At what distance to plant barberry. Planting young seedlings

Lollipops "Barberry" still remain a favorite delicacy of children, and adults do not mind feeling sour. But hardly many people know what a barberry is and what it looks like. Moreover, it never occurs to anyone to have a barberry planting and care for which is still a secret in their country house.

Barberry is perennial which belongs to the Barberry family. Its name "beiberi" is translated from Arabic means "shell-shaped". This plant prefers to grow in mountainous areas and is found in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. There are at least one hundred and seventy species of this plant in the world.

Gardeners are interested in this shrub in order to obtain raw materials for the preparation of various drinks, jams, folk medicine. The leaves are used for marinades and honey, while the roots and wood give a yellow dye. Barberry will decorate any garden as an ornamental plant, because its leaves have an unusual color. In nature, there is a barberry with leaves of these colors:

• green;
• yellow;
• purple;
• motley;
• spotted;
• with border.

Barberry purple

Also, this shrub, depending on the species, is three meters high and very low - dwarf, grown no more than thirty centimeters. The most common varieties are barberry ordinary and Thunberg. Gardeners who enjoy barberry need to know how to plant and care for this plant.

Landing site, preparatory work

It is best to plant barberries in the spring, and you need to have time before bud break. Sometimes landing is done in autumn period. It is best to produce it when the leaves from the trees are falling very actively.

The barberry shrub grows both in the shade and in the sun. This plant feels comfortable on an open surface and is not at all afraid of wind or draft. The soil for planting barberry should be neutral, but a slight increase in acidity is allowed. If the acidity is above seven, then it is recommended to add lime to the soil. This should be done either when preparing the soil, or during planting. In addition, the soil must be fed with fertilizers such as:

• 8-10 kg of humus, compost or garden soil;
• 100 g of superphosphate;
• 400 g of slaked lime;
• 200 g wood ash.

If the barberry is planted as a separate shrub, then between the two bushes there should be a distance of at least one and a half or even two meters. If you want to make a hedge out of a barberry, then the plant must be planted in a trench, with one square meter two bushes should be planted.

Planting barberry

Planting young seedlings

Barberry can be planted in two ways: as a single bush and as a hedge. Before planting a "hedge" a trench is dug, forty centimeters wide and deep. This should be done a few weeks before planting seedlings. In order for the roots of the bush to breathe freely, the bottom of the trench is lined with sand. If the soil is suitable for plant growth, then a mixture of fertilizers should be poured into the trench, and lime and ash should not be used. After that, a barberry seedling is planted, and the roots are sprinkled with earth, carefully compacting it. After planting, the surface around the plant is abundantly watered and mulched. For this, peat or compost is used. After that, the seedling must be cut so that only three to five buds remain above the ground.

Barberry seedling

When planting a barberry, you need to remember that it can grow both in the shade and in open areas. But if the bush gets little solar lighting, then its leaves completely or partially lose their decorative effect and become faded.

Reproduction of barberry seeds

Barberry reproduces in several ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• lateral shoots of a shrub;
• dividing the main bush;
• transplanting young shoots.

In our area, a plant such as barberry is very rare, but, nevertheless, you can try to grow this shrub. When choosing planting material, certain difficulties may arise, since each of them has its drawbacks:

• Cuttings develop very slowly root system;
• Seeds have low germination. It ranges from twenty to forty percent, while there is no guarantee that varietal qualities will be preserved;
• In the process of dividing the bush, the root system is significantly damaged, this adversely affects the health of the plant;
• Young shoots can only be obtained from certain types of barberry.

In order to propagate the shrub in your area, it is recommended to try all the methods and find the most effective one.

Let us consider in more detail the propagation of barberry by seed. In order to get a seedling, you need to use several seeds at the same time, since there is no complete certainty in their germination.

In order to collect seed, you need to select the most ripe berries and get the seeds out of them. After that, you need to thoroughly wash the pulp from them and dip in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After that, the bone is dried.

Potassium permanganate solution

Sow barberry seeds in autumn. To do this, the earth is fluffed up, weeds are removed, and a small furrow is made, no deeper than three centimeters. During winter period the bones are hardened by frost and sprout in the spring. AT spring period you can sow only those seeds that have been in the sand all winter at a temperature not higher than +3 degrees. This seed is transferred to open ground not before April.

After the seeds have sprouted, they need to be thinned out. In the process of weeding, only weakly developing shoots should be removed. Strong seedlings are left. On the permanent place seedlings are transferred only next year, before that they are given the opportunity to get stronger and develop the root system. The first fruits from the shrub can be obtained only after two years. In this case, the plant requires vaccination.

