Berry bushes are grown in the garden along with fruit trees. Among them you can meet a plant with red sweet and sour fruits - dogwood.
It has long been grown in our latitudes.
Dogwood is a frost-resistant species, with proper care gives a plentiful harvest. You can form a plant in the form of a tree or shrub.
Many gardeners grow dogwood as an ornamental plant. He tolerates haircuts and pruning well.
Dogwood cultivation: bush description and photo
Dogwood is an unpretentious shrub that can grow both in sunny areas and in the shade. The plant tolerates drought and frost well. Even in harsh climates, it winters well at temperatures up to -40 degrees. Dogwood is undemanding to the growing conditions. It grows well on any soil, but prefers light fertile, well-drained land. The height of the bush can reach 5 meters. The plant tolerates pruning well, it can be grown in the form of a tree.
Dogwood bloom occurs earlier than other fruit crops. As soon as the air temperature warms up to 5-10 degrees, the shrub is covered with bright yellow flowers. Flowering duration up to two weeks.
Pollination of the plant occurs due to bees, which are recommended to be attracted to the garden. To do this, you can plant flower crops with an early flowering period or spray dogwood with a sugar solution. The yield is also affected by the number of trees in the plot. For good pollination, it is necessary to plant several plants.
The first crop ripens in late summer. The shape and color of the berries depends on the variety. Fruits are pink, yellow and red. Dogwood berries are saturated with useful substances, have anti-inflammatory, diuretic and choleretic effects.
The root system of the dogwood is powerful, lies to a depth of 1 meter. The main roots are located at a level of 50 cm from the surface of the earth.
Where and how to plant dogwood?
Dogwood can be grown on any site. Most often it is placed along the fences. To obtain a good crop, the plant is planted in open sunny areas.
The landing area may be inclined. In nature, the shrub grows well on the hillsides. Orient the seedling to the south or southwest. The only condition for planting is to avoid marshy areas, dogwood does not tolerate high occurrence of groundwater.
Dogwood is planted in spring or summer. Autumn planting is also allowed, but no later than 20 days before the onset of frost. By this time, the plant manages to take root well and starts to grow in the spring.
Planting pits are made large up to 1 meter deep and 80 cm wide. Land for planting dogwood is mixed with organic and mineral fertilizers. To do this, use good compost and humus, which is poured into the bottom of the pit. The sapling is set, spread the roots and fall asleep with the remaining soil. In this case, the root neck should be deepened 2-3 cm into the ground.
The composition of the soil for planting:
• humus or compost - 1 bucket;
• ammonium nitrate - 50 g;
• superphosphate - 200 g;
• ash - 250-300 gr.
After planting the cornel seedlings, it is well watered and mulched the soil around the plant. Shrub shoots must be cut to 1/3 of the length so as not to overload the young tree.
How to choose a suitable seedling for planting dogwood?
For planting, seedlings are selected not older than two years. When buying, you need to pay attention to the state of the dogwood root system, as can be seen in the photo:
1. The roots should be healthy, without obvious signs of disease.
2. It is better to choose seedlings whose root system has branches. The optimal root length is 30 cm.
3. Rhizomes should be moderately moist, without dry, windy areas.
4. The condition of the branches and bark should be satisfactory, without creases and sag.
5. The seedling must be alive: the bark on the cut is green, but not brown.
Before transporting the seedling to the place of planting, it is necessary to wrap the root system with a damp cloth. If the measles are very dry, then they should be soaked in a bucket of water. Leave a seedling in this condition can be no more than two days.
How to save a seedling for a long time? If there is no way to immediately begin to plant dogwood, then you need to save the planting material.
• Saplings are instilled into small grooves at an angle.
• Rhizomes and half of the plant should be covered with earth.
• Store shrubs for not more than a month, in moist soil.
Before planting, they check the root system, remove broken branches, cut the seedling.
Treat dogwood correctly
Proper plant care allows you to get good harvests every year. Timely crusting, pruning, watering and soil cultivation are the main points for dogwood care.
In early spring, the garden is cleaned up, garbage is removed and the soil under the shrubbery must be loosened. After which it is well mulched with a thick layer of organics. Throughout the season, weeds must be weeded periodically and mulching material added.
Watering a plant
The root system of cornel is superficial, so the plant absorbs moisture from precipitation well. But in dry times it is better to water the plant, preventing the roots from drying out. Watering is carried out in pre-prepared furrows that are made around the plant. During the season, the bush should be watered three times:
• in the spring at the beginning of the growing season;
• two weeks before harvesting;
• three weeks after collection.
Water consumption per plant depends on the condition of the soil and the shrub itself.
How to feed dogwood?
For a full crop, the plant needs additional nutrition. During the growing season, nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil, and in the fall they switch to potash fertilizing. Fertilize compost or humus during the season. For abundant fruiting, the presence of calcium in the soil is important, therefore lime is added to the ground.
1. An approximate scheme of spring dressing:
• 1 bucket of humus or compost;
• 30 grams of ammonium nitrate.
The nutrient mixture is introduced into the topsoil, closing it when loosening. Water the bush abundantly.
2. Summer top dressing:
• 1 bucket of infusion of mullein or bird droppings;
• 1 bucket of compost.
The infusion is watered by the dogwood planting. This top dressing can be replaced with full-fledged mineral fertilizers, which are embedded in the soil.
3. Autumn top dressing:
• Ash - 500 gr;
• Superphosphate -100 gr.
This top dressing will be produced after harvesting. Ash replaces potash fertilizers. The nutrient mixture is designed for one adult plant.
Dogwood pruning and crown shaping
When caring for dogwood, no special pruning for fruiting is required. In the first years of cultivation, the crown of the plant is formed. For the standard tree, all lower shoots are cut at a level of 70 cm.
Further pruning of dogwood is reduced to the removal of broken branches and shoots thickening the crown. In adult plants, whose age is more than 20 years, anti-aging pruning is performed. It is done in the spring before the sap flow begins.
Photo and description of popular varieties of dogwood
Dogwood Vladimirsky is a popular variety, characterized by large fleshy fruits of black and red color.
Amber dogwood - yellow berries, ripen in September.
Coral dogwood - pink in color, more like cherry plum: rounded, barrel-shaped.
