructions look like this:

First, a hole is dug 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter.
The root collar is leveled according to the level of soil shrinkage.
Do not apply a lot of fertilizers; a bucket of compost and superphosphate is enough.
Slaked lime is added to soil that is too acidic for sea buckthorn.
In loamy soils, sand and humus are added.
At the end of the procedure, water and mulch with a layer of dry soil.

Transplanting cuttings

Sea buckthorn can be planted from very young cuttings. The method is very effective. Young seedlings can initially be placed under the crown of an adult tree to avoid direct sunlight. But before this, the shoot is grown in a greenhouse.

Transplantation is carried out at the beginning of summer. Cut a cutting 15 cm in size and remove three leaves from the bottom. The cut must be treated with growth stimulants, but this is not mandatory. The cuttings are planted in a prepared fertile mixture of soil, sand and peat. Next, the plant should be kept in greenhouse conditions with a temperature of 28°C and a humidity of 90%.

Watering and spraying the cuttings is required. As soon as the roots appear, fertilizing in the form of mineral fertilizers is needed. It is also worth periodically ventilating the greenhouse.

Planting woody cuttings

Such cuttings also take root; they are prepared in the fall or in winter. Shoots with a thickness of more than 5 mm are suitable. To prevent their premature development, cuttings should be buried in the snow and planted in the spring. The blanks are cut into pieces of 15 cm each. They need to be kept in water for several days, and after 2 weeks the sea buckthorn will take root and form buds.

Planting woody cuttings

The cuttings are planted in a greenhouse, placed in the soil and deepened by 15 cm. A shoot with two buds should stick out from above. Next, the same care is required as in the previous version. When the tree is 50 cm tall, it can be planted in a permanent place. Thus, by autumn the root system will be stronger and ready for wintering.

Other methods of reproduction

You can also plant root shoots of sea buckthorn. This method is the simplest. Root shoots are formed in sufficient quantities. Shoots begin to appear on the tree 5-6 years after planting. They are simply cut off from the main plant. Next, they are grown in a greenhouse and hardened by ventilation before planting. It is recommended to plant sea buckthorn in a permanent place in the spring.

To speed up the appearance of suckers in a tree, pruning of the skeletal root is used. At the site of the cut it is not covered and a large amount of growth forms there.

If the male tree dies, the cuttings are grafted onto the female tree. After 1 year, the branches are already capable of pollination. This method is also good for saving space.

Further care

To understand how to care for sea buckthorn after planting, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for caring for fruit trees. Agricultural technology is not very different from other crops.

An important event is the formation of the crown. The procedure begins 2 years after planting in the spring, before the buds have time to bloom, and the top is thinned out first.

After 4 years, the tree already needs serious pruning. The branches grow and interfere with the development of the bush as a whole, reducing productivity. Therefore, when thinning out sea buckthorn, even fruit-bearing shoots are removed. Remove branches running parallel to the trunk and dry shoots. At the age of 8 years, such procedures will help rejuvenate the tree and allow it to better cope with diseases.

Sanitary pruning is also included in a number of mandatory measures. Dry parts of the tree are removed and various damages, if any, are processed. In the presence of fungal diseases, the affected areas are burned, and the plant itself is treated with solutions that help fight the disease.

Trees also need feeding throughout their life. Approximately once every 3 years, organic matter with superphosphates is added. Every year in the spring it is recommended to sprinkle a little nitrogen under the trunk of the sea buckthorn.

With proper care, the plant will delight you with its appearance and produce abundant harvests every year. If the crop is planted at the dacha for decorative purposes, then caring for sea buckthorn according to the rules will make it more attractive.