Thunberg's barberry (Berberis Thunbergii) is one of the members of the barberry family. Now in the world there are about 170 varieties of these shrubs and trees. Gardeners grow barberry Thunberg Anthropurpurea to make various drinks, jams and even homemade medicines. But the barberry is also grown to decorate the site, since it is not only a useful, but also a beautiful plant. And the variety of shades of its leaves is especially striking.
Barberry Thunberg: description
This subspecies of barberry belongs to deciduous shrubs. In height, it should grow up to 2.5 meters. But in most cases, the bush rarely reaches a meter height. It has arcuate ribbed needles and rather bright shoots, which are most often bright red or red-orange in color. Over time, these shoots become darker and turn brown.
The berries of this species are red in shaperesemble an egg. Leaves have a rather interesting rounded shape. Sometimes at the end they are a little sharp, and in some cases, on the contrary, they are rounded. From above they are painted in a bright green color, and under the bottom they are gray. In autumn, like most plants, the leaves turn yellow. The shoots and branches of the plant are strewn with small needles, so getting close to the berries is not so easy.
The Thunberg barberry is very beautiful during flowering. Externally, the flowers are red or bright yellow. Sometimes they can be collected in inflorescences. You can admire the flowering in early May. And in September or early October, there are ripe fruits on the branches that can be harvested.
Gardeners are attracted by the very beautiful crown that this species has by nature. And the color scheme of the leaves is simply impossible not to notice. There is no single dominant color here. There are various shades of yellow, red, green. In addition, the advantages of the variety include its frost resistance, and it is also not afraid of diseases such as powdery mildew, which affects most garden plants.
When to plant barberries
Most often Thunberg Atropurpurea barberry is planted in spring. This happens already in March, when the soil begins to thaw. The main thing is to have time to plant seedlings before the moment when the buds begin to bloom. There are very rare cases when barberry bushes or trees are planted in the autumn. But if it really happened, then this should be done during the period of leaf fall.
This is an absolutely unpretentious plant, so it can be planted onopen areas. It is not afraid of drafts and strong winds, it feels equally good in the shade and in direct sunlight. But if your shrub has purple leaves, they will look much brighter in sunlight.
It is also not particularly picky about soils, but still it is better to choose a neutral soil. Too acidic soil should be treated with lime. Otherwise, the barberry will feel bad or not accepted at all. To lime the soil, you will need a special solution, which includes:
- 10 kilos of compost or manure mixed with garden soil;
- 100 grams of superphosphate;
- 400 grams of slaked lime;
- 200 grams of wood ash.
Processing can be carried out in advance or immediately when planting seedlings. In the latter case, the mixture is poured directly into the hole, where the seedling will be placed later.
How to plant
If you decide to plant several barberry bushes in your garden, then the distance between them should not be less than one and a half meters. But some gardeners prefer to create hedges from this plant. In this scenario, there are no more than two bushes per linear meter.
Prepare pits for seedlings in advance. Their diameter should be 40 by 40 centimeters. And the trench intended for the hedge also has a depth of 40 centimeters. At the bottom of each hole should be sand, which increases the aeration of the roots. If you are sure that the soil is slightly alkaline, slightly acidic orneutral, it is better to use the solution, the recipe of which was presented above. But in this case, ash and lime should be excluded from there.
After all the preparations, you can safely lower the seedling into the hole. It is necessary to sprinkle the roots with earth and compact it well, after which it is plentiful to water and mulch. For this, it is recommended to use peat or compost. Almost the entire ground part will have to be cut off. For the rapid development of a shrub, you will need only a small part of the seedling, on which there will be up to five well-developed buds.
Rules of care
Thunberg's barberry, planting and caring for which requires some attention from the gardener, is a rather unpretentious and very grateful plant. We have already considered the features of planting shrubs, and now we will try to figure out how to take care of them. Caring for any type of barberry is practically the same. The basic rules will also be effective when growing fruit and ornamental varieties.
The rules of care include a standard set of rules. Barberry need:
- water in time;
- weed;
- pruning;
- feed;
- do not forget to loosen the soil from time to time.
If the summer turned out to be quite wet, then the Thunberg Atropurpurea barberry will not need watering, it will have plenty of rainwater. But if there is no rain for a long time and the weather is hot, then every week you need to pour non-cold water under the root of the bush. At the same time, tryso that drops do not fall on the leaves. Waterlogging is much more dangerous for shrubs, which occurs when it rains too often in summer.
Make sure that the root zone is not overgrown with weeds. And also it is impossible to allow basal shoots to develop around the bush. And this is a rather serious problem when growing this plant. Do not forget to periodically loosen the ground around the Thunberg Aurea barberry so that the roots can breathe. And without that easy care can be facilitated. To do this, simply mulch the soil with peat, sawdust or walnut shells.
Fertilizers
If you applied fertilizer when planting a seedling, then this stock will be enough for him for the whole year. Next spring, you will again have to remember about top dressing. In the spring, you need to prepare a nitrogen solution, which must include about thirty grams of urea, which is diluted with a bucket of water. This procedure can be repeated no more than once every three years.
