Reproduction of sea buckthorn can be done in several different ways. Each of the methods has both advantages and disadvantages. Having considered each method in more detail, you can choose the one that suits you the most.
Breeding methods for sea buckthorn
There are several ways to propagate these plants - by root shoots, green or lignified cuttings, dividing the bush, layering and seeds.
Root shoots
One of the simplest breeding methods is by undergrowth. The procedure itself is very simple to perform:
- By roughly chopping the root with a shovel, planting materials are obtained - overgrowths or injured parts of the root. Later, the emergence of a root sucker occurs. Give him special care - carry out hilling, and in no case keep him dry.
- In the spring (next year), loosen the formed mound. Work carefully without damaging anything.
- Then take a knife, and with lateral movements of the blade, take the offspring away from the mother plant. The root offspring will no longer need it, at that moment it will already grow its roots.
- After the performed operations, transplant the offspring to a new place that you prepared in the fall. In the future, water and fertilize it on time.
Cuttings
Cutting is one of the most common breeding methods. It doesn't require any hard work and is generally very enjoyable for most gardeners.
Woody cuttings
Prepare cuttings in fall (November). Select those whose thickness is 5 mm or more. Hide and bury them under the snow, where they will lie until spring. With its onset, cut the cuttings. After that, their length will be 20 cm.
Help the cutting to dissolve its buds, and prepare the root buds. To do this, soak the cuttings in water, leaving them in it for 12-15 days. During this time, they will be ready to disembark.
Now the bed itself remains, it is harvested in advance. The width of the sowing site should be at least 1 m, and the bed will be slightly elevated above the territory. But you shouldn't make it too high.
The disembarkation will take place at a positive temperature of 5 degrees. Before planting, the sprouts are additionally moistened. Place them in the soil so that a tip remains on the surface, on which the swollen buds protrude. After planting, water and fertilize the soil.
You will need to monitor the condition of the soil and its moisture daily. The frequency of watering is different for cuttings. Once every 4 days for rifled (20 cm), and every day for short ones.
At the end of autumn, they grow to standard sizes, and at the end of the year they are ready for transplantation. They should be transplanted upon reaching the indicated dimensions: the root length has reached 20 cm, the shoot height is 50 cm, the diameter is 8 mm.
Green cuttings
Reproduction takes place in the summer - June-July. Follow the steps below:
- With a sharp knife, cut the stalk from the bottom and top so that the finished one is 10 cm long. It is advisable to treat it with growth material, this will help rooting.
- After 16 hours have passed, plant the cuttings in the soil, deepening them to 4 cm, and cover with a jar / film. They get along most easily in light soil; peat is an excellent choice.
- The soil should always be moist - keep it under control. A fine sieve can be used to water the plant.
- Remove the film or jar when the cuttings are rooted, and replant to a permanent place 12 months later, after the sprouts are accustomed to the soil.
By dividing the bush
Most often, the method is used to transplant a plant from one place to another. It can be carried out both in spring and autumn, but a prerequisite is that frosts have not yet come.
The procedure is very simple:
- Dig up the bushes of the plant, cutting off dry, old branches and leaving young ones.
- After shaking off the roots from the soil, and divide into parts. A garden pruner comes in handy for this.
- Carefully divide the developed roots without damaging them.
- Remove the old roots. With these actions, the healthy root system of each bush is controlled.
- Transplant the resulting bush to a new place that you prepared for it in advance.
Layers
The method helps to preserve all the qualities and characteristics of the mother bush, making the new bush identical. And the resulting seedlings are distinguished by their quality.
The procedure goes as follows:
- Press the lower branches of the sea buckthorn firmly to the soil, securing them in place with strong wire, sticking it into the ground. Sprinkle the layer with humus, leaving only one tip on the surface.
- In the summer, water it abundantly, and by the fall, the sprout will take root.
- In early spring, cut off the grown shoots from the bush of the propagated plant, choosing the strongest ones, and transplant to a permanent place.
Seeds
It is not very profitable to propagate a plant in this way, despite the fact that it is the simplest of the listed. You have to wait a long time for fruiting, and the maternal qualities are almost not preserved in the new plant. With all this, more than half of the seedlings will be men.
Reproduction by sea buckthorn seeds is as follows:
- Seeds are obtained from the berries themselves. All the juice is squeezed out of the fruit, the peel and pulp are removed, and the seeds themselves are washed and dried in the shade.
- After harvesting, provide the seeds and embryos with housing. To do this, put them in any bag, except for a plastic one, without tying or blocking access to air. Keep in a warm and dry room.
