Magazine "Kommersant Weekend" (Ukraine) No. 147 dated 09/04/2009, page 11
The healing properties of sea buckthorn have been known since ancient times in Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian medicine. IN Ancient Greece sea buckthorn fruits were given to horses before the Olympic Games to increase physical strength, improve general condition and appearance. The ancient Greek name for sea buckthorn means “shiny horse” - after a sea buckthorn diet, their coat became healthy and shiny. About sea buckthorn Marina Gladkaya said the chef of the restaurant "Dining Room of the Verkhovna Rada" Igor Gnuchiy.
— When do they start collecting sea buckthorn?
— It is impossible to give an exact date. Sea buckthorn grows in completely different climatic conditions - from Asia to Siberia. In our country, they begin to remove sea buckthorn from the branches at the end of August and extend this pleasure until winter. In Siberia, on the contrary, they are waiting severe frosts. Northerners are trying to cope before the thaw, which can come suddenly and ruin everything. The berries will become soft, like porridge, and you simply won’t be able to remove them. Moreover, they go out to collect sea buckthorn either early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the sun is not so active. At -15°C the berry already becomes capricious and easily sheds its skin, exposing the flesh when touched. This does not happen in severe frost.
— Don’t berries lose their properties in the cold?
- Sea buckthorn - unique plant, it is even called the Siberian pineapple. It manages to retain nutrients for a very long time and feels great at -50°C. Sea buckthorn can be harvested before frost, but it is incredibly difficult. 700 g of fruit per hour is considered success and is equivalent to a feat.
- Why is it so difficult to collect?
— The fruits are tightly attached to the thorny trunk, hence the name “sea buckthorn.” There is no point in picking berries with gloves, but without gloves it is a feat. Firstly, the thorns - they scratch your hands and hurt. Secondly, the juice of the berries, rich in vitamin C, gets there and a burning sensation begins. But even if no one is scratched, there are still unpleasant moments. It is impossible to remove the berries without at least one bursting; as a result, your fingers turn iodine-colored. In Siberia, berries are harvested at sub-zero temperatures, when they become like glass beads. They are simply knocked down with sticks onto a tarpaulin or removed with a comb. There are absolutely barbaric methods when fruit-bearing branches are cut off. It is important to understand what the berry is for, because a lot of things can be made from it.
— How to properly store berries?
— Ideal option — wooden barrel in a dark place, but we, city dwellers, cannot do without a plastic bag and freezer. Frozen berries are good for making butter or fruit juice. Berries from a barrel can simply be ground with sugar. Before freezing, it is worth culling the berries, getting rid of everything unnecessary that could end up in the basket - branches, unripe or spoiled fruits. The ideal berry is yellow or dark orange: the more carotene, the darker it is. Sea buckthorn should taste like pineapple with lemon and cranberry. If you crush sea buckthorn with sugar and it releases juice, do not be alarmed when you see a dark orange film on the surface. This is oil. By the way, it is very useful and has a healing effect. Everything that is in the berries is also in the oil.
— What are the benefits of berries?
— Sea buckthorn is a multivitamin in its pure form. The berries contain some types of plant antibiotics, which, in conjunction with a group of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E) and microelements such as boron, iron, potassium, calcium, copper and others, provide powerful resistance to colds and strengthen the immune system. . You can open the directory and fall asleep from listing all the useful things that sea buckthorn contains. I'm surprised they haven't given her some kind of award yet or made her something like the Palme d'Or.
— What can you cook from sea buckthorn yourself?
- Anything, even butter. If you have a juicer at home, you will have a waste-free production. It’s better to drink the juice immediately, and pour the cake over with regular sunflower oil. The effect will be several times stronger if you let this tincture stand for some time and then repeat the procedure. Just strain the oil already soaked in vitamins and microelements from the cake and pour it into a fresh portion of sea buckthorn cake. This tincture is universal and can even compete with natural sea buckthorn oil extracted from berries. It has long been known that a drink made from vitamin C-rich fruits invigorates the morning much faster and better than, say, tea or coffee.
— Is sea buckthorn used in cooking?
— In the fall, sea buckthorn jam with tea is a worthy preparation for winter. Sea buckthorn restores and supports the immune system well. It can be added to your morning routine. oatmeal. Jam with walnuts and mint - absolutely a masterpiece. In addition, a lot of sauces are prepared based on sea buckthorn, and not only for desserts. It goes well with white chocolate, ice cream and creamy sorbets, and it won’t spoil meat, such as game.
— What kind of meat is sea buckthorn suitable for?
— There are two ways: associative and geographical. For example, pineapple goes well with chicken. Since sea buckthorn has pineapple notes, a sea buckthorn sauce or mousse can easily replace it. The second way is by habitat: if game lives where sea buckthorn grows, it means they are compatible. There is one recipe for sea buckthorn sauce that is suitable for both desserts and meat. Take sea buckthorn juice without pulp and boil with sugar over low heat until thick. To improve the color, add a little starch and serve with plain ice cream, strudel or pancakes. If you want to serve this sauce with meat, just pour a little lime juice into it to emphasize the sourness, and most importantly, do not tell your guests what your sauce is made of. They themselves will never guess.
Sea buckthorn (lat. Hippophae) belongs to the genus of plants of the Sucker family, which grow along the banks of rivers and lakes mainly on sand or pebbles. Sea buckthorn can be found in the mountains at an altitude of 2100 meters above sea level. IN folk medicine Sea buckthorn was used to treat both people and horses back in Ancient Greece, and although over time it was somehow forgotten, in recent decades it has again begun to be used quite widely. By the way, the scientific name of sea buckthorn is translated from Greek as “shine for horses” - the skin of animals that fed on the leaves of the plant acquired a satin tint. In Russia, sea buckthorn has been grown since the 19th century, but varietal plants appeared only in the 30s of the last century.
Planting and caring for sea buckthorn
- Landing: early spring, before buds open.
- Bloom: in April or May.
- Lighting: bright sunlight.
- Soil: chernozem, loamy, sandy loam, with a pH of 6.5-7.0. Clayey and acidic soils, as well as areas with high groundwater levels, are strictly unsuitable.
- Watering: as needed. Young plants are watered with 3-4 buckets of water, mature plants with 6-8 buckets, trying to wet the entire root layer of soil. By autumn, water consumption is increased by one and a half times, and in October, abundant water-recharging irrigation is carried out.
- Feeding: regular, starting from the third season after planting. From the fifth year of life - only potassium and phosphorus, but before this age ammonium nitrate is scattered around the tree trunks of young plants in early spring and incorporated into the soil at the rate of 20 g/m². Adult fruit-bearing plants also require foliar feeding immediately after flowering and after another three weeks. In autumn, tree trunk circles are filled with superphosphate, potassium salt and ash.
- Trimming: at any time of the year, but it is most convenient in early spring, before the sap begins to flow. Sanitary cleaning is usually carried out in the fall.
- Reproduction: seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush, grafting, shoots and layering.
- Pests: sea buckthorn flies, sea buckthorn moths, aphids, gall and spider mites.
- Diseases: endomycosis, black cancer, black leg, scab (stegmina), gray and brown rot, fusarium, verticillium, alternaria, fomoz, sea buckthorn terry, ring necrosis of branches and coryneum necrosis, mixed and heart-shaped trunk rot.
Read more about growing sea buckthorn below.
Sea buckthorn bushes - description
Sea buckthorn can be a shrub or small tree with a height of 10 cm to 6 meters or more. The root system of the plant is superficial, it is located at a depth of approximately 40 cm, but grows in width to a distance exceeding the diameter of the crown by 2-2.5 times. Sea buckthorn leaves are alternate, long and narrow, speckled green on the upper side of the plate and silvery-whitish or reddish-golden with star-shaped scales below. Small and inconspicuous unisexual flowers open on sea buckthorn almost simultaneously with the leaves. Sea buckthorn begins to bloom at the end of April or beginning of May.
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant: male silver-brown flowers form short spike-shaped inflorescences at the bases of young shoots, and yellowish female flowers appear one or more in the axils of the covering scales. Sea buckthorn fruits are false drupes of spherical or elongated shape, consisting of a nut and a juicy overgrown orange or reddish receptacle, ripen in 90-100 days. The branch of sea buckthorn is densely covered with fruits, which is reflected in the Russian name of the plant.
Sea buckthorn berries are used to make jam and juice, but the main value of the plant is its healing oil, which is popularly considered miraculous. Sea buckthorn is a winter-hardy plant that can withstand frosts down to -50 ºC, and the roots in the ground can withstand temperatures down to -20 ºC. Sea buckthorn is much more afraid of frost than winter thaws - in conditions when the ground does not freeze, its roots can rot.
Sea buckthorn grown in splendid isolation does not bear fruit, since male and female sea buckthorn flowers are usually located on different bushes. True, sometimes, very rarely, you can find forms with bisexual flowers. Usually, fruits are formed on female plants, and male ones are needed for pollination: one male bush is enough to pollinate 3-5 female plants. It is impossible to determine the sex of a young plant; clarity comes only when flower buds form on the bush - there are more of them on male specimens and they are much larger than on female ones. Fruiting occurs 4-6 years from the beginning of growth.
Today, sea buckthorn is gradually regaining its lost positions many centuries ago, and although it can still be found in our gardens not as often as grapes, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries or currants, it is already more often than serviceberry, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, blueberries or actinidia . We value sea buckthorn not only for its taste qualities, but also for undeniable health benefits.
In our article we will talk about sea buckthorn, which grows almost throughout Europe, including in our gardens. We will tell you how to plant and care for sea buckthorn: when and how to plant sea buckthorn on personal plot or at the dacha, how to care for sea buckthorn throughout the growing season, how to feed sea buckthorn in order to achieve stable high yields how to spray sea buckthorn against diseases and pests, when and how to prune sea buckthorn and how to propagate sea buckthorn by seeds and by vegetative means.
Planting sea buckthorn
When to plant sea buckthorn
It is customary to plant sea buckthorn in early spring, before buds bloom on the trees, since it is very difficult for it to tolerate this procedure in the fall. As a rule, for sea buckthorn, a sunny area is allocated on the periphery of the garden - one male specimen and 3-4 female plants can be placed there.
Sea buckthorn will not grow well on acidic soils, as well as on clay soils; the optimal soil pH is pH 6.5-7.0. Before planting sea buckthorn, acidic soils are limed by adding ground limestone or calcareous tuff to them for digging at the rate of 250-400 g per m² - this amount of deoxidizers will be enough for 8-10 years. Groundwater on the site should lie no higher than at a depth of 2 m. Do not plant sea buckthorn where strawberries grew before, since they have the same diseases.
Planting sea buckthorn in spring
For planting, it is better to purchase one-year or two-year-old sea buckthorn seedlings, the roots of which are dipped into a clay mash before planting. If you find that root system the seedlings have dried out, first place their roots in a bucket of water for a day or two so that they regain their elasticity.
The area for sea buckthorn is prepared in the fall: the soil is dug up to the depth of a spade bayonet while 20 g of potassium sulfate, 200 g of superphosphate and 4-5 buckets of humus are added to each m². In the spring, holes measuring 65x65x65 cm are dug at a distance of 2 m from each other, a peg 1-1.20 m high is driven into the center of each hole and a mound of fertile soil is poured on which the seedling is placed. The roots of the seedling are straightened, after which the hole is filled with earth mixed with coarse sand, humus or peat in equal proportions so that the root collar of the tree is in the soil at a depth of no more than 3 cm.
A small circular hole is left around the seedling for watering, the tree is tied to a peg and 2-3 buckets of water are poured into the watering hole. When the water is absorbed, the hole is mulched with humus or dry soil, leveling it with the surface of the site. At first, in order for the seedling to take root in a new place, it is watered daily for a month.
Planting sea buckthorn in autumn
As we have already written, it is not advisable to plant sea buckthorn in the fall, but if such a need arises, try to plant sea buckthorn before mid-October so that it has time to take root before frost. This can be done only in those areas where winter comes late, and only if the sea buckthorn seedling meets all the requirements put forward for it: a seedling ready for planting must have at least 3 skeletal roots up to 20 cm long and many fibrous roots: the stem must be tall from 35 to 50 cm and with a diameter of at least 6 cm; there should be several shoots on the stem. A healthy plant has elastic bark, without damage or wrinkles. It should not peel off from the wood, and the wood should not have a brown tint, since this is evidence that the seedling is frostbitten.
Dig a hole of the dimensions indicated in the previous section, drive a peg into its center, pour soil from under an adult sea buckthorn mixed with a bucket of humus, a handful of double superphosphate and a glass of wood ash onto the bottom. Otherwise, follow the instructions from the previous section.
Sea buckthorn care
Sea buckthorn care in spring
Planting and caring for sea buckthorn does not involve any particular difficulties, but requires certain knowledge and skills. At the end of March, as soon as it gets warmer, sea buckthorn is sanitized, removing all broken, diseased, withered and drooping branches. In April, you need to harrow or loosen the soil in the tree trunks of the sea buckthorn and in the inter-row spaces.
In May, sea buckthorn is watered. It is especially necessary if there was no snow in winter and no rain in spring. If there was enough snow in the winter months and the spring was rainy, you can take your time with watering the sea buckthorn.
If there is no wind during sea buckthorn flowering, carry out additional pollination: cut a twig from the male tree and shake it over the crown of the female plant.
Caring for sea buckthorn in summer
Caring for sea buckthorn in the summer is due to the intensive growth of shoots and fruits. In summer, the plant especially needs moisture, so drying out of the soil in the tree trunk circles is unacceptable. However, keep in mind that waterlogging is just as harmful as lack of moisture: in too wet soil, air exchange worsens and, consequently, the vital activity of the roots slows down.
Maintain the water balance of the soil, and a day after watering, loosen the soil in the inter-rows and near-trunk circles. Remove weeds and basal shoots. Carefully monitor the condition of sea buckthorn leaves and shoots in order to detect the onset of the disease in time.
In August-September, sea buckthorn fruits begin to ripen. To prevent branches overloaded with berries from breaking, prop them up in time. They begin to harvest the berries when they acquire the color and size characteristic of the variety.
Caring for sea buckthorn in autumn
After harvesting, sea buckthorn needs sanitary pruning, and mature bushes are rejuvenated one by one in the fall - one bush each year. In dry autumn, sea buckthorn must be watered abundantly for the winter. In addition, in the fall, organic and phosphorus fertilizers are added to the soil, covering them to dig up the area to a depth of 10 cm.
Sea buckthorn processing
Everyone knows that it is easier to prevent a problem than to fight it. To protect your sea buckthorn from pests and dangerous pathogens, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments.
In early spring, you need to collect fallen leaves, remove the remains of flowers and fruits from the trees, clean the wounds on the trunks and branches and treat them with a three percent solution of copper sulfate, after which the trunk and skeletal branches of the sea buckthorn should be whitened with lime to protect the tree bark from pests. A measure that has proven itself well as a preventive measure against fungal diseases and pest invasions is treating sea buckthorn with a seven percent urea solution or a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture twice a season - in early spring and late autumn.
During the season, if pests appear on the sea buckthorn, treat the bush or tree once a week with a solution of wood ash.
Watering sea buckthorn
Watering sea buckthorn is carried out as needed, trying to wet the entire root layer of soil. To do this, a young plant needs 3-4 buckets of water poured into a circle near the trunk, and mature trees will need from 6 to 8 buckets. Closer to autumn, water consumption per tree increases by one and a half times. Water-recharging winter watering is very important for sea buckthorn - it enhances its winter hardiness.
After watering or rain, be sure to loosen the soil in the area: nodules form on the roots of sea buckthorn, in which bacteria live, absorbing nitrogen from the air and enriching the root layer of soil with nitrogenous compounds that are vital for the plant. That is why the soil on the site must be loose at all times. However, be careful: the root system of sea buckthorn is vertical, and it is very easy to damage, so it is best to mulch the tree trunk circles with humus or compost from potato tops or birch or apple tree leaves, then you will have to loosen the soil infrequently.
Sea buckthorn feeding
Growing sea buckthorn requires regular feeding of the plant, starting from the third year of growth. Since the root system supplies itself with nitrogen, only potassium and phosphorus fertilizers will need to be applied to a mature plant, but until five years, until the root system develops, ammonium nitrate is scattered around the trunk of the sea buckthorn every spring at the rate of 20 g per m², after which it is covered its layer of soil.
An adult plant that has already entered the period of fruiting, immediately after flowering, and then again after three weeks, is treated on the leaves with a solution of one spoon of liquid potassium humate or Effecton in 10 liters of water. During the period of ovary growth, sea buckthorn preparing for fruiting is fed with a solution of two tablespoons of double superphosphate in granules, the same amount of the Universal-micro nutrient mixture and a tablespoon of potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water.
During autumn digging, 30 g of superphosphate, 100 g of wood ash and 25 g of potassium salt are scattered over the site for each m². If the soil on the site is acidic, instead of superphosphate, use phosphate rock as a fertilizer at the rate of 50 g per m².
Sea buckthorn pruning
When to prune sea buckthorn
In principle, sea buckthorn can be trimmed at any time of the year, except winter. But most often, sea buckthorn bushes are pruned in the spring, during the dormant period, before it gets warmer. In the fall, as a rule, sea buckthorn is prepared for wintering and sanitary pruning is carried out.
Pruning sea buckthorn in spring
In the spring, sea buckthorn is tidied up after the winter - diseased and withered shoots and branches broken under the weight of snow are cut off. Young trees undergo formative pruning, and here it is important to decide as early as possible whether you will grow a tree or a bush.
If you want sea buckthorn to grow as a bush, trim the newly planted seedling at a height of 10-20 cm, and next year leave no more than 4 shoots from the shoots that appear on the stump and sprouted from the root, and remove the remaining shoots completely. Just keep in mind that you can count on shoots from the root only if the sea buckthorn seedling is rooted.
If you decide that your sea buckthorn will be a tree, form it with a trunk 30 cm high and 2-4 skeletal branches. There is no need to prune a seedling with already formed branches, but if there are no branches on it, shorten it to 30 cm, and next year form 3-4 skeletal branches and a conductor from the emerging shoots and level them in height. If after a year the branches grow too much, shorten them by a third or a quarter of the length. When the trees are ready to bear fruit, do not cut off the tops of the shoots, as this is where the flower buds form.
In the future, the formation of both the bush and the tree consists of removing thickening, unnecessary shoots and unnecessary growth that grow in the wrong direction. By the way, to remove root shoots, you need to dig them out and very carefully, trying not to damage the root system of the mother plant, cut them into rings in the place from which they sprouted.
When your sea buckthorn turns six years old, it is time for anti-aging pruning, which is also best done in the spring. Branches that have ceased to bear fruit are cut out and replaced with the youngest of the strongest branches, even the top branches. This should be done gradually - replace 1 to 3 branches annually, no more.
Don't despair if the tree dies from frost. If the root is alive, simply cut the dead tree or bush down to the root collar and begin to form a new plant.
Pruning sea buckthorn in autumn
In late autumn, when sea buckthorn enters its dormant period, cut off all unnecessary, too old, broken, dried, improperly growing and diseased branches and shoots so that the plant does not waste feeding them all winter. Use only sharp, sterile tools for pruning so that they do not soak the bark and wound.
Sea buckthorn propagation
How to propagate sea buckthorn
Sea buckthorn propagates easily and in different ways: by seed and vegetatively - by cuttings, grafting, dividing the bush, shoots and layering. All these methods are easy to implement.
Seed propagation of sea buckthorn
If you want to get a varietal seedling, it is better to use vegetative methods of propagating the crop, because seedlings, as a rule, do not repeat the varietal characteristics of the parent plant. With the help seed propagation New plant varieties are usually developed. In addition, seedlings grown from seeds are used as a rootstock when propagating sea buckthorn by grafting.
Sea buckthorn seeds do not lose their germination capacity for more than two years. At the end of April, after preliminary stratification for a month and a half in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator, the seeds are sown at a shallow depth and germinated as usual: in the light, in a warm place, covered with glass. Shoots may appear in a week or two, and at first they are shaded from direct sun rays. In mid-June, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent location, having previously shortened the long tap root in order to stimulate the development of the root system.
Propagation of sea buckthorn by cuttings
This method involves both green cuttings of sea buckthorn and rooting of lignified cuttings. Lignified cuttings are harvested at the end of November or even at the beginning of December, but it is better to cut them at the end of March or beginning of April. To do this, select two-year-old growths with a thickness of at least 6 cm and cut them into sections 15-20 cm long. Sea buckthorn cuttings cut in the fall are tied into a bundle, wrapped in fabric, placed in a plastic bag, buried in a hole and covered with snow, and if there is no snow, then they are covered with spruce branches or dry leaves.
Cuttings saved in the fall or cut in March in the spring before planting are kept in water for three days, changing it from time to time. It would be nice if you add a root formation stimulator to the water. After this, the cuttings are planted in the ground at an angle so that at least 2-3 buds remain above the surface, but most of them remain underground. By autumn, the cutting can reach a height of up to 60 cm. Sea buckthorn from the cutting begins to bear fruit in the third year.
Green cuttings take root more difficult. They will require special conditions: a sterile loose soil mixture covered with a layer of washed sand, root formation stimulants, regular spraying of moisture to create high humidity air, etc.
Sea buckthorn propagation by layering
This method is good if you have a young tree or bush with well-bending branches on your site. In the spring, select a branch with good growth, bend it, place it in a shallow groove, secure it and cover it with soil. Water it throughout the season, feed it, loosen the soil around it and remove weeds. Next spring, when the cuttings take root, they are separated from the mother plant, dug up along with the roots, and planted in a permanent place.
