Description of the cotoneaster plant, recommendations for growing in the garden, how to propagate correctly, possible diseases and pests, curious notes, species.
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster) belongs to the genus of plants included in the Rosaceae family. The native habitat falls on the lands of the northern regions of the African continent and Eurasia. Botanists in this genus number up to hundreds of varieties and varietal forms, which differ in color of flowers, size and taste of fruits.
| Family name | Pink |
| Growth cycle | Perennials |
| Growth form | Shrubs or small trees |
| Reproduction type | Seed or vegetative (cuttings, layering, bush division) |
| Transplant time to the garden | March, until the buds swell or in October after leaf fall |
| Disembarkation scheme | Between seedlings or buildings, leave within 0.5-2 m, depending on the type |
| Substrate | Any nutritious |
| Indicators of soil acidity, pH | pH 6, 5-7 (neutral) or pH 7-8 (slightly alkaline) |
| Lighting level | Sunny location or partial shade |
| Recommended humidity | In the summer heat, abundantly once every two weeks |
| Special Requirements | Undemanding |
| Height indicators | Up to 2 m |
| Color of flowers | Snow white or pink |
| Inflorescences or type of flowers | Can be solitary, assembled in shields or brushes |
| Flowering time | Spring Summer |
| Fruit color and shape | Berries are bright red or black |
| Fruiting time | Summer autumn |
| Decorative period | Spring-autumn |
| Places of application | Formation of hedges, landscaping of terraces and alpine slides |
| USDA zone | 4–6 |
The scientific name of the plant was given by the Swiss botanist Kaspar Baugin (1560-1624), who was engaged in the taxonomy of flora representatives. This scientist first used the term "Cotoneaster", combining two words in Greek "cotonea" and "aster". They translate as "quince" and "looking like", respectively. This is because the leaf plates of one of the cotoneaster species are somewhat similar to quince foliage. Some people mistakenly believe that dogwood and cotoneaster are one and the same, but the difference is not only in the form of these plants, but also in the fact that the fruits of the dogwood can be used for food, while the cotoneaster does not have such valuable properties.
All cotoneaster are perennials with a shrub shape, but occasionally they grow in the form of small trees. Its height rarely exceeds 2 m. Cotoneaster can be both deciduous and evergreen. The shoots of the plant with dense branching, while the branches are both upright and spread over the soil surface.
The foliage of these representatives of the flora is small in size, its outlines are simple, the arrangement on the branches is regular. The leaf is whole-edged, its shape is ovoid. The color of the cotoneaster is another decorative feature: in the summer months it is dark green, and with the arrival of autumn it acquires a reddish tint.
When blooming, buds with white or pink petals open. From small flowers, racemose or corymbose inflorescences are formed, often they are located singly. Flowers, while lacking in beauty, are considered excellent nectar suppliers. They begin to open from May-June. After the flowers are pollinated, small fruits ripen, which at the cotoneaster are represented by berries resembling small apples.
In this, the fruits of cotoneaster and dogwood are very different. The cotoneaster berries are painted in very bright colors (bright red or almost black), which increases the decorative effect of the plant. Inside each berry, there can be from two to five seeds. The fruits serve to attract birds, but some species of berries can be eaten by humans. Unlike dogwood, the fruits of all varieties and varieties are edible.
The growth rate of cotoneaster is very slow. In one place, such plants can safely be up to fifty years. But the benefit from this representative of the pink family is not in the fruits, but in the decorativeness of the dense crown and fruits decorating the branches.
Recommendations for growing a cotoneaster in the garden - planting and care
- Choosing a landing site. Plants will feel comfortable in an open and sunny place, but light partial shade will not damage the cotoneaster. It is better to choose a southern, southeastern or southwestern location. The location under the openwork crown of trees is suitable. It is important that there is no groundwater nearby, since the shrub does not tolerate stagnant moisture at all, which should also be taken into account during spring melting of snow.
- Priming. The cotoneaster is a rather unpretentious representative of the flora and will be grateful for any soil, but it should be light and nutritious. Often, top dressing is applied right before planting in the hole.
- Planting a cotoneaster. Despite the fact that he easily tolerates it, it is better to pick up the time in March, as soon as the ground has thawed, but the buds have not yet begun to bloom on the trees, that is, there is no movement of juices. The best time is March, but many gardeners choose the time during the leaf fall period - October and before the first frost. Autumn planting is preferred when growing cotoneaster varieties such as brilliant (Cotoneaster lucidus) and black-fruited (Cotoneaster melanocarpus). When planting a cotoneaster seedling, the size of the pit should correspond to approximately the following parameters of length / width / depth - 50x50x50 cm. In the case of using small or medium-sized varieties, the pit should not exceed 35x35 cm. A drainage layer must be placed on the bottom to protect the roots from moisture. They are usually broken brick, gravel or medium-sized expanded clay. The next layer will be a soil mixture of peat, river sand, humus (all ingredients are taken in one part), which are combined with two parts of sod soil. Since plants in nature do not like an acidic substrate, it is recommended to mix 20-30 grams of lime into such a mixture. When several cotoneaster seedlings are planted, a distance of 0.5–2 m must be maintained between them and other representatives of the garden world or a summer cottage (house, fence). But this parameter will directly depend on the variety of Cotoneaster that is supposed to be grown and what size the crown of the plant will reach in adulthood. The seedling is set in the pit in such a way that its root collar is level with the soil. After that, the soil mixture is filled with the planting pit to the brim, it is carefully tamped so that no empty spaces remain in the soil, otherwise this can lead to drying out of the root system. Then the cotoneaster will not be able to take root and will quickly die. Then abundant watering is performed. The trunk circle should be mulched so that the soil does not dry out quickly and weeds do not grow. To do this, you can use peat, the layer of which should be about 8 cm. If seedlings are used to form a future hedge, then it is better to plant not in separate holes, but to dig a trench. To do this, you first need to pull the rope, which will be a projection of the future row of seedlings. Then there is a guarantee that the planting of plants will be beautiful, since the evenness of the trench is observed. Such a ditch should be dug with a depth of about 0.5–0.7 m, with a width of about 50 cm.
- Watering. If the spring-summer season turned out with a normal amount of precipitation, then the cotoneaster does not require watering, they will have enough natural moisture. When it does not rain for a long time during hot summer days, the plants will suffer from the drying out soil, therefore it is recommended to water each bush abundantly every 14 days. In this case, it is necessary to pour 7-8 buckets under the bush so that the soil and root system are nourished. But it is important at the same time that the substrate does not become waterlogged, as this can lead to decay of the root system.
- Fertilizers should be applied as soon as warm weather sets in - in the spring months. This will contribute to both decorativeness and the subsequent growth of the cotoneaster. The first feeding is nitrogen preparations. For example, it is advised to use urea, which is diluted in a 10-liter bucket of water, taking 25 grams of the product. Prolonged full mineral complexes such as Kemira Universal can be used. Before the bush begins to bloom, it is recommended to make a second feeding with potassium and superphosphate at the rate of 1 m2, 15 grams and 60 grams, respectively. When the growing season ends, the trunk circle is mulched with peat chips to protect the roots in the event of a frosty but snowless winter. Such shrub plantations react well to organic matter. It can be a solution of slurry, which is diluted with water 5–6 times, or chicken droppings (dilution with water 1:10).
- Cotoneaster pruning it is necessary for giving a beautiful shape to a shrub. Annual shoots can be cut off by a third of the available growth. The plant reacts very well to the shortening of branches and with the help of such a procedure they form any interesting outlines - a ball or hemisphere, a cone or a prism, but also more complex shapes. However, such molding requires knowledge and experience, as well as special gardening tools. When the pruning is done correctly, the branches will grow back in the desired direction. You should also regularly prune cotoneaster bushes for sanitary purposes, since over time any shrub acquires old or diseased shoots, those that were broken over the winter or began to thicken the crown too much. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out rejuvenation as the cotoneaster grows older. At the same time, branches are cut for sanitary purposes at any time of the year, for rejuvenation and shaping the bush, a period is selected before the start of the growing season, while the buds are closed.
- Wintering cotoneaster. Almost all varieties of this plant are cold-resistant and can spend the winter without shelter. It is recommended just not to forget about mulching the trunk circle with peat chips in the fall. If there is a fear of frosting on the branches, many gardeners recommend bending the branches of the bush to the soil and fixing them with wire. A layer of dry foliage should be put on top, which will completely hide the branches. When winter promises to be frosty and little snow, cotoneaster bushes pressed to the soil can be covered with spruce branches or non-woven covering material (for example, lutrisil or spunbond) can be used. However, when it starts snowing, it is recommended to remove such a shelter, since it will be more comfortable for the plant to spend the winter under a canopy of a snow cap. If the cultivation of such types of cotoneaster as brilliant or black-fruited and whole-edged is carried out, then even in the conditions of central Russia they show high winter-hardiness properties and can perfectly survive even a significant decrease in temperature indicators.
- General tips for caring for a cotoneaster. Since the plant is very simple and does not require special growing conditions, except for watering in the dry summer months, its care will consist of weeding from weeds and loosening the soil after moistening the soil from irrigation or rain. You can also perform "sprinkling" - using a garden hose to wash the crown of the plant from dust, especially if a hedge is formed that overlooks the street.
- The use of a cotoneaster in landscape design. The general appearance of the plant directly depends on the species that is grown, whether the foliage will remain on it all year round or not. But basically all such shrubs are used to form decorative hedges and when landscaping streets. If there is a desire to plant trees on terraces or alpine slides, it is recommended to use the type of Dammer cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri), since its shoots have a characteristic growth and appearance. Only in rock gardens are ground cover types of cotoneaster used, capable of decoratively enveloping the flat surfaces of stones with their branches and hide the soil between them. They are also planted to fill the voids in the near-trunk zone of trees, decorate the edges of mixborders. In this case, it is necessary to provide a high level of illumination.
Breeding rules for cotoneaster
To get a new ornamental bush, seed or vegetative methods are used (cuttings, rooting of cuttings and division).
- Seed propagation of cotoneaster. From the berries of the cotoneaster, you need to get the seeds, which are washed with water. Then they are soaked to separate the hollow ones - they will quickly float. Then the seeds are stratified: they are mixed with sand and placed until the beginning of spring on the lower shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of 4-6 degrees. After stratification, the mixture is removed, the seeds are separated, washed with water and soaked for a couple of hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After that, they are sown in the ground, but the cotoneaster seeds sprout hard, so this method is not very successful.
- Reproduction of cotoneaster by cuttings. In June, blanks are cut from the branches for rooting. The length of the cuttings should be 10 cm. The workpieces are placed for a day in a vessel with water in which a root formation stimulator is dissolved. Then planting is carried out in pots with a peat-sandy substrate at an angle of 45 degrees. You can immediately land on the garden bed in the same soil composition. After that, watering with warm water is needed and a cut plastic bottle is placed on top. It is important to ventilate every day and if the soil begins to dry out, then it is moistened. When the cuttings take root, then with the arrival of spring they are transplanted to a permanent place.
- Reproduction of cotoneaster using layering. If the cultivated species is a ground cover, then a young, healthy and low-lying shoot is selected, which is bent to the ground. There it is secured with a stiff wire or hairpin. The place of attachment is sprinkled with humus. Follow-up care will be the same as for the mother bush. When the next spring comes, you can separate the root cuttings with a pointed shovel and transplant them to a prepared spot in the garden. This method is the simplest and most successful one.
- Reproduction of the cotoneaster by dividing the bush. When the plant becomes very large, you can separate it and plant the cotoneaster separately. In springtime, the bush is dug in and pulled out of the soil. Using a sharp shovel, the root system is cut into pieces and the cuttings are planted in prepared pits or trenches.
Possible diseases and pests when growing a cotoneaster in the garden
Despite the fact that the plant is resistant to diseases and pests, occasionally it still becomes their victim. Of the harmful insects, the cotoneaster is harmed by:
- Apple aphid, the appearance of which leads to wrinkling of foliage, curvature of branches and their subsequent drying out.
- Apple white moth crumb, gnaws narrow passages in the leaves - "mines" them, which leads to leaf fall.
- Cotoneaster mite and shield, sucking nutrients from leaf plates.
- Plum sawfly.
To combat harmful insects, it is recommended to treat the crown of the bush with both plant solutions and insecticidal preparations. As the first, tinctures on tobacco, makhorka or yarrow are suitable. Insecticides are used if sparing agents do not help. In this case, you can use, for example, Aktara, Fitoverm or Aktallik.
The most common disease is fusarium, due to which shoot tissue can die off. Then you need to cut out all the affected areas to healthy wood tissue and treat with a fungicide such as Fundazol.
Curious notes about the cotoneaster
Since the root system of the plant is quite branched, such shrubs are used to fix slopes from sandy soil, form decorative hedges. For landscape design today, gardeners use about 80 varieties, as well as bred varietal forms. Two species are protected: Cotoneaster alaunicus and Cotoneaster lucidus.
Description of the types of cotoneaster
Brilliant cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidus)
The native area of growth falls on the territory of the eastern regions of Siberia. In those places, they are found as single shrubs or group plantings. The plant has upright shoots, on which leaves are densely located, flying around with the arrival of cold weather. The height of such a shrub rarely exceeds 2 m. When the branches are young, their surface has dense pubescence. The shape of the leaf plates is in the form of an ellipse, there is a sharpening at the top, the surface of the foliage is shiny, its color is dark green. The length of the leaf reaches 5 cm.
When blooming, small flowers with pink petals gather in corymbose, rather loose inflorescences. The process of opening the buds falls on the last month of spring and June, its duration is about a month. Globular berries with a black color give great decorativeness to the shrub. Until the beginning of winter, the fruits remain hanging on the branches. Fruiting can be expected when at least 4 years have passed from the moment the seedling is planted. They are used to form living fences. Cultivated since the beginning of the 19th century.
Black cotoneaster (Cotoneaster melanocarpus
) also shows itself well when cultivated in our latitudes. The fruits of these shrubs are used for food, which makes this plant attractive from other members of the genus. The wild-growing area of distribution covers the territories of the Caucasus and Central Asia, the shrub is not uncommon in the northern regions of China and in Central Europe. The shoots are two meters high, the color of the bark of the branches is brownish-red. Ripening berries with a black tint. The shape of the leaf plate is ovoid, it reaches 4.5 cm in length. Above is a leaf of a dark bottle color, on the back there is a white tomentose pubescence. The top of the foliage can be blunt or notched.
This species begins to bear fruit when it reaches 5 years of age. During flowering, which stretches for about 25 days, loose racemose inflorescences are formed. They are made up of flowers with pinkish petals. The number of buds in the inflorescence varies from 5 to 12 units. Plants are not capricious, they can tolerate frost normally, they do not need regular watering. It is an excellent honey plant. The wood is valuable and suitable for making pipes, walking sticks and other interesting crafts. It has been grown in culture since 1829. The best decorative form for today is Laxiflora, with loose inflorescences that look drooping, fruits with larger sizes than those of the base species.
Common cotoneaster (Cotoneaster integerrimus),
which occurs under the name All-edge cotoneaster. It is represented by a deciduous plant with a shrubby form of growth. Natural distribution falls on the territory stretching from the Baltic lands to the slopes of the mountains in the North Caucasus. Also prefers sandy and limestone soil. It is rarely grown in culture. Shoots reach a height of 2 m. Crohn's with rounded outlines. Shoots are branchy. When the branches are young, their surface has a cover of fluffy pubescence, which disappears over time.
The foliage is broadly ovate. The sheet is 5 cm long. It is painted from the upper side in a dark green color, the surface is glossy, the back - with a gray felt pubescence. Loose clusters collect 1-2 pairs of flowers, with white-pink petals. Fruits in bright red berries, reaching 1 cm in diameter. The plant is winter-hardy, copes well with gas and dry periods. Grown in culture since the middle of the 17th century.
Also, the following types of cotoneaster are recommended for cultivation in a garden plot: Horizontal cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) and its varietal forms Variegatus and Perpusillis; Dammer's cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri) and its best varieties Aichols, Coral Beauty and Stockholm; Pressed cotoneaster (Cotoneaster adpressus), which has dwarf sizes and creeping shoots.
Video about growing a cotoneaster:
