Sea buckthorn is one of the most unpretentious and hardy fruit crops, so there is nothing difficult in planting and growing it. Even a novice amateur gardener is able to grow and propagate it. We learn how to plant sea buckthorn, and how to care for it in order to get a decent harvest.
Principles of growing and caring for sea buckthorn
Features of cultivation and care:
- Pair landing. The main feature of sea buckthorn is dioeciousness. Sea buckthorn is not planted alone if you want to get berries. The fruiting sea buckthorn is a beautiful sight and a real decoration of the garden.
- More female plants. There is no need to plant a male for each female plant. Each bush with male flowers is capable of pollinating up to 5 female flowers. Male plants die more often than female ones; for safety reasons, it is better to plant more of them.
- Pollination direction. Sea buckthorn is a wind-pollinated crop, so its direction must be taken into account.
- Careful loosening. The sea buckthorn root system is located close to the surface of the earth. When digging and loosening the soil, this must be taken into account.
- After each watering - loosening. Due to the peculiarities of the sea buckthorn root system, the soil in its near-stem circle must always be loosened.
How to distinguish male from female sea buckthorn?
It is possible to distinguish the “gender” of sea buckthorn bushes / trees growing on the site only after the appearance of the first flower buds. This can only be done at 4-5 years of age.
Signs by which you can distinguish a female plant from a male:
- Female plants have smaller buds, and fewer than on male bushes.
- Male buds are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences.
- In male plants, leaf plates are flat, in female plants, they are curved, cupped.
- Female flowers are yellowish in color, collected in inflorescences. Men's are greenish-silver.
- In male plants, the crown is bluish at the end of spring, in female - bright green.
At the stage of seedlings, it is very difficult to distinguish male and female plants, but it is possible - by the size of the buds (male are larger) and by the color of the leaves.
Recommended varieties
Among sea buckthorn there are varieties:
- Sweet The berries of sea buckthorn have always been sour, but today varieties with fruits of increased sweetness have been bred - Beloved, Rouet, Tenge, Moskvichka, Nizhny Novgorod Sweet, Moscow Pineapple, Claudia.
- No thorns. Without spikes, harvesting is greatly simplified. Popular besshorny varieties are Solnechnaya, Zhivko, Socratovskaya, Giant, Podruga, Altai, Excellent, Chechek.
- Large-fruited. Sea buckthorn is covered with small berries. If the culture is planted with the aim of obtaining berries, it is advisable to plant large-fruited varieties - Elizaveta, Naran, Essel, Openwork, Zlata, Augustina, Leikor.
- High yielding... Sea buckthorn is not only a highly decorative plant, but also has economic benefits. There are varieties giving 5-6 kg per plant, and there are 20-25 kg. Among the high-yielding varieties - Abundant, Chuiskaya, Botanicheskaya aromatic, Panteleevskaya, Gift to a garden, Gift of Moscow State University.
- Undersized. Collecting sea buckthorn by hand is a laborious job. If the plant is tall, then picking berries is even more difficult. The easiest way to pick berries from bushes no more than 2.5 m high. The undersized varieties include sea buckthorn - Amber, Thumbelina, Inya, Druzhina, Moscow beauty, Baikal ruby, Chulyshmanka, Bayan gol.
- Mororesistant. Sea buckthorn is naturally more appreciated in the north, in the south they prefer fruits. To bear fruit in the north, the plant must be very hardy. Sea buckthorn with increased winter hardiness includes varieties - Dzhemovaya, Zolotaya атокab, Trofimovskaya, Perchik, Ayula, Dar Katun, Otradnaya.
- Men's. These are varieties for the production of pollen, which pollinates female plants. Breeders bred special "male varieties" with improved pollination abilities - one plant is able to pollinate up to 20 sea buckthorn bushes. These varieties include - Gnome, Alei, Ogni Yenisei, Sayan, Ayaganga.
- Red-fruited. Red fruits are a rare phenomenon for sea buckthorn. The breeders managed to breed only a few red-fruited varieties - Ryabinovaya, Siberian Blush, Krasnoplodnaya, Krasny Torch, Yolochka.
Additionally, read our article on the very best sea buckthorn varieties.
Table 1 shows popular sea buckthorn varieties and their comparative criteria.