Fruit varieties of Thunberg barberries, which are not described in the article, need to be fertilized more often. The first time - immediately after the start of flowering and the second time - at the end of the season. But at the end of the year, you will no longer need a solution of urea, but phosphorus and potassium. 10 grams of potash fertilizer and 15 grams of superphosphate are added under the root. There are also universal fertilizers that can be purchased at speci alty stores.
Cutting
Pruning is carried out for almost every garden plant, and the barberry is no exception. Induring this procedure, you need to remove all dry and weak branches, as well as those that spoil the shape of the crown. Decorative species begin to be pruned a year after planting, in the spring. At this time, you need to halve all the shoots. Further pruning will be carried out already twice a year. The first one is to be held at the beginning of June and the second one at the end of August.
During this procedure, the gardener not only gets rid of diseased and dry branches, but also has the opportunity to give the crown the appearance that only he likes.
Diseases and pests
Barberry Thunberg Golden Ring is afraid of insects like:
- Barberry aphid.
- Barberry sawfly.
- Flower moth.
The first ones can be noticed pretty quickly. The leaves of the shrub begin to curl up and dry out a little. The last big danger is for those species from which gardeners collect fruits, since this insect loves to eat away their core. Aphids are afraid of the soapy solution that the leaves are treated with. And with the two remaining pests, it is better to fight with a solution of chlorophos.
Reproduction of barberry
There are four ways to propagate barberry Thunberg Aurea. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at them below.
For seed propagation, you need to collect ripe berries from the bush and separate the seeds. The resulting seeds should be dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate for several minutes, and then dried well. With the onset of autumn, the seedscan be planted directly in open ground to a depth of one centimeter. In the spring, the first two leaves will appear on the seedlings, and it is at this moment that you need to break through the beds, leaving the strongest seedlings. The distance between them must be at least three centimeters.
Saplings can be transferred to a permanent place only two years after planting the seeds. Those who want to plant seeds in the spring should not forget about the stratification of planting material. This implies that the collected seeds must be mixed with sand and sent to the refrigerator for five months.
Seedlings that have been moved to a permanent place, after two or three years, can give the first fruits. But this is only possible if there are several representatives of this family on your site. This is because these plants require only cross-pollination.
Another way of propagation is cuttings. In mid-June, you should cut the required number of cuttings, remove all the lower leaves and cut off half of the twig from above. In this form, the cuttings are placed for several hours in a special solution that will stimulate the formation of roots. You can buy it at any specialized store. After this procedure, they need to be dried, and the cuttings will be ready for planting in a greenhouse.
In the greenhouse, you need to prepare the substrate in advance, which should include humus, fertile soil, peat and some sand. From above, the seedlings should be covered with a film or glass, and in this position they are two weeks. Periodically need a roofremove to air the seedlings. But when rooting occurs, the need for it will completely disappear.
To breed barberry with layering, you need to choose a strong shoot no older than one-year-old in the spring. It should be close to the ground so that it can be bent down and laid in a ditch about twenty centimeters deep. Fix the branch well in the ground and sprinkle with earth. Only the tip of the shoot should remain above the ground. Already in the fall, roots and seedlings will appear on the cuttings, which can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Dividing the bush is the last way to reproduce. It is used for breeding small varieties. Choose plants that are already three years old. The bush must be dug up and carefully divided into several parts so as not to injure the shoot and the root system. The resulting seedlings need to be planted in the garden plot. Do not forget to process all cuts with crushed coal.
Wintering
Young shrubs that are not yet five years old should be covered with spruce branches for the winter. This is especially true for evergreen varieties. If your bush grows very strongly, then for its shelter you can use the system that is suitable for roses or hydrangeas. All branches must be pulled very tightly with a rope and a cylinder made of metal mesh. It should rise ten centimeters above the bush. Dry leaves should be poured into the gaps formed, and the cylinder itself should be wrapped with a covering cloth.
Barberry properties
The barberry is highly valued among gardeners as an ornamental plant. They decorate gardens, home gardens and even make hedges out of it. But this plant is no less valued for its berries, which are not only very tasty, but also he althy. Vitamins are found not only in berries, but also in the leaves of this shrub.
Barberry is used for high blood pressure, to treat various intestinal infections, and it is also an effective remedy for psoriasis. Barberry can also remove general fatigue from the human body. For the manufacture of various tinctures and medicines, any parts of the bush are used, but it is better if they are ripe berries or leaves. Do not pick unripe berries as they may contain poisonous substances.
Contraindications for use
You can not use barberry for children under 12 years of age, and people who have a negative reaction of the body to this product. There are contraindications for use in diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, cholelithiasis, and complex forms of hepatitis. It is better to refrain from use during pregnancy and lactation, as well as during various types of bleeding. And most importantly, you need to remember that berries that are not ripe are poisonous to the human body.
