Secrets of planting dogwood and caring for shrubs in cold regions

Residents of the middle lane know little about this wonderful berry; planting dogwood is mostly familiar to residents of the southern regions. In Crimea and the Caucasus, jams and preserves are prepared from sweet and sour fruits, they are added to many national dishes. The plant is valued not only for its beneficial fruits, but also for its very durable wood. Depending on the preferences of the gardener, cultivation can be carried out in the form of both a tree and a bush.

Why is dogwood unpopular in cold regions?

Dogwood is unpretentious, it does not require complex care. In the southern regions, wild varieties form huge thickets, and the berries are not worse in taste than cultivated varieties. Frost is not terrible for a hardy tree, only temperatures below -30⁰ can damage its branches. If such phenomena are short-term, young shoots can be covered, and they will winter well. Unlike fruit trees, which yield good yields every 2 years, dogwood does not need rest, it bears fruit every season. Why is such a wonderful plant unpopular with summer residents in the middle lane and in the north?

The growing season of dogwood is about 250 days, and it blooms very early. Spring frosts in cold regions can destroy the ovaries, but even if the owners manage to preserve them, the fruits often do not have time to ripen. Breeders are working to solve this problem, species with early ripening of berries have already been bred. Planting and growing zoned varieties often brings rich yields.

The common dogwood blooms when it's still cool outside, the temperature is about + 12⁰. In this weather, bees cannot pollinate flowers. For the wind to transfer pollen from one plant to another, plant at least 2 trees close to each other in the area. Some gardeners believe that the shrub can pollinate itself. Maybe, but the harvest will be very meager. But if you plant a bush of a different variety nearby and provide them with good care, almost all the flowers will turn into berries.

Advice

If it is impossible to find a place for another tree on the site, plant 2 seedlings of different varieties in one hole. Interlace the trunks and they will develop as one bush and pollinate each other.

Place for planting southern shrubs

Cornel is very fond of soils rich in lime, with a neutral or alkaline reaction. It is desirable that manganese is present in the soil, otherwise you need to add it when feeding, this element is necessary for dogwood. He does not tolerate groundwater, the depth of their occurrence should be at least 1.5 m.In low areas, you need to make good drainage, and sometimes even make a fill mound.

The shrub does not like crowding, it needs that there are no fences, buildings, other trees or tall shrubs within a radius of 4-5 m. Cornelian cherry is a long-liver, it grows in one place up to 100 years. Over time, the crown increases in diameter, new fruiting shoots appear. If the planting is too tight, the crown will begin to taper and the yield will decrease.

The plant develops well in partial shade, but in the complete absence of sunlight, the harvest will be poor. It is advisable to plant a shrub north of a tall tree. On a sultry afternoon, the foliage will protect the dogwood from the scorching rays, and in the morning and evening it will receive good lighting. If the entire south side is open, tall poles with a clothesline or other temporary structure can be installed.

Where to get planting material

Finished seedlings can be purchased at nurseries. Two-year-old trees about 1.5 m high take root well.They should have a fairly thick trunk - at least 2 cm in diameter - and 5 main branches. It is advisable to purchase varieties bred in your region, they do not have to adapt to new conditions.

If you prefer planting from your own prepared material, you can use one of the methods:

• planting seeds;
• layering;
• cuttings;
• root suckers;
• dividing the bush;
• budding.

For residents of the northern regions, where selection varieties of dogwood die from frost, the only way to grow this shrub is to plant seeds. Take seeds from different varieties of fruit, sow them and see how the plants survive. Dogwood will not preserve all varietal qualities with this method of reproduction, even from berries from one bush trees with different properties can develop. For several years, observe how the bushes endure the winter, what crops they give, and leave the best specimens. From them you can take cuttings and cuttings for further propagation.

Advice

If you want the dogwood seeds to germinate quickly, keep them in a 2% sulfuric acid solution for 3 days, and then sow them in wet sand, keep them in a warm place and make sure that the soil surface does not dry out. The grains will begin to hatch after 3 months.

Low branches in spring can be pressed to the ground and covered with soil. Make small trenches in the soil and place one-year-old shoots in them. Cut off the top so that the main forces go to the formation of roots. If provided with proper care, the shoot will take root by the fall. Cut it off from the main bush and you have a seedling ready to plant.

Often new shoots can be seen around the bush growing from the roots. You can dig up a branch with a fragment of the underground part and transplant it to a new place. Such a planting is not suitable for grafted plants: if a wild bush was taken for the stock, then the offspring will be wild.

You can divide an adult shrub into parts, but each piece should have a good root system and a strong aerial part. This work can be carried out either in early spring, or in the fall before frost.

Another way is to plant green cuttings from mature bushes.

Important!

If solid wood has already formed inside the shoot, the cutting will not take root.

Cut twigs 10-15 cm long with two pairs of leaves. Remove the bottom pair and treat the cut with a root growth stimulant. Stick the shoots into the soil, sprinkled with a thick layer of clean sand and equip the shelter with film. 2-3 weeks before rooting, keep the planting at a temperature of about + 25⁰ and protect from bright sun. The soil must be constantly moistened. When the seedlings take root, feed them with ammonium nitrate. Next fall, young plants can be relocated to a permanent place.