Table 1
Variety | Harvest per bush, kg | Fruit weight, g | Oil content,% | Bush height, m | Crown | Ripening terms |
Gift to the garden | 10-15 | 0,8 | 4 | 3 | medium compact | middle |
Golden Siberia | 12-22 | 0,8 | 4-6 | 3 | medium compact | late |
Nugget | 14-20 | 0,7 | 7 | 3 | medium spreading | middle |
Orange | 6-8 | 0,6 | 4-6 | 3 | sprawling | late |
Chuiskaya | 10-17 | 0,6 | 4-6 | 3 | relatively compact | early |
Plentiful | 12-15 | 0,5 | 5 | 3 | medium-spreading | middle |
Gift of Katun | 10-12 | 0,4 | 3,5-7 | 3-3,5 | compact | middle |
When and how best to plant sea buckthorn: in spring or autumn?
Sea buckthorn can be planted at any time - in spring, autumn, even in summer. Gardeners argue about the best planting time, but there is no definite answer to this question. True, there are situations where spring planting has no alternative - it is safer and carries less risks for seedlings.
Planting sea buckthorn in the fall
Autumn planting should be chosen if it is known for certain that the seedling grew in the same area. If planting material is brought from warmer regions, the tree is able to "wake up" in the winter - in January-February, and frosts are guaranteed to destroy it.
If planting is carried out in the fall, then by all means until the second half of October, since later on the seedling simply does not have time to take root before the onset of frost. Autumn planting is advisable provided a long autumn, and the seedling is strong, healthy, and meets all the requirements for planting material.
A pit is prepared for the autumn planting, and a soil mixture is poured into it. Ingredients of the soil mixture:
- fertile land;
- a handful of double superphosphate;
- a bucket of humus;
- a glass of wood ash.
Further landing is carried out using standard technology. Preparation of soil mix in the fall, and its filling in the pit - one of the stages of spring planting. In the spring, seedlings can be planted in soil well-saturated with air and moisture.
If it is not possible to plant seedlings in the fall - for example, the deadlines do not allow, then they can be prikopat to save until spring:
- dig a ditch 0.5 m deep;
- place the seedlings in the ditch so that the crowns are turned south;
- dig the seedlings with the ground so that only the tops are visible;
- water the seedlings well;
- cover with a spruce top;
- when snow appears, cover them with shelter.
How to plant sea buckthorn in spring?
Most gardeners believe that it is better to plant sea buckthorn in the spring, before the buds open. In fact, the time of planting is selected taking into account the climate and the fitness of the variety to its conditions.
Spring planting is definitely safer for a young plant. The seedling manages to take root reliably and get stronger before winter. Spring planting is done in late March or early April - while the plants are dormant.
Landing is prepared in the fall. The soil is dug up to the depth of the bayonet, spreading per 1 square. m:
- potassium sulfate - 20 g;
- superphosphate - 200 g;
- humus - 4-5 buckets.
In the spring, holes are dug with a depth and width of 65 cm. After 1.5-2 weeks, they start planting.
Where to plant sea buckthorn on the site?
Sea buckthorn has some features of the root system that should be considered when choosing a landing site. Its roots grow in breadth, moving up to a distance of 5 m from the tree. But they do not lie deep at all - when digging the soil they can be easily damaged.
Sea buckthorn painfully tolerates root damage. That is why this plant should not be planted near garden beds - when digging the soil, you can damage the roots. Preference is given to the edges of the site - sea buckthorn is planted around the perimeter, where no digging is planned.
What kind of soil does sea buckthorn like?
Sea buckthorn is not indifferent to moisture - it is not for nothing that it prefers to grow near water bodies. She needs soils that retain moisture well. The best option is black soil, loam and sandy loam soils. These soils retain moisture longer than others.
But hydration should not be confused with waterlogging - sea buckthorn does not tolerate water stagnation. It is also unacceptable to plant this plant in places with a high occurrence of groundwater - less than 1 m to the soil surface.
Sea buckthorn in nature prefers to grow on sandy and pebble soils, so there are so many of it in the coastal zone of rivers.
How to choose sea buckthorn for planting?
If sea buckthorn is planted in order to obtain fruits, varietal planting material is required. In any case, female plants must be bought in a nursery. But with men it is easier - they can be wild. The optimal age for seedlings is 2 years.
Signs of a healthy seedling:
- there are 3 skeletal roots approximately 20 cm long and a well-developed fibrous root system;
- seedling height - 30-50 cm, diameter - not less than 6 mm;
- the trunk must have several shoots;
- bark - elastic, tightly attached to wood, color - light, not brown.
