Canadian blueberry forte - a useful plant in the garden
Blueberry from Canada, or sunberry bred by breeders not so long ago, but already known for a lot of useful properties. This annual outwardly is completely different from the forest plant of the same name. It can be grown in the garden, harvesting large harvests of large black berries.
Crossbreeding with familiar plants gives unusual options in the flora world. Such extraordinary specimens include the blueberry forte, so named for the black color of berries, which taste like nightshade. And the parents of the plant are creeping nightshade species of European and African origin.
Content:
- External features of blueberry forte
- Plant propagation methods, planting rules
- Shrub Care Tips
- Benefits of Sunberry
External features of blueberry forte
The nightshade family has many representatives that grow in our gardens - potato, tomatoes, eggplant... Sunberry does not look like them in appearance: its thick grassy stem, growing, forms many strong stepchildren, reaching a height of up to one and a half meters. During the growing season, the branches are covered with small white flowers.
Then large berries appear in their place, which, as they ripen, acquire a black saturated color.
No wonder the plant was named blueberry forte, raven. In terms of productivity, the fruit shrub surpasses many - from one tree you can collect a bucket of fragrant tasty berries.
The sunberry plant contains the best qualities of the nightshade species: unpretentiousness, resistance to frost and disease, benefits for human health.
Plant propagation methods, planting rules
If you wish, you can grow a wonderful plant in your garden. Planted with seeds or seedlings... But not always sowing blueberry seeds directly into the open ground will give a positive result, therefore, the seedling method is usually used:
- The planting of seedlings begins with the preparation of blueberry seeds. They have a thick shell, so it must be pierced with a needle. After that, the seed is placed in a jar with coarse river sand, pre-calcined and washed. Shaking the container vigorously will release the plant seed from the sturdy outer garment.
- The seeds are washed in a solution of potassium permanganate, keeping in it for several minutes.
- They begin to sow them at the same time as tomatoes - at the end of February - mid-March.
- A drainage layer is placed in the containers, then filled with soil. The composition of the soil should not include peat, as it acidifies the substrate, which it does not like canadian blueberry.
- In order for healthy seedlings to appear, it is necessary to water with warm water, ensure the air temperature is not lower than eighteen degrees, and sufficient lighting.
- The emergence of seedlings suggests that the temperature can be increased, an additional lighting.
- Picking seedling occurs after the appearance of two or three leaves on the stem.
- And after the threat of night frosts stops, the seedlings will be able to migrate to a permanent place in the garden.
Sunberry is called a sunny berry for a reason, because for better fruiting, it needs open, well-lit areas of the territory.During planting of bushes, the optimal distance between them will be seventy centimeters. At first, it is advisable to cover young plants at night with a plastic cap.
Like sunberry tomato bushes, support is needed. It can be dug in in advance next to the seedlings. After such simple manipulations, you can breathe freely: the plant will delight abundant flowering and fruiting.
Shrub Care Tips
The unpretentiousness of blueberry forte does not mean that attention should not be paid to it. Here are some rules for caring for a plant:
- Sunberry is indifferent to watering. She does not need a lot of moisture. Watering the bushes should be done sparingly, even in dry summers.
- You can feed the plant if it grows on scarce soils. With high soil fertility, fertilization is not required.
- The weakness of the stems of the bush requires props and tying, otherwise, weighed down with berries, they will fall to the ground and rot.
- Cutting off excess shoots is carried out once a month. It looks like pinching nightshades.
Ripe berries are harvested at the end of September. They retain their qualities and freshness for a long time. Many gardeners note that it is easy to grow blueberry bushes, and the harvest is great.
Benefits of Sunberry
Even if not everyone likes the taste of the Canadian blueberry, its medicinal properties are highly valued:
- The benefits of black berries for the normalization of the digestive tract are invaluable. Possessing a mild laxative and diuretic effect, they help cleanse the body of toxins and toxins.
- It is useful for hypertensive patients to use grated sunberry berries in food.
- Mixed with honey, they will help restore strength and strengthen the immune system. To do this, use a berry-honey mass in a teaspoon before meals.
- Juice from berries, diluted with boiled water, you need to gargle a sore throat.
- Forte blueberry leaves together with lungwort leaves are dried, then brewed in a glass of boiling water over a tablespoon. The drug helps with cough, sore throat. After rinsing the mouth, sore throat symptoms are relieved.
- Chopped berries, mixed with milk, are applied to purulent wounds, abscesses.
The use of black fruits is contraindicated for allergy sufferers, pregnant women. The nightshade product negatively affects the coordination of movements, the speed of reaction. Therefore, after using it, it is better not to drive.
The usefulness of the plant has been proven by scientists and applied in practice.
Just beginning to conquer garden plots, the blueberry forte plant will be a discovery for many. Berries are not only interesting for their peculiar taste, but have many useful properties.
More information can be found in the video: