Snowberry (Symphoricarpos) is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the Honeysuckle family. The snowberry is popularly called the wolf berry. Cultural varieties of the snowberry are planted in city parks and squares.
The genus has about 15 varieties. In the wild, it grows in North and Central America. The exception is the Symphoricarpos sinensis variety, which can be found only in China. The origin of the name is associated with the Greek translation of the word. There are two roots in the word: "to gather together" and "fruit". On closer inspection of the plant, it becomes noticeable that the berries on the branches are tightly pressed against each other. The peculiarity lies in the fact that they do not fall off for the winter and hold firmly to the bushes, thereby providing food for the birds.
Description of the snowberry plant
The height of the snowberry can reach 0.2-3 m. The bushes have whole-edged opposite leaves, located on short cuttings and growing up to 1.5 cm long. The branches of the plant are flexible, which allows them not to break under heavy snow cover. Collected in axillary racemose inflorescences, flowers come in a variety of colors and begin to bloom, as a rule, in July-August. In place of wilted buds, a fruit is formed that resembles a white or black-purple ellipsoidal drupe. Its diameter is about 2 cm. The pulp of the drupe is of a delicate white shade. The fruits should not be eaten.
For growing in the garden, a white snowberry is best suited, which is often planted as a hedge. Another equally popular variety with pink drupes grows well only in warm regions on fertile black soil, where warm winters prevail.
Planting a snowberry in open ground
The snowberry is an unpretentious plant. Any areas and types of soil are suitable for its cultivation. A strong root system can prevent erosion and shedding if the bushes are planted on a slope. The best time for planting is spring or fall. Site preparation is performed in advance.
How to plant correctly
To grow a snowberry hedge, you should choose strong adult seedlings. A string is pulled along the length of the fence and a groove is dug, the width of which should be at least 40 cm, and the depth - 60 cm.If the task is to grow the bushes separately, then the distance between them must be kept at least 150 cm, adhering to the size of the pit 65x65 cm.
In the case of an autumn planting, it is better to dig a hole and a groove a month before the planned activities. For spring work, the site is prepared in the fall.When the soil contains a large amount of clay components, an additional fertile layer is laid in the pit. To do this, mix crushed stone and soil mixture, consisting of sand, peat and humus, and provide young plants with feeding. Dolomite flour, wood ash and superphosphate are added under each bush. The root collar should not be buried too deeply. It should be at the level of the surface of the site. Before lowering the bushes into the hole, it is important to hold the roots in a clay mash. Watering the seedlings is carried out every day.
Caring for a snowberry in the garden
Soil and watering
As mentioned earlier, the snowberry is resilient and does not require special attention during growth. However, if time permits, why not take care of the bushes and make them even more attractive. For example, mulch the trunk circle with peat. The plant will respond well to periodic loosening of the soil. Like many ornamental shrubs, the snowberry needs pruning, watering and treatment from diseases and pests. Watering is carried out only if the summer is too dry. For one bush you will need to take 1.5-2 buckets of water. If there is enough natural precipitation, you can forget about watering. Loosening is performed after rain or watering. At the end of the spring-summer season, the area where the snowberry grows needs to be dug up.
Top dressing and fertilizers
In the spring, the bushes are fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. The next top dressing is repeated only in the middle of summer. To do this, dissolve 50 g of Agricola in a bucket of water.
Transfer
If it is necessary to transplant the shrub to another place, then it is better to do this before the rhizome grows strongly. The transplant is done according to the same principle as the first landing was described. The most important thing is not to damage the bush when digging up and not to violate the integrity of the root system. An adult plant has a fairly wide range of nutrition, so it is recommended to dig in the bush as far as possible from the main trunk so as not to stumble upon roots in the ground.
Pruning
It is better to time pruning for the onset of the spring period, then the bushes will recover faster. The plant should be pruned before the sap flow has begun. At the same time, dry old branches or shoots are removed, which interfere with growth and strongly thicken the bush. They can be cut in half. Pruning does not affect future flowering as the flower buds are on the shoots of the current year. The cut sites are processed with garden varnish to prevent infection. Rejuvenating pruning of bushes is carried out at a height of 50-60 cm.During the summer season, dormant buds are able to form other shoots.
Snowberry breeding
The snowberry can be propagated using seeds, cuttings, cuttings, or by dividing the bush.
Seed reproduction
It will take a lot of effort and time to grow a full-fledged plant from a seed, since this is one of the most painstaking ways. The seeds are removed from the drupe and spread on nylon to squeeze out excess liquid from the pulp. After that, they are placed in water for a while. Then they sink to the bottom of the container, and the remnants of the pulp float to the surface. The dried seeds are planted in late autumn in boxes containing a fertile soil mixture, and a small layer of sand is poured on top. The planting containers are covered with glass to create a greenhouse effect. During germination of seedlings, a regular watering regime is observed. As a rule, the appearance of the first leaves of a snowberry can be observed in spring. The picking of seedlings into open ground is carried out in a few months.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Before the start of the process of sap flow or in the fall, when the foliage falls off, the largest and most branched snowberry bush is chosen. It is carefully removed from the soil and divided into several parts, so that root shoots and healthy shoots remain on each.
Reproduction by layering
Reproduction by layering is performed in the spring. To do this, the lower branches are bent to the ground and sprinkled with a small layer of soil. During the summer months, they are provided with regular watering and feeding. After the cuttings are well rooted, they are cut off from the main bush and transplanted to another place.
Propagation by cuttings
Green or lignified cuttings with a length of 10 to 20 cm are used as planting material, on which several healthy buds are placed. For storage, containers with sand are suitable.
Harvesting of green cuttings is carried out in June after the completion of flowering of the shrub. The largest mature shoots are cut and lowered into the water. Any cuttings are allowed to be planted in the soil of the same composition as when propagating from seeds. Landing is carried out to a depth of 5 mm. Containers with future young shoots are stored in greenhouses or damp rooms. After three months, the root system of the plants will grow. Then they can be transplanted to a permanent place. Before winter, young seedlings are covered with dry foliage or spruce branches.
Diseases and pests
The plant is resistant to pests and diseases. This is due to the fact that the snowberry is a poisonous shrub. Occasionally, the leaves are infected with powdery mildew, and the fruits - with gray rot. For the purpose of prevention, the bushes in early spring are treated with a three percent solution of Bordeaux liquid. This treatment reduces the risk of fungal infections. If signs of a disease are detected, the snowberry is sprayed with fungicidal preparations, for example, Topaz, Topsin or Quadris. Other ways to get rid of the infection will not work.
Types and varieties of snowberry
Snowberry white Is the most common variety that grows in the wild in open areas, along river banks or in mountainous areas. Shoots reach heights of up to 1.5 m. The shape of the crown is spherical. The leaves are oval or rounded, their length can be up to 6 cm. The flowers form racemose lush inflorescences of a pale pink hue. During flowering, the bush is so covered with buds that the green foliage is barely noticeable. The fruit looks like round white berries.
Common snowberry or coralberry - they call it differently "Indian currant". The territory of its growth is considered to be North America. Dark green shrubs can be seen in meadows or along river banks. In place of bright pink buds, beautiful coral hemispherical fruits are formed, covered with a bluish bloom.
Snowberry western - grows in groups, forming dense thickets near water bodies. The leaf blade is light green, pubescent below. The flowers are pink or white. They gather in small racemose inflorescences. The berries of this variety are soft, pale pink or white.
The varieties of the snowberry also include the following varieties: mountain-loving, hybrids Chenault and Henault, Dorenboza.