The brown color of the bark of a sea buckthorn seedling indicates its damage by low temperatures.
Saplings are chosen from zoned varieties - this will protect them from early awakening, which is dangerous for their lives. For planting, choose grafted seedlings with well-developed roots and crown.
Ask in what way the planting material was obtained. If by seeds or from root shoots, varietal characteristics may not be transmitted. Saplings grown from cuttings always convey the sex of the mother plant.
Landing requirements
Features of choosing a landing site for sea buckthorn:
- Sea buckthorn loves the sun, so it should be planted in areas open to the sun. Shading of the landing site is unacceptable. It happens that the seedling dies in the first years of life due to shading by weeds.
- Sea buckthorn is planted at a distance of several meters from fences and buildings. She also dislikes close proximity to trees.
- The best place for sea buckthorn is the south side of the site. They plant it on the very edge - so that sea buckthorn does not interfere with catching the sun's rays.
Before planting sea buckthorn, the soil should be prepared. Check its acidity first. If the soil is acidified, add slaked lime to it. For 1 square. m of soil - 300-400 g of lime. After scattering the lime, dig up the soil onto the bayonet of the shovel. Heavy clay soils make it easier by bringing in sand - two buckets per 1 sq. m.
2 weeks after making lime, you can fertilize the site. First of all, organic matter is introduced - humus, manure, compost. Then mineral - superphosphate or complex fertilizers.
Fertilizers for planting seedlings can be applied both to the entire site and to the planting pits. The distance between the landing holes is 2 m.
Preparing seedlings for planting
The procedure for preparing sea buckthorn seedlings for planting:
- If there are leaves on the seedlings, tear them off.
- Dip the roots of the seedling in water for 2-3 hours.
- Immediately before planting, dip the roots in a clay mash.
How to plant sea buckthorn in spring: step by step instructions
For spring planting, you should have prepared pits for planting - dug and fertilized. During the winter, the soil is infused, saturated with moisture and oxygen - the root system of the seedling will be comfortable in such an environment.
In spring, it remains only to plant seedlings prepared for planting. If you have to plant several seedlings, observe an interval of 2 m between them.
The order of planting a seedling in spring:
- Drive a stake in the center of the hole - this will be a support for the seedling. Deepen the stake in hard ground so that it reliably resists winds.
- Rake the soil mixture into the hill to comfortably place sapling roots on its top. When placing a seedling in a pit, place it so that its root neck is 5-6 cm above the ground - it is strictly forbidden to dig it into the soil.
- Spread them, and start filling the hole with fertile soil mixed with humus, peat or coarse sand in a 1: 1 ratio. While backfilling, shake the seedling and tamp the soil with your hands so that there is no void between the roots. After covering the roots, carefully compact the soil around the seedling.
- Tie the seedling to a support. Use a soft material that won't damage the thin bark of the tree, such as twine.
- Water the seedlings - 2 buckets per seedling.
- Sprinkle mulch - dry grass, sawdust, or straw over the tree trunk.
The presented video shows step-by-step instructions for planting sea buckthorn, and also tells how to distinguish male sea buckthorn from female:
The male seedling is planted at the beginning of the row - on the windy side. Or in the center - surrounded by females.
When and how to transplant an adult sea buckthorn bush?
Sea buckthorn transplantation is a laborious and risky task. Even observing the technology of transplantation to the finer points, gardeners often fail - the bush dies. Transplanting is an undesirable event, so try to plant a seedling immediately in the right place.
A painless and successful transplant is possible for seedlings under 3 years of age. Features of sea buckthorn transplant:
- Dig up the plant carefully, along with all the roots and clod.
- Transfer the sea buckthorn to a new place - in a previously dug hole. Its dimensions should be such that a clod of earth, along with roots, will comfortably fit in it. And most importantly - do not dig the root neck into the soil.
- Abundantly water the transplanted plant and mulch the soil. To make sea buckthorn better take root, add a root stimulant to the water for irrigation.
- Cut a part of the crown so that the plant does not waste energy on the nutrition of the shoots, its task is to quickly root.
- Spray the crown with Zircon or Epin (growth stimulants).
What can be planted next to sea buckthorn?
You cannot plant anything directly under the sea buckthorn except lawn grass. It is forbidden to plant near sea buckthorn plants with roots located shallowly - strawberries, raspberries, currants. Competing for nutrients, sea buckthorn will destroy them.
The best neighbor for sea buckthorn is sea buckthorn itself. Trees or shrubs are placed at a distance of 2-2.5 m from each other.
Sea buckthorn care after planting
Sea buckthorn is a useful and beautiful plant that will decorate any personal plot. Moreover, it does not require great care from its owners - its agricultural technology is simple and does not differ in anything special.
The plant is resistant to pests and diseases, and the most important activity in the life of sea buckthorn is pruning - with its help, gardeners form a healthy and beautiful plant, removing unnecessary and damaged branches.
We recommend that you read an article on how to properly care for sea buckthorn in the autumn.
Proper watering rules
Sea buckthorn is hygrophilous; it needs regular watering. During the growing season, especially in the first year after planting, the crop is watered regularly, taking into account the moisture content of the soil and weather conditions. The watering rate for one young plant is 3 buckets, during the fruiting period - 5-6 buckets. Mature trees are given more water - 7-8 buckets.
When watering, it is important to comply with the norm, waterlogged soil prevents air from reaching the roots.
When watering sea buckthorn, try to soak the entire trunk circle with moisture. As autumn approaches, spend 1.5 times more water. Do not forget to make one water-loading irrigation before winter - it is necessary for winter hardiness of the plant.
Loosening, weeding, mulching
After each rain or watering, the soil is loosened, and at the same time weedy vegetation is removed. Sea buckthorn roots are covered with nodules - bacteria live in them, which, assimilating nitrogen from the air, enrich the soil with nitrogenous compounds. The latter are vital to the plant.If the soil is covered with a crust, air will not flow to the roots, as a result, it will receive less nutrition.
When loosening, consider the characteristics of the root system of sea buckthorn. In order not to damage the roots that are close to the surface of the earth, do not loosen the soil deeper than 6-7 cm. It is not at all recommended to dig up the soil in the near-trunk circle.
To reduce the number of loosening and the risks of injury to the roots, sprinkle trunks with mulch circles. For this purpose, humus or compost is suitable - it can be prepared, for example, from potato tops or birch leaves.
How to do pruning correctly?
Sea buckthorn can be trimmed at any time other than winter. But the best time for pruning is early spring. Pruning is carried out before the sap flow begins.
Spring pruning
In spring, the plant needs sanitary pruning - all dry, damaged and diseased branches are removed. On young sea buckthorn, formative pruning is also carried out, the gardener decides how the plant will grow - in the form of a tree or a bush.
Principles and features of pruning sea buckthorn in the spring:
- The young seedling is immediately cut to a height of 10-20 cm. The stump will let out branches, the shoot will also grow from the root. The next year, the gardener chooses the 4 most powerful shoots, the remaining are cut off. Root shoots can be left only with root seedlings.
- When forming a tree, a stem with a height of 30 cm is created at the seedling, and 2-4 skeletal branches are left. If the branches of the seedling are fully formed, it is not necessary to trim it. If there are no branches on them, shortening to 30 cm is necessary.
- In the second year, 3-4 skeletal branches and a guide are formed from the grown shoots - then they are cut off at the same level.
- If after a year the shoots grow too intensively, they are shortened by a third or a quarter.
- When the plant begins to bear fruit, the pruning of the upper parts of the shoots is stopped - flower buds form on them.
After the tree is formed, all that remains is to regularly cut off excess shoots:
- growing inside a tree / shrub;
- thickening plant;
- shoots - it is pruned, digging out the shoots and carefully cutting into a ring.
When the sea buckthorn is 6 years old, it will need anti-aging pruning. It is also best done in the spring. Branches that have ceased to bear fruit are removed, replacing them with young and strong shoots. Every year 1-3 branches are replaced - no more.
Watch the video about the correct pruning of sea buckthorn:
Plants affected by frost are cut down to the root neck. If the roots are still alive, then a new bush or tree can be formed.
Pruning in the fall
In late autumn, when the resting period begins at sea buckthorn, sanitary pruning is performed. All old branches, thickening, incorrectly grown, diseased, dry, etc. are removed. Pruning is carried out with a sharply sharpened, disinfected instrument.
How to fertilize sea buckthorn?
Top dressing begins in the second year after planting. Organics are added annually - 1 bucket of humus or compost per square meter. In adult plants, the root system itself provides the plant with nitrogen, so they only need phosphorus and potassium fertilizers - they are introduced into the soil. But until the age of 5 years old, sea buckthorn is fed with nitrogen, scattering ammonium nitrate around the trunk circle - 20 g per 1 sq. m.
After flowering, buckthorn is given foliar top dressing - it is sprayed with a solution of potassium humate (10 l of water - 1 tbsp. L). After 20 days - repeated feeding.
When forming ovaries, it is recommended to feed the plant with a nutrient mixture. Composition and dosage for 10 l of water:
- wood ash - 100 g;
- superphosphate - 30 g;
- potassium salt - 25 g.
This amount is enough for 1 sq. m of soil. Acidic soils are fertilized with a mixture in which superphosphate is replaced with phosphorite flour - 50 g per 1 sq. Km. m.
It is recommended to feed the sea buckthorn 4 times during the season:
- early spring;
- during flowering (watered with a solution of potassium humate);
- after flowering;
- 20 days after the last feeding.
Preparing culture for winter
Sea buckthorn is a frost-resistant crop, so gardeners usually do not insulate it. But there are measures that can help the plant more easily tolerate severe frosts.
Winter preparations:
- warming of the root zone with spruce branches and sod;
- whitewashing the trunk;
- barrel protection with a metal mesh - to protect against rodents.
Departure by region
Sea buckthorn can grow in any region of the Russian Federation - in the south, in the middle lane, in the north, in Siberia. Depending on climatic conditions, landing dates and nuances of care change.
Planting and caring for sea buckthorn in the suburbs
In the Moscow Region, sea buckthorn is planted in late March or early April, depending on the weather. Disembarkation is carried out before the sap flow begins, but the plus temperature should be established. In order to have less trouble and risks, only zoned varieties should be planted.
The climate of the Moscow Region perfectly suits sea buckthorn. About 60 varieties are zoned here - there is plenty to choose from. Warming such sea buckthorn is not necessary. The varieties recommended for the Moscow Region are in table 2.
table 2
Variety | Botanical form (bush / tree) | Number of spikes | Fruit | Yield per plant, kg |
Moscow pineapple | compact bush | insignificant | dark orange with a red speck at the top | up to 14 |
Lomonosovskaya | medium-sized tree | insignificant | large, orange-red | 14-16 |
Botanical amateur | medium-sized tree | insignificant | large yellow orange | up to 20 |
Botanical fragrant | medium-sized, spreading tree | insignificant | orange-brown | 12-14 |
Fragrant | medium-sized tree | the average | large, red-orange | up to 16 |
Planting and caring for sea buckthorn in the Siberian region
In Siberia, sea buckthorn is planted in late April or early May - they expect stable heat. For Siberia, many varieties of sea buckthorn have been bred, which without problems tolerate the harsh climate. In Siberia, the agricultural technology of growing the crop in question is no different from the work carried out in the middle lane. Popular varieties of sea buckthorn for Siberia are shown in table 3.
Table 3
Variety | Botanical form (bush / tree) | Number of spikes | Fruit | Yield per plant, kg |
Golden Siberia | medium-sized bush | very little | orange | 12-14 |
Zhivko | medium-sized multi-stem bush | few | orange yellow | to 10 |
Elizabeth | medium bush | very little | orange | up to 12 |
Jam | weak bush | not | orange red | 12-15 |
Giant | medium-sized bush | not | orange | 13-20 |
Altai | medium-sized compact bush | not | bright orange | 12-14 |
Reproduction of sea buckthorn
Sea buckthorn is well propagated by various methods - seeds, cuttings, layering, shoots, grafting, dividing the bush. Each gardener decides for himself how it is more convenient for him to propagate the plant.
Vaccinated
This is the most difficult and time consuming breeding method. It is used only by experienced gardeners. Vaccination goals:
- A male stalk is grafted onto a female bush so as not to plant a new seedling.
- For growing varietal plants on viable rootstocks.
Features and procedure for grafting sea buckthorn:
- Start vaccinations in late April or early May.
- For rootstock, use a two-year-old seedling grown from seeds.
- Cut the rootstock trunk 15 cm above the root collar. Leave one powerful shoot 10 cm high on the rootstock, cut off all others.
- Over the summer, the abandoned shoot should get stronger. Pinch it to make it thicker and not grow up. Remove all growths at the bottom - at a height of up to 15 cm.