Reproduction of sea buckthorn by shoots
For this type of propagation, you need to take shoots of rooted sea buckthorn, growing no closer than one and a half meters from the mother tree - usually they already have a root system formed. During the season, the shoot is hilled up high, watered, fed, and in the spring it is carefully separated and planted in a new place.
Propagation of sea buckthorn by dividing the bush
When propagating using this method, they dig up the entire sea buckthorn bush, cut off the old branches on it, use pruning shears to divide the bush into several parts, each of which should have developed shoots and roots, treat the cuts with crushed coal, after which the sections are planted in pre-prepared holes and cared for, like a seedling.
Sea buckthorn propagation by grafting
This method is the most troublesome of all vegetative ones. Is it worth it to graft when there are so many simpler and no less effective opportunities to propagate sea buckthorn? It turns out that it’s worth it: using this method, in order to avoid planting a new plant, you can graft a male cutting onto a female plant. Or grow the variety you need on a viable rootstock.
The best time for vaccination is the end of April or the beginning of May. The stem of a two-year-old seedling, which will be used as a rootstock, is cut back to 1.5-2 cm above the root collar, the strongest shoot 10 cm high is left on the rootstock, the rest are removed or broken off. The remaining shoot is grown all summer, pinching it so that it does not grow in height, but thickens. Its lower part, up to 13-15 cm in height, is cleared of growths so that by next spring a smooth and even standard is formed from the shoot.
In the third spring, when the seedling has grown to 50-60 cm and its diameter reaches 5-9 mm, improved copulation of cuttings of the desired variety is carried out to it at a height of 8-10 cm from the root collar. Cuttings take root on an artificially formed trunk much easier than if you grafted them onto the root collar. It is characteristic that cuttings taken from female trees take root better than male ones.
Sea buckthorn diseases
For some reason, it has always been believed that sea buckthorn is not very susceptible to disease, but with the spread of this crop in our gardens, it turned out that such a statement has no basis. Sea buckthorn, like other fruit trees, is affected by fungal, viral and bacterial diseases. Most often, sea buckthorn suffers from diseases such as:
Endomycosis– a fungal disease of a focal nature, manifested in early August on sea buckthorn fruits, which become flabby, soft and filled with mucus gray odorless. The shell of the affected berries breaks through, and the contents flow out onto neighboring berries, infecting them with endomycosis. Rain and dew contribute to the development of the disease.
Control measures. Treatment of sea buckthorn consists of a two-stage treatment with one percent Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride. The first treatment is carried out after the end of flowering, and the second in mid-July;
Black cancer appears as dark round spots on large branches. As the disease develops in the areas of these spots, the bark turns black, becomes cracked and falls off, the wood darkens and rots. The causative agent of the disease penetrates through frostbite or wounds during pruning.
Control measures. The affected areas are cleared of diseased bark and wood to healthy tissue, treated with copper sulfate, and then with a mixture of clay and mullein;
Blackleg, excited by soil fungi, thins the stem of the seedling at the point of contact of the seedling's subcotyledon with the soil. Young seedlings are affected by the disease.
Control measures. Grow seedlings on a substrate of washed sand mixed with turf soil. For preventive purposes, water the seedlings with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate once every few days, but if the disease does appear, then treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate daily:
Scab, or stegmina- this is a fungal disease that affects young shoots, leaves and fruits, often leading to drying out of the shoots, or even the entire plant. In mid-summer, black, round, shiny spots form on the berries, gradually increasing in size. Pink or yellow mucous formations then appear through the ruptures of the fruit. The fruits dry out and turn black. Black swellings appear on the shoots of the current year, and black velvety spots and ulcers appear on the leaves. The bush looks like it has been splattered with black ink.
Control measures. As a preventive measure, carry out sanitary pruning of sea buckthorn every autumn, and then burn everything plant remains, and treat sea buckthorn with one percent Bordeaux mixture no later than 20 days before harvest;
Gray And brown rot– these diseases appear in July, and contributes to their development rainy weather. Gray rot causes sea buckthorn fruits to wrinkle and wither, and brown rot causes dark spots to appear on the berries.
Control measures. Plants showing signs of disease are cut out and burned. As a preventive measure, the rules for caring for sea buckthorn are strictly followed - watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing.
In addition to the diseases described, sea buckthorn can be affected by fusarium, verticillium, alternaria, fomoz, sea buckthorn terry, ring necrosis of branches and coryneum necrosis, mixed and heart-shaped trunk rot, however, if you follow sea buckthorn agricultural practices, you may never know what the symptoms of these diseases look like.
Sea buckthorn pests
The most dangerous pests for sea buckthorn are:
Sea buckthorn moth– its caterpillars penetrate the kidneys during their swelling and eat them from the inside;
Control measures. The best way getting rid of moths - treating sea buckthorn with Karbofos solution during the period of bud swelling;
Sea buckthorn fly– the most dangerous pest for a plant, capable of destroying the entire crop. Flies fly out in the second half of June. Their larvae eat into the berries and destroy the pulp of the fruit, causing them to wrinkle, darken and fall off.
Control measures. You can get rid of the sea buckthorn fly by treating the sea buckthorn in mid-July with a Chlorophos solution;
Sea buckthorn aphid- a sucking insect that feeds on the juice of leaves and young shoots, settling on the underside of the leaf blade, causing the sea buckthorn to turn yellow, its leaves curl and fall off prematurely.
Control measures. If the aphids multiply, traditional methods struggles such as treating onion peels or garlic with infusions of onion peels or garlic, tobacco leaves with laundry soap may not yield results, and you will have to resort to insecticides - treating sea buckthorn with a ten percent solution of Karbofos during the period of leaf blossoming;
Sea buckthorn gall mite- a very small pest that sucks the juices from the young leaves of the plant, causing them to swell, become deformed and fall off.
Control measures. The same methods of control as aphids are effective against gall mites.
In addition to the pests described, if you do not properly care for sea buckthorn, you may encounter other pests, but if you follow the agricultural practices of the crop, then diseases and pests of sea buckthorn will bypass your garden.
Types and varieties of sea buckthorn
There are only two known species of sea buckthorn - sea buckthorn, which grows throughout Europe, and sea buckthorn, which grows in the south of Xinjiang in China, in the mountainous regions of India, Bhutan and Nepal.
Sea buckthorn
It is a tree up to 15 m high with a trunk diameter of about 30 cm. The leaf blades of trees of this species are sharp, lanceolate, up to 8 cm long and up to 1.5 cm wide, whitish with red-brown veining. The fruit is a round yellow drupe up to 7 mm long.
Sea buckthorn
We described it at the very beginning of the article. In our latitudes, varieties of this particular plant species are grown. Sea buckthorn varieties are divided into Siberian and European, large-fruited and small-fruited, thorny and thornless, early, mid-ripening and late. Siberian varieties are not suitable for cultivation in European countries, since they do not tolerate mild winters with thaws. And European varieties are not cold-resistant enough for cultivation in Siberia.
We offer you a description of the best varieties of sea buckthorn known today.
