Fruitful shrubs for the garden. Rare crops

For the first time I read about this unusual apricot from I. V. Michurin. He grew one of his varieties Shlor Tsiran (misread by him as Tlor Tsiran) under light cover in a dirt shed. Assessing the taste qualities of black apricot fruits, the scientist wrote that when used fresh, they “cannot withstand comparison with the best varieties of real apricots, but nevertheless, when compared with the fruits of imported ordinary varieties found in our markets, many of those who dislike fresh the taste of the latter, they will willingly give preference to the fruits of black apricot, which have a special spicy pungency in taste. As for jams from apricots, then positively everyone, without exception, will be on the side of black apricots, since jam from its fruits, both in appearance and in taste, is immeasurably higher than the quality of jams from all other apricot varieties.

According to I. V. Michurin, the Shlor Tsiran variety itself is not suitable for planting in gardens of the middle lane, because, “although the wood does not suffer from frost in most winters, the flower buds die off.” However, in fairness, it must be said that I. V. Michurin had plants grown from seeds of this variety, and they openly overwintered quite safely.

In a word, I read about this unusual apricot, and it interested me so much (I hope that you, dear gardeners), that I decided to ask in more detail about it an authoritative connoisseur of stone fruits, Academician G. V. Eremin. And this is what I learned: in terms of most of its morphological and biological features, the black apricot occupies an intermediate position between the parental species. Its fruit is smaller than that of an apricot (20 - 30 g), pubescent, the skin color is from yellow to dark purple. The pulp is fibrous, juicy, sweet and sour, reminiscent of large-fruited cherry plum varieties, but has an apricot flavor. The stone in most varieties is not separated from the pulp. To taste, the fruits of black apricot are inferior to the best varieties of ordinary, but they are good for various homemade preparations.

The mouse is one of the varieties of G.V. Eremin. It is literally a dwarf that can be grown even in tub culture. However, it is winter hardy.
(apparently suitable for the middle lane), disease resistant, with sweet-sour
fragrant fruits

Of the ancient varieties of black apricot, the most famous are Shlor Tsiran (Tsiran-salar), American black, Big late, Manarezi. At the Crimean OSS VNIIR, a lot of work has been launched to develop new varieties of this crop. The task of scientists is to create more productive and winter-hardy varieties with improved fruit taste and a separating stone. To do this, black apricot is crossed not only with its own varieties, but even with distant relatives: plum (Chinese, Russian and domestic), cherry plum, common apricot, blackthorn, cherry plums. The varieties obtained in this way are so different from the ancient ones that they, perhaps, could be called some kind of new fruit crop. Among the new varieties, Mouse is especially interesting. And G.V. Eremin recommends his new varieties Kuban black and Black velvet.

Kuban black

The black apricot is superior to the common apricot both in resistance to diseases (moniliosis, clasterosporia, cytosporosis), and in winter hardiness, especially in resistance to cold snaps at the end of winter. Therefore, it bears fruit more regularly than the common apricot in southern Russia. It is advisable to test its new varieties in more severe conditions - in the Volga region and middle lane right up to Moscow (and, by the way, it is better in a stemless and low-stem bushy form). Plants are placed at a distance of 4 - 5 m. All varieties are well pollinated by each other, as well as by cherry plum, Russian and Chinese plum and common apricot.

Black apricot is propagated by grafting on cherry plum, apricot, clone rootstocks: Kuban-86, Alab-1, Eureka and others, as well as green and woody cuttings. Black apricot, especially its varieties Alab-1, Alab-2, Afgan, is also used as clonal rootstocks for plum, apricot and peach.

Nectarine - peach

Peach fruits are usually covered with fluff, but there is still a rare variety of them with an absolutely smooth skin, like plums, which is why they are called bare-fruited. These are the fruits of the nectarine. Back in the days Soviet Union their collection, collected in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, was shown to me by an enthusiast of this culture, who did a lot for its rooting in the southern regions of the country - E. N. Shoferistov. The impression was overwhelming: huge, peach-sized plums of all colors of the rainbow, and the taste ... if there can be anything sweeter than a peach, then this is a nectarine. And by the way, he got his name from the word "nectar"!

Later, I asked E. N. Shoferistov to write an article about nectarine and now I offer it to you for reading, because you can’t tell about it better than a connoisseur of this culture.

By biological features And chemical composition fruit nectarine is close to the common peach. But it is in much greater demand on the world market because it is sweeter and its dietary value is higher than that of the peach. A significant advantage of nectarine fruits over peach fruits is the absence of pubescence of the skin, which simplifies their fresh consumption and processing technology. Nectarine fruits differ from pubescent peach and have a higher dry matter content. This improves their portability.

Sort Inextinguishable

The fruits of nectarine, as well as the fruits of the pubescent peach, contain the richest complex of biochemical substances, which determines their therapeutic and prophylactic effect. They enhance the secretion of the digestive glands, promote the digestion of poorly digestible and fatty foods, play an important role in removing fluid and sodium from the body, and therefore are useful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and hypertension.

In some varieties of nectarines, the kernels are sweet and can be used like almond kernels, especially since they are very similar in biochemical composition. Fatty oil of bitter nuclear varieties is used in pharmacology as a solvent in the manufacture of medicines and ointments. The shell of nectarine seeds is used for the production of activated carbon. The wood is well polished and suitable for various crafts.

Nectarine will provide your family with fresh fruits and raw materials for home-made preparations throughout the summer months. Of particular importance are early varieties this culture (Nikitsky-85, Chinese-51312, Crimson Gold, etc.). Their fruits ripen much earlier than all other stone fruits.

Candied fruits, jams, jams, dried fruits are prepared from nectarines. They are frozen whole, prepared in the form of a paste and slices in sugar syrup.

The cultivation technology of nectarine is the same as that of common peach, but many of its varieties are more susceptible to fungal diseases ( powdery mildew, fruit rot). This must be taken into account when planting nectarine and provide side events to protect plants from disease. For example, nectarine is best placed away from plantings of ordinary peach.

Nectarine is also used in decorative design. In the spring, during the lush flowering of its trees with beautiful, large and bright flowers on short pedicels are simply unique. They emit a delicate delicate aroma of essential oils and are actively visited by bees and other insects. And no wonder - after all, nectarine is a wonderful honey plant. In the summer, at the time of the ripening of the harvest, nectarine trees delight with charming, bright fruits, filled with sunny juice.

Dessert taste, unique aroma, pleasant, tender, melting, juicy fruit pulp, ease of canning (the skin of the fruit is not removed) - all this contributes to their popularity and rapid spread in industrial and amateur gardening.

The bare-fruited peach came to Russia in 1866 through the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. From here it spread throughout the Crimea, penetrated to Western Ukraine, to Moldova, to the south modern Russia. In the Nikitsky Garden, a thorough examination is carried out with him. scientific work, new varieties have been bred: Evpatoria, Ishunsky, Krymchanin, Poseidon, Rubinovy-8, Souvenir, Nikitsky and two especially promising varieties - early-ripening Nikitsky-85 and early-medium ripening Rubinovy-4.

Nectarine gained particular popularity in the last two decades of the 20th century, when its large-fruited (150-200 g) yellow-meat varieties appeared, attracting attention with their appearance and universal use. Gardeners, often with bewilderment and caution, acquire nectarine as a "large-fruited plum." And indeed, in a very distant time, one of the plum species, the Chinese plum, participated in the formation of nectarine. It was from her that the nectarine inherited its bare fertility, a peculiar pleasant taste and aroma. But scientists also found that, along with plums, nectarines were also formed. certain types peach, almond, apricot.

