Aronia is a fruit tree or shrub from the Rose family. It grows in wide areas in North America. In our regions, the name of the described shrub is "chokeberry". Despite the fact that the berry bunches are similar to mountain ash, chokeberry is a completely different type of plant. Chokeberry bushes are in the same demand among gardeners as the chokeberry.
The plant looks like a shrub or tree with a lush spreading crown. It will be an excellent decoration for your personal plot and will stand out from the rest of the vegetation with its bright red-yellow leaves. The value of the plant has long been known to many gardeners; chokeberry has a number of medicinal properties.
Aronia description
This perennial has a superficial rhizome and deciduous type of structure. The crown of a tree or shrub reaches a height of about 3 m. The surface of the trunk and branches is covered with smooth bark, painted in a reddish-brown hue, which acquires a dark gray color as the plant matures.
On the branches there are oval petiole plates with sharp edges. Their size does not exceed 8 cm. Leathery leaves have a mesh of translucent veins in the center. The inner side of the plate is covered with a delicate silvery hair. The foliage is predominantly rich green. When the ambient temperature begins to drop in the fall, the shrub turns purple-red, which makes it particularly attractive.
The budding stage opens in late spring, immediately after the foliage grows. The inflorescences resemble apple corollas and are combined into dense scutes with a diameter of about 6 cm. All flowers are bisexual and contain 5 petals and many long stamens with thickened anthers. The stamens are located slightly below the stigma ovary. The flowering period is 1.5 to 2 weeks. Closer to August, chokeberry fruits ripen. These are spherical, slightly flattened berries, covered with black or red skin. The diameter of the fruit is approximately 6-8 cm. The skin of the berries contains a whitish bloom.
The fruits are ready for harvest in October, when the first night frosts begin. Chokeberry berries are considered edible. The taste is sweet and sour with tart notes.
Reproduction of chokeberry
Growing chokeberry from seeds
Aronia is excellently propagated by seed or cuttings. For the seed method of growing chokeberry, ripe healthy seeds are prepared. They are thoroughly washed and wiped through a sieve. Chokeberry seeds need to be stratified before sowing. First, the material is sprinkled with hardened river sand, slightly moistened and transferred to a bag that is stored in the refrigerator in vegetable containers. The next year, after warming up the soil, the prepared seeds are sent to the ground. Pits for future plants are dug to a depth of 8 cm.Sprouted chokeberry seeds are carefully scattered over the holes.
When two strong leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 3 cm between them. Another thinning must be carried out after a couple of more leaves are formed. The interval is doubled. Throughout the year, young chokeberry seedlings are left to grow in the same place, giving time to watering and loosening. The next thinning is performed in the spring only next year.
Propagation by cuttings
Green shoots cut off no more than 15 cm long are suitable as cuttings. The leaves of the lower tier are removed. Only a third of the leaves should remain in the upper part of the shoot. Notches are made on the bark near the buds and at the bottom of the cutting. The shoots prepared in this way are released into a jar with Kornevin solution for two hours. Then they transfer the cuttings to a greenhouse, where they are planted at an angle. The potting mix is prepared from garden soil and sand. The cuttings are wrapped with a piece of film so that they take root faster. The optimum temperature for growing chokeberry is in the range of + 20 ... + 25 ° C. As a rule, in less than a month, young seedlings will be strong and ready for independent development without film.
Aronia can be propagated with the help of layering, division, grafting and root shoots. Spring is considered a favorable time for such events.
Planting chokeberry in the open field
Planning for planting chokeberry outdoors is best done in the fall. Choose cloudy weather or evening time. Aronia does not require any special conditions for breeding. The plant will develop normally both in sunny areas and in partial shade. Rhizome grows well on sandy loam and loamy soil types. Even scarce low-fertile substrates, characterized by a weakly acidic or neutral environment, will not aggravate the situation. The close occurrence of groundwater to the surface does not affect plant growth. However, salt marshes have a negative effect on the development of seedlings.
The site is dug up and holes are made to a depth of 0.5 m. The bottom is filled with drainage, and the remaining volume is covered with a mixture of soil with humus, ash and superphosphate minerals. If excessive drying of the roots is observed, they are soaked in water for some time and processed with clay.
The root collar should protrude at least 1.5 cm above the ground when planting. When the seedlings have been strengthened in the ground, they are watered, and the area around is compacted and mulched using straw or peat. The width of the mulched layer is from 5 to 10 cm. The distances between individual bushes are kept at least 2 meters, since the branches are prone to overgrowth. At the end of the chokeberry planting, the shoots are cut off by a couple of centimeters, leaving 4-5 buds on each branch.