Early varieties
- Pearl oyster– an extremely early productive and frost-resistant variety that does not tolerate heat and drought, with ovoid fragrant orange berries;
- Red-fruited- vigorous, spreading productive variety medium cold resistance, disease resistant, with thorns located throughout the stem, and aromatic, sour, reddish ovoid-conical berries weighing up to 1 g;
- Inya- a not very tall frost-resistant bush with a spreading but sparse crown. The berries of this variety are aromatic and sweet, tubular-round, red-orange in color, weighing up to 1 g;
- Openwork– thornless, frost-resistant, drought-resistant, heat-tolerant and high-yielding variety with elongated cylindrical sour berries of yellow-orange color weighing up to 1 g;
- Golden Cascade- a thornless, not particularly productive variety, resistant to diseases and pests with ovoid, aromatic, sweet and sour orange berries weighing 1 g.
Medium-ripening varieties of sea buckthorn
These varieties include:
- Glow– a productive and frost-resistant variety, almost not affected by diseases and pests, with a small number of small thorns on the outer part of the shoots and sour berries of crimson-orange color;
- Darling- a medium-sized tree or thorny shrub with large bright carrot-colored berries weighing more than a gram. The variety is characterized by high frost resistance and resistance to pests and diseases;
- Chanterelle– not susceptible to frost, pests and diseases, a high-yielding, slightly spreading, not very tall bush with large and medium-sized berries of dark red color and excellent taste;
- Botanical– winter-hardy, disease- and pest-resistant early-fruiting variety industrial direction with moderate spiciness and large, aromatic oblong saffron-orange berries with a pleasant sour taste;
- Pepper- a low productive prickly bush with an umbrella-shaped crown and orange oval sour berries with a pineapple aroma.
Late varieties of sea buckthorn
These varieties of sea buckthorn are distinguished by the fact that they become sweeter from frost and are firmly held on the branches even after frost. The most popular varieties late date maturation:
- Elizabeth– one of the best high-yielding varieties Russian selection with short bushes and a miniature crown. The berries are large, golden-orange, barrel-shaped, with delicate and aromatic sweet-sour pulp;
- Chuyskaya- an excellent frost-resistant, early-fruiting, consistently productive variety, which, unfortunately, is not very resistant to fungal infections. The berries of this variety are medium in size, orange in color, and have a sweet and sour taste;
- Zlata– a consistently productive variety with thorns and large berries of an egg-straw hue, rounded-ovoid shape and sour taste;
- Herringbone- a scarce frost-resistant and disease-resistant variety with a narrow cone-shaped crown, reminiscent of a young spruce in shape. The berries are small, sour, lemon green in color;
- Giant– a thornless, winter-hardy, consistently productive variety with large, ovoid, orange-colored berries of excellent taste.
Properties of sea buckthorn - harm and benefit
Not only the fruits of sea buckthorn, but also its leaves and branches have medicinal properties. Sea buckthorn contains oxalic, tartaric and malic organic acids, vitamins C, B1, B2, PP, K, E, carotene and carotenoids, flavonoids, manganese, boron and iron, tannins, phytoncides, oleic and linoleic fatty acids.
Sea buckthorn fruits contain serotonin, which has great value for the normal functioning of the human nervous system, as well as beta-sitosterol, which has an anti-sclerotic effect. A decoction of sea buckthorn berries is indicated for stomach and duodenal ulcers. Frostbite, burns and ulcers are treated by applying fresh berries. For men over forty years old, sea buckthorn berries are indicated as a means of increasing potency.
The leaves and fruits of sea buckthorn remove oxalic and uric acid from the body; an infusion from the leaves of the plant is used in the treatment of gout, rheumatism and diabetes mellitus. A decoction of sea buckthorn leaves and branches is prescribed for gastrointestinal disorders. Dry leaves are brewed as tea for scurvy symptoms.
But perhaps the most valuable product is sea buckthorn oil, which has a strong bactericidal effect. It contains vitamin E, vitamin F, which regulates metabolism in the skin, sterols, trace elements and minerals silicon, silver, copper, vanadium, nickel, manganese and cobalt. The oil is used both externally and internally. Its action increases the amount of protein in the liver, improves lipid metabolism, and stimulates regenerative processes in damaged tissues.
Sea buckthorn oil is used to lubricate the mucous membrane for chronic pharyngitis and laryngitis. oral cavity, it is used for inhalation. Dermatologists recommend using sea buckthorn oil to enhance hair growth that has fallen out as a result of certain skin diseases.
Preparations created on the basis of sea buckthorn oil can greatly improve the body’s tolerance of antitumor drugs, and sometimes even enhance their therapeutic effect. To strengthen the child's immunity, nursing mothers are recommended to add a few drops of sea buckthorn oil to the baby's milk from the age of one month.
Sea buckthorn - contraindications
Can sea buckthorn cause harm? Since its berries contain a lot of carotene, sea buckthorn can cause allergic reaction. Due to the presence in the berry large quantity acids, it is not recommended to consume sea buckthorn for people suffering from liver disease, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and inflammation of the duodenum, especially if the disease is in the acute stage. A tendency to loose stools is also a contraindication. Since the berries increase the acidity of urine, consumption of sea buckthorn is not recommended for patients with urolithiasis. Sea buckthorn is also dangerous for those who suffer from its individual intolerance.
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After this article they usually read
Sea buckthorn is tasty and beautiful. Its aromatic berries contain a lot of vitamin C. Silvery leaves and unusual shape bushes allow the plant to be used as an ornamental.
Sea buckthorn berries ripen in August-September. They can be eaten in fresh, freeze, prepare jellies, juices and jam. Sea buckthorn bushes are unpretentious and require almost no care.
About the benefits of sea buckthorn and its medicinal properties read .
Where does sea buckthorn grow?
Sea buckthorn is a multi-stemmed shrub, but can be grown on a stem as a tree. Plant height in middle lane does not exceed 3 m. In the south, sea buckthorn can grow up to 8-15 m.
Most varieties have spines several centimeters long. The roots of the plant are branched, short, and superficially located.
An interesting feature of sea buckthorn is that the plant is able to provide itself with nitrogen. On its roots there are formations in the form of nodules in which nitrogen-fixing bacteria live, absorbing nitrogen from the air and delivering it directly to the roots.
Sea buckthorn does not tolerate shade. Young seedlings may die, unable to withstand competition with trees growing nearby and even with tall grass. In nature, sea buckthorn occupies open areas, forming clean clumps of the same age. In the same way, it is worth planting it in the country, placing several plants nearby.
On alkaline light soil, the bushes live up to 50 years, but a sea buckthorn plantation should not be used for more than 20 years. After this period, it is better to uproot the bushes and plant a plantation in a new place.
How sea buckthorn blooms
The growing season of sea buckthorn begins very early, but it requires warmth for flowering. Mass flowering begins at air temperatures not lower than +20 degrees.
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant. Its flowers are dioecious and are placed on different bushes.
The female plants produce pistillate flowers, which will later turn into berries. The flowers on the female bushes are collected in groups of several in clusters.
Staminate flowers develop on male bushes. Male plants never produce berries, but they are necessary for pollination. Male flowers are inconspicuous, collected at the base of the shoots, covered with bark scales and leaves. Each male inflorescence contains up to 20 flowers.
How to choose sea buckthorn seedlings
When choosing seedlings, pay attention to the number of stems and roots. Plants branched at the base with fibrous roots are obtained by vegetative propagation and retain varietal characteristics. Seedlings with a taproot and a single stem are most likely seedlings of wild sea buckthorn. It's not worth purchasing them.
Sea buckthorn seedlings take root better in the spring. The bush can grow up to 2 m in diameter, so seedlings are planted at a sufficient distance. Usually sea buckthorn is arranged in rows according to a pattern of 4 by 1.5-2 m. There should be one male plant for several female plants. Sea buckthorn pollen is carried not by insects, but by the wind, so the male plant is planted on the windward side.