In our country, only one variety of nectarine is zoned - Krasnodarets (1988, North Caucasus region). It was created at the Crimean Experimental Breeding Station of the North Caucasian Zonal Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture.

The fact that in our country there are no varieties of nectarine even in the southern regions yet, indicates a lack of attention to this culture. Look in shops and markets - what a variety of nectarines brought from abroad!

The second coming of large-fruited cranberries

For most Russians, cranberries are a low-growing semi-shrub with small and sour berries, growing abundantly on hummocks of sphagnum swamps, which is why this species is called marsh. For the peculiar taste of berries and their healing properties in the northern regions, it is slowly introduced into gardens, and the first varieties have already been obtained. And now a previously unknown American species is rapidly penetrating us - large-fruited cranberries. Its cultivation began in North America in 1816, and now it grows here on more than 12,000 hectares. The collection of berries exceeds 200 thousand tons. Since the 19th century, large-fruited cranberries have been cultivated in many European countries. At the end of the 19th century, it successfully grew even in the St. Petersburg Botanical Garden. Unfortunately, after the revolution, there were no traces of large-fruited cranberries in Russia; so its appearance in our places (importation comes mainly from Belarus) is, as it were, its “second coming”, and it seems that it is triumphant.

large-fruited cranberry

What are the advantages of large-fruited cranberries compared to our swamp? Firstly, it has unusually large berries - up to 2.5 cm in diameter. The variety of their shape is also impressive: they can be round, oval, oblong, pear-shaped. Coloration from light red to dark purple, usually with a waxy coating. For the first time, those who saw the berries of large-fruited cranberries are likely to mistake them for the fruits of Chinese women, used for our favorite paradise apples jam. They are sour in taste, not without a peculiar cranberry flavor, and crunch under the teeth incomparably with any other fruits. It is important that, compared with the swamp, the fruits of large-fruited cranberries are noticeably richer in many vital substances for humans. The large-fruited cranberry is much ahead of the swamp sister in terms of yields. But still, dear gardeners, large-fruited cranberries, although, of course, will take their rightful place in Russian gardens, however, being carried away by this American, do not forget about our domestic, swamp, cranberries.

Cranberries marsh and large-fruited

Swamp cranberries growing in Russia are very winter-hardy and undemanding to living conditions. Well, what about the fruits are too small - so take care of the selection. Crossing is also promising the best varieties American cranberries with the best domestic ones. And by the way, our scientists also did not sit idly by. Its first varieties have already been created at the Kostroma Forest OS and, moreover, they have been studied in comparison with the 16 most common American varieties. The "competition" of two types of cranberries on Russian soil revealed a clear advantage of the domestic one. Varieties of swamp cranberries are more frost-resistant than those of large-fruited ones, they bear fruit more stable. Often they are not inferior to the "Americans" and the size of the fruit, which, moreover, is better stored.

Large-fruited cranberries in decorative design

Large-fruited cranberries are also interesting in a decorative sense. Firstly, she (however, like the swamp) - evergreen. In spring and early summer, when young shoots grow, the plantings turn out to be light green; during flowering (from mid-June to mid-July), they take on the appearance of a soft pink carpet. But a really unforgettable sight is the large-fruited cranberry in September, when its fruits and leaves turn orange-burgundy.

Large-fruited cranberries under snow cover are able to withstand frosts down to minus 20º - 30º. But anyway late autumn it is better to cover it with something (suddenly there will be little snow), for example, with leaves, spruce branches, spunbond. Early spring and late autumn frosts are dangerous for the crop.

Cranberries belong to the lingonberry family, and for all its berry shrubs (lingonberries, blueberries, blueberries), when cultivated in the garden, acidic soils- for cranberries, the optimal pH is 3.5-4.5. A decrease in the pH level has little effect on their growth and development, but an increase causes a cessation of growth and death of plants. This is due to the fact that lingonberries do not have root hairs that absorb nutrients from the soil, and mycorrhiza (root and fungus symbiosis) performs their function, and it works only in an acidic environment. By the way, that is why wild cranberries grow only in acidified sphagnum raised bogs. That's why best soil for cranberries (and other lingonberries) - high-moor sphagnum sour peat, which also has three more important properties - good aeration, high moisture capacity and the absence of weed seeds (weeds do not grow in swamps). It can be used both in its pure form and with the addition of sand (3: 1), 15-20% of the volume of garden soil and up to 30% of leaf, and even better, coniferous litter.

Before flowering

blooming cranberry

It would seem strange, but cranberries are not particularly moisture-loving plant, and therefore it cannot be used in lowlands where water stagnates, and even when watering, it is enough just to make sure that the topsoil does not dry out. Occurrence ground water should not be higher than 30-40 cm.

large-fruited cranberry

Cranberries can be grown on any soil, even heavy and clay, but for this you need to build beds. Their size and configuration can be very different, up to a square, circle, oval, etc. To do this, after deep digging and removal of rhizomes, the top layer of soil (20-25 cm) is removed, and the resulting depression is filled with peat (or a mixture made on its basis ), which is carefully compacted and watered. With the addition of other components to peat, its acidity decreases and therefore, when using the mixture, it is advisable to pour the prepared bed with acidified water (10 l of water per 1 m²). For acidification, citric and oxalic acid are used - 1 teaspoon per 3 liters of water, acetic or malic (9%) - 100 g per 10 liters of water, and even better electrolyte for acid batteries (diluted sulfuric acid) in an amount of 50-100 ml for 10 liters of water. If there is no high-moor peat, then any other is taken, but then it is sprinkled with sulfur (40-60 g per 1 m²) for acidification and mixed thoroughly. In the future, any peat and substrate are regularly acidified every two to three years.

If the site is located on peat bogs, then cranberries can be planted without special preparation, it is only important to isolate it from weed rhizomes.

Cranberries in autumn

Cranberries are planted in a moist substrate with seedlings with a clod of earth, in holes 10 cm deep and 8-10 cm wide. The distance between plants is 20-30 cm. Plants are watered and mulched with sand. During the week, they make sure that the top layer does not dry out, then water it once or twice a week (1 bucket per 1 m²), in dry weather - every day.

Large-fruited cranberries in winter

In the spring, once every 2-3 years, it is advisable to mulch the planting surface with sand in a layer of 2-3 cm. Due to the light reflected from the sand, the illumination, which is so important for cranberries, increases lower leaves and besides, the soil warms up even better and faster, its water-air regime improves, and the growth of weeds is delayed.

Cranberries are not demanding on soil fertility (after all, they grow in barren swamps), but at low doses mineral fertilizers, especially with fractional - 2-3 times per growing season - application, responds well. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are especially effective for her, but in order not to cause protracted growth, they are used only until August. When choosing potash fertilizers avoid chlorine-containing: potassium chloride, potassium salt, preferring potassium sulfate. There is a positive experience of using Kemira-universal for its fertilizer in spring or early summer, and Kemira-autumn in autumn. But manure and compost for cranberries is death, so be careful.

Collection of cranberries. Belarus
Photos by T.V. Kurlovich

The selection of varieties of large-fruited cranberries is carried out primarily taking into account the availability of ripening in a given area with summer heat.
In areas where the sum of positive temperatures during the growing season exceeds 2700 degrees, all varieties can be grown, and where their sum is less than 2300 degrees, only early-ripening and, with some risk, mid-ripening varieties are suitable. Early-ripening (ripen in early September) varieties include Early Black, Ben Lear, Black Veil, mid-ripening (ripen in mid-September) - Searl, Wilcox, Franklin.

Irina Sergeevna Isaeva,

Photos from the archive of I.S. Isaeva

Subtropical exotics of feijoa - in tub culture

Feijoa is a relatively new, evergreen subtropical plant. Its homeland is South America, where the local population has long collected its fruits in the forests. At the end of the 19th century, feijoa was brought to France, Italy, Algeria, and from the beginning of the 20th century, to Spain, Portugal, the USA, India, Japan, and Australia. It came to Russia (Yalta) in 1900, and starting from 1903 it began to spread along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (Sukhumi, Sochi, Batumi). At first it was grown as a rare fruit and ornamental plant in gardens and parks. Now feijoa is grown in family gardens.

Feijoa fruits cannot be confused with any other fruit: they have a strong, reminiscent of both strawberries and pineapple, aroma and characteristic taste, with a harmonious combination of acid and sugar. The value of fruits and in their healing properties, which are determined by the richness of the biochemical composition. They are high in content R- active substances, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), rich in pectin. The uniqueness of feijoa fruits is the presence of iodine in them, which means that they are - effective remedy for the treatment and prevention of hormonal insufficiency of the thyroid gland, cardiovascular and other diseases.

Once you see a feijoa during flowering, you can’t confuse it with any other plant either. You look at its flowers - large (diameter 3 - 4 cm), purple-red, with white petals and numerous red stamens with yellow anthers, and it seems that this is something fabulous, some very, very "scarlet flower". And this beauty of flowering lasts for a whole month.

Feijoa in bloom

Like any subtropical plant, feijoa is thermophilic. For normal development and fruiting during the growing season, it needs a total of at least 3500 - 4200 positive active temperatures. Optimum temperature air during vegetation plus 18 - 22 degrees, for flowering - 20 - 25. Without damage, low temperatures endure up to minus 10 - 12 degrees. At minus 15 - 16 degrees, leaves and annual shoots are damaged. And at lower temperatures, the whole plant dies.

But the gardener is so arranged that what he does not have, that he wants more. Surely, many gardeners from the central regions of Russia wanted to breed feijoa at home. Well, if you want to - breed, only with a serious limitation - not in the garden, but in the tub culture. Feijoa is a shrub up to 2.5 - 3 m high with a crown diameter of up to 3 meters. If its growth is still a little restrained by pruning, then the plant can be even smaller volumes. At necessary care tolerates closed ground conditions safely. So put a tub (or even better 2 - 3) with this exotic plant at home and enjoy its aroma, the beauty of flowering and unusual in taste, healing fruits.

Growing feijoa in a tub (potted) culture

Feijoa breeding

Feijoa reproduces by seeds and vegetatively. Of course, it is better to plant a vegetatively propagated plant in a container, which is done by layering or rooting lignified and semi-lignified cuttings. In this case, the plant retains the properties of the variety to the fullest extent, and fruiting begins one or two years earlier (in comparison with seedlings) (with seed propagation fruiting begins in the fourth or fifth year, with vegetative - in the third or fourth). But it is difficult for residents of the middle zone to get vegetatively propagated feijoa plants, so most likely they will have to resort to planting a seedling.

Feijoa fruits ripen in October-November, at the same time they reach our markets. Buy the most ripe fruits, cut them and take out the inner, most seed-filled part. By the way, there are more than enough seeds in feijoa - 60 or more per fruit. They are very small, and therefore in one gram they contain up to 400 - 800 pieces. It is important that the germination of seeds is very high. Just do not store the fruits for a long time, as the seeds in them begin to germinate.

The seeds removed from the fruit are placed in containers for softening, after which they are washed, separated from the pulp, dried in the shade and stored until sowing in a dry place. Feijoa seeds are sown at a very early date (January - February) in boxes under glass or film. The boxes are filled with soil, composed of one part of humus, two parts of river sand and one part of sod land. The earth should be loose, well sifted. The embedment depth is shallow, not more than 0.5 cm. With normal moisture and at a temperature of + 20-25º C, shoots appear in 12-15 days.

When the seedlings develop one or two pairs of leaves, they dive into separate containers. Soil composition: soddy land (3 parts), leaf humus (2 parts), rotted manure (0.5 parts) and river sand(0.5 parts).

To achieve in room conditions the fastest entry of plants into fruiting, they must be grown in the form of a tree on a low stem. To do this, when the seedlings reach 25 - 30 cm in height, they are cut to one third of the height. On the side branches, shoots of other orders are formed. Shorten and pinch only vigorous shoots. The cut is made over the kidney. The formation is carried out before the start of growth. In the future, weak or dried branches are removed, and thinning is carried out if necessary.

plant care

Feijoa is a photophilous culture, so it is better to place plants on the southern or southeastern windows. Most of all, the plant suffers from a lack of light in the autumn winter period. As additional lighting, you can use a fluorescent lamp.

The culture does not tolerate intense heat. Feijoa is an inhabitant of a subtropical region with a very mild oceanic climate. Overdrying an earthy coma leads to a drop of leaves, the death of branches. It is useful to spray the plants with water, this will increase the humidity of the air. Especially feijoa needs moisture in the first half of the growing season, during the period of intensive growth.

Watering should not be allowed cold water, which stops the growth of the root system, leads to acidification of the soil in pots.

Feijoa tub culture

The plant is relatively undemanding to the soil. But, being in a small amount of soil, it constantly needs additional nutrition. It is necessary to carry out feeding. The smaller the vessel, the more often fertilizing and watering is required. It is recommended to add 30 g of ammonium nitrate and 30 g of potassium salt per 10 liters of water. Superphosphate (50 g per 10 liters of water) is first boiled for 45 minutes, settled and the precipitate is drained. Can be applied simultaneously with mullein (1:10). The day before fertilizing, the plant must be watered.

Most varieties and forms of feijoa are self-sterile (bearing fruit only when cross-pollinated), but there are also self-fertile forms. For growing indoors, you need just such forms or plant at least two plants.

A characteristic feature of feijoa plants is their high phytoncidity and hence the rather high resistance against pests and diseases. But sometimes lovers are faced with the spread of scale insects on the leaves. Shchitovka settles on a glossy surface along the main vein.

For protection, you can use a tool made from the leaves of the green pericarp walnut. 100 g of green or dry leaves, pericarp insist for a day in one liter of water. Spray with filtered solution.

Aktara is a broad-spectrum insecticide with low toxicity to warm-blooded animals. It has a contact and intestinal effect on pests, which manifests itself 15-30 minutes after contact with the drug. Effective against sucking (aphids, scale insects, whiteflies, thrips).

In winter, it is desirable to cultivate in cool, bright rooms (10 - 12º C). From spring until the onset of frost, plants can be taken out to the balcony.

Delicious useful fruits, beautiful emerald greenery, original flowers, relatively simple cultivation techniques, high level adaptation - all this suggests that there is something to work hard for and introduce this exotic feijoa among your favorite houseplants.

I.S. Isaeva,
E.L. Shishkin,
researcher at Nikitsky
botanical garden, Yalta
(e-mail: [email protected]).

Shiksha

What just do not try to cultivate in family gardens restless gardeners. We even got to shiksha. In nature, it is common in the tundra and taiga zone of Eurasia, it grows in the tundra, and in swamps, and in swampy forests. Shiksha attracted gardeners with unusually high vitality even in the extremely harsh conditions of the North, combined with completely edible and healing berries. Shiksha berries are blue-black, like a crow's wing, for which the plant also received the name "crowberry". And for wateriness, it is also called crowberry.

Shiksha is an evergreen shrub, with long (up to 1 m) creeping shoots on the soil surface and partially covered with moss, with small leaves, like needles. Shrub height - 20-40 cm. Flowers solitary, small, bisexual or dioecious, from pink to red, pollinated by insects.

The value of shiksha berries is primarily in the high content of vitamin C, which they have several times more than in lemon. In addition, they are a reliable diuretic that northerners have been using for many centuries. Relatively recently, an effective antiepileptic drug from shiksha - Empetrin, the world's first herbal medicine for this serious illness, was submitted for clinical trials. For treatment, in addition to berries, above-ground shoots are also used, which are collected during flowering. It is popularly believed that infusions from them cure at least a dozen diseases.

The watery and unnecessarily bland taste of shiksha berries does not prevent the local population from collecting them in large quantities. Of course, this is primarily due to the fact that no other berry plants often grow in the places where shiksha grows, as well as the relative ease of their collection. The ease of picking shiksha berries is due to the fact that it grows in thickets, it is very productive, and besides, its collection is quite long: the berries ripen in early August, and remain on plants until spring.

Berries are eaten with milk, curdled milk. For the winter they are soaked, frozen, used for jam, drinks (only then you need a lot of sugar). Connoisseurs recommend chewing the cake left from the processing of berries as a kind of chewing gum - a payload for gums and teeth. If the cake is swallowed, then it, like a sponge, cleanses the intestines. It is important that the berries do not lose their properties even when frozen, moreover, unlike other berries, they do not even freeze into a lump. Until recently, the local population kept them in large quantities in pits lined with ferns, in an embankment. In the winter diet of the northern peoples, a dish that the Russians call "Tolkusha" is popular. This is a mixture of shiksha berries with finely chopped fish and seal oil.

Hunt for shiksha berries and animals with birds. And the bear, before lying in the den, rows into his mouth with their paws, a handful of berries - a sip of healing juice. Take a closer look at this stern northerner, it seems that the time has come to attract her to our family gardens.

I.S. Isaeva,
doctor of agricultural sciences

Moscow region ginseng

I dedicate to my beloved Tatyana Valentinovna

I met the author of this article, Vladimir Vasilyevich Nikolaev, a wonderful experienced gardener from the Moscow region, several years ago, when I came to his dacha to see the fruiting of the thickets of his famous dogwood. And then it turned out that a small but very productive plantation of ginseng is no less remarkable in his garden. I saw the landings of this very rare plant in his homeland - the Far East, but in suburban area in the Moscow region met with his plantation for the first time. And what they saw was amazing. And then Vladimir Vasilievich, having come to visit me, brought as a gift a few ginseng roots, indeed, as I have read about it more than once, reminiscent of little men. And said, "Cut it in little pieces and just chew it."

Of course, ginseng is not a fruit plant. But since it grows in the garden, then, at least with a big stretch, we will place it among rare fruit plants. I really wanted Vladimir Vasilyevich to share his experience in growing ginseng, which, no doubt, any gardener can adopt. I wish you success in this very interesting business.

I.S. Isaeva,
doctor of agricultural sciences

In my youth, solving complex mathematical problems at school and college, I thought about those medical substances that enhance thought processes. From my father and grandfather, I learned about ginseng. Being a student and earning a little (working part-time as an engineer), one day I bought a bottle of ginseng water extract prepared in China at the Central Pharmacy No. 1. I started using it bit by bit. I read about the methods of its cultivation, methods of preparation, and all this was then available. This is the 50s.

In our area, a well-known experienced gardener Alexandra Semyonovna Frolova lived in the neighborhood. She shared various new garden crops with her neighbors. We made an exchange with her. I gave her dogwood seedlings and she gave me some ginseng roots. Naturally, delighted, I prepared a bed for the best place, in the center of the garden and planted ginseng roots there. I remember that in the spring they rose, and by June or earlier they all lowered their leaves, wilted and, of course, died.

In subsequent years, reading magazines and books, studying how ginseng is grown in Korea and China, I decided to try again. Knowing that the ginseng leaf fades after 15 minutes of exposure to direct sunlight, I found a place in the area where direct sunlight does not fall throughout the day. Near the terrace from the north, at a distance of 1 m from the wall, I dug a hole 2 shovels deep - 50 cm. The fact is that the water flowing from the roof should not fall on the leaves of the plants. Rain should not water plantations.

We have sandy soil. To the excavated sand he added rotten birch stumps taken from the forest, peat and ashes. I filled the hole with this mixture. Along the garden bed, on the western side, I buried a pine log with a diameter of 20 cm. This was in 1986.

In the autumn of the same year, he wrote to Sergienko Nikolai Fedorovich in Primorsky Krai with a request to send 20 roots and 30 seeds. Previously, in the magazine "Beekeeping", and others, advertisements were published with proposals for the transfer, sale, exchange of seeds and seedlings. Now these ads have become smaller or non-existent.

fruiting ginseng

Having received in September an award of 40 p. in honor of the fiftieth anniversary, I, with the consent of my wife, “thumped” this money in Primorye for the roots and seeds of ginseng. But they gave me roots and seeds only for the next year, in the fall. The roots were the first year, small. This package arrived in Zelenograd. When I received it, it was already opened. Apparently, everything that was sent to our Zelenograd was subjected to verification. But I got all 20 roots and 30 seeds. Many thanks to Nikolai Fedorovich. Correspondence with him continued. I do all landings and transplants taking into account the phase of the moon. I sow the seeds on the third day after the full moon in September.

I planted and sowed most of the roots and seeds near the terrace. I planted 3 roots in another place, in the corner of the garden. There was no sun at all. A few years later I returned them from there to common garden. The size of the bed is 1 m x 1.5 m. It is fenced with a film so that neither cats, nor hedgehogs, nor other animals or birds enter it. After all, if a cat passes only once in 25 or more years, it can do such a thing that all many years of work will go down the drain.

Water should not come to the plantation from above: neither rain nor dew should fall on the leaves. Naturally, water, which is always colder than the surrounding air, getting on the leaf, creates an unpleasant effect on the plant. Therefore, on rainy and cloudy days, I cover the garden bed with a transparent film. And the supply of water to the roots of plants is carried out due to capillary processes from the side of the boundary. Moreover, a rotting leaf was laid on all sides, with which the ridge was covered in winter. The leaf is always wet, decomposing, saturates the soil around the ridge nutrients, which, together with water, come from the side and from below to the roots of plants.

Vladimir Vasilievich came
to visit me, holding in my hands a ginseng root so reminiscent of a man

Three years have passed since the landing. On the fourth spring, several plants bloomed and in August gave the first berries. From these berries he took the first own seeds and sowed them on the same bed. Planted a few seeds in the forest. Currently, all old roots are throwing out a pedicel. But I cut them off, leaving only one root, and every year at different ones. This technique increases the weight gain of the root and creates favorable conditions for an even greater increase in the mass of the root, since they increase the number of shoots. There is such a tendency: first, two shoots grow at the root (I think - two heads). Approximately in three years there are already three heads, in the next three years - four heads. Some heads fall asleep for a year, others grow annually. One root has five heads. An increase in the number of shoots (heads), in my opinion, speaks of the correct cultivation: the right place, optimal lighting and the supply of water and nutrients.

About 38 roots of different years grow in the garden - from two to twenty-five years old (some are sleeping). I dig up one root per year, and sow 5 seeds. I use it like a carrot. I cut off a piece in autumn and winter after a hearty lunch on cold days. I keep it in the refrigerator.

I do not make any tinctures, extracts and jams in sugar or honey.

A root of 140g is enough for me for a year.

Feel free to start growing ginseng. The main thing: lighting with sunlight reflected from the sky (do not allow direct sunlight to fall on the leaves). The plantation should not be wet from above, but only lateral watering (watering with rain or watering can only between the borders).

Neither dew nor rain should fall on the leaves and soil around the plant.

Protection against the penetration of animals into the plantation during the entire period of cultivation (which is decades). Moles are helpers of the ginseng grower. They dig deep channels and do not damage the roots at all.

Remove flower stalks in May as soon as they emerge from the rosette of leaves.

You can give top dressing in the form of old mushrooms (porcini, boletus, butter, etc.), placing them between the plants on the ground.

Vladimir Vasilievich Nikolaev
(tel. 8-916-845-87-01, e-mail [email protected])

Photos by I.S. Isaeva

Rowan - fruit tree

Rowan is called the blush of the northern garden. And how good it is, especially in late autumn at sunset or in winter, when the snow accumulated on the clusters seems to cover each of them with a lace cap, an intricate panama hat or a simple scarf. And then the waxwings will fly in, ring the bells, and later, on a frosty day, the tree will, as it were, be decorated with red apples - these are the bullfinches that have already arrived. Do not live the birds in the snowy season without mountain ash, with long time ago a man is friends with her.

Of the 84 species of mountain ash in the middle lane and far to the north, only one species grows - the common mountain ash, which can withstand winters even with temperatures down to minus 50 degrees. In addition to the commitment to it as an unusually elegant tree, in Russia this mountain ash has always been valued for the possibility of using it for a variety of economic purposes and, of course, primarily for the nutritional and medicinal value of the fruit.

The fruits of mountain ash in terms of the content of biologically active substances necessary for humans are equal to wild rose and sea buckthorn. It is important that they are especially rich in carotene, which accumulates in it twice as much as in the main source of this substance for residents of the northern regions - carrots. According to the content of vitamin C, it competes with lemon and blackcurrant, vitamin P in it accumulates up to 700 mg or more per 100 g of fruit. To satisfy the need for these three vitamins, it is enough to eat just one brush of berries a day. And rowan contains up to 2 mg per 100 g of fruits, which contributes to normal sexual activity, vitamin E, about 1 mg per 100 g of fruits, which normalizes blood clotting, vitamin K 1. The fruits are also unique in the content of sorbic and parasorbic acids, which inhibit the growth of microorganisms, fungi, mold, which is why they prevent gastrointestinal infections when used in food. And it's still far from full list healing properties of mountain ash.

The twentieth century was marked by the widespread introduction of many wild fruit and berry plants into the culture. Their active introduction into culture was dictated by a catastrophic decrease in the number of wild plants in nature, the difficulty of harvesting, low productivity, and besides, I wanted to “correct” the quality of the fruits. Among the new crops in the garden was rowan. Its first varieties, as it happened in other cases, were created by I. V. Michurin. These are Liqueur, Burka, Pomegranate, Michurinskaya dessert. The followers of I. V. Michurin gave our garden varieties: Scarlet Large, Angri, Bead, Vefed, Daughter of Kubov (Sunny), Titan, Sugar Petrova. In addition, a sweet-fruited form, accidentally found back in the 19th century in the forest of the Vladimir region and propagated by the people, came to the gardens. rowan- Nevezhinskaya (the name is given at the location) and another sweet-fruited form - from the Sudeten Mountains (Moravia) - Moravian (its taste is less interesting than that of Nevezhinskaya).

So far, varietal mountain ash is rarely seen in gardens. It’s a pity, because it is not only completely edible and more productive, but its fruits are also much more dietary than wild-growing. The fact is that the excessive bitterness of mountain ash is created by parasorbic acid, which, apparently, is toxic and causes a feverish state. In the fruits of the transformed, varietal mountain ash, this acid is less, which means they are safer. At the same time, the composition and amount of biologically active substances in the fruits of varietal mountain ash, although they vary by variety, still turn out to be quite high, close to the composition of the fruits of wild-growing mountain ash.

Most delicious fruits in varieties Sakharnaya Petrova, Angri, Businka, Vefed, Rubinovaya. If the fruits of Ruby in a gauze bag are placed under a hot battery, then, withering, they become like raisins. Varieties also differ in yield. The most productive are Burka, Bead, Scarlet Dessert, in which at the age of 20 years the yield reaches 150 kg per tree, and each shield with fruits often weighs 400 g or more. Not at the same time, the varieties enter fruiting - on the 3-4th year after planting the grafted seedling in the garden, Pomegranate, Burka begin to bear fruit, on the 6th - Bead, Titan, Scarlet large, and the rest - on the 7-8th year. It is important that trees of varieties are usually lower wild species mountain ash, for example, in Angri, Titan and Sorbinka - 3-3.5 and, in Vefed and Businka - 2.5 - 3 m, and in the Rubinovaya variety - generally of a dwarf type - 2.1-2.3 m.

The fruits of most varieties of mountain ash are simply "in their pure form", as we consume other gifts of the garden, until you especially eat, they are more suitable for various preparations, which stand out for their originality and piquancy of taste. Varieties Titan, Scarlet large and Burka are recommended for juicing; Bead and Sorbinka - puree; Titanium is also used for preparing seasonings, Angri is suitable for jam, marmalade, the fruits of this variety are good and mashed with sugar. And, of course, you can make original jam from each variety.

If you decide to start a varietal mountain ash in the garden, then remember that, although it came just from natural conditions, it is already a cultivated, and therefore a plant that requires care.

Planting, care and reproduction of varietal mountain ash in many ways resembles an apple tree. They plant it, like an apple tree, both in autumn and in spring with 2-year-old grafted seedlings. So that the tree does not lean, grows straight, like an apple tree, the seedling is tied with a figure eight to a stake hammered into the pit. The size of the pit is 80-100 x 50-60 cm. If the land is not suitable for planting, it is replaced by adding to new ground 2-3 buckets of humus, 500-600 g of superphosphate, 100-150 g of potassium salt, up to 1 kg of lime or 1 kg of ash. Be sure to water and mulch.

And you can dig up young trees in the forest, plant them just as carefully and plant them with varietal cuttings. If you want to have one variety - graft into the stem, if you want to get a multi-varietal tree - regraft each branch with your own variety. Grafting time - spring, method - improved copulation (with tongue).

Like all fruit plants, mountain ash responds well to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the first half of summer at the rate of 10-30 g per 1 m² (calculate how much you need for trunk circle). Phosphorus and potash fertilizers are applied in the same amount in autumn.

A slender rowan tree does not require pruning, but in vigorous varieties it is desirable to restrain growth upwards, using the basic principle of crown reduction - transfer to a side branch. And you can even grow it in a bushy form. To do this, cut off another one-year-old above the third (counting from the root neck) of a well-developed kidney and then form it in the form of a three-barreled bush.

Rowan, although it can grow in the undergrowth, is a light-loving plant, so choose a sufficiently lit place for it in the garden, otherwise the tree will be ugly and low-yielding. This plant is moisture-loving, so do not forget to water it in a dry summer, otherwise the fruits will be small and tasteless.

It is time for the transformed, varietal mountain ash with increased taste and dietary qualities of the fruit to open the way to our gardens, especially in regions with risky and limited gardening. At the same time, saving the area of ​​the site, it is possible to plant 1-2 trees on it and at the same time create plantations for the collective use of its harvest somewhere in nearby places that are inconvenient for agriculture (for example, the slopes of a ravine).

For our distant ancestors, the mountain ash was a tree in which lightning was hidden - a powerful weapon of the thunder god Perun. Tall, slender, especially in treeless areas, the rowan tree really served as a lightning rod. So, probably, not only for beauty, but, most likely, unconsciously, and for this reason, it has been planted in every front garden since ancient times. In addition, she was considered a protector from evil spirits and at the same time a tree of fertility, all kinds of blessings, and the prosperity of the owner. Rowan was consecrated and it was forbidden to cut it. Over time, all this symbolism lost its meaning, but the mountain ash remained a favorite tree, and especially in Russia.

Irina Sergeevna Isaeva,

doctor of agricultural sciences

Felt cherries are improved by varieties

Two or three felt cherry bushes can be found in many family gardens both in the middle lane and to the north, and beyond the Urals it is almost a common culture. Such wide use this culture, which is actually new for the Russian garden, is primarily due to its at least three outstanding properties: extraordinary winter hardiness - withstands temperatures down to -40 degrees; very early ripening - in the middle lane, usually 7 - 10 days earlier than common cherries (that is, when early varieties of strawberries are just beginning to ripen) and early fruiting - the first fruits appear in the third, and often even the second year after planting. In addition, felt cherries are not afraid of mice and hares; during seed reproduction, they inherit parental properties, which means that it can be propagated by simply sowing seeds; it is also attractive with sweet-fresh fruits, which are especially liked by children, and many adults who love this taste. I remember how someone's "hundredths" could not tear themselves away from the bush covered with its fruits, until the owner approached and delicately reminded: "We have children." And felt cherry is very decorative: during flowering, it is one of the types of cherry, which in Japan is one of the plants under the collective name "sakura", designed specifically for admiring.

But, unfortunately, like any beauty, felt cherry is not without flaws. It is primarily her early flowering, as a result of which it often coincides with frosts, which leads to crop loss. And here it is even often not a matter of the probability of damage to flowers by frost, but rather the absence of conditions for pollination by bees. A serious disadvantage of felt cherries is the possible decay of the root neck, which is often the cause of plant death. Such damage is especially typical in areas where thaws occur in the middle of winter, and the plants come out of dormancy prematurely. But experienced gardeners got the hang of "stealing" cherries from such troubles, and there are plenty of ingenious tricks here: this is landing on elevated, without stagnation spring waters, places, and reducing waterlogging in the ground of the roots by introducing sand and ash into the zone of their location, and grafting onto winter-hardy, stable rootstocks in the area.

Felt cherry comes from China. At the end of the 19th century, it began to spread throughout the Far East and some regions of Siberia. I. V. Michurin introduced it to the gardens of the European part of Russia, informing the gardeners that “a completely new type of stone fruit, unprecedented in European gardens, is being introduced into the culture ... The yield is amazingly generous, the branches with fruits tend to the ground from heaviness.” And although felt cherry fell in love in this part of Russia, in gardens it was grown and continues to be grown only in the form of seedlings, which means that it was originally wild plants, and not varietal material. Seedlings are not the same in terms of winter hardiness, yield, ripening time, size and taste of fruits, so some gardeners are more lucky, others less. But beyond the Urals, and especially in the Far East, varietal felt cherries are propagated. And why there are no varieties of this cherry in the European part of Russia - I don’t understand. After all, even in the State Register, its 15 varieties are officially listed, and at the same time without indicating the place of admission, which means everywhere. 13 of these varieties were created at the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the V.I. N. I. Vavilova (VNIIR) Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Vera Petrovna Tsarenko together with her daughter, Candidate of Biological Sciences Tsarenko Natalya Albertovna, and in total they have already created more than 40 varieties.

The first breeders of felt cherries were the Far Eastern population. By sowing seeds for a long time, people selected plants with the largest and best-tasting fruits, and paid attention to winter hardiness, why its range also spread to more northern regions. Undoubtedly, spontaneously this is happening now. For the first time scientifically based, planned selection in the 30s of the past century was started by N.N. Tikhonov, but in 1937 he left the Far East, and the promising forms he received were lost. But at that time, the future academician G.T. Kazmin began to select felt cherries and, by the way, using some forms of Tikhonov in Khabarovsk. As a result of a huge and laborious work (he studied more than 10,000 seedlings in four generations), G.T. Kazmin managed to breed 10 varieties of felt cherries and regionalize them in the Khabarovsk (and therefore very harsh) region. Now most of its varieties have "dissolved" in numerous sites of amateur gardeners, and only two are listed in the State Register - Leto and Ogonyok.

The advantages of the Leto variety are large (3.0 g) light red fruits, dense pulp, semi-dry separation of fruits (which is very important for felt cherries with its usually “wet” separation), decent yield (8.4 kg per bush), winter hardiness , resistance to the disease "cherry pockets"). Ripening time is the end of July.

In the Ogonyok variety, the fruits are slightly smaller (2.5 g), but tastier (in the Leto variety 3.5 points, Ogonyok - 3.8). Like Leto, the variety Ogonyok is winter-hardy, but more drought-resistant. The maturation period for these varieties is the same.

But in my opinion, the Damanka variety is even more interesting in GT Kazmin. At one time it was zoned, but now for some reason it has disappeared from the State Register (however, like many other really good varieties of fruit and berry crops). First of all, Damanka stands out for its unusual color for felt cherries - almost black, they are large (more than 3 g), shiny, very effective, and taste the best of all varieties of felt cherries. Ripen in late July - early August. The variety is winter-hardy, average yield (from one bush up to 8 kg). And what is important - the variety is relatively resistant to monilia. Sand cherry also participated in the origin of Damanka.

Academician V.P. Tsarenko began breeding felt cherries in the early 70s. Ten years later, her daughter joined this work. At first, we could say that all the gardens of the Far East were examined. All the most interesting (including the varieties of G.T. Kazmina) were planted at the experimental station, studied and included in the selection, which means that from year to year, with increasing volume, crosses were carried out, studies of offspring and selection, selection, selection... Of the more than 3000 hybrid seedlings grown in total, 400 were initially isolated, and only a little more than 40 of them, which have now become varieties. A low bow to you, great workers, and a wish to gardeners to open a gate to these varieties in your garden and not lose them, as is often the case. Fortunately, these varieties are actively propagated and distributed throughout the country by OOO NPO Sad i Ogorod (Chelyabinsk). And I was lucky - at the 2nd congress of gardeners, which was held in December 2010 in Chelyabinsk, I listened to the report of Natalia Tsarenko, and then she came to my hotel room, and long after midnight she talked about the Far East, mother, work, two of her little twin sons. Unforgettably!

In the felt cherry varieties Tsarenko, I was first of all struck by the variety in terms of ripening: from very early (fruit ripening July 10 - 15) - Delight, Natalie, Fairy Tale, Children's (zoned), Tasty, Early, Fairytale, Desired, Sweet, Fairy, Lakomka , Red, Harvest (promising for zoning), to varieties with really late ripening(late July - early August) - Generous, Dream, Chereshnevaya, Virovskaya.

The increase in the mass (weight) of fruits is also impressive. In almost all varieties, it reaches an average of 3 or more grams, while in non-varietal plants it fluctuates only within 0.3 - 1.2 g. The largest fruits in varieties Natali (4.0 g), Tsarevna (3 .6 g), Children's (3.5 g).

The fruits of varietal felt cherries are also distinguished by their improved taste, which in many of them (Alisa, Vostochnaya, Beauty, Natalie, Okeanskaya Virovskaya, Autumn Virovskaya, Delicious, Red, Dream, Fairytale, Generous) is estimated at 4 points, while, for example, in under the same conditions, the tasting score of even common cherries Lyubskaya and Rastunya reaches only 3.5 and 3.8 points, respectively.

Important in the direction of Tsarenko's selection was the combination of the already mentioned fruit improvements with their semi-dry separation. And this, too, was successful in the vast majority of varieties.

Varieties of felt cherries and productivity are not offended. In the family gardens of the Far East at good care they give 15 - 20 or more kg per bush.

Among the varieties of Tsarenko there is one completely extraordinary - Belaya, which, of course, is so named for the white color of fruits that is rarely found in plants. The fruits are white and outwardly, their flesh is white, and even the stone is white. The taste is sweet and sour, pleasant. This unusual albino was discovered in one of the amateur gardens near Vladivostok. And if we recall the almost black fruits of the Damanka variety, then we can conclude that the color of the felt cherry fruits can be from white, through different degrees of red brightness, to almost black. And there are still new and new varieties ahead, new combinations of crosses, something else will be ...

But, drawing the attention of gardeners to varieties of felt cherries, one cannot but say that they, just like its ordinary seedlings, are now beginning to be noticeably damaged by two destructive fungal diseases- coccomycosis and monilial burn Even earlier, these diseases, like a plague, fell on our ordinary cherries and destroyed them in many ways. And now they have reached the felt cherry. In fairness, I’ll say that so far, in comparison with common cherries, felted cherries are more resistant, although they don’t really have varieties that are resistant to these diseases. But the large gene pool collected by scientists and the ongoing selection work inspires hope that they will be obtained. After all, the selection saved the gooseberry from complete destruction by the sphere library (powdery mildew), returned the pear to the gardens in an updated and expanded form, and created scab-resistant varieties of apple trees. In the meantime, plant a felt cherry in your garden, and not just a seedling, but a varietal one. And take good care of her. For example, I have two bushes growing, and there are fruits, although, of course, not as much as it used to be.

Let's return the dogwood to the gardens

Dogwood is the oldest, but, unfortunately, almost forgotten southern fruit plant. Archaeologists have found its bones during excavations of settlements dating back to the Neolithic period. It got its name for the red color of the fruit, which means red in Turkic. It can be designated by any of two specific names: dogwood real and male. Now there is practically no dogwood in culture. Neither in the south of Russia, nor in the CIS countries is there a single plantation of it, and there are none in European countries.
In Russia, single dogwood trees (usually large-fruited forms), and then only occasionally, can only be found in family gardens in the North Caucasus and even less often in the Lower Volga region.

Return to the gardens chokeberry

In the people for the blackness of the berries, it is called chokeberry. But it is not a mountain ash at all, it belongs to a different genus, and in botany it is known as chokeberry. Unlike mountain ash, which grows as a tree, chokeberry is a shrub somewhat reminiscent of currants, only higher, up to 2.5 m. Yes, and its leaves are completely different, whole, rounded, or rather, ovoid, dense, smooth, shiny . That's just the shape of the fruits, collected in the same brushes as those of mountain ash, makes it similar to this plant. Aronia fruits contain seeds, and therefore it, like an apple tree and a pear, belongs to pome fruits. fruit crops. But due to the fact that chokeberry is a shrub, it is grown as berry plant, and it conditionally refers to berries.

Flat seed (prickly cherry, princepia chinensis)

Flat seed (other names: prickly cherry, Chinese princepia) is still a potentially new stone fruit crop. For introduction to gardens, it is of interest as a cherry-like plant that does not know the devastating diseases of our cherry trees - coccomycosis and moniliosis. Virtually unaffected by pests. In addition, the flat seed plant is winter-hardy, drought-resistant, grows rapidly, has a well-developed root system, easily tolerates transplanting and pruning.
In a word, than cherry saxaul! It is also important that the fruits of this plant, compared with cherries (for example, Polevka varieties), contain three times more vitamin C and two times more P-active compounds.

For the first time this plant was described under the name "plagiopermum" by the English botanist Oliver in 1886. Later, in 1932, the famous researcher of the vegetation of the Far East, academician P. Komarov ranked this plant in the genus Prinsepia (the genus is named after the American botanist James Prinsep) and gave the specific name according to the place of growth is Chinese. That is why the flat seed is also called the princepia.

The flat seed is a thorny, up to 2 m tall shrub, with very original, long, curved, twig-like branches that, like creepers, are able to move to nearby trees. The fruits are a spherical drupe, slightly flattened from the sides (hence the name of the plant), up to 2 cm in diameter, bright red in color, with a large oval-shaped bone. The pulp is juicy, pleasant sweet and sour taste. The fruits ripen at the end of July, they are quite edible fresh, suitable for processing: jam, jam, juice, compotes, drying. The lack of fruits is too large a stone and a relatively small mass of pulp enveloping it.

For the similarity of fruits with cherries and prickly in everyday life, this plant is called "prickly cherry".

Flat seed is a very ancient plant. Scientists suggest that it existed about 50 million years ago and was the progenitor of other stone fruits of the Rosaceae family. In the wild state, it is found in China, Korea and here in Primorye. Grows along river banks in moist, rich alluvial soil. It is found rarely, usually in separate bushes and only occasionally in small thickets.

From the end of the 19th century flat seed is used in ornamental gardening. It looks beautiful in single and group plantings, especially during the period of fruit ripening, effectively contrasting with the greenery of the foliage. Flat seed is no less attractive in autumn, with foliage painted in gold. It is also good for hedges, it is used to fix slopes.

Prinsepia blooms with yellow, medium-sized, fragrant flowers, collected in the leaf axils of 1-4 pieces. In Moscow, it blooms in early May, in the Urals - towards the end of the month. Flowering lasts up to two weeks. Like most Far Eastern plants, it begins to vegetate very early: the leaves on the shrub begin to bloom in early April.

Prinsepia is propagated by sowing seeds in open ground autumn or spring. For spring sowing seeds need stratification within four months. It can also be propagated by layering and green cuttings. Plants from seeds bloom in the fourth or fifth year, and by the age of eight they already give a decent harvest - up to 10 kg per tree.

Like many stone fruits, flat seed is a self-fertile plant. To obtain stable yields in the garden, it is necessary to plant at least two (preferably 4-5) plants. And also pay attention to the fact that although the princepia tolerates shading, it grows faster and more decorative in a sunny place.

Prinsepia - rare wild plant and is already listed in the Red Book. Due to the irresponsible behavior of people in nature, it is becoming less and less. We don’t have time to introduce it into the garden - another unique one will disappear from the face of the earth god's creation. But, of course, breeders still need to work with it: select forms with more “fleshy” fruits, remove thorns, and, probably, improve the taste.

Irina Sergeevna Isaeva,

doctor of agricultural sciences

But, does the average summer resident really need such plantings?

In this article we will talk about fruit trees that you can plant with your own hands in the middle zone of the Russian Federation and get a good harvest at the same time. In addition, we will consider the main points related to the care of such trees.

Choosing the best option according to the climate

What trees can be planted in a summer cottage is influenced by many various factors. But to a greater extent, the choice of plants depends on the climatic features of the region. Consider what varieties of plantings are suitable for growing in such a climate.

Landing fruit trees in the country will be successful if you choose winter-hardy varieties. Winter hardiness is the ability of plantings to tolerate low temperatures without compromising the general condition and without reducing fertility parameters.

In case the experience horticultural work small, we recommend opting for winter-hardy varieties of plums, pears and apple trees. Some varieties of these plantations easily endure harsh domestic winters.

In addition, the harvest of these trees is easy to dispose of, as it can be used to make preserves, jams, dried fruit compotes and other supplies for the winter.

Determination of winter hardiness parameters

So, we agreed that the answer to the question of which trees to plant in the country would be winter-hardy varieties.

These trees should have the following qualities:

• resistance to severe frosts in the first half of winter;
• resistance to prolonged extremely low temperatures in the middle and second half of winter;
• resistance to gradual and sharp frosts following a thaw.

Domestic breeders, as a result of crossing Siberian varieties with Central Russian and Western European, received beautiful hybrids and individual varieties, demonstrating not only resistance to low temperatures, but also an excellent dessert taste and high yield.

Varieties that can be applied at their summer cottage

Since the question of which trees is better to plant in the country today has not lost its relevance, we list fruit trees and their winter-hardy varieties that can be used in a suburban area:

• In the climatic conditions typical for the Moscow region, the following varieties of apple trees demonstrate increased resistance to low temperatures: Antonovka, Arkadik, Moskovskaya Grushovka and Cinnamon striped.

Of the relatively new breeding developments, we note such varieties as Kitayka Kerr, Konfetnoye, Mayak Zagorye, Medunitsa, Imrus, Freshness, etc.

Important: Modern breeding developments, in addition to resistance to low temperatures, are distinguished by their adaptability to long-term storage.

In the photo - White filling

In the climatic conditions typical for the Urals and Siberia, special summer varieties will take root, such as White filling, Summer striped, Krasa Sverdlovsk, Melba, Papirovka and Uralochka.

In the photo - Pepin saffron

Of the autumn varieties, we note Anis Sverdlovsky, Pepin Saffron, Gift of Autumn, Ural Bulk, Welsey, Sverdlovchanin and Northern Sinap.

• Among the winter-hardy varieties of pears, we note the following varieties: - these are Cathedral, Lada and Chizhovskaya.

On the picture - hardy pears late ripening

Especially for the needs of gardeners in the Urals and Siberia, varieties such as Belee, Kupava, Lel, Perun and Svarog were bred. These trees withstand frosts down to -40ºС without the need for covering materials.

• Despite the fact that the plum is a predominantly heat-loving crop, there are also winter-hardy varieties, planting which you can not worry about damage to the crop by frost during the flowering period.

In the photo - Red early ripening

These varieties include Alexy (late-ripening variety), Hungarian Moscow, Zayatnaya, Kantemirovka, Blue gift and Red early ripening.

Deciding which fruit trees to plant country houses from block containers, it is important to understand that even the most winter-hardy varieties that can withstand temperatures down to -45 ° C do not guarantee good harvest without proper care.

When to plant

On the picture - spring work in the garden

In order to count on a good harvest, you need to know when to plant trees in the country. Most summer residents doubt when choosing between autumn and spring planting. Meanwhile, the instruction is simple and directly depends on the type of root system.

It is advisable to plant seedlings with an open root system in the fall after the foliage has fallen, but frost has not come. Trees with an open root system include apple, pear, plum and whole line insufficiently resistant to low temperatures seedlings.

Seedlings are planted from late September to mid-October in pre-prepared pits. At an average daily temperature above + 4 ° C, you can be sure that the seedlings will take root. Planting trees in beds (on mounds) is carried out mainly in the spring.

If seedlings with a closed root system are harvested, then planting trees in the country can be carried out both in autumn and in spring. The fact is that such plantations are less demanding on soil moisture and temperature.

Important: Planting seedlings with foliage should be carried out in cloudy weather or in the evening. Over the next few days, it is advisable to throw gauze on the tree. Until the seedling takes root, excess sunlight will not benefit.

Regardless of the characteristics of the seedlings, they must be watered for several days from the moment of planting. Over the next month, you will need to monitor the level of soil moisture.

Tip: An electric pump is required to supply water from the well to the site. And if electricity is not supplied to the suburban area, buying or renting a diesel generator for a summer residence will help.

Features of care

Are you interested in when to whitewash the trees in the country? You need to do this in the spring, when the buds swell. Unfortunately, whitewash alone will not succeed in protecting the tree from pests.

Not less than important topic is tree pruning.

It is important to remember that:

• Fruit trees, unlike ornamental plantings, are pruned not to create an attractive shape, but to ensure that the sun reaches every part of the crown.
• By pruning young trees heavily, you will slow down the start of their fruiting.
• For higher yields, when pruning, it is necessary to leave the main branches and cut off the secondary processes that claim to be the top.
• Often pruning many small branches does not provide the same effect that cutting a large branch guarantees.
• When cutting branches thicker than 1 cm, the wound must be covered with garden pitch containing heteroauxin. Some summer residents smear the cut oil paint. It is not recommended to do this, since such compounds, in addition to their toxicity, do not contribute to wound healing.

Output

Of course, the price of a good harvest is high and you will have to try hard to get it. But now that you know what the instructions for choosing and growing fruit trees are, you will succeed.

If you have any questions, watch the video in this article.

During the acquisition of trees and shrubs for his site, the owner of the cottage wants to receive from future plants not only a practical function in the form of delicious fruits, but also enjoy them appearance emphasizing the main interior of the homestead territory.

Since such cultures have been growing for many years, their appearance should not be boring and annoying, but attractive and unusual. Of course, it should be understood that in this case you will have to try to ensure timely and regular care for the plants. In addition, taking care of them will help you enjoy a rich harvest in the autumn season.

The most common

In each region of our country, you can find different popular species of beautiful trees and shrubs that bear fruit, since all areas differ from each other in climatic conditions. However, there are plant species that are especially curious to most gardeners, due to which they try to find the most suitable place for such crops on the site. The names of many of these trees and bushes are familiar even to ordinary people who have never taken a great interest in gardening.

The most famous and actively grown in any territory in holiday villages, of course, are apple trees. They differ from each other not only in variety, but also in the period of fruit ripening. The second place in this ranking will be occupied by pear trees, and along with them cherry and plum. In the bushes, summer residents pay great attention to raspberries, gooseberries, and currants. Not so long ago felt cherries, medicinal sea buckthorn and honeysuckle, which ripen early, began to gain popularity. Also in the garden experienced summer residents and gardeners can now be found blackberries or chokeberries. But this does not mean that other cultures are almost not used. On the contrary, earlier they were planted only to give the garden a green look for a natural interior, and now they find practical use for many of these plants.

In fact, list the trees and shrubs that the owners plant in their gardens country houses, can be infinite. But it is worth remembering the fact that the first harvest from orchard you need to wait no earlier than five years, although berry bushes can bear fruit the very next year after planting, or even a year after it has been planted.

The positive features of shrubs include small size and unpretentiousness in terms of care and provision of certain conditions for their development. But a garden is not a garden if there are no trees in it. Of course, there is an opinion that in the northern part of the country the choice of possible plantings is limited by climatic conditions, and in the southern side, on the contrary, the list of crops is huge and diverse. And there is truth in this, because in such warm countries you can plant cherry plums, apricots, nuts, cherries and much more that will not grow in the North or in temperate climate. With regard to shrubs, this list can be supplemented with grapes, dogwood and other crops.

However, varieties of trees and shrubs have now been bred, which used to grow only in warm climates and southern regions, and are now available in the central strip. Even in the North, it has become possible to grow many southern-characteristic plants. Undoubtedly, all gardeners are attracted by the opportunity to organize a real "paradise" on their territory. But many summer residents forget that such crops will require specialized care and competent aspects of cultivation, because a lot of factors need to be taken into account in this matter.

How to place them in the garden?

Young seedlings of bushes and trees grow in length every year, and their crowns grow to a distance of one to two meters in a couple of years. Thus, mature plants begin to take up a lot of space and crowd out their neighbors. As a result, it becomes clear that the choice of the most cold-resistant and productive varieties is only half the battle, and another huge part of the process is the layout of the future garden.

First you need to take a blank white sheet and measure the distances from the areas where the plants will be planted to other objects - roads, neighboring territories, and so on. Not only the aesthetic wishes of the owner of the garden are important for its attractive appearance. It is necessary to remember which plants get along and combine with each other, and which do not. Based on this, it is possible to measure the optimal distance of the landing zone from all objects and the plants themselves from each other.