The features of chokeberry red make it a garden decoration

Please tell us what are the features of red chokeberry? I already have one bush growing in my garden, but an black one. And then a neighbor gave me a young sapling, said that this chokeberry was also very beautiful and useful. Planted, took root well, but this year has not bloomed yet. It would be interesting to know what the berries will be and what is needed to get a good harvest.

A decorative spreading crown with foliage that changes its color depending on the season, and bunches of delicious berries ... For these features of the chokeberry red culture, many gardeners fell in love with it and grow it with pleasure on their plots. Why not, because the shrub is really versatile. In the spring he will delight you with a green hat with a scattering of white inflorescences. In the fall, the perennial will miraculously change its outfit and give small, but tasty and healthy, berries. In addition, the plant is absolutely unpretentious and can grow throughout the territory of our homeland.

In the scientific literature, red chokeberry is known as arbutolis.

Features of chokeberry red

The height of the shrub is not very impressive, a maximum of 4 m, but its wide crown will take up much more space. Branching shoots are covered with leathery leaves in the form of an ellipse up to 8 cm long. The edges of the leaf plate are decorated with denticles, and the tip is pointed. From spring to the end of summer, the foliage is green, closer to autumn it gradually turns yellow until it becomes burgundy.

In mid-May, the bush blooms with small flowers, only 1 cm in diameter, collected in shields. They are most often white in color, but can have a slight pink tint. Flowering lasts almost a month and is a very beautiful sight. And in late August - early September, red berries ripen. Round, with a juicy flesh, they have a slightly tart taste and can hang on branches all winter if not harvested.

Aronia arbutolistnaya is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, frost resistance and high yield rates. From one adult bush, you can take up to 11 kg of berries. But it enters fruiting only in the 4th year of planting.

Growing chokeberry in the garden

A decorative perennial is often used to decorate a site and even create hedges from it. But if the goal is not only to admire, but also to get high yields, it is better to plant it on the sunny side. The soil should be nutritious, rich in humus, but in no case salty, waterlogged and sour.

In group plantings, it is necessary to leave a distance of at least 2.5 cm between the bushes. Otherwise, chokeberry often gets sick and suffers from pests.

Shrub care consists of simple procedures:

Regular watering.
Top dressing in the spring with organics and a mineral complex (you can also in the fall).
Pruning. In this case, you need to start forming after planting, shortening the shoots to 15 cm (3 - 4 buds should remain). Next year, in spring, cut out the root small shoots and too thin young branches. From last year's growth, 4 shoots are left - these will be skeletal branches. In the third year of life, weak branches and those that thicken the crown are again removed from the chokeberry. This time, 5 branches are left. If the skeletal branches are poorly branched, they are shortened by a third. For well-grown ones, it will be enough to cut off the tops. By the age of 5, the bush will have up to 20 branches.

Aronia does not need shelter for the winter, since it tolerates low temperatures well. The only exceptions are regions that are too cold.In the north, both the bush itself and the root system should be insulated.

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