Sea buckthorn in group planting feels more comfortable and pollinates better. Owners of neighboring plots can agree and plant female bushes on the border of two or even four dachas, providing all female plants with one pollinating bush.
A deep planting hole for sea buckthorn is not required. It is enough to dig a hole in the ground 50 cm deep with a width corresponding to the diameter of the roots of the seedling. Add a little lime mixed with soil to the hole.
A seedling with a closed root system is planted so that the upper part of the earthen ball is flush with the surface of the earth. Saplings with bare roots are planted with the root collar deepened by 10-15 cm - this will stimulate the growth of roots in width.
Selecting a location
Sea buckthorn is planted in a sunny place. The plant is not picky about soil, but thrives best in loose alkaline soils. Sea buckthorn requires light, breathable soil containing a lot of phosphorus. The plant quickly dies in wetlands with high standing water and on dense clay.
Step by step guide
Before planting, you need to clear the soil of weeds. In an infertile area, it is worth applying organic and mineral fertilizers.
Each planting hole should have:
- humus - 3 l;
- superphosphate and potash fertilizers - one tablespoon each.
Landing algorithm:
- Dig a hole with a depth and diameter of 40-50 cm.
- Fill the bottom with organic and mineral fertilizers mixed with soil.
- Place the seedling vertically.
- Cover the roots with soil.
- Firm the soil next to the stem with your foot and water well.
Sea buckthorn seedlings are not pruned after planting, but if the plant has only one stem, it is better to shorten it a little to stimulate the growth of lateral branches and the formation of a bush. A multi-stemmed bush produces a more abundant harvest and makes berry picking easier.
The first thing gardeners pay attention to when describing the sea buckthorn plant is the difficulty in collecting its berries. Indeed, while the fruits are not yet ripe, it is impossible to remove them from the bush. And when they reach maturity, they literally burst in their hands. The name of the plant comes from what sea buckthorn looks like - its numerous berries tightly cling to the thorny branches, and in the absence of special devices it is impossible to collect them.
What sea buckthorn looks like: photo and description
In ancient times, sea buckthorn was widely known and revered as an effective remedy and a delicious product. In our country, only one species grows - sea buckthorn, which is a deciduous shrub or tree usually 1.5 to 3 m high. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, green above, silvery below. The fruits are yellow-orange or red.
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant. On females, the flowers are pistillate, fruits set, and the harvest ripens. The male flowers have staminate flowers with pollen, which is carried only by the wind. No insects are involved in the fertilization process. For several female plants, you must have at least one male plant.
Sex differences become noticeable only 2-3 years after planting the seedling, when the plant begins to bear fruit.
The buds of male plants are 2-3 times larger than female ones, covered with several large dense brown scales. There are up to ten of them. At the very beginning of flowering, the buds of males are surprisingly similar to miniature pineapple fruits with a tassel, and before and after flowering they look like small pine cones. The kidneys of females are significantly smaller. They are covered with two covering scales and resemble the back of a small beetle with folded wings.
In the conditions of the southern region, sea buckthorn blooms in early - mid-April, simultaneously with the appearance of the first leaves. Flowering lasts approximately one decade. Two or three windy days are enough for normal pollination.
Fruiting occurs on last year's growths. Therefore, the better the conditions and care were in the past year, the longer the growth was by autumn and a larger harvest can be expected.
Description of the best varieties of sea buckthorn
Forms are grown in amateur gardens various terms ripening, varying degrees of prickliness, different shapes and colors of berries. Check out the photos and descriptions of the sea buckthorn varieties that are most popular among gardeners.
"Botanical"- medium-sized, spreading bush with a rounded umbrella-shaped crown, medium thorn. The fruits are elongated, yellow-orange, shiny, with an average weight of 0.7 g. The berries are semi-dry and easy to tear off.
"Golden Ear"- variety early date maturation. Trees with a compressed compact crown. The branches are short, well branched.
As you can see in the photo of this variety of sea buckthorn, its fruits are oval, light orange, almost yellow:
Photo gallery
"Baikal"- a universal variety of medium ripening period. The bush is weak-growing, slightly spreading. The spines are located in the upper part of the shoot, short, thin, weak, single. The berries are medium, oval in shape. The color of the berries is red-orange with dark-colored stripes.
"Golden Braid"- the plant is medium-sized, the spine is small. The variety is more technical. Suitable for all types of processing, but especially tasty juice with pulp. The fruits are small, yellow, with a short stalk.
"Baltic Surprise"- the crown is tall (up to 3 m), spreading. The fruits are small, red-orange, ovoid, moderately sour taste, fruit detachment is dry. Ripening period is late (end of September). This one is one of the best varieties Sea buckthorn is valued for a combination of such indicators as disease resistance, absence of thorns, high oil content, dry fruit detachment, and stable yield.
"Stolichnaya". The bush is medium-sized, with a pyramidal crown. The shoots are straight, greenish-brown with a silvery coating, rusty at the top. The spines are located under acute angle to escape.
Look how sea buckthorn of this variety looks in the photo - its fruits are large, orange-shiny with a red “tan” at the base:
Photo gallery
"Oil". The crown is well branched. There are few thorns. It bears fruit on thin, hanging branches; the leaf blades are smooth, narrower than other varieties, dark green, densely silvery on the underside. The bark is dark brown with a grayish tint, the fruits are ovoid, brownish-red, come off with the stalk and are not crushed. Ripen at the end of August.
"Orange". The crown is medium dense, oval. The shoots are brownish-green with summer branches. The leaves are yellowish-green, yellowish on the underside. According to the description, the berries of this sea buckthorn variety are similar to the fruits of the Golden Cob variety, but have an orange-red color. The length of the stalk is 7-10 mm. Ripens in the second half of September.
"Abundant". The plant is very tall, the crown is medium spreading, rounded. The leaves are large, green, slightly concave, with a curved tip, with yellow pubescence at the midrib. The fruits are cylindrical, dark orange. Ripen at the end of August. Suitable for fresh consumption. Processed into juice, jam, compote, etc. The length of the stalk is 2-3 mm. The average yield per plant is 16 kg, the maximum is 20 kg.
"Giant". The crown is round-cone-shaped, of medium density, with a pronounced leader, branches of medium thickness. The bark is brownish-gray. The shoots are well developed, light green at the bottom and dark green with pubescence at the top. The leaves are dark green, long, folded in a boat so that their underside is visible. The fruits are cylindrical, orange. Ripen in the second half of September. At 5 years of age it produces a harvest of up to 9 kg. The fruits can be consumed fresh or processed into juice, compote, jam, etc.
Large sweet and sour varieties of sea buckthorn
Below is a description of varieties of sea buckthorn, characterized by large fruit and a pleasant sweet and sour taste.
"Botanical Amateur" It has a tall bush, a medium-spreading, slightly pyramidal crown. The leaves are light green, heavily pubescent, with a silvery coating. The spine is weak. The fruits are oval, orange-yellow, large (12.5 x 10 mm). The taste is sour with a weak aroma, the flesh is juicy. Fruit detachment is dry and easy.
"Vorobevskaya"- a medium-sized variety, a spreading bush, with weakly spiny shoots at the top. The large, cylindrical fruits are similar to dogwoods, orange-red, with a red spot on the top.
"Moskvichka". The bush is compact, medium-sized, with a slightly pyramidal crown. Medium ripening variety.
Pay attention to the photo of this sea buckthorn variety - its fruits are dark orange, large, sweet and sour, aromatic:
Photo gallery
"Altai News". The variety is winter-hardy, plant height is up to 4 m. It has a wide, spreading, strong crown. There are no thorns. The branches are slightly drooping. The leaf blades are large, dark green above, silvery below. The bark of the stem is light brown. The fruits are round, bright orange, with red spots at the ends. The taste is sweet and sour, without bitterness. Ripens at the end of August.
"Golden". Plant medium strength, height up to 2.7 m. Crown of medium density, spreading. The bark of the shoots is brown. The thorniness is weak. The leaves are dark green, concave, wide. The length of the stalk is 2-3 mm. This large variety sea buckthorn with oval, orange fruits of sweet and sour taste.
"Excellent". Plant of medium vigor. The crown is sparse, spreading, the shoots are brown, of medium thickness, there are no summer shoots or thorns. The leaves are long, boat-shaped, green with a yellowish coating on the underside. The fruits are cylindrical, orange, large, sweet and sour taste.
"Nugget". The plant is of medium height, height up to 2.5 m. The crown is of medium density. The bark is brown, there are summer shoots. The thorniness is weak. The leaf blade is green, yellowish on the underside, flat, wide. The length of the stalk is 3-4 mm. The fruits are orange, oval, large, sour. The yield of 5-year-old trees is from 9.5 to 11.7 kg. The fruits ripen at the end of August and are suitable fresh and for processing.
"Chuyskaya"- has a low bush with a spreading crown. The thorniness is very weak, mainly at the ends of the shoots. It bears fruit early. The fruits are large, oval-cylindrical, orange. The sweet and sour fruits of this sea buckthorn variety ripen at the end of July.
"Dressy"- a medium-sized bush, with a compactly spreading crown, thick, straight, slightly spiny shoots. The fruits are large, oval-round, red-orange with a “tan” at the stalk and in the upper part; Fruit detachment is dry and easy. The taste is sweet and sour. The fruits ripen in August.
"Yellow Early"- a bush of medium height, with a medium spreading crown, straight thick, light brown shoots, practically without thorns. The fruits are large, oval-round, amber-yellow with a red spot at the stalk. The detachment of fruits at the beginning of mass ripening is dry, the taste is sweet and sour with a pleasant aroma. The fruits ripen in mid-July.
"Caramel"- the plant is short (up to 1.9 m), the crown is spreading, the shoots are without thorns. The fruits are large, orange, oblong, with a long stalk. The fruits have a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Fruit detachment is wet. The ripening period is early - mid-July.
"Dubovchanka"- the plant is low-growing, compact, the shoots are not thorny. The fruits are large, orange-yellow, cone-oval, with a pleasant sweet-sour taste. Fruit detachment is easy, dry, the stalk is long, convenient for harvesting. The average ripening period is the end of July.
Conditions for growing and caring for sea buckthorn
When breeding sea buckthorn, special attention must be paid to the growing conditions of the crop. Sea buckthorn is a light-loving plant; it should not be planted in the shade of a tree or building. Therefore the most sunny place in the garden is allocated to this crop with a placement scheme of 2? 2 m.
For planting and caring for sea buckthorn, soils that are light in mechanical composition, with good air conditions, moisture-intensive, and filled with organic matter are optimal. Sea buckthorn does not tolerate heavy clays.
The root system of sea buckthorn is powerful, well branched, reaching up to 10 meters or more along the radii of the trunk in tall plants.
Up to 90% of active sea buckthorn roots are located in a soil layer from 10 to 40 cm. Moreover, large skeletal, conductive roots, similar to ropes, are found close to the soil surface. They tear easily when loosened and are injured by a hoe. Therefore, near the trunk, you should not cultivate the soil deeper than 5 cm. The root layer is relatively small and dries out quickly. Regular watering is required to saturate the soil to 50 cm.
Before growing sea buckthorn, the soil must be enriched with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and microelements. There is an opinion that there is no need to add nitrogen to sea buckthorn, since on its roots, like clover and others, there are nodules with bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. But this is not enough: there are few nodules, they are not formed everywhere and not immediately, so they are not able to completely supply the plants with nitrogen.
How to grow sea buckthorn and care for bushes: feeding and fertilizers
When growing and caring for sea buckthorn, fertilizing with nitrogen should be eliminated from the second half of summer. At this time, they will already delay the ripening of fruits and the preparation of the plant for winter.
Potassium, like nitrogen, is easily washed away by melt, rain and irrigation water. Don't forget to replenish its reserves in the soil. For example, by adding ash, which also contains phosphorus.
Phosphorus, third required element food, sparingly soluble in water. Therefore, superphosphate should be dissolved in heated water. This property of phosphorus can be used to create centers of plant nutrition for 3-4 years.
In the process of caring for sea buckthorn, remember that young, sick or depressed plants perfectly absorb foliar feeding produced using a sprayer. In spring - urea (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water), in summer - full mineral fertilizer, preferably with trace elements of the same concentration. From the second half of summer - and.
To receive bountiful harvests Intensive plant nutrition is necessary not only with mineral fertilizers, but also with organic fertilizers (mullein infusion diluted with water 1:10, or bird droppings - 1:20).
How to propagate sea buckthorn: planting and growing seeds and shoots
There are several ways to propagate sea buckthorn: chamois, shoots, layering, lignified and green cuttings, budding, grafting.
Growing sea buckthorn from seeds is the cheapest and fastest way to increase planting material. From the seeding material, a good half of the seedlings will turn out to be male, but this will become clear only in the 4th-5th year, when they enter puberty.
Before propagating sea buckthorn, the soil must warm up well. Seeds are placed 5 cm apart from each other in grooves 5 cm deep, spilled with Fitosporin solution, and 1-2 cm of sand or peat are poured on top. The distance between the grooves is 40 cm. To create greenhouse effect they are covered with a film on a low frame.
When growing sea buckthorn by seed, after planting, when two true leaves appear, the first thinning is carried out, the second - when there are five pairs of leaves. Excess seedlings can be replanted in places where seedlings are sparse. In the future, you need to ensure that the soil is moist all the time. Fitosporin-M should be added to irrigation water three times during the summer, which will prevent blackleg disease of crops. Seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place at a distance of 1 m from each other. After a few years, excess male specimens are removed and the plantings are adjusted so that the distance between plants is at least 2-2.5 m.
When propagated by layering, a low-lying branch is pressed and pinned to the ground, leaving only its top on the surface, sprinkled with soil, which is constantly kept moist. Soon the branch takes root and sprouts in the spring; by cutting it, several seedlings are obtained.
Growing sea buckthorn is also possible with shoots - this is an excellent planting material. To use it, you need to cover the shoot with damp soil to about 15 cm in early spring, and keep this mound moist. At the end of summer or early autumn, or even better, early spring of next year, rake the mound with your hands or wash it away with water from a hose, carefully sharp knife in a horizontal direction, the shoots are separated from the mother root (by this time it will have acquired its own roots) and transplanted to a permanent place.
This transplantation should be done in the fall or spring before the leaves bloom, like all sea buckthorn plantings and transplants. IN further care usual: systematic watering, surface loosening, fertilizing, weed removal.