- By the next spring, the shoot turns into a bole.
- By the third spring, the plant reaches 50-60 cm in height and 5-9 mm in diameter. Replicate at a height of 10 cm from the root neck.
Gardeners noticed that cuttings taken from male plants and grafted onto a rootstock take root worse than cuttings taken from female plants.
Seed reproduction
If you are interested in obtaining a variety plant, the seed propagation method is not suitable for you. The plant obtained from the seed does not bear the varietal characteristics of the mother bush (tree). Seedlings are usually used as rootstocks for grafting.
Features of propagation by seeds:
- Seed germination lasts at least 2 years.
- Before sowing, the seeds are kept in the refrigerator for 1.5 months - on a shelf for vegetables.
- North - at the end of April. The seeds are not very deep. The container with seeds is covered with foil or glass and placed in a warm, bright place. After 1-2 weeks, seedlings will appear.
- In mid-July, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place. Before planting, they shorten the tap root.
Cuttings
Cuttings are harvested in the fall - at the end of November-early December, or in the spring - at the end of March-early April. Use 2-year increments of a thickness of at least 6 mm. The length of the cuttings is 15-20 cm. The autumn cuttings, tied in a bunch, are wrapped in cloth and polyethylene, and stored, covered with soil, spruce branches and snow.
The procedure for planting cuttings in spring:
- Cuttings are placed in water for 3 days - it is regularly changed. Many gardeners add a root growth stimulator to the water.
- Cuttings are planted in the ground - with a slight slope. At least 2-3 buds should remain above the ground. Most of the kidneys are in the ground. By autumn, the stalk grows to 60 cm. In the 3rd year, the plant will give its first fruits.
Green cuttings are more difficult to root than lignified. Special conditions have to be created; loose earth mix, sand, growth stimulants, water spraying, etc. are necessary.
Layers
For this method, you need a young sea buckthorn with well bending branches. Order of propagation by layering:
- Select branches with good growth in spring.
- Bend the selected branch and lay in a shallow groove.
- Commit the branch. Fill the groove with soil.
- Water, feed and loosen the soil during the season.
By next spring, layering will be strengthened. Dig it up, cutting it off from the mother plant, and transplant it to a permanent place.
Sprout
Features of reproduction by shoots:
- For reproduction, choose shoots that are 1.5 m away from the mother plant and further - their root system, as a rule, is already formed.
- Spud the shoots high, feed and water during the season.
- In the spring, cut off the offshoots chosen for breeding and plant them in a permanent place.
By dividing the bush
The order of reproduction of sea buckthorn by dividing the bush:
- Dig up a bush and cut off old branches.
- Secateurs divide the bush into parts. Each delenka must have a developed root system.
- Sprinkle charcoal over the cut area.
- Plant parts of the bush in the planting pits. Then take care of ordinary seedlings.
Flowering and fruiting
On male plants, male (stamen) flowers bloom. On women - female (pistil) flowers. Stamen flowers are sources of pollen necessary for fruiting. The pollen enters the female plant through the air - there will be fruits. Male bushes do not bear fruit.
Blooming sea buckthorn
Flowering of heterogeneous plants should occur simultaneously, otherwise there is no sense in their neighborhood. The flowering time is influenced by weather conditions and climate. In the middle lane, the culture blooms in the 2nd half of May, blooms for half a month. In Siberia, sea buckthorn blooms in late May.
There are no nectaries in the flowers of sea buckthorn. Plants have to rely mainly on the wind. If the weather is calm, gardeners have to work as pollinators. To transfer pollen to female flowers, they cut branches and fan the female plant with them.
In what year after planting does sea buckthorn bear fruit?
The first fruits on sea buckthorn are expected by the fourth year. But a full harvest is harvested only in the 6th year of life. At this age, the plant (tree or shrub) finishes forming, and directs all vitality to the harvest.
Sea buckthorn growing business
The most valuable sea buckthorn product is sea buckthorn oil. It is prepared from yellow (orange) fruits, growing in abundance on female plants. Sea buckthorn oil is used for medical purposes, in cosmetology, it is a very valuable product with regenerating properties.
On an industrial scale, sea buckthorn is grown mainly for oil. For this purpose, special technical varieties are planted - their fruits do not taste good, but they contain a lot of oil - 6.2-6.8%. Dessert varieties contain 2-6% oil.
Today, medicinal crops are in high demand on the market. Exotic products are replaced by proven products grown at home. Sea buckthorn is unpretentious, hardy, does not require large labor costs - it can become the subject of a great business. The cost of planting 1 ha of sea buckthorn is about 2,000 euros. The investment pays off in 3 years. At least 15 tons are collected from 1 ha. The price of 1 kg is 150 rubles.
Sea buckthorn oil is not the only product obtained from the fruits of sea buckthorn. The market can also be offered:
- fresh sea buckthorn;
- dried fruits;
- frozen fruits;
- syrups;
- tinctures;
- jam;
- juice.
Sea buckthorn leaves are also useful - they are dried and tea is brewed. Leaves can be dried, packaged and sold. Another interesting idea - to place an apiary next to the sea-buckthorn plantation - you can get valuable sea-buckthorn honey.
Diseases and pests
Compared to other fruit crops, sea buckthorn rarely gets sick. But there are several diseases that can be very dangerous for sea buckthorn. Table 4 - common diseases and pests of sea buckthorn, and measures to combat them.
Table 4
Diseases / Pests | Symptoms / Harm | How to fight? |
Verticillosis | A fungal disease that causes the rapid wilting of leaves and fruits, and then the whole tree. | There is no cure. A sick tree is uprooted. At the place of growth, they are quarantined for 2-3 years. |
Endomycosis | A fungal disease affecting the fruits of a plant shortly before technical ripeness. | Sprayed with copper oxychloride during the growing season. Be sure to re-spray after the fruit ovary. |
Blackleg | Fungal disease thinning the trunks of seedlings. | Seedlings are watered with a solution of potassium permanganate - once a week, and if necessary, if the disease began to manifest itself - daily. |
Sea Buckthorn Moth | Caterpillars eat buds and leaves. | Spraying with 0.5% Chlorophos during bud break. |
Sea buckthorn fly | The fruit is striking - they shrink and fade. | Treatment in July with a solution of Chlorophos 0.2%. |
Sea buckthorn aphid | Sucks out juices from leaves. The plant weakens - death is possible. | Twice sprayed with Karbofos 10% - during bud break and after 2 weeks again. |
Sea buckthorn harvest
Harvesting sea buckthorn is a time-consuming task, it is especially difficult to collect fruits from prickly varieties. Therefore, gardeners invented a huge number of devices that facilitate harvesting.
Hand picking berries
Hand picking from a tree is a grueling exercise, only permissible with small harvest volumes. Easy way to collect:
- cut off the branches with berries;
- put the branches in the freezer;
- after a day, remove the branches to remove the berries, just hold them by hand.
Carefully cut the branches with a secateurs - breaking them off is unacceptable. Only fruiting shoots that are subject to sanitization in the fall are subject to cutting. You can wait for frost and shake the branches. Fruits and leaves fall - all that remains is to sort them.
In October, sea buckthorn is collected for oil and juice, wearing rubber gloves. The berries are pressed directly on the branch, dropping the cake and juice into the substituted container. Before harvesting the plant is watered with water from a hose - to wash off the dust from the fruit.
Mechanical berry picking
To harvest from several trees or from an entire sea buckthorn plantation, you cannot do without mechanical devices. They are invented and produced quite a lot:
- Forceps. Sold in stores. Harvesting is accelerated, but still takes a lot of time. Plus - the tree is not injured. It is fashionable to remove each berry separately with tongs. This option is suitable for 1-2 trees, no more.
- Slingshot. The berries are cut from the branches.The tool is made of wire stretched over a suitable fixture, such as a peeler. Cut berries fall directly into the collection container. The downside is the risk of cutting off fruit buds.
- Scraper. Quickly cleans branches of berries. Looks like a slingshot with tongs. Clutching a branch, they pull the tool towards themselves, and the cut fruits fall into the container.
- Harvester. It is an industrial tool made of plastic. Allows you to pick berries without damaging the plant. Combines of different configurations are produced, but they all operate according to the same principle. The harvester is a manual attachment with a container for berries. The fruit cut is made by a working surface resembling a comb.
Sea buckthorn is one of the most unpretentious and hardy fruit crops. It does not require special care, it multiplies easily and practically does not get sick, and the most difficult moment in its cultivation is harvesting. Sea buckthorn is an ideal garden dweller that can bring real commercial profits.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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