Content
Planting and caring for mountain ash can enrich the garden with a very beautiful and spectacular plant. But in order for the fieldberry to please with its rapid growth and abundant flowering, you need to know the rules for caring for it.
Description of mountain ash
Rowan-leaved fieldfare is a medium-height shrub that grows wild mainly in China, Siberia, Japan and Korea. The plant is quite easy to confuse with rowan, but fieldfare is much more decorative, for which gardeners appreciate it.
What does a fieldberry look like
In the wild and in cultivated plantings, fieldfare is a shrub up to 3 m tall with numerous straight shoots and a very spreading crown. Fieldfare family - Pink, the trunks of old shoots of the plant are brownish-gray and lignified, young shoots are green and with a thin edge. The attention is attracted by the leaves of the mountain ash-leaved bush, it is to them that it owes its name. Large, up to 25 cm each, lanceolate, they look like the leaves of an ordinary mountain ash.
During the growing season, the mountain ash shrub changes the color of the foliage several times. When blooming, its leaves are pale pink, then quickly turn light green, and in the fall they acquire a yellow or dark red color. At the end of June, the plant blooms profusely with white small flowers, collected in pyramidal panicles up to 30 cm each. The flower petals are half as long as the stamens, and flowering continues for a month.
Fieldfare height
The growth of the shrub directly depends on the quality of the soil and the correct care. On average, the field ash reaches 1.5-3 m in height.
The diameter of the crown of the mountain ash
In the photo of the fieldfare bush, you can see that its striking feature is its wide and voluminous crown. The bush of the mountain ash plant can spread up to 1.5-3 m in width.
How fast the field ash grows
It is convenient to plant a plant in a summer cottage, since the rowan-leaved shrub is distinguished by its rapid growth - up to 40 cm per year. True, this forces the plant to be pruned more often, but on the other hand, when creating artistic compositions, you do not have to wait long for the field ash to become fully decorative.
The shrub has a lifespan of about 50 years. Therefore, mountain ash-leaved shrub can please with its flowering for a very long time.
Fieldfare varieties
Basically, only 5 varieties of shrubs are cultivated in summer cottages. Each of the species of mountain ash-leaved fieldfare has its own advantages and characteristics.
Rowan-leaved fieldberry
The "classic" variety that is most popular with gardeners. In height, it usually does not exceed 2 m, the crown consists of pointed leaves about 20 cm long, the shrub blooms with long flower panicles of light cream color.The advantages of the mountain ash bush include its unpretentiousness and increased frost resistance and, of course, its decorative appearance, as well as a fragrant aroma during flowering.
Fieldfare Pallas
A shrub of this variety in its natural form can most often be found in Transbaikalia and Siberia. It is cultivated throughout the country, the plant reaches an average height of about 1.2 m. Distinctive features of Pallas mountain ash are its powerful roots, which help the plant to tolerate temporary drought well, and high resistance to cold. The Pallas fieldberry blooms with lush beautiful panicles of white or pinkish-cream color and looks great both in compositions and in single plantings.
Fieldfare Sam
The most decorative of the mountain ash varieties. The shrub of this variety can reach 0.8-1 m in height, has beautiful small leaves of light green color with a slight bronze tint, this feature is noticeable in the photo of the fieldfare plant. The variety Sam blooms with long creamy panicles, consisting of small flowers.
Fieldfare Sam grows more slowly than other varieties of the plant, and its maximum height is not that great. Therefore, the plant is often used to create hedges in the garden or as a middle tier for artistic compositions.
Tree-like fieldfare
This variety is naturally found in Southeast Asia and can reach 6 m in height - more than other plant varieties. The variety blooms a little later, in July or August, but still delights the eye with lush white and creamy inflorescences consisting of small flowers.
The tree-like fieldfare has high frost resistance and grows successfully in regions with a harsh climate.
Felt fieldfare
Another variety of mountain ash from East Asia is the felt fieldfare. The plant is also distinguished by its high growth up to 6 m and prefers to develop on rocky mountain slopes. Felt fieldfare has a low frost resistance, but tolerates a lack of moisture quite well. However, in landscape design, it is rarely used, the fact is that the variety does not have a beautiful flowering.
Planting and caring for fieldfare in the open field
Growing fieldbushes and caring for them at their summer cottages are quite simple, the plant makes low demands and tolerates difficult climatic conditions well. To safely plant a shrub, it is enough to know the basic rules of cultivation.