How to plant dogwood

You can grow seedlings from seeds if you like. Perhaps they will make a fruitful tree or a good stock for budding. Grains require a long stratification, they need to be kept in the refrigerator for almost a year. When sowing, keep in mind that the bone does not open, a small hole appears in it, through which a weak sprout emerges. If you bury the seeds deeper than 3 cm, the seedlings may not break through. Shoots grow very slowly, they need care, and the tree will begin to bear fruit only after 7 years. Dogwood loves to surprise gardeners. If ripe fruits germinate for more than a year, then unripe seeds may have sprouts in 6 months.

Wild dogwood seeds can be used to grow a good stock for a varietal bush. Sow many different grains, the sprouts will not take up much space on the site, but you can choose the strongest and most hardy seedling. At the age of 2 years, when the bush takes root well after transplanting, it can be grafted. In the middle of summer, cut a bud with bark and a small layer of wood from the plant you like. A cross-shaped incision is made horizontally and vertically on the stock.A scion is inserted into the vertical slot and fixed with a special tape or tape.

All shoots below the grafting site on the rootstock must be cut off. Make sure that the plant does not release new wild branches. After a month, the fixing tape must be removed. Grow the bush in the usual way. Next spring, new shoots will appear from the bud, and after 2 years you will taste the first fruits.

Advice

If you want to grow different varieties of dogwood, and there is only enough space on the site for 2 bushes, plant each tree with several buds of different varieties.

When growing fruit trees, grafting of young shoots is often used, but here, too, the dogwood shows its individuality. In early spring, before the growing season, you can try grafting a cutting. This method rarely gives results, despite careful care, shoots grow poorly. If, with skillful budding, up to 70% of the kidneys take root, then a successful vaccination is no more than 20%.

Shrub planting

You need to plant dogwood in the fall. Each region has its own time when to start this work. Folk wisdom recommends: the most effective planting happens at the time when the poplar began to shed its leaves. In the spring, in the middle lane, it is very difficult to guess the right time for planting: the period when the soil is already warming up, and the buds have not yet begun to bloom.

Dig holes with a depth and diameter of 80 cm at a distance of about 5 m from one another. Drive a stake into the ground from the side of the prevailing winds, it will hold the tree in windy weather. Place the seedling behind the stake and bury it so that the root collar is a few centimeters above ground level. After watering and rains, the soil will settle, and it will take the desired position. First, pour fertile soil from the top layer into the hole so that the roots take root in the nutrient medium. Spill the soil well with water and tie the trunk to a peg. After a heavy shower, make sure that the depth is calculated correctly: if the planting is high and the root collar is above the ground, the bush will develop poorly, and when deepened, it will give many root suckers, which will make it difficult to care for the plant.

Some gardeners believe that all branches of the seedling need to be shortened by a third, others do not, and the tree takes root well. What to do is up to you, you can cut off shoots on one bush, but not on another and see how it is best. Do not forget that each site has its own soil, its own microclimate, therefore, crops are grown according to different schemes. Any recommendations should be checked in practice, each owner should have individual experience and knowledge about what kind of care his pets need.

Do you need care for an unpretentious dogwood

Keeping a dogwood tree is not difficult, but you can make the job even easier if you cover the ground around the trunk with a thick layer of mulch after planting. Make sure that the root collar is not covered, it should be in the air. Weeds will not break through the compost or grass cuttings, the soil there will constantly be loose and moist. Dogwood roots are mainly located in the upper soil layer. In dry weather, you need to water the bushes, and it is better to organize a drip irrigation system.

From May to autumn, the shrub works hard: energy is spent both on the formation of fruits and on growing young shoots. For these processes to take place correctly, the plant needs a sufficient amount of nutrients. Use fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen and phosphorus until mid-summer, and potassium is needed in the second half of the season. In nature, dogwood prefers calcareous soils, because without calcium, the growth and formation of fruits are impossible. If this component is not in the soil of your site, add it to the top dressing.

Frequent pruning of dogwood is not necessary. Before the start of the growing season, only diseased, dry and broken branches should be cut so that they do not become a source of infection. To give a shape to a young plant, leave a short, about half a meter, stem and 5 skeletal branches.To rejuvenate plants over 20 years old, cut off branches that are 4 years old. In their place, new fruiting shoots will appear. The tree tolerates shearing well, and if you want to use it as an ornamental plant, you can give the crown an unusual shape.

Dogwood is resistant to diseases and pests, and proper care will make the bush even stronger. And still, do not forget to inspect the plant from time to time in order to notice problems in time.

• Powdery mildew - white bloom on the shoots. Treat the plant with colloidal sulfur.
• Rust - yellow spots on the leaves. The bush must be sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.
• Spotting. Bordeaux liquid will also help from this disease.
• Snail worm. The pest is destroyed with lime.
• The caterpillar is a polychrome. Sprinkle the dogwood with Parisian greens.

Output

Dogwood can be grown and harvested not only in the south, but also in the northern regions. If the plant is properly cared for, it will bear fruit for up to 100 years. You can leave one trunk and grow the dogwood as a tree, or not trim the lower shoots and get a bush.

In order for the dogwood to develop well and bear fruit, you need to choose the right varieties and planting method. Growing from seeds is a laborious task, but sometimes only this method is possible in the northern area. Good results are obtained by budding: on a winter-hardy rootstock, you can try to grow shoots of delicate varieties.

Dogwood is tenacious and unpretentious, it will endure any conditions. Does the plant need care? If you want to eat enough berries, do not forget about watering and feeding. You can leave the bush completely unattended, but it will not give good yields. Love your green pets and your site will always be beautiful and productive.