Interesting information. Barberry seedlings can be obtained in case of self-sowing. This happens when the ripe berries were not picked and fell to the ground. At the same time, young shoots can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Care rules

Any novice gardener can take care of the barberry, since this plant is completely undemanding. In addition, it does not matter what kind of plant is planted on the site. Thus, having studied step by step instructions"Barberry cultivation and care", you can grow more than one bush of this delicious berry on your site.

The list of works for plant care includes:

• watering;
• loosening;
• weeding;
• top dressing;
• pruning.

Watering

If there is sufficient rainfall during the season, then watering can be omitted. If the summer turned out to be hot and dry, then in this case you need to water the plant every week. At the same time, it is recommended to warm up the water a little in the sun and pour it only on the root system, preventing it from getting on the leaves.

Watering the barberry

In the same way, plants that are planted this year are watered. Watering is done until they take root, and the root system begins to fully develop. But it should be taken into account that the enemy of the barberry is not drought, but an excessive amount of rain. The reason for this is the accumulation of water near the root system, because of which it begins to rot, and the plant may die.

Weeding

It is for this reason that it is necessary to completely remove weeds from shrubs and loosen the soil. In order to facilitate your work in caring for the plant, it is best to mulch the root zone. For this you can use:

• peat;
• sawdust;
• shell nuts.

top dressing

Since during the planting of the barberry under the root system, a certain amount of fertilizer, then this will be enough for the plant for the whole year. Only after a year can urea diluted in water be added. To do this, take twenty or thirty grams of fertilizer per bucket of water. After that nitrogen fertilizers can only be paid after three or four years.

To enjoy every year delicious berries, you need to feed the barberry with phosphorus and potassium. Under one bush, it is enough to add 10 grams potash fertilizers and 15 grams of superphosphate.

pruning

Barberry, like any shrub, needs pruning, during which all weak, dry and damaged branches are removed. Be sure to thin out the bush, as in dense growth the fruits will be small. In this case, you need to know how to cut the barberry in the spring. The first haircut is carried out on the bush when the bush is one year old. It is the pruning of the barberry in the spring that is done to form a shrub; for this, the shoots are shortened by half.

pruning barberry

After that, barberry pruning can be done twice a season. The first is done in early June, the second - in early August. This is important for the plant, not only for the purpose of sanitary care, but also in order to properly form the crown. At the same time, those plant varieties that grow no higher than 30 centimeters do not need pruning.

Pest and disease control

by the most dangerous pests barberry are:

• barberry aphid;
• barberry sawfly;
• flower moth.

The appearance of aphids on the plant is indicated by shriveled and dry leaves. The moth eats the fruits of the plant. In order to destroy pests on a plant, you need to use the following means:

1. Aphids are washed off with a solution laundry soap. To do this, it is diluted in a ratio of 300 grams of soap per 10 liters of water;
2. To destroy the moth and sawfly, more drastic measures are taken. To do this, you need to use a three percent solution of chlorophos.

In addition to pests, barberry can be affected by diseases, the most common of which are:

• powdery mildew;
• rust;
• bacteriosis leaf spot;
• withering.

Powdery mildew looks like white plaque, which covers not only leaves, but also berries, shoots. During the autumn period damaged areas cleistothecia are formed, due to which the bacteria hibernate. To get rid of this disease, the plant must be treated with colloidal sulfur. At the same time, those areas that are most damaged must be completely removed and burned so as not to leave a source of infection.

Plants get sick with rust if cereal plants grow next to them. In this case, the leaves appear yellow spots or red pads. On plants that are damaged, the leaves begin to dry and fall off very strongly. You can fight the disease with colloidal sulfur or Bordeaux mixture. Process the plant in early spring, when the leaves are just beginning to bloom, the procedure is repeated every three weeks.

The plant can be saved from spotting with copper oxychloride, which is diluted in ten liters of water. In addition, Bordeaux liquid can be used to prevent the disease.

Copper oxychloride

Bacteriosis is a cancer that a plant suffers from. With this disease, cracks, growths, and peculiar tumors form on it. If the disease was only discovered and covered only upper part shoots, they must be removed down to the healthy part of the branch. If the lower part of the plant is affected, then this means that the bush cannot be saved. It must be completely removed from the territory and burned. For prevention, you can use drugs that contain copper in their composition.

Growing barberry at home on the site is not difficult at all. The main thing for a barberry shrub is proper fit and care. To do this, you need to adhere to all methods of agricultural technology, schemes and rules for caring for the plant. Of course, do not forget about diseases and pests. Fighting them will be the key good harvest and a healthy look for your plant.

Video

In most varieties of barberry plants, it is easy to notice signs of decorativeness with an unaided eye, so they are often used as hedges, and dwarf species to decorate borders. There are 175 species in the genus, growing mainly in the mountains in the north.

