Rowanberry: description, care, useful properties

Dubostnaya mountain ash is a beautiful plant, characterized by year-round decor with contrasting clothing, dynamically changing depending on the season.

The beauty of four seasons

Early in the spring, the mountain ashberry, planting and caring for which is not particularly difficult, is dressed in a transparent mesh of young foliage. In the beginning of summer, fully blossoming green leaves become the backdrop for chic white inflorescences.

In the second half of the hot season, during the ripening of berries, another change of colors occurs; The most juicy shades can be admired in the middle of autumn. In winter, rowan with snow-clad clusters becomes the most beautiful inhabitant of a sleeping garden.

Description of mountain ash

Dubolistnaya mountain ash - a spectacular tall (from 10 to 12 meters in height) representative of the genus Sorbus. At a young age it is characterized by a narrow pyramidal crown, which in time assumes a spherical shape with a diameter of 5-7 meters. Leaves at the base are simple, with a deep (almost veined) dissection; Closer to the top are dissected less and shaped like oak leaves. Sheet plates in the upper plane are painted in a dark green tone, from below light (grayish or white), covered with fluff. Shoots up to 2 years old are characterized by a gray-brown color, old branches have a light brown color.

Of the dubious, the middle mountain ash, which is most common in the north of Europe, in the countries of Scandinavia and the Baltic States, is very popular. For binding to the place the plant is also called "Swedish" rowan. The tree reaches a height of 12-15 meters. In contrast to the oaky rowan with complex leaves, the intermediate rowan has integral and simple leaf plates, with shallow, heavily pubescent lobes, due to which the glossy crown appears silver. Falling foliage occurs after the first frost. The bark of the trunk is smooth and has a gray color. Inflorescence broad, corymbose, pubescent. Flowers in diameter - about 1.2 cm. Fruits of red-orange color, up to 1 cm in diameter, when used fresh in the form of bitter.

Value of rowan fruit

The berries are dense, juicy orange, with felt pubescence. Ripen at the end of September. Fresh are not very tasty, as they have a tart, bitter taste, due to the high content of tannin. When the berries freeze, this deficiency disappears in part, during processing and drying - completely. For the qualitative preservation of the available nutrients, it is recommended to collect the fruit in whole bunches.

In fruits of mountain ash there is a whole complex of useful substances: nutritious vitamins, sugars, pectins, organic acids. Due to the presence of vitamin C, the mountain ash is close to lemon and black currant; On the content of carotene surpasses even carrots. To meet the daily requirement for vitamins P and C, as well as carotene, it is sufficient to consume one bunch per day. By filling with biologically active compounds, rowan fruits occupy the first positions among garden crops.

The fruits of mountain ash have anti-edematous and choleretic properties, they can inhibit fermentation processes in the intestine. In folk medicine are widely used as a diuretic and tonic, significantly reduce the fragility of capillaries and favorably affect the exchange of cholesterol. Since ancient times, medical culture has been valued for its antiscorbutic properties, and is used today in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The juice of fresh berries helps with hemorrhoids and gastritis, its use is beneficial with reduced acidity of gastric juice - before eating a teaspoon.

Rowan in folk medicine

Medicinal properties are also possessed by leaves of mountain ash, which contain a large number of phytoncides and vitamins. This feature allows you to use the leaf mass when growing domestic animals and birds as a useful additional fertilizer. To avoid the development of rot when laying on the storage of leaf mass, rowan trees shift root crops and tubers. It is believed that planted in rows between garden crops vegetables will not be affected by fungal diseases.

There is a belief that oaky ashberry has cleansing properties and is able to make marshy and stale water suitable for drinking. For this, a fresh branch of the plant is required to be immersed in the liquid. After 3 hours, the unpleasant odor and taste will disappear, and the pathogenic microbes will die.

Territory of cultivation

Rowan is oaky, the useful properties of which are highly appreciated by connoisseurs of folk medicine, characterized by high activity development and annually gives 30-50 cm gain. The average life expectancy is 60-120 years. Garden culture is unpretentious to the conditions of detention and is able to develop in conditions uncomfortable for many garden plants. Most of all he prefers fertile wet lands with an admixture of lime. Rowan fir (intermediate or Swedish) is used in city landscaping, for casing of highways and roads. However, due to air pollution, soil contamination, the use of ice reagents and a high pedestrian load, which compacts the soil, the life of ashberry in the conditions of a megapolis is reduced by 10-20 years. But this does not affect the timing of fruiting such an attractive culture: the first harvests of mountain ash give on the 8-10th year of planting.

Rowan in landscape design

Being an excellent ornament of the garden, the oak forest is perfectly combined in plantings with fir, spruce, pine; Harmoniously looks among ash trees and limes. Effective in living hedges and group plantings (in the foreground and background), is a beautiful background for perennial herbaceous plants. Many species of mountain ash easily coexist with honeysuckle, barberry, rose, spiraeus, and kalina.

Due to the structure of the root system, the plant grows normally on inconvenient for other cultures territories, which allows using it to strengthen the walls of ravines.

Conditions of development

Rowan fir-tree, the description of which causes a great desire to acquire such a plant on its own site, is a drought-resistant and frost-resistant culture, unpretentious to soils. Uncomfortable plant on sandy and peaty-marshy lands. On growth and development, the proximity of groundwater and the excessive moistening of the soil are disastrous. Garden culture is demanding to the light. With its shortage can grow up to 20 meters, while losing the shape of the crown and natural grace. The valuable quality of mountain ash is a high winter hardiness, so the plant can be planted in regions with a harsh climate.

Planting of mountain ash

The best time to plant a mountain ash is in autumn. At the bottom of the pit, in which will be placed oak forest ash, you should lay the main fertilizer, consisting of 2 parts of compost or repaired manure and 1 part of the fertile soil (the upper layer of soil obtained during digging of the landing pit) and the river sand.

Rowanberry oak, whose seedlings can be purchased at any garden store, characterized by rapid survival. Prices for planting material are diverse. For example, a 2-meter tree costs from 500 to 1500 rubles.

At first, it is important for the plant to ensure watering with too hot weather and removal of weeds in the area of the near-barrel circle.

Fertilizer activities

It is recommended to start feeding from the third year of life:

• Early in the spring, up to the moment of flowering, it is recommended to add 20 g of nitrogen, 15 g of potassium and 25 g of phosphate fertilizers per 1 square meter of the near-barrel circle;
• In the summer season - 10 g potassium and phosphorus and 15 g of nitrogen fertilizers;
• In autumn, after harvesting, 10 g of potassium and phosphoric preparations.

Fertilizers should be scattered over the surface of the soil, after which it should be repaired to a depth of 15 cm by digging. Next, it is recommended to moisten the soil.

From the pests, the plant can be affected by a rowan moth that can actively multiply and attack neighboring fruit trees, preferring apple trees. Due to the high phytoncide content of fungal diseases, the mountain ash is affected quite seldom.

Reproduction: ways

Rowanberry tree, whose fruits are valued for a rich vitamin composition, multiplies in several ways: seed, cuttings and grafting. The seed method is the simplest, but more time-consuming, than the rest. First, plant seeds require a long stratification, beginning in the autumn. Then, before planting, soak for 3-4 hours. Sowing is recommended to be made in the autumn period, with warming of the crops of mulch (a thick layer of fallen leaves). On a permanent site of growth, plants obtained from seedlings are also recommended to plant in autumn.

How does the rowan tree multiply by grafting? The price of seedlings of a plant may not be all affordable, as it is quite high, so rowan can be multiplied independently. Virtually all plant varieties in late July - early August are planted on ordinary mountain ash. The form of such a procedure is ocularization with a sleeping eye.

Reproduction by cuttings is characterized by a high percentage of rooting of young plants - about 60%.

Rowan in cooking

Fruits are used in the preparation of jams, compotes, kvass, kissels, liqueurs, pastilles, candied fruits; In a dry or dried form they can be stored at room temperature and consumed throughout the unvaccinated period.

At home, a delicious jelly is prepared from mountain ash. Rowan is harvested after freezing or is specially frozen in a refrigerator, washed, poured 2 cups of water per 1 cup of berries. They boil for 10-15 minutes. The mass is squeezed and boiled from 1 kg of sugar to 2/3 of the original volume. Pour hot in the glass containers and roll.