- Under the right conditions, seeds can live from 2 to 3 years.
- Start planting seeds in early spring or before frost in November.
- In many sea buckthorn species, the seeds do not have a dormant period, and they germinate almost immediately after drying.
- The ideal time for sowing sea buckthorn seeds is late autumn. Then they germinate almost simultaneously, and seedlings occur even before deep summer. This helps the root system develop well.
Helpful tips for planting and grooming
There are rules and tips for working with sea buckthorn. Be aware that spring and autumn seabuckthorn work has significant differences.
For spring planting, use the following rules:
- When planting in spring only, monitor the temperature.
- It is necessary to plant sea buckthorn before the onset of heat and before the onset of frost.
- Use manure, peat, straw as fertilizer.
- The use of growth activators is not prohibited, as they will accelerate the growth of the plant and shoots.
- The plant needs the most careful care the first time after planting - watering, fertilization, and protection from the sun.
In autumn, like in spring, there are rules that gardeners adhere to:
- Pay special attention to the rootstock of the seedlings, as weak roots cannot take root.
- If you missed the sowing date, and the cold came, dig in the seedlings before spring.
- To help a young tree survive the winter, cover it with whatever is available (paper, blankets, snow, plastic).
- Manure is not suitable for plant fertilization. In this case, it will damage the roots.
- Tie the plant to a peg - this will help protect from the wind and provide a good support.
How to care for sea buckthorn in the autumn - read here.
Before planting a seedling in the soil, the planting site needs proper care. And there are some tips for that too:
- If planting is carried out in the fall, remove all foliage from the garden.
- Dip the roots of the seedling into a clay mash before planting - an excellent fertilization method.
- To moisturize the roots after they dry, dip them in a bucket of water and leave there for 2-3 hours.
We recommend that you additionally read the article on how to plant and grow sea buckthorn.
Of the pests that are found on sea buckthorn, several can be distinguished. These include parasites such as honeydew, aphids, bedbugs, leafworms, moths, and flies. Measures are used against each of the pests to rid the plant of them:
- With a large population of aphids, the plant is sprayed with certain preparations. Actellic and fufanon are perfect.
- The same methods work against other pests, only by differentiating the time of action. So, against the copperhead, drugs work in spring and summer, against bedbugs - in the spring.
- You can spray the plant immediately after flowering in the spring. This will act as prevention.
Pruning is the removal of some parts of the shoot. Through this process, important life changes and processes take place that benefit the plant. It promotes longevity, abundant fruiting, maintaining the health and beauty of the plant.
In the spring, pruning is required in order to clear the plant of old and broken branches after winter. This cleaning is called sanitary, and is carried out early enough - before the start of sap flow in the plant. Formative pruning is done around the same time, but only for young trees.
There is also anti-aging pruning, which is used for plants aged 5-6 years. In this case, 1-3 large branches are cut on the plant. In return, the plant grows new and young shoots.
Remember that more than 3 branches cannot be cut off during anti-aging pruning. This will negatively affect the life of the sea buckthorn.
In the fall, the work is similar. Before the onset of frost, broken and dry branches are cut down, and with them diseased ones, which only harm the plant. Burn the branches that have been affected by the fungus. Work carefully and keep the cut smooth and level.
In the video presented, the expert talks about sea buckthorn, its features and principles of caring for it:
What mistakes can be made when breeding sea buckthorn?
It is common for everyone to make mistakes that can be associated with plant transplanting, sowing, growing or pruning. These include such shortcomings as:
- You forget about fertilizers. Sea buckthorn, like any other plant, needs potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
- Store seeds in tightly sealed bags. Without air, the seeds will die.
- Store seeds in unfavorable conditions - the room should not be humid.
- Start sowing in summer or winter. These are the two most unfavorable seasons for sea buckthorn.
- Too small a bed will be a problem for the growth of the plant's rhizome.
- You work carelessly, damaging the stem, leaves, and most importantly - the root. Especially if you are working with transplanting seedlings.
- Pay attention to watering, it is very important. If a drought occurs, the plant will quickly die.
- Incorrect removal of root shoots leads to the impossibility of growth and death of the plant. You can not do it rudely, or pull out the processes with your hands. If you do everything as correctly as possible, sea buckthorn will quickly take root.
- Most gardeners use the most difficult breeding method. If you are not experienced, then start simple - seeds.
It is possible to select a breeding method for sea buckthorn taking into account the existing skills, climatic conditions and time. Also, the time when the work will be carried out is also very important, because some methods are good for spring, while others are best used in autumn.