Varieties and types

Most common in floriculture barberry Thunberg originating from China and Japan. This is a shrub reaching a height of 1 meter, with dense stems spread out in diameter by 1.5 meters. Characteristic spines cover yellow in early age, then brownish and purple-brown stems and can grow up to 1 cm in length. The leaves are bright, rather small (up to 3 cm in length), green in color, autumn time acquiring a reddish or purple hue.

This barberry blooms annually, starting from the last days of spring. Inflorescences are formed by yellowish-red flowers of 2-4 pieces. Beautiful coral-red berries can hang on a bush all winter, they are not suitable for human consumption, which birds use with pleasure.

This species easily tolerates drought, has no special requirements for the soil and practically does not suffer from pests, which is not typical, for example, for the common barberry. At the same time, it can be easily trimmed.

With such merits, it is not surprising that there are more than fifty the most interesting varieties barberry Thunberg, different in foliage color, size, shape and resistance to frost:

Under a meter high, with a round crown, yellow (in the summer months) or yellow-orange (in the autumn) leaves, flowers up to 1 cm in diameter, yellow on the inside and reddish on the outside, a little frosty, and therefore it needs to be covered from the cold in the first 2-3 years;

- similar to the previous variety, with bright yellow leaves with a thin dark red edging.

Variety barberry bagatelle with a darkened brownish-red leaf color (variegated red - in autumn), a flat-spherical crown, a little less than half a meter high, in need of shelter from the cold;

With narrow leaves of a dark red color, wide (up to 2 and a half meters in diameter) crown, yellow flowers, pinkish and red berries, freezing only at 1 year of age;

- up to one and a half meters in height, with dark purple foliage with a light green border, red flowers, coral-red berries, hanging on a bush for a long time, in need of shelter from the cold;

Variety Barberry Coronita - similar to the previous variety, but with smaller pointed leaves;

With a thin greenish border on a dark brown leaf;

With brownish-red foliage, columnar crown, pinkish-red round leaves in young years and red later, about 1.3 meters tall;

It has a mosaic color of foliage (bright purple with bronze-red and grayish-pink stains in youth and darkish pink or purplish red with gray spots- in older years), reaches a height of 1.7 meters, full of yellow flowers, requires shelter;

Variety barberry harlequin 1.3 meters high, with red, dotted with white and gray stains (which are more in comparison with the previous variety), sheets that require shelter;

- a very elegant variety with small light green leaves (purple in autumn), a narrow oval crown up to 1 meter high, with branches directed to the top, richly blooming in light yellow hues;

Dwarf variety with small green leaves (orange-yellow in autumn), about half a meter high;

- bred in Holland, with a cushion-shaped crown, up to 1 meter in height, with roundish small leaves up to 2 cm in length, light green in the summer months and orange-yellow in autumn, blooming from the end of May with a yellowish-red tint frost-resistant down to -28.8°C;

— dwarf variety up to 70 cm in height, with reddish-orange leaves, quite hardy;

Variety barberry tini gold - is also dwarf plant up to half a meter in height and up to 1 meter in width, with a crown in the form of a ball, yellowish-golden leaves (yellowish-orange in autumn), blooming at the transition of spring to summer in yellow and red hues.

Can be found in the forest-steppe of Russia, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus. It has a height of about 2.5 meters with brownish-yellow stems covered with 2-centimeter spines. Its foliage is dark green, forming small bunches. Blooms for the first time summer days tassels with yellow gleaming flowers exuding an interesting smell.

With the onset of autumn, the foliage begins to turn yellow. The berries of this species, unlike the Thunberg barberry, are completely edible - refreshing, sour in taste. Common barberry is characterized by good resistance to winter cold, drought and dust, as well as low requirements for soil (preferably light and limed).

Despite the fact that a shaded area is quite suitable for a shrub, it will bear fruit abundantly only in good light conditions. Not afraid of pruning. The main disadvantage of this species is susceptibility to fungal attack, which is most often manifested if the summer turned out to be damp and cold.

A very popular variety of common barberry in floriculture is considered atropurpurea with red foliage and height up to 2 meters. The flowers of this variety are yellowish-orange, and the berries are dark red.

A hybrid of the Thunberg barberry and the common Atropurpurea. It has a height of up to 2 meters. The foliage is dark purple in summer and turns red in autumn. The flowers, painted reddish-yellow, form tufts of 8-10 pieces, blooming in the last days of May. Berries are dark red. In addition to the fact that this species is unpretentious and frost-resistant, it also copes well with pruning, drought and is practically not subject to diseases.

