Rowan trees are exceptionally ornamental throughout the year, thanks to their leathery bright green leaves. In early summer they are covered with white, cream or pink fragrant flowers. In autumn, rowan leaves take on an amazing crimson hue, passing through the stages of yellow and orange. In winter, mountain ash is adorned with chic clusters of heavy, shiny berries: scarlet, pink, cream, yellow or brown.
The fruits of the mountain ash. © Dan Mullen Content:
Description of mountain ash
Rowan ( Sorbus) - a genus of deciduous frost-resistant shrubs and trees from the Rosaceae family ( Rosaceae). Mountain ash grows in forests and mountainous areas, their distribution area extends from the far north to the middle zone of the northern hemisphere. The genus Rowan includes about 200 species. This article is about Rowan ordinary (Sorbus aucuparia) - charming trees or shrubs that are well known to us from childhood. The leaves of such mountain ash are complexly elongated, each leaf consists of many pointed narrow leaves.
Since pagan times, mountain ash has been part of the life and culture of the Celtic, Scandinavian and Slavic tribes. In their beliefs, the mountain ash was endowed with magical powers that could patronize soldiers during the war, protect them from the world of the dead, and also protect them from witchcraft. In order to protect against the evil eye, crosses were made from rowan twigs, which were tied with red thread and sewn to clothes. Rowan leaves lined the shoes of the bride and groom during the wedding.
Staves were made from rowan wood. Rowan branches decorated the Maypole on Beltane. Mountain ash was planted next to the dwelling, and in some places it is still considered a bad omen to uproot or damage the mountain ash in your yard. If you look closely at the underside of the rowan berry, you will notice that in shape it is an equilateral five-pointed star, and this is one of the most important ancient pagan symbols - a symbol of protection.
Rowan wood is hard and resilient, while it lends itself well to processing. Since ancient times, spindles and runes have been made from mountain ash. And rowan berries are used to produce red organic fabric dye. Rowan fruits are extremely rich in vitamin C and have long been used in home cooking for making wine, beer, jams, jams, jellies, jelly, desserts and sauces. They are very fond of mountain ash and birds, for which it is an important source of food in winter. They taste sour-sweet or sour-bitter, the latter are recommended to be consumed ready-made with the addition of sugar.
Choosing a place for planting mountain ash
Rowan is a rather tall tree, so it is advisable to plant it along the border of the garden so that it does not obscure the site, for example, along the perimeter on the north side. Mountain ash can grow on any, even poor soils, but still prefers fertile soils - light and medium loams that hold water well.
General view of the mountain ash. © Mehmet Karatay Planting mountain ash
They plant it in autumn or early spring - usually until the end of April, as it starts growing early. To get a more generous harvest, it is better to purchase several varieties of mountain ash: single-grade plantings, although prone to self-fertility, are still less productive.
Trees are planted at a distance of at least 4-6 m from each other. Pits are dug 60-80 cm deep and wide. They are filled with a mixture of compost soil with a fertile surface layer of soil, where a handful of ash and superphosphate and 2-3 shovels of three-year-old manure humus are added (fresh, unripe manure burns the roots). After planting, rowan seedlings must be watered and the central conductor shortened, and the next year - young and side shoots.
Care for mountain ash
Rowan care comes down to the timely removal of shoots, which often form at the root collar, and shoots growing below the grafting site, as well as watering, fertilizing and loosening the soil, crown shaping and pest and disease control. Since mountain ash in the spring quite early and quickly start growing, pruning and top dressing of plantings should be carried out as soon as possible and as soon as possible. At the same time, weak and broken shoots are cut out from young plants, the longest ones are somewhat shortened to the outer bud.
When pruning fruit-bearing plants, the nature of fruiting should be taken into account. In species and varieties of mountain ash that bear fruit on last year's growths, the shoots are only slightly shortened, and the thickened crown is thinned out. Plants with weak growth are given a rejuvenating pruning on two to three years old wood to encourage the growth of new shoots. In mountain ash, fruiting on various types of fruit formations, semi-skeletal branches are shortened, systematically thinning and rejuvenating the rings.