Preparation of planting material
The rowan-leaved shrub at their summer cottage is usually grown from a seedling purchased in the horticultural market. The planting material does not need special preparation, the seedling is transplanted directly into the ground to a permanent chosen place.
Preliminary measures are to remove all dry and damaged branches from purchased seedlings. The remaining shoots can be cut to 15 cm so that 2-4 buds remain on each of them.
Landing site preparation
The shrub is extremely unpretentious and tolerates almost any growing conditions well. Both sunny and shaded places are suitable as a site for shrubs.
The nutritional value of the soil also does not really matter. However, the plant feels best on fertile loams with neutral or weak acidity with an indicator of about 6-7.Also, the soil should pass oxygen well enough to improve its quality, you can dig up the area and add some peat and sand to the soil.
Planting fieldfare
The optimal time for planting mountain ash is early spring. At the same time, young seedlings do not need insulation, even if return frosts may still occur soon. As a rule, in the wild, the shrub grows in places with rather strong temperature extremes, and the cold does not pose a particular danger to it.
- The planting hole for the fieldfare must be dug shallow, but wide enough, since the shrub is prone to rapid and strong growth. Usually, a pit depth of about 40 cm is enough, and it is expanded up to 80 cm.
- A substrate of sand, humus and sod land, mixed in a 1: 2: 1 ratio, is poured into the planting hole. It is necessary to fill in the soil so that a mound forms in the pit.
- A rowan-leaved shrub sapling is placed on top of this mound, its roots are carefully straightened, and then the hole is covered with earth to the end, flush with the surface.
Immediately after planting, the soil in the near-trunk circle must be watered abundantly, and then mulched with peat or pieces of bark so that the moisture does not evaporate too quickly.
Watering and feeding
The plant can tolerate short-term drought, but on an ongoing basis it needs a lot of moisture. When growing fieldfare, waterlogging of the soil will be better than lack of water. Therefore, it is recommended to water the mountain ash-leaved shrub often and abundantly, especially in the first year after planting in open ground.
In subsequent years, it is necessary to add water under the roots of the plant 2-3 times a month, and in hot weather - every few days. The rowan-leaved shrub accepts spraying well, but it is necessary to douse the leaves and shoots with water early in the morning or after sunset, when the hot sun's rays can no longer burn the plant.
Rowan-leaved fieldfare is a shrub with a very wide and developed crown. Therefore, the plant needs to be fed regularly for healthy growth. The shrub accepts well both mineral fertilizing and organic matter. In the spring it is recommended to fertilize it with nitrogen substances, in the summer - with potassium nitrate, and in the fall - with superphosphate. During the warm season, compost, peat or humus can be added under the bush.
Mountain ash pruning
The rowan-leaved fieldfare grows very quickly and at the same time grows widely in breadth. Therefore, care for mountain ash in spring and summer includes a mandatory haircut. Otherwise, the shrub will lose its decorative shape and, moreover, will begin to interfere with nearby plants.
- The first pruning is usually carried out 3 years after planting the seedling. First of all, you need to cut off diseased, dry and broken branches.
- Also, shoots spreading along the ground are removed, and branches growing outside the crown projection are cut off.
- When pruning, it is necessary to remove root shoots, which especially often and violently grow in mountain ash. It not only disturbs the decorative forms of the shrub, but also takes away nutrients from the plant.
You can trim the fieldberry very often, it tolerates pruning well and recovers quickly. If the plant is used as a hedge, then you can cut it up to 4 times per season - this does not cause harm, but it allows you to maintain beautiful outlines.
Transplant of mountain ash
The rapidly growing field ash requires a transplant from time to time.It is usually carried out every 2-3 years, and the algorithm is as follows.
- In a free area suitable for growing field grass, they dig a planting pit of standard sizes, equip drainage at its bottom and prepare a nutritious soil consisting of sod land, compost and humus.
- The overgrown mountain ash is carefully dug in the old place, and then its rhizome is divided into several parts, each delenka should have healthy strong shoots and developed intact roots.
- In order to avoid rotting, the sections of all the cuttings are treated with ash or a biostimulator, and then the field ash is planted in the prepared holes.
After transplanting fieldfare in the spring, the land around the new rowan-leaved shrubs should be slightly compacted and abundantly watered with at least 20 liters of soft, settled water.
Preparing for winter
Rowan-leaved fieldfare is a plant naturally accustomed to cold weather, sudden frosts and sudden temperature changes. The bush has a high frost resistance, therefore, even in Siberia, and even more so in the middle lane, it does not need additional winter shelter.