Distributed in rocky areas of China, Japan and Primorye. Outwardly, it is very similar to the common barberry, but reaches as much as 3.5 meters in height, with grayish-yellow stems dotted with 2-centimeter spines. The foliage is relatively large (up to 8 cm long), shiny, has teeth on the edges, bright green in spring, yellow or red in autumn.

Flowering occurs at the end of May and is characterized by the appearance of elongated inflorescences in the form of brushes up to 10 cm in length, formed from 10-25 yellow scented flowers. Sour berries of this species can also be eaten, red, up to 1 cm in diameter, can be stored on a bush for a long time. Not whimsical to the soil, resistant to winter, drought and pests, especially powdery mildew.

Barberry planting and care

Many species and varieties of barberry are very fond of light. It is with this feature in mind that it is recommended to choose a sunny site for planting.

Container barberries with closed roots do an excellent job of transplanting at any time, while specimens with bare roots prefer early spring for planting - while the buds have not yet opened, or autumn - during the leaf fall period.

With single plantings, it is advantageous to place the bushes at a distance of about 2 meters from the rest of the vegetation and among themselves. To make a barberry hedge, it is recommended to plant plants at 2-4 bushes per meter.

Watering the barberry

Barberries do not react well to waterlogging of the soil and water them very rarely - only during planting and until the bush takes root.

After the soil is sufficiently stably loosened to saturate it with oxygen.

Soil for barberry

The required soil pH at the time of planting is 6-7.5. Sand, garden soil and humus are suitable for the soil mixture in equal proportions.

Acidic soil should first be limed using wood ash(200 g per bush) or slaked lime (300-400 g).

How to feed barberry

In the spring, when the barberry is 2 years old, it needs to be fed with nitrogen fertilizers. An excellent option is urea - in proportions of 20-30 g per 10 liters of water.

Barberry transplant in autumn

As for transplantation, both for the beginning of spring and in autumn, it should be noted that the roots of age-related (more than 3-4 years old) barberries can hardly withstand transplantation without an earthen clod, slowly getting along in a new place and recovering fully only after 1-3 years .

Pruning barberry in autumn

Pruning is done in spring and autumn. For this purpose, thin, dry, diseased twigs, underdeveloped and frozen stems during the winter are selected. It is best to prune with thick gloves, because the bush will prick.

The plant is well suited for forming pruning, giving it the appearance of a ball or other geometric figure.

Barberry shelter for the winter

In the first 2-3 years from the moment of planting, it is better to cover the barberry for winter with dry leaves and spruce branches, in the future - to do this if necessary, taking into account the climate and the winter hardiness of the planted varieties.

In a harsh climate with a high risk of freezing, it is better to plant the bushes in a place that is not windy and, at the same time, mulch the near-stem circles to warm the roots.

Barberry from seeds

For propagation by seeds, freshly harvested fruits must be squeezed out, sifted with a sieve, washed, dried a little to a state of flowability. Further, it is preferable to sow in shallow grooves (up to 1 cm).

Before sowing in spring, stratification should last 2-5 months at temperatures of 2-5°C. The soil must be loosened, the landing site must be open and adequately lit. After the appearance of 2 leaves, the seedlings need to be threaded, maintaining a distance of at least 3 cm.

Reproduction of barberry

Barberries are not difficult to propagate using green cuttings. The hardest thing is through the ordinary division of the bush. In the latter case, the bush is completely dug up and cut in two.

Diseases and pests

Since certain varieties of barberry are quite often affected by pests, it is recommended to periodically inspect the bushes and spray them. soapy water(300 grams of soap per 10 liters of water) and chlorophos (0.3%).

To prevent diseases caused by rust and powdery mildew at the beginning of the growing season, prevention is carried out by spraying with solutions of colloidal sulfur (1-1.5%) and Bordeaux liquid (1%). Having found an infection, one should resort to the help of fungicides (Abiga-Peak and the like).

Barberry useful properties and contraindications

The beautiful appearance of the barberry is combined with the healing power, which was known in ancient greece, Tibetan monasteries and in Russia. Barberry fruits have antipyretic, antimicrobial and blood-slowing effects and remove toxins.

However, the ability to stimulate muscle activity makes them contraindicated for pregnant women due to the threat of miscarriage. When you receive sedatives you should also be careful with the use of barberry - the sedative effect of them is very strong. Unripe barberry berries are poisonous!

Barberry jam

To prepare barberry jam, you will need a kilogram of berries, a liter of water and 2 kg of brown sugar.

The berries are sorted, washed and their stalks are removed. Then they fill it with heated water and defend the night under conditions room temperature. The resulting juice is poured into a vessel, you can separate the bones from the berries.

For sugar syrup Boil water in a large saucepan, then lower the heat and add sugar. Stir the water so that the sugar is completely dissolved, and you can add the barberry. Next, cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The jam is ready when the berries become soft and the mass reaches a thick state. Jam is poured into sterilized jars, rolled up and turned upside down, allowing them to cool completely.

10.06.2018

If you are looking for an interesting shrub for the garden, planting and caring for which is not difficult, then be sure to consider the barberry. It will perfectly complement the landscape due to its decorative qualities, and at the same time you will get edible berries which can be used in cooking.

Place and soil

For planting barberry, you need a well-lit or slightly shaded area with fertile sandy and loamy soil. They prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 7.5, i.e. moderately acidic to neutral.

The land needs to be fertilized and well drained. Barberry is quite drought tolerant and copes well with dry stony soils, but does not tolerate heavy clay soil and constant humidity.

Barberry bushes are often planted, usually along fences or along the border of the site as a hedge. Plants grown in a sunny location usually produce more fruit and a brighter color.

Barberry is photophilous, drought- and frost-resistant. On moist soils, it forms numerous root offspring.

Types and varieties of barberry - description with photos and names

There are over 400 species of barberry plants. Many of them have sharp thorns, be sure to keep this in mind when growing bushes, especially if you have small children.

Among the most popular introduced into the culture are the following types:

• ordinary;
• ordinary dark purple;
• multipedal;
• Amur;
• barberry Thunberg.

Barberry common

AT vivo Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is common in the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea. It is a shrub up to 2.5 m high, with faceted yellowish or yellowish-purple, later brownish-gray shoots.

Kidneys are sharp, glabrous, up to 1 mm long. The leaves are thin, membranous, elliptical, obovate, up to 4 cm long and 2 cm wide.

Inflorescences racemose, yellow, up to 6 cm long.

The berries are bright red, sometimes yellowish-red, oblong, up to 12 mm long, sour.

Barberry ordinary dark purple

This kind of appearance easy to distinguish in spring and summer by the color of the leaves, which turn dark red, and the sepals turn purple-red.

Barberry multi-legged, or multi-leaved

grows in Central Asia. It belongs to a medium-sized group, reaches a height of 1.5–2 m, stands out with a bright, elegant color of shoots - from red to red-brown as they age.

There are quite a few spines. Flower brushes are small, compact, they grow from three to eight blue-purple fruits, covered with a dense wax coating. They are round, large, 11–13 mm long.

Amur barberry

Amur barberry (Berberis amurensis) grows everywhere in the Far East. It is a shrub up to 3.5 m high, slightly branched, with erect and short lateral ribbed shoots.

The leaves are membranous, obovate, oblong, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide, finely serrated at the edges, dull above, bright green below.

The inflorescence is a brush up to 10 cm long, consisting of 10–25 pale yellow flowers. The berries are bright red, elliptical, 10 mm long.

Barberry Thunberg

Barberry Thunberg (Berberis thunbergii), or Japanese barberry is common in the Baltic states, Belarus and in the central regions middle lane Russia. It grows in the form of a bush 1.5–2 m tall, with beautiful decorative leaves and dense, compactly arranged branches, especially elegant in autumn: at this time, the bushes seem to burn with a violet-carmine flame.

The plant is beautiful both in spring, when yellow flowers bloom with a red tint from the inside, and in summer, when bright corals of berries begin to turn red.

The fruits are elongated, elliptical, 10 mm long, collected in catchy bright brushes, but can also be single. In terms of decorativeness, the Thunberg barberry is not inferior to the best European varieties and forms of the common barberry.

Growing barberry - reproduction, planting and care in the open field

Unpretentiousness, endurance, ease of planting and care are the reasons why people grow barberries. Aboveground part The bush is well formed and tolerates shearing branches.

How to propagate barberry

Barberry is propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering, dividing the bush, grafting.

Reproduction of barberry seeds

The easiest way to propagate is to sow fresh seeds in the fall before the onset of frost in grooves to a depth of 1 cm.

Before sowing, the seeds are disinfected in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, washed and dried.

Seedlings appear in early summer. As soon as two true leaves are formed, the seedlings are thinned out so that there is a distance of at least 3 cm between them.

They are left to grow for another 2 years without a transplant, after which the resulting seedlings are ready for planting in a permanent place.

Propagation of barberry by layering

For reproduction by layering in spring, the strongest annual shoots of plants are bent, placed in grooves 3–5 cm deep and pressed along the entire length of the shoot with arcs and covered with soil, leaving only the top with two or three upper buds. Water if necessary.

After 2-3 months roots are formed. When the shoots reach 10–12 cm in height, they are spudded.

In autumn or spring, seedlings are cut off from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.

Propagation of barberry cuttings

For propagation by cuttings in the spring, young shoots of barberry (with incomplete lignification) are selected from healthy plants no older than 10 years.