Starting from the third year of life, young mountain ash must be fed with mineral fertilizers. The most effective is a triple top dressing: in the spring, before flowering, 20 g of nitrogen are added. 25 g of phosphorus and 15 g of potash fertilizers per sq. m landings; in summer - 10-15 g of nitrogen and phosphorus and 10 g of potassium; in the fall, after harvesting, - 10 g of phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizers close up shallowly, slightly digging up the soil, after which the plantings are watered abundantly.
Rowan inflorescence. © martainn Reproduction of mountain ash
Species mountain ash - by seeds, and decorative forms and varieties - by grafting onto common mountain ash or Finnish mountain ash, since the latter has a more powerful and deep root system and the plants grafted on it suffer less from dry soil. Good results can be obtained using common hawthorn as a rootstock. Rowan budding is usually carried out in July - early August with a sleeping eye. Rowan house (Sorbus domestica) on ordinary rootstocks fails, it has good growth only when grafted on pear wilds.
When propagating mountain ash with seeds, sowing is carried out in autumn or spring, about 150 pieces are sown with seeds stratified from autumn per 1 running meter. Dried or last year's seeds are pre-soaked for 3-4 hours before stratification. Crops carried out before winter must be insulated with leaf litter. Seedlings of most types of mountain ash grow quickly and by autumn are suitable for planting in a school for growing and shaping.
The technology for growing planting material from rowan seeds is much simpler, and in some cases more convenient, than propagation by grafting - a dormant bud or cuttings. However, in seed propagation, one should take into account not only the degree of variability of species, but also the later entry into the flowering and fruiting season of young plants.
A number of mountain ash, for example, Finnish, elderberry, large-fruited, Moravian, sweet-fruited, Nevezhinskaya, Burka and some others, when propagated by seed, produce offspring that practically do not differ from maternal forms and are not inferior to plants obtained by grafting.
Shoots of mountain ash grow quite quickly and, as a rule, ripen. It is best to plant young plants in a permanent place in autumn, leaving 3-4 m between vigorous species, and 1.5-2 m between undersized ones.
Varieties of mountain ash
Everyone knows the common mountain ash, but many do not suspect that many varieties with tasty and healthy fruits have been bred on its basis.
- Variety "Scarlet large"- one of the most valuable varieties of this crop. For hybridization, a mixture of pollen from different pear species was used. Its fruits are very large (over 4 g), scarlet-red, reminiscent of cherries, juicy, with a slight astringency, but without bitterness. Early variety, versatile. The harvest from one adult tree reaches 150 kg.
- Variety "Bead"- bears fruit in the 4-5th year after planting. On a low tree, ruby-red fruits ripen, reminiscent of cranberries in taste. The variety is winter-hardy, resistant to diseases. Yields are stable.
- Variety "Vefed"- obtained from Nevezhinsky mountain ash. A low tree bears fruit steadily. The fruits are orange-pink, shiny, weighing up to 1.3 g. The variety is characterized by high winter hardiness.
- Variety "Pomegranate"- a hybrid of mountain ash with large-fruited hawthorn. The height of the tree is 3-4 m. The fruit is the size of a cherry. The taste is sweet and sour, without bitterness. Winter hardiness and productivity are high. It bears fruit from the age of three.
- Variety "Beauty"- the result of crossing mountain ash and pear. The tree forms a wide pyramidal crown, its height is 5-6 m. It bears fruit abundantly and annually, the fruits are large, 1.8-2.2 g, saturated orange-red color with an oblong shape uncharacteristic of mountain ash. The taste is somewhat tart.
- Variety "Hope"- low growing tree. Fruits (1.8-2 g) contain a large amount of biologically active substances. The variety is characterized by early maturity and high yield.
- Variety "Ruby"- a dwarf-type plant (2–2.3 m) with a spreading crown. The fruits are dark ruby (1.8 g), with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.
- Variety "Titan"- the variety was obtained as a result