Barberry rarely grows in the gardens of the middle lane and is cultivated mainly for landscaping the borders of the garden. Its fruits are not collected and not consumed due to low taste. At the same time, its healing properties, known to medicine since the 7th century, are forgotten. It has been used for a long time as a blood cleanser. Now medicines are obtained from the berries, leaves and roots of the plant. Barberry root infusions are especially effective for jaundice and other liver diseases, and for diarrhea.
The Ottawa Superba barberry is most often grown, as it is unpretentious, winter-hardy, and easy to propagate. Any type of soil is suitable for him, however, planting should be carried out in well-prepared land. Planted, as a rule, in the fall, although spring plantings are also allowed. They dig holes for shrubs no less than 40x40x40 cm in size, fill with fertilizer: superphosphate - 50 g, lime - 0.3 kg, humus - 5 kg per 1 sq. m. Saplings are usually taken biennial, with a good root system, which is distributed evenly along the bottom of the planting hole. If the Ottawa barberry is planted as a berry bush, then its bushes need good lighting, otherwise they will notfruit. The distance between the berries is left at least 2 meters. If the landings are decorative, then you can plant closer - 1 meter apart. After planting, the Superba barberry needs good watering, especially in the first fortnight.
In the future, when leaving, the bushes are watered, weeded, cut off. Pruning consists in removing old, withered branches and forming a crown. At the same time, it must be remembered that the Ottawa barberry yields a crop on last year's branches. After 10 years, anti-aging pruning is necessary. After it, the bushes grow again, bear fruit abundantly, retain their decorative effect.
The fruiting period begins in the 3rd year. Ottawa barberry blooms in April, and the berries ripen in September. You can harvest when the fruits are slightly unripe - then they are dense, retain their shape well, and do not crumple. They are sprinkled with sugar or dried, and they retain their beneficial properties when stored for a year. They can be used as a seasoning for meat, pilaf, fish, used in the preparation of various sauces and added to tea.
You can propagate the Ottawa barberry vegetatively and by seeds. The choice of method depends on the purpose of cultivation. For ornamental plantings or for breeding purposes, seeds are preferred. Seed material is obtained simply: after picking ripe berries, they are dried, ground through a sieve, the seeds are separated and immediately sown in the garden. In the spring they sprout, but all summer they should grow in one place. Only transfer to the nextyear.
If you need to preserve the varietal characteristics of a grown bush, cuttings, layering, plant division are used. More often, cuttings are cut at the beginning of winter, stored in wet sawdust in the basement, and planted in a greenhouse in the spring. Humus, sand are introduced into the fertile soil, watered 2 times a day, and after a month roots appear on the cuttings. By autumn, the cuttings turn into seedlings. Seedlings take root well, in 80-90% of cases.