Cuttings with two or three internodes are cut off and immediately immersed in a heteroauxin solution for 10–12 hours.

After rinsing the solution, the stalk is planted in a greenhouse or open ground, watered and sprayed 2-3 times a day with warm water.

A stalk planted in open ground is covered plastic bottle shading her. After 20-30 days, it takes root, and after another two months they can be planted in a permanent place.

For barberry cuttings, lignified cuttings (annual) are harvested in the spring around mid-April and stored at a temperature of about 0 ° C. Terms of cuttings: at the end of May, having renewed the cut, the cuttings are ready for planting.

The division of the barberry bush

The division of the bush is carried out in early spring or autumn. For this, 3-5 year old plants with a loose crown are suitable, especially planted with a depth of 10 cm.

The overgrown shrub is dug up and the branches are cut short with a pruner and the root neck is cut into pieces so that each has roots and two or three shoots.

The wounds are sprinkled with crushed charcoal and the seedlings are transplanted to a new place. After 2 years, the plants are fully restored.

Planting barberry

Two-year-old seedlings or one-year-old seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

Planting dates for barberry - in the spring, after the soil thaws and before the buds begin to open, less often - in the fall during the period of mass leaf fall.

• Plants should be positioned so that they get as much sun as possible. On the garden plot enough 1-2 pieces. When planting several bushes, the barberry planting pattern should be at least 1.5 x 1.5 meters.
• For hedges, plants are planted denser - after 0.5–1 m.

How to plant a barberry:

1. For 2-3-year-old bushes, a landing hole is prepared with a depth and diameter of about 25-30 cm, for 5-7-year-olds - 40-50 cm.
2. The recess is filled with a fertile substrate, consisting of equal parts compost or humus and garden soil and sand.
3. The seedling is planted, straightening all its roots, covered with earth and compacted well.
4. Then they water, mulch (sprinkle) with peat or humus and cut the shoots to 3-4 developed buds.

Outdoor barberry care

When it comes to caring for barberry shrubs, you'll find it's quite easy, as it's unpretentious and only needs regular watering during dry times, weeding, loosening the ground around the bushes, and pruning old shoots.

How to water the barberry

During the first summer after planting, if there is no precipitation, water the ground at the base of the barberry well every week.

top dressing

An adult plant may suffer from a lack of trace elements. So, with a lack of calcium on acidic soils the leaves become faded, yellow-brown or brown, the yield drops sharply. Therefore, lime is periodically (once every 5–7 years) brought under the bush, and wood ash - annually in the amount of 300–500 g.

pruning barberry

In the spring, before the buds begin to bloom, you need to cut off all the weak and diseased shoots - new ones will soon grow in their place.

Sanitary pruning of barberry at fruiting age consists in thinning

• thickened branches;
• shoots lying on the ground;
• dry, diseased and poorly developed branches.

It is desirable to treat places of large cuts with garden pitch.

Pruning barberry for the winter - video

Diseases and pests

Barberry is often affected by rust. Spots appear on the leaves in spring orange color- a symptom of the disease. When they are detected, they are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid after the formation of the leaves, the next - after 20 days and one more - 20 days after the previous one.

Do you grow barberry in your area? If yes, then you are already own experience we saw how easy it is to plant and care for. If not, then plant - you will not regret it, you will succeed without much effort.

This plant has many faces. Among its many species, you can find shrubs that are highly decorative, and certain types plants have edible fruits sour taste. In 100 g of berries - 5 daily norms of vitamin C and 2.5 norms of vitamin A. This plant produces an impenetrable hedge, and it is also a natural healer that saves from many diseases. All this is about barberry, planting and caring for which is not particularly difficult.

There are about 500 wild species and various varieties of barberry in nature. Many of them gave birth to cultivated varieties, and there are also many of them. When crossing different types plants were obtained, which are distinguished by a special decorative effect.

The most famous natural forms are the following:

• Barberry common. An inhabitant of the southern regions of our country. It grows up to 2.5 m. Arcuate yellowish-brown shoots are covered with dark green ovate leaves and tripartite spines, reaching a length of 2 cm. At the end of spring, the bushes are covered with fragrant flowers collected in a brush. Edible bright red fruits over 1 cm long ripen in autumn. Their taste is sour and refreshing. There is also a red-leaved form - Atropurpurea, up to 2 meters high with orange-yellow flowers and dark red fruits. And also there is a variegated - Albovariegata.
• Amur barberry. He comes from Far East and is also growing in China and Japan. A shrub up to 3.5 m high is decorated with long tassels of flowers in spring, and in autumn with shiny edible juicy red fruits that do not crumble for a long time.
• Canadian barberry. In Russia, it is rare. A tall bush consists of shoots of dark purple color and is characterized by abundant fruiting.
• Ottawa barberry. This is the result of hybridization of the Thunberg barberry and the form common barberry with red leaves (Atropurpurea). The bush grows up to 2 meters. Yellow flowers have a reddish tint, and its fruits are dark red. One of the most famous varieties of this species is the barberry Ottawa Superba. He has very decorative leaves dark red and unusual red- yellow flowers. The variety is winter-hardy and almost not affected by diseases.
• Barberry spherical. It's pretty hardy shrub native to the mountainous regions of Central Asia. It differs not only in leaves that are not characteristic of barberry, but also in spherical edible fruits of dark blue color.
• Barberry Thunberg. Forms a low sprawling bush with small leaves and beautiful fruits with a bitter taste, unsuitable for food. This species is most suitable for decorating gardens and parks. For this, numerous varieties have been bred: Aurea and Bonanza gold with yellow leaves, Red Chief with dark red leaves, Harlequin and Cornic with variegated foliage. One of the most famous is the barberry Thunberg Atropurpurea. Its bush up to 1.5 meters high is covered with purple-red foliage changing color to bright carmine in autumn. The real decoration of the plant are yellow flowers collected in brushes with red stains.

Planting shrubs in the garden

Most varieties of garden barberry are unpretentious, but still they have their own preferences and they must be taken into account when planting plants in the garden.

How and when to plant?

Planting time depends on which root system the seedling was purchased with - closed or open. In the first case, planting can be carried out throughout the growing season.

In the second, her time is limited to two terms:

• in early spring, until the buds have yet blossomed, but the earth has already thawed;
• in autumn at the time of leaf fall, but at this time planting is associated with the risk of freezing the plant in winter.

Since the rhizome of the barberry is creeping and located in the surface layers of the soil, they do not dig a large hole for it. Its diameter depends on the age of the bush.

• For babies 2-3 years old, a hole 25 cm deep with the same diameter is enough.
• For 5-7-year-old plants, it should be larger - about 50 cm deep and in diameter.
• When using barberry bushes as a hedge, they are not limited to pits, but dig a trench 40 cm wide and deep for the entire length of the plantings.

But in any case, the reference point is the size of the root system of the seedling. She should not be cramped in the landing pit. It is necessary to prepare a place for barberry in advance so that the soil has time to settle, and there are no voids in it.

After a drainage layer of pebbles or broken bricks is laid at the bottom of the pit, it is filled with a soil mixture of the following composition:

• humus or well-ripened compost - 1 part;
• garden soil - 1 part;
• sand - 1 part.

Each bush will need 200 g of ash and 100 g of superphosphate. landing pit spilled with water. If the seedling is grown in a container, before planting it, together with the container, is immersed in water for 20 minutes so that the earth ball is well saturated with water. For plants with an open root system, the soaking time is longer - from 2 to 3 hours, and it is good to add a root stimulator to the water. If the roots are not dry, the seedling can not be soaked, but sprinkle the root system with a root formation stimulator.

If several bushes are planted, when choosing a scheme for their placement, you need to remember that they grow strongly in width, so the distance between them should not be less than 1.5 m. The only exception is planting as a hedge - by 1 running meter plant 2 plants. It is very important not to deepen them when planting, the root collar should be slightly above the soil level.

Site and soil requirements

All barberries are drought-resistant plants, they do not need moist soil, so places with a high standing of groundwater or flooded in spring are not suitable for them.

They also require lighting. In the shade and even partial shade, the color intensity of the leaves decreases, and fruiting will be weak.

In nature, barberries most often grow on sand; in culture, they have not changed their preferences - they love light soil. Heavy soil with a high content of clay will have to be improved by adding sand. The reaction of the soil should be neutral or very close to it. Acidic soils must be limed.

barberry care

Well planted shrub special care does not require, but in order for him to show himself in all his glory, the gardener will have to take care of him.

Watering the plant

Only newly planted plants need weekly watering. When they have taken root, they should be watered only during drought and in extreme heat. The water must be heated in the sun. If, immediately after planting, the ground around the bush is mulched with chopped wood chips, bark or walnut shells, this will not only reduce watering to a minimum, but also stabilize temperature regime soil, make it looser.

Top dressing and fertilizer

Natural species often grow on poor soils and feel great there. Garden forms are more demanding for nutrition. In the first year, the plant has enough of those nutrients, which are laid during landing.

Starting from the second year of life, the feeding scheme is as follows:

• in spring - nitrogen fertilizers: 20 g of urea per 10 liters of water;
• before flowering - full mineral fertilizer with trace elements (you can simply plant it in the soil, and then water the bushes);
• in September for each mature plant contribute 10 g of potassium and 15 g phosphate fertilizers embedding them into the soil.

pruning

This is the most difficult job in caring for this shrub. Numerous sharp spines can severely injure hands, so thick, better leather gloves are needed.