What is contained in sea buckthorn: composition and beneficial properties
Due to its composition and beneficial properties, sea buckthorn is a valuable food and medicinal plant. Vitamin-rich juices, syrups, and jellies are prepared from the berries. In combination with sugar 1:1.5, they are perfectly stored in room conditions, do not mold or ferment. To preserve vitamins, the berries are never boiled. Sea buckthorn contains carotenoids (provitamin A), vitamins C1, B1, B2, B6, K1, E, P, folic acid, carbohydrates, organic acids (malic, tartaric, oxalic), tannins, fatty acids, nitrogen-containing compounds, trace elements and phytoncides .
All parts of sea buckthorn have beneficial properties: healing substances are contained in fruits, leaves, bark of branches, and roots.
Sea buckthorn, as a champion in biologically active substances, has long been transferred from simply tasty and healthy to the category of medicinal crops.
In ancient medicine of Greece, China, Mongolia, and Siberia, sea buckthorn was used as a tonic, vitamin, antiscrofulous, antisclerotic, and wound healing agent. For skin diseases, rheumatism, gout, gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, even for chronic pneumonia, polyarthritis, as an astringent antidiarrheal agent.
The biologically active substances of sea buckthorn increase immunity and the body's resistance to infections, colds and various adverse conditions.
There is more ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in sea buckthorn than in black currant. Some varieties even come close to rose hips. Vitamins C and P enhance each other's action and together give elasticity to small and large blood vessels, allowing them to stretch and prevent hemorrhages. Vitamin K also contributes to this. If we consider that sea buckthorn contains anti-sclerotic substances, then the beneficial effect of sea buckthorn on those suffering from cardiovascular diseases becomes clear. Vitamins K, B1 and sea buckthorn coumarins normalize blood clotting and at the same time prevent the formation of blood clots.
What else is contained in sea buckthorn, cultivated in amateur gardening? Its fruits contain a lot of serotonin. This substance, together with vitamins B1 and B2, was also discovered several years ago in sea buckthorn succinic acid play a large role in the normalization of the central nervous system, in the processes of excitation and inhibition. The effectiveness of treating gastrointestinal diseases, including ulcers, with sea buckthorn products is well known. Sea buckthorn juice and oil have a strong bactericidal effect, inhibiting typhoid and paratyphoid salmonella, staphylococci, and streptococcus aureus.
It is known that the May foliage of growing sea buckthorn is bactericidal and does not allow the number of bacteria in the air to increase, and the already “mature” (June) foliage is bactericidal and lethal to microorganisms.
Sea buckthorn contains ursolic, oleanolic and adsorbic acids, betaine and beta-sitosterol. These substances, plus vitamins A and E, successfully treat a number of gynecological diseases.
What does sea buckthorn treat and how to use it in folk medicine
Sea buckthorn oil has special healing properties: it is widely used in the treatment of dozens of skin diseases, various burns, and frostbite. For hair loss, beginning baldness, and brittle nails, sea buckthorn oil, a source of vitamin A, is effective.
Considering the benefits of sea buckthorn, oil from its berries is recommended for use during radiation therapy for cancer of the esophagus and throat. Sea buckthorn products help remove heavy metal salts and various toxins from the body, generously supplied with polluted air, food, water and produced by the body itself.
Sea buckthorn can also be used as an excellent cosmetic product, because cases of allergies to these berries are extremely rare. In cosmetic practice, the juice is used as a softening, tonic, nourishing and skin elasticity enhancing agent.
There are two known contraindications for treatment with sea buckthorn or consumption of its products in significant quantities. This is pancreatitis, that is, inflammation of the pancreas, and gallstone disease.
Remember! Do not self-medicate without consulting a doctor, because the most healthy, tasty and harmless plant in excessive quantities can turn out to be dangerous.
Sea buckthorn oil is widely used in medical practice, which can be successfully prepared at home. In Bulgarian herbal medicine, for example, instead of oil, it is recommended to apply fresh fruits to the affected areas of the skin.
Traditional medicine recommends sea buckthorn oil for oral administration. It improves lipid metabolism in the liver, protects biological membranes from the damaging effects of chemical agents, and is indicated after operations on the esophagus for those suffering from cancer and other diseases.
What else does sea buckthorn cure and why are its fruits valuable? To prevent diseases of the upper respiratory tract, inhalations with sea buckthorn oil are recommended.
Fresh fruits and sea buckthorn juice have a bactericidal effect and stimulate digestion. They are recommended for low acidity gastric juice, atonic constipation, used in complex treatment for patients with toxic hepatitis, it is prescribed as a natural multivitamin.
In any reference book medicinal plants sea buckthorn is described as a shrub or tree 4 to 6 meters high with linear-lanceolate leaves, dioecious, unisexual flowers. The fruit is a drupe, blooms in April–May, bears fruit in September–October.
However, this is only an overview of the main characteristics of the plant, which provides only superficial knowledge about sea buckthorn, since its main biological feature is its great polymorphism, that is, its forms differ in the structure of the crown, the color of the bark, the color, size and shape of the fruits.
Therefore, sea buckthorn is best defined as a shrub that can only be called a tree if it is of sufficient height. Sea buckthorn has brown bark and short shoots of a silvery-rusty-brown color, ending in spines.
The alternate, linear-lanceolate leaves are 8 cm long and 1 cm wide, narrowed into short petioles, dark green above, silvery-white below, with brown scales.
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious, dioecious plant. Small, inconspicuous flowers appear on young shoots in the leaf axils. Male and female flowers are located on separate bushes.
Male (staminate) flowers are collected in an inflorescence in the form of a spikelet of 10–14 flowers. The perianth consists of two sepals with round-ovate concave lobes, in which 4 free stamens are located. Female (pistillate) inflorescences differ from male ones in their smaller size and the presence of two covering scales, which fall off at the beginning of flowering, and the female flowers remain covered with green leaves. Female flowers in quantities from 3 to 12 pieces are collected in racemose inflorescences.
The above is also of practical importance, since the size of the buds in the spring, before the start of the growing season, can easily determine the sex of the bush. On male bushes the buds are larger and have several covering leaves; female bushes have smaller buds with two covering scales.
Sea buckthorn fruits are an oval or spherical drupe, red-orange-yellow in color on a short stalk. Almost sessile, they densely cling to the branches. Ripen in September-October.
Most often, sea buckthorn grows along river floodplains and on the sand and pebble banks of reservoirs, sometimes forming continuous thickets. This plant is most common in Transbaikalia, Sayan Mountains, Tuva, Altai, in the southern regions of Kazakhstan and Central Asia (Tajikistan), and in the Caucasus.
However, it can be grown in other regions of Russia, where climatic conditions allow: it is a frost-resistant plant, but demanding of light. Sea buckthorn was introduced into culture; with the help of breeding, forms were developed that do not have thorns, as well as with larger fruits and longer stalks.
Sea buckthorn propagates by sowing seeds in autumn, as well as by green cuttings in winter and summer. Good results when propagated by green cuttings were obtained in greenhouses.
Sea buckthorn is also cut in boxes with sand, covered with glass, where constant humidity and air temperature are maintained. The lower leaves of the cutting are removed, the rest are cut in half.
Varietal sea buckthorn is propagated by grafting on seedlings of wild varieties. When planting seedlings, it is recommended to deepen the root collar, which causes the formation of additional roots.