How the black elderberry reproduces in the Moscow region
There are several options for propagating this shrub:
- seeds;
- taps;
- by cuttings.
Planting material can be used from your plant, bought in a store or borrowed from friends, neighbors.
Seed propagation
Planting seeds for seedlings is best in the fall. If you buy them in a store, be sure to ask for a quality certificate. If for some reason it did not work out to plant a seed in the autumn, it can be done in the spring. To do this, it will be necessary to stratify the seeds (at least 4 months). What do I need to do:
- take a plastic or glass cup, or other container;
- pour moistened sand up to 5 cm high on the bottom of the container;
- put prepared seeds in the sand;
- stick a label on the container and indicate the date of disembarkation on it (so that later you do not forget the date);
- put the container in the refrigerator, where the temperature will be about +5 ° C (in the vegetable section).
When planting seeds outdoors, choose an area well-lit by the sun. Plant in moist soil to a depth of about 3 cm. Cover the seed a little with a layer of earth. Spray with standing water and cover with plastic wrap. Young seedlings should emerge in about 1.5-2 weeks.
For cuttings, you can use both young and lignified shoots. The manipulation should be performed in July. For this:
- cut off the stalk at the site of the heel formation with a pruning shears;
- at the planting site of the cutting, clean the soil, sprinkle the prepared area with a layer of sand, on top of it with perlite;
- make a depression under the handle, insert it there, but not vertically, but at an angle;
- press down the soil with sand and perlite around it;
- spray with settled cold water;
- equip a small greenhouse for the cuttings (for example, from several bricks located on top of each other), cover it on top with glass or plastic wrap.
Landing by branches
Black elderberry, the varieties for the Moscow region of which are listed above, can be propagated using branches. To do this, you need to perform the following manipulations:
- on an area on the sunny side, dig a hole in the size corresponding to a coma with taps;
- pour the fertile mixture there to a height of 20 mm;
- put a lump there and cover it with the same fertile layer;
- pour plenty of water over the hole with a lump (10 liters each);
- add Kornevin to the water for irrigation - this product is designed to improve the survival rate of plants;
- trim the shoot 1/3 long.
For self-preparation of a fertile mixture, if a purchased one is not available, mix:
- humus in the amount of 1 bucket;
- phosphate fertilizers 50 g;
- potash fertilizers 30 g.
In about a year or two, you will have a full-fledged healthy shrub.
Elderberry gets along well with other varieties of garden shrubs and trees, so there is no need to isolate it.
With large buds
The second group of rosette varieties includes plants with large flowers from 7 to 10 cm.
Frost patterns
Luxurious large (7-8 cm) flowers with bright, juicy and at the same time delicate colors. On a white background of corrugated petals - a dense lilac mesh. In the heart of the flower is a magnificent combination of pure white and purple. The leaves are wavy.
Kalahari
Contrasting bright flowers 7.5 cm in diameter. The upper petals are deep purple, the lower ones are light yellow with a weakly pronounced purple mesh.
Hermann
Medium flowers (7-7.5 cm), the upper petals are lilac, the lower ones are burgundy mesh and lilac edge on a cream background.
Pink dreams
The variety belongs to the colorful group. Rippled petals, pink. The lower petals have a juicy mesh of ripe raspberry color on a light background. The flower is large (9 cm). Compact rosette of leaves.
FIFA
Fancy, exquisite flowers (7-8 cm), the upper petals are deep pink, the lower ones with a crimson mesh and the same edge on a white background. Long-flowering.
Whirlpool
A magical, even fatal-looking flower 7.5-8 cm. Ripple petals, cosmic deep dark violet with light specks on it. The look attracts - do not come off.
Hypnosis
There is really something psychedelic in the flowers of this variety! On a dense, almost black, background there are bright blotches of raspberry and lilac. The neck of the flower is white. Flower 7-8 cm.
Chick
Petals with "ruffle" edges. Flowers 7.5 cm lemon color, with a light center with slight splashes of lilac.
Black Swan
Magically mesmerizing, catchy large flower (8-9 cm). Wavy velvet petals of dark purple, with a bias in black purple.
Caucasian captive
An easy and well flowering variety with strong peduncles and large, 8-9 cm flowers. The upper petals are deep pink, the lower ones with a large crimson-lilac mesh on a light background. White neck with yellowish stripes below.
VaT bird
A variety of authorship by Tatiana Valkova. Looks like a flower from a fairy tale! Large flowers 8 cm in diameter. The light monochromatic upper petals contrast beautifully with the lower ones: with a juicy purple mesh, turning into a thick solid tone closer to the neckline. The petals have a golden corrugated border.
Draco
Really looks like a dragon! The upper petals of a large flower (7-8 cm) are of a calm pink shade, but the lower ones are in golden and purple fiery tones.
Diseases and pests
Streptocarpus that do not require much are still subject to a number of problems. Here is some of them.
- Red spider mite. If you find a pest, treat the plant with a fungicide or phytoverm, tie it in a plastic bag for a couple of days. Re-processing after seven to ten days.
Reference! For prevention, it is best to treat all plants with phytoverm once every one and a half months. - Gray rot. When overflowing, the roots and the ground part of the plant can rot. If this happens, treat the plant with a solution of potassium soap and copper sulfate. Prevention - maintaining an optimal irrigation regime, adding activated carbon, peat, sphagnum, perlite to the soil.
- Powdery mildew. In order to prevent its appearance, you need to thin out the bush, avoiding its thickening. It also appears with excessive soil moisture. If it appears, you need to remove the affected parts of the plant, replace the top layer of the soil, treat the streptocarpus itself and the soil with fungicides.
You can find out about common diseases and pests of streptocarpus, methods of their treatment, as well as see photos of plants here.
Undoubtedly, streptocarpus is one of the most interesting indoor plants. If you like luxuriously blooming exotic plants that do not require any supernatural effort to grow and maintain, then this is your plant. Breeders continue to amaze with new varieties, so replenishing the collection will easily become your favorite hobby.
The value of black elderberry fruits
Ripening of the black elderberry harvest occurs at the end of September - beginning of October. You cannot pick unripe berries, they have no value and are unsuitable for processing. The value of a plant is due to the presence in it:
- Vitamin C group.
- Glucose in the right amount.
- Carotimon and Sambucin.
- Malic acid.
- Tyrosine and Fructose.
Useful parts of culture:
- The leaves are used to make teas with anti-inflammatory, sedative, diuretic and antibacterial properties.
- Dried inflorescences are used in herbal medicine. They contain a sufficient amount of essential oils, mineral salts and tannins.
- Tea made from dried flowers can be used for coughing - it is a good expectorant and antipyretic agent. Whole inflorescences are suitable for drying.
- For external use, namely, washing the eyes if a person has conjunctivitis, rinsing the mouth and treating areas of the skin with burns.
- A decoction of berries is very useful for migraines, detoxification of the body of various etiologies, rinsing the wound after tooth extraction, with metabolic disorders (metabolism).
Inflorescences, as raw materials for the preparation of medicinal products, should be collected from the very spring (mid-May) only in dry weather, preferably sunny. When flowering has just begun. Dry at a temperature of +350 ° C in a dry, dark and well-ventilated place.
It is important to remember that the use of culture for the preparation of homemade medicinal decoctions, teas or tinctures should be made strictly according to the recipe and the amount of raw materials. The culture contains toxins - if the dosage and the technology for preparing medicinal products are violated, you can get poisoning of the body with hydrocyanic acid .. Poisoning with elderberry can occur only in cases of excessive consumption of unripe berries
It is in them that toxins are contained in large quantities. Signs of obvious poisoning are:
Elderberry poisoning can occur only in cases of excessive consumption of unripe berries. It is in them that toxins are contained in large quantities. Signs of obvious poisoning are:
- accelerated pulse;
- general weakness;
- upset gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea);
- dyspnea;
- dizziness or headaches.
Heat treatment or drying destroys toxic compounds in berries.
First aid for intoxication of the body with the fruits of this culture is gastric lavage, artificial provocation of the vomiting reflex.
If you are tired of a traditional set of horticultural crops, the elderberry bush will bring freshness and variety to the overall picture of landscape design. With its help, you can recreate a variety of variations, where the highlight will be the black elderberry, the varieties for the Moscow region of which we have already considered. Which one to give preference to is up to you.
Features of the black elderberry grown in the Moscow region
The plant is very often grown in the garden for landscape decoration. The original appearance of the shrub, namely, earth-black fruits located on branches of a pink shade, really look original against the background of the general picture of the landscape design of the site. The distinctive features of elderberry include:
- Resistance to pests actively acting in the garden, destroying the crop. This is not a panacea for all known pests, but it can scare off most of them.
- The use of various parts of the plant in folk medicine. It is very often used by herbalists in their therapy. On its basis, infusions, decoctions and other medicines are produced. The plant has good anti-inflammatory, diuretic, disinfectant and antipyretic properties.
- Elderberry has good culinary properties. Jam is made from it, jelly and compotes are cooked, which have a positive effect on the digestive tract and the digestive system as a whole.
- Elderberry treats such frequent diseases as constipation, gout, rheumatism, inflammation in the joints.
- The plant is also useful for people with diabetes.
- Experienced housewives use elderberries as a natural dye for fabrics.
Having such a list of properties beneficial to human health, the plant deserves the attention of gardeners of the Moscow region. And it's a sin not to use them, especially since elderberry is an unpretentious plant to care for.
Black elderberry "Black Lace": description, cultivation and reproduction
Black elderberry "Black Lace" (translated from English - "black lace") is an incredibly beautiful, fast-growing shrub from the adox family. The shrub is distributed throughout the world, it can be found in both deciduous and coniferous plantations. It grows very quickly, creating large thickets. It is the most sought after species of its kind. His homeland is Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Europe.
Description
Black elderberry "Black Lace" is an unpretentious shrub with a dome-shaped, spreading crown. The shrub can reach a height of 2.5 m and a width of 1.3 m. If desired, you can maintain the shape of a small tree or bush. It has thin, graceful leaves of a dark purple color, similar to maple. The inflorescences resemble umbrellas, they are 20 cm in diameter, pink or milky in color. Blossoming begins in the third year in May and lasts all summer.
Planting and leaving
Elderberry is undemanding to light. It will take root anywhere: both in the shade and in the bright sun. Planting is recommended in spring or autumn, before the onset of cold weather, so that the plant has time to adapt to winter. Choose a warm, calm day, preferably cloudy. To plant a young seedling in open ground, it is necessary to treat the place of its growth with an alkaline solution for 2 years. If you did not have time to do this, then liming the earth with dolomite flour.
Prepare a hole in the ground, about half a meter in diameter. Pour in a bucket of humus, 50 g of phosphorus and the same amount of potash fertilizer. Mix all this with earth and pour. Place the seedling in a wet hole so that the root collar remains on the surface after filling the earth, then gently straighten the branches from the root and cover with earth. Fill well with water and drive in a fixing stake near the plant, then tamp the soil a little.
Elderberry is unpretentious to soils, but grows best on clay and nitrogen, calcareous and semi-dry soils. The land must be loosened regularly. This is necessary for better air access to the roots and the prevention of weed growth. Carrying out mulching will be a good care. Remove the grown shoots at the base of the root, they quickly grow and thicken your plantings.
The aroma, persistent during flowering, scares away harmful insects and thereby disinfects not only the elderberry, but also the surrounding plantings. Watering should be as the soil dries up, but so that it does not dry out. Water once a week. A bucket of water is enough for one bush.
Pruning
This shrub is formed as a multi-stem bush. For this, 10 to 20 branches of different ages are left on it. All berries grow on last year's shoots. In the spring, it is necessary to reduce the upper shoots by one bud, and the lateral ones by 2-3. The old branches are pruned to give the shrub a circular shape. In general, a shrub needs rejuvenating pruning only once every three years. Then the crown is cut off completely, almost at the root. You can leave about 10-15 cm.
Preparing for winter
In preparation for winter, it is necessary to cut the crown of the shrub by a third in September. Elderberry is frost-resistant, it tolerates cold well (winter hardiness zone - 4b), but it is still better to cover the shoots for the winter - this will protect the root system. However, it is worth noting that even if it freezes, it will quickly recover due to its rapid growth. If the fall is dry, water the plant well after pruning. In October, be sure to treat with a disinfectant. Loosen and mulch the soil constantly. If the plant grows on fertile land, then fertilization is not needed in the winter. But in the case of growing on poor soil, be sure to feed the culture with organic or mineral fertilizer.
Three groups of plants
- Single-leaved. Such species have one large, constantly growing leaf, which is actually a cotyledon. This leaf is almost a meter long! Several peduncles appear in the second year.Such a plant blooms once, after which it dies. It is rare in home collections.
- Multi-leaved. This is a plant with a stem and leaves, from the axils of which several peduncles grow. Such streptocarpuses are usually low and are presented in ampelous forms. Like the first type, it is not very common as a houseplant.
- Rosette streptocarpus. It is they who are confidently leading as inhabitants of home windowsills. These plants - without stems, form rosettes like their relatives - Saintpaulias. They bloom profusely and lend themselves well to hybridization. Thanks to this, they have won well-deserved love and steadily growing popularity.
Rosette varieties, which are of the greatest interest to breeders and amateur flower growers, can be conditionally divided into groups by flower size: relatively small, large and huge flowers. Below are photos and descriptions of varieties: Scarlet flower, Caucasian captive, VaT bird and others.