1. Sanitary pruning is done annually in the spring, removing all frozen and dried shoots.
2. For formation, the bushes are pruned only after flowering, as it occurs on last year's shoots.
3. A hedge of tall bushes begins to form in the second year after planting.

In adult specimens, annual pruning of annual and biennial branches is carried out by half or a third. Low-growing border varieties are usually not pruned.

Care in the fall, wintering

Winter is a tough test for newly planted bushes, especially if these are not too frost-resistant Thunberg barberries. Plants have been preparing for it since autumn. Carried out on time autumn dressing and moisture-charging watering after leaf fall will help the barberry to better prepare for the winter. But this is not enough.

All young (and in Thunberg barberry and grown-up) plants need to be covered. Before shelter, they must undergo hardening with slight frosts, therefore, they begin the procedure with a persistent drop in temperature to -5 degrees and freezing of the soil to a depth of 3 cm. For this shrub, not only frosts are terrible, but also dampness, which creates a threat of decay, so shelter be dry air.

Small bushes are easy to cover with spruce branches and dry foliage, taking care of protection from mice. Barberry Thunberg is first wrapped in burlap or kraft paper, and wrapped with covering material on top, securing the shelter so that it does not turn around. At the base of the bush, you need to provide a space for ventilation. Delete winter protection in the spring you need time to give the bushes complete freedom for the growing season.

Reproduction of barberry

The barberry shrub reproduces both by the vegetative parts of the plant and by seeds.

The division of the bush is possible only in those forms that branch from its base. Usually divide the bushes at the age of 3-5 years. It is especially convenient to divide a plant if it is planted with some depth. Each division should have stems and part of the roots. For the procedure, a pruner is used.

Cuttings in some species of barberry do not take root well, but new plants will look like their parents. This is good way get a lot of identical hedge plants at once.

Reproduction by cuttings

June cuttings, cut in the morning, take root best of all. They are taken from the middle part of the green shoot of the current year. Lignified cuttings take root much worse.

• The cutting should have 4 leaves and one internode. Its length is about 10 cm, and its thickness is about 0.5 cm. The cut at the top is horizontal, at the bottom - at an angle of 45 degrees.
• The lower leaves are removed, the upper ones are shortened by half. The thorns are not removed.
• handle lower part cuttings with a root formation stimulator.
• The cuttings are planted in a greenhouse with an arc height of about 20 cm. The soil is leafy, sprinkled with a layer of sand 4 cm thick, well moistened. Landing pattern: 5x7 cm, tilt angle - 45 degrees. Deepen them by 1 cm.
• Conditions of detention: always moist soil, air humidity about 85%, frequent spraying. The use of an artificial fog installation increases the percentage of survival.

Cuttings overwinter in a greenhouse, plants are planted in a permanent place in 1-2 years.

At seed propagation most plants will not repeat their parents, with the exception of the common barberry Atropurpurea. Most of such seedlings will retain varietal characteristics. Seed germination is low - in different species from 20 to 40%.

seed propagation

• The largest berries are freed from the pulp, washed and dried.
• When sown in autumn on a seed bed, the seeds undergo a natural stratification. In winter, they are stratified in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 months, depending on the type of shrub. Sow in the spring in the garden.
• Seedlings are thinned out in phase 2 of true leaves, but do not dive and do not transplant. They are moved to a permanent place only after 2 years.

The main problems in growing

Pests, diseases and methods of dealing with them

There are not so many of them, but they can bring serious harm to the plant.

• Powdery mildew. It appears as a white coating on all parts of the plant. Severely damaged leaves and stems are removed. The whole plant is treated with colloidal sulfur.
• Rust. Characteristic orange spots appear on the leaves. Control measures - treatment with copper-containing preparations or colloidal sulfur.
• Spotting. Spraying with copper oxychloride.
• Bacteriosis. If the upper part of the plant is damaged, all diseased branches are cut off. If the base of the trunks is affected, the plant is uprooted and burned.
• Barberry aphid. Spraying with soapy water.
• Barberry sawfly and flower moth. Treatment with a solution of chlorophos 2% concentration.

Decorative use of shrubs

A wide variety of species and varieties of plants allows you to choose the right shrub for decorating a garden in any style. It is often used in landscaping. A bush with brightly colored foliage can become a tapeworm or fit into an existing plant composition. It will decorate a mixborder, and low specimens will be appropriate on an alpine hill. Barberries make a beautiful hedge in natural form or formed by pruning, which this plant tolerates well.