Chokeberry care in the garden
Aronia is capricious in leaving, so it is important to follow certain rules. The shrub is sensitive to soil moisture and reacts sharply to lack of water. It is important to pay more attention to watering during budding and the formation of the ovary of berry bunches. If natural precipitation becomes insufficient, 2-3 buckets of water are added daily under the bushes. Crohn also needs periodic spraying.
When the shrub grows on nutritious soil, a one-time feeding during the year is enough for it. For these purposes, ammonium nitrate powder is used. Fertilizer is evenly distributed over the area until the soil is moistened. In addition, you can feed the chokeberry with rotted manure, superphosphate mineral fertilizers, wood ash or compost. From time to time, the area with the seedlings is loosened and weeded, freeing up space near the root circle.
Spring pruning and removal of dry shoots are important measures for the care of chokeberry so that the crown can form correctly. Too long root shoots are also cut off, preventing thickening of the branches.In September-October, rejuvenating shrub pruning is done. It should be borne in mind that the branches that have reached the age of eight do not yield crops. They are cut down to the base to make room for new root shoots.
The barrel is rubbed with a lime mortar. It is important to monitor the development of the shrub and prevent pest attacks in time. At first, prophylaxis in the form of spraying is carried out in the spring, when leaves have not yet begun to appear. Apply Bordeaux liquid. The next processing is performed as the foliage falls. If insects hit the bushes from neighboring plantings, the infected seedlings are immediately sprayed with an insecticidal preparation. Chokeberry is often attacked by aphids, moths and ticks.
Diseases pursue chokeberry if the plantings are heavily thickened. As a result, the leaves and fruits of the plant are affected by bacterial necrosis, viral spotting and rust. If it was possible to find traces of the disease, it is necessary to spray the seedlings with "Gaupsin" or "Gamair" in a short time.
Types and varieties of chokeberry with a photo
A few decades ago, the genus of chokeberry bush included only two species forms, but today breeders have also managed to breed a couple of hybrids.
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
The origin of the plant began in eastern North America, where the shrub is considered very popular outside the city. It is a stunted tree with branched trunks and dark green ovoid leaves. In the spring, new shoots are covered with flowering shields, which have a pleasant aroma. When pollination ends, black clusters of berries ripen in place of the inflorescences, the weight of which reaches up to 1 kg. They contain useful components and have a beneficial effect on human health.
Among the varieties of chokeberry are distinguished:
- Viking is an erect bush with drooping shoot tops, dotted with toothed leaf blades and black flattened fruits;
- Nero - a variety that prefers to be in the shade, withstands harsh winters and is characterized by dark coloration of the leaves and large berries, rich in vitamins and other active substances;
- Hugin is a medium-length shrub. The change of season is reflected in the change in the color of the foliage. The fruits are black and have a shiny surface.
Aronia red (Aronia arbutifolia)
The height of the shrub reaches from 2 to 4 meters. The leaves are oval in shape with long, sharp ends. The size of the plate is no more than 5-8 cm. By the beginning of May, shields are formed, consisting of small pink or white buds. In autumn, the ripening process of fleshy red fruits takes place. The diameter of the berries ranges from 0.4-1 cm. They reliably attach to the branches and stay on the bushes until deep winter.
Aronia Michurina (Aronia mitschurinii)
It was bred by the famous scientist Michurin. It was he who managed to get a hybrid black chokeberry variety, characterized by rich flowering and a bountiful harvest. There is a lot of nectar in the flowers, so the culture is an excellent honey plant. Berries are very useful due to the content of vitamins and minerals. The budding process lags slightly behind other plant varieties. The berries ripen in September before the frost comes.
The advantage of the Michurin chokeberry variety is abundant fruiting. One bush gives up to 10 kg of ripe delicious berries, which can be eaten both fresh and used for harvesting. It is better to choose a site for growing chokeberry in open areas. The substrate must be drained and nutritious.
Properties and uses of chokeberry
Healing properties
Chokeberry fruit is rich in nutrients. These include compounds such as catechins, flavonoids, pectins, and sucrose. In addition, the tissues of berries contain many trace elements and vitamins.
The collection of fruits is done by hand.Chokeberry berries are cleaned of leaves and branches, dried and used as blanks for conservation, freezing or preparation of alcoholic tinctures. Healing potions are cooked from the fruits of chokeberry, juice is squeezed out and wine is made. It is known that the use of products containing traces of chokeberry helps in the fight against a number of serious diseases: atherosclerosis, scarlet fever, eczema, measles, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure.
Chokeberry berries have a diuretic, choleretic and tonic effect, stimulate the immune system, remove toxins, heavy metals and pathogens that interfere with the normal functioning of the body. Berry juice effectively heals open wounds and burns.
Contraindications
Aronia is contraindicated in people suffering from cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris and hypertension. Not recommended for use with bowel and duodenal diseases. Due to its high vitamin C content, chokeberry should be eaten with caution even by healthy people.
