Aronia ashberry - care in the fall and preparation for winter: pruning and shelter

Chokeberry is a fast growing fruit shrub native to North America. An unpretentious plant that bears fruit with useful berries is grown throughout Russia as single or group plantings.

In order for the bush to remain compact and fertile for many years, it needs a little care. It is especially important to take proper care of the chokeberry in the fall to prepare it for winter.

Features of care in the fall and preparation for winter - general tips and tricks

Like any other plant, chokeberry needs to create the most comfortable environment.Before the onset of cold weather, you need to have time to make a comprehensive care, the quality of which affects the appearance and fertility in the next season. Rowan care in autumn should include the following elements:

Watering... Under the condition of dry autumn, rowan should be watered regularly. Depending on the size, 2-3 buckets of water are introduced under the bush, which is poured into the groove made along the perimeter of the rhizome. The next watering is carried out as soon as the top layer dries well.

Top dressing... The mountain ash is undemanding to fertilizing: if organic matter or complex mineral mixtures were introduced during planting, then for 2 years the bush is not fertilized. In the future, 1 time in 3-4 years, potash-phosphorus fertilizers are applied under the bush. Under one adult bush over 5 years old, 70 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate or 1.5 buckets of compost or humus are introduced.

Important! Since the roots of mountain ash are located close to the surface, after fertilization, the soil can be dug to a depth of no more than 8-10 cm.

Pruning... Carrying out pruning of chokeberry in autumn is an essential element of autumn care. So that the bush has a well-groomed look and pleases with useful berries, the mountain ash is cut off 1 or 2 times a year.

The plant grows so quickly that, in the absence of care, it fills the surrounding area and stretches 3 m in height. Such amateur performance is unacceptable in small suburban areas, where every centimeter counts.

In addition, pruning not only promotes proper plant growth, but also improves fruit setting, which is extremely rich in valuable micro and macro elements.

Mulching... Spruce branches or dry leaves are used as a mulching material for covering the trunks. Young bushes are mulched with a layer 10 cm thick. Organic material will not only protect the root system from frost, but also retain moisture in the ground, which is very necessary for the plant in winter.

Shelter... Rowan black-fruited is an extremely hardy plant that is successfully cultivated even in the Far North. The plant is able to overwinter on its own without shelter even at -35 C.

Pruning in the fall

Regular pruning is an integral part of chokeberry care in the fall. Correct manipulation not only makes the bush compact, but also increases its resistance to diseases and pests that like to live on the plant.

Why crop

Some gardeners, especially amateurs, are interested in whether it is possible to cut the chokeberry in the fall. Yes, it is possible and necessary, because pruning is a vital manipulation for a rapidly growing shrub. If excess branches are not regularly pruned:

• the fruits will be tied only on the extreme branches, since the central part will be too thick and poorly lit;
• the branches will stretch out in search of light, and the mountain ash will finally lose its decorative effect;
• the plant will grow strongly and in a short time will fill the free territory.

Every gardener who cares about the appearance of the site and wants to harvest a good harvest of medicinal berries must necessarily cut the bush, otherwise it will turn into useless thickets.

When is the best time to prune - in spring or autumn

It is worth answering another important question: when is it better to cut the chokeberry - in spring or autumn? According to experts, shaping and rejuvenating pruning is best done in early spring... The shift in manipulation is designed to protect the plant from wasting energy before winter. These types of pruning can only be done in regions with mild winters. In other parts of the country, it is better to stretch them out for several seasons so that the bush loses a minimum amount of strength.

Sanitary pruning of mountain ash with equivalent benefits can be carried out both in spring and in autumn... It is possible to remove excess growth throughout the season, since such an intervention does not harm the mountain ash.

Pruning dates in the fall

It is important not to forget about the timing of pruning chokeberry in the fall.Rowan is pruned before the onset of stable frosts. Depending on the region of cultivation, the optimal time for domestication of the bush comes in September-October.

How to cut correctly - instructions and diagram

In order for the pruning of chokeberry in the fall to bring the maximum benefit to the bush, you need to perform all the work according to the established scheme. If you cut the plant as you please, you should not expect a positive effect. Moreover, improper pruning will only worsen the condition of the plant.

How to properly prune rowan in autumn? Formative pruning is done like this:

• 1 year. Thin weak branches are cut, and all other shoots are shortened to a height of 10-20 cm above the ground.
• 2 years. 3-5 strong shoots are chosen from the shoots and shortened to one level. Shoots grown from the root are cut out to zero.
• 3 years. The bush is pruned in the same way as in the previous year. Only 3-4 shoots are left from the young growth, and the rest are completely cut off.

Please note that after formation, no more than 10-12 branches should remain in the bush. Otherwise, little sunlight will fall into the center of the bush, which will lead to a deterioration in fruiting.

During the sanitary pruning of chokeberry in the fall, dry, diseased, broken and thin branches are removed from the crown. And also side shoots on skeletal branches that thicken the crown.

Anti-aging pruning of chokeberry consists of the following:

1. In adult bushes, old branches over 8 years old are replaced with young ones. Thus, a gradual rejuvenation of the bush is carried out. Instead of the old branch, you need to leave a young one located nearby. If the distance between them is large, the width of the bush will increase.
2. To bring very old bushes back to life, all branches are cut at the same level with the ground. Next year, a lot of new growth will grow from the rhizome, which must be thinned out throughout the season. Only 2-3 strong branches should remain on the renewed bush. In subsequent years, the formation of the bush is carried out.

Important! After pruning the chokeberry, stumps should not remain in the fall, since bacteria and pests can settle on the remaining wood, which are likely to attack healthy branches.

Care after pruning, feeding and fertilizing

After cutting the chokeberry in the fall, follow-up care is necessary. At the end of the work, the cut branches are taken out from the site and burned. Together with the garbage, pests and pathogens that have accumulated over the season are destroyed. Large wounds are covered with garden varnish or oil paint.

Fertilizer after pruning rowan is applied only if the plant has not been fed in the previous several seasons. Nutrients are introduced into the soil in the form of potassium-phosphorus fertilization.

Shelter for the winter

Of course, warming is the main part of preparing for winter plants grown in the middle of the country, and even more so in the north. However, this statement is not entirely true with regard to chokeberry.

Do I need to shelter for the winter

Do I need to cover the chokeberry for the winter? Black ash ash is a very frost-hardy plant that can winter without shelter even in the northern regions, where the temperature often drops to -35 C.

Important! It is necessary to shelter for the winter young seedlings or rowan bushes transplanted this fall, which have not yet matured.

To exclude the possibility of freezing of shoots in the coldest regions, where the temperature is below -35 C, they also provide shelter for adult chokeberry bushes for the winter.

How to properly cover for the winter

Young or transplanted bushes are sprinkled with dry earth, filling a mound 15-20 cm high. Then the trunk circle is insulated with a 10 cm layer of leaves or spruce branches. The upper part is not insulated.

If an abnormally cold winter is expected, which is typical for the low mountains of Altai and subtaiga Siberia, adult bushes are bent down and covered with earth.

Important! It is necessary to shelter the chokeberry for the winter in September-October, when the outside temperature is still above zero. Otherwise, frozen branches will not bend well and many of them will break.

As soon as the ground on top of the branches thaws, it is removed. Delaying the opening is dangerous for mountain ash by damping.

Diseases and pests

In order for the chokeberry to quickly start growing with the onset of spring, it is recommended to prevent diseases and pests in the fall.

1. In order to prevent moniliosis, septoria and peripheral wood rot, mountain ash is sprayed with a one percent Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride.
2. In the fight against a fungal disease called a comb, the plant is sprayed with the same Bordeaux mixture and the heavily affected branches are cut off.
3. Mountain ash moth and cherry slimy sawfly are insects that harm the fruits and leaves of mountain ash. Thorough harvesting will help to protect the plant from the attack of pests next year: near the mountain ash, dried leaves are raked and burned. Most of the pupae hiding for the winter are destroyed together with organic waste.
4. You can get rid of brown or red ticks by spraying rowan with "Karbofos", "Tedion", "Kleschevit" or other preparations designed to fight insects.

Typical mistakes of care in the fall and preparation for winter

Despite the fact that it is not difficult to prepare for winter and caring for chokeberry in the fall, gardeners often make mistakes, missing small nuances. To avoid mistakes, it is worth investigating the most common misconceptions below:

• During pruning, thin shoots are left in the crown. Weak short shoots soon turn into full-fledged branches that thicken the crown. And if after trimming there are more than 5 such tails, then next year the bush will turn into hopeless thickets.
• Extra dressings are added under the mountain ash. An excessive amount of nutrients causes a rapid growth of green mass, thereby impairing fertility.

To grow on your site a beautiful shrub bearing fruit with useful berries will not complicate even a novice summer resident. Cultivation of black chokeberry will be successful if it is properly prepared for winter, pruned in autumn, and regular prevention of diseases and pests is carried out.