How to grow dogwood in the country? Are there any special requirements for his care? Advice from experienced summer residents. The wonderful dogwood fruit tree produces delicious sweet and sour berries with a fragrant aroma. They are incredibly healthy and are among the champions among berries in terms of vitamins A, C and P. Read about the beneficial properties of dogwood.
Successful cultivation of dogwood in the country is possible only with proper planting and proper care. The plant does not have special requirements for the soil, it is resistant to drought and frost. However, light soil with good water and air permeability is favorable for dogwood. It is widespread in the North Caucasus and the Black Sea coast. The dogwood reaches a height of seven meters, grows in forests, preferring well-moisturized soil and light shading.
Where to plant: in a summer cottage or a personal plot, retreating from the borders by 3? 4 meters. For a horticultural culture, an area of 5x6 or 6x6 meters is needed, if less, this will inevitably lead to the closure of the crowns of shrubs, due to which the berries will ripen unevenly.
Planting dogwood
The soil for growing ready-made dogwood seedlings should be prepared from summer or early autumn. Planting is best done in the spring, even before the buds bloom. If in the fall, then they are planted until mid-October, about three weeks before the start of frost. Do not forget to enrich the soil in advance with organic and mineral fertilizers, so that the dogwood will start well and bear fruit better.
The optimal size of the planting pit
- depth 70 × 80, diameter 80 × 100 cm.
Divide the compost and humus mixture into two equal parts:
- Mix the first of them with the top layer of soil and fill the hole to the middle;
- cover the roots with the second part of the mixture when planting. After that, pour the dogwood with water (up to 30 × 40 liters per hole) and cut its shoots by a third.
How to apply mineral fertilizers:
in the spring - potash and nitrogen, in the fall - phosphorus. Video about planting dogwood:
Here we described how to plant a ready-made dogwood seedling. But if you decide to grow it yourself, then gardeners recommend using one of the following breeding methods:
- vaccinations
- layering
- cuttings
- from seed
Dogwood grafting (budding)
It is carried out in the standard way: the bud of one of the dogwood varieties is grafted onto the stock of a wild specimen at the age of two. Then the film is wrapped so that the kidney remains open. The harness can be removed only after the vaccine has taken root. If new shoots appear above it, they are removed to ensure good growth and development of the bud.
Reproduction by layering
This is the easiest method for growing dogwood
The shoots should be bent to the ground, fixed in this position and sprinkled with moist earth with a layer of 10 cm. After a year, the plant can be planted separately from the bush in a permanent place.
How dogwood is propagated by cuttings
For future seedlings, green and lignified cuttings are suitable, which are taken in June-July from one-year-old shoots. The cuttings are soaked for six hours in a preparation that stimulates root growth, then planted in a permanent place and covered with a film. Next, they should be soaked in a root formation amplifier for a day and planted in prepared soil.
Growing from seeds
To get good shoots, it is better to use the stratification method. It lies in the fact that the fruits of the dogwood are laid in barrels or a bag and kept until they begin to ferment. Then the fruits are ground, washed and mixed with sawdust, leaving in this state for up to one and a half years (until spring). In the spring they are planted in the ground, where they successfully sprout. In the first year, seedlings grow up to 3 × 4 cm, the next year - up to 10 × 15 cm. So, over time, the plant reaches a certain size and enters the fruiting period only after 7-10 years.
Dogwood care
As you can see, the cultivation of dogwood does not require some effort, the main thing is to get good seedlings or, if they already exist, to provide them with all the conditions for growth. The shrub must be watered on time, cleaned of weeds, and the soil must be loosened and fertilized. In the first years after planting, dogwood grows well in slightly shaded places, but only on condition that it is mulched with peat, sawdust, cut grass or humus.
Dogwood bears fruit for a long time (within 100-150 years)
… Its fruits are an excellent melliferous plant, as well as an excellent remedy for eliminating bacteria from the body. Thus, by planting a plant on your site, you can not only enjoy its unpretentiousness and generosity all your life, but also leave a valuable gift to the younger generation.