However, in the fall after flowering, it is recommended to remove all flowers still remaining on the shoots. After leaf fall, it is necessary to carefully collect the leaves from the area where the fieldfare grows and burn them. This will prevent pests and fungal microorganisms from appearing in the roots of fieldfare.
How to propagate mountain ash
Since the shrub grows and develops very quickly and vigorously, it is not necessary to buy new seedlings to increase the field plant population on the site. It is much easier and more convenient to use one of the vegetative methods of plant propagation.
Propagation of fieldfare by cuttings
The easiest way is to propagate a field ash from a cuttings, even a novice gardener will cope with the task.
- To do this, in the middle of spring, several shoots of 20-25 cm in length are cut from an adult shrub; you can take both apical green and already lignified healthy branches.
- Cuttings must be placed in a solution that stimulates root growth for a day, and then planted in small pots with ordinary soil mixed with sand.
- You can also deepen the cuttings directly on temporary beds-schools in the open air, since the mountain ash tolerates any weather well, the chances of successful rooting in the ground are very high.
The cuttings will need to be watered regularly over the next few weeks. When new green leaves appear on the shoots, the field ash can be carefully transferred to a permanent place - the beginning of vegetative growth means that rooting has taken place.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Another simple and effective way to increase the fieldberry population is to divide the mountain ash bush. The method is especially convenient in that it allows you to successfully solve 2 problems at once - to propagate the plant and adjust the size of the bush already growing on the site.
- The division is usually carried out in the spring, although it is permissible to propagate the plant in the fall.
- The mother bush is dug out of the ground, the rhizome is divided into several parts with a large knife or a sharply sharpened shovel.
- Sections are treated with ash, crushed coal or ordinary brilliant green to prevent decay.
- Prepared delenki are planted in planting pits - they are dug out according to the standard algorithm, in the same way as during the first planting of a mountain ash plant on the site.
The planted parts of the mother bush are watered and mulched abundantly, and then the usual care is carried out for the delenki.
Reproduction by layering
Mountain ash-leaved fieldfare can be propagated on the site with the help of layering - young shoots of a shrub located low to the ground.
- In the spring, choose 2-3 green healthy shoots located close to the ground, and bend them close to the ground.
- At the place where the shoots touch the ground, their bark is slightly incised, and then the layers are slightly deepened into the soil, fixed with a wire or staple so that the branches do not straighten.
- The shoots are sprinkled with earth, while leaving the apical part on the surface, and during the summer they take care of the layers in the same way as for the main bush.
Layers take root quite quickly, if you carry out the procedure in the spring, then by the beginning of September the shoots will take root. You can separate them and move to a permanent place both in the fall and at the beginning of the next spring.
Diseases and pests
In general, mountain ash remains a fairly disease-resistant plant. The most dangerous disease for him is a viral mosaic, with this ailment light green or yellowish patterned stains first appear on the leaves of the plant, and then the foliage deforms and falls off. Unfortunately, the viral mosaic is practically incurable, if the plant gets sick with this ailment, then it will have to be destroyed, and then the soil must be thoroughly treated with disinfectant solutions.
Of the pests, a spider mite and a green aphid are dangerous to the mountain ash bush, although it should be noted that they are quite rare on the leaves of the mountain ash. If insects are found, it is necessary to fight them with insecticidal solutions, such as Fitoverma.
Why the fieldberry does not bloom
Normally, rowan-leaved fieldfare pleases with flowering every year, even the harsh growing conditions do not violate its vegetative cycle. However, for a number of reasons, flowering may not occur or be too modest and unobtrusive.
- First of all, the presence and abundance of flowering depends on the variety and variety of mountain ash-leaved shrub. For example, a felt shrub native to East Asia does not bloom in principle, if just such a plant grows on the site, then you can not expect decorativeness from it.
- The lack of flowering may be due to severely disturbed growing conditions. If the plant grows on too dry soil, does not receive any nutrients and, moreover, does not undergo regular pruning, its decorative effect may suffer - the mountain ash-leaved shrub will have nowhere to take resources for beautiful flowering.
The attractive appearance of field ash is greatly spoiled by already faded and dried inflorescences, they do not allow new flowers to develop and reduce decorativeness. Therefore, it is recommended to delete them without fail.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for mountain ash is not particularly difficult, but the basic rules for growing must be observed. If you regularly water, feed and cut the shrub, then it will annually delight you with a beautiful and very abundant white flowering and a pleasant fragrant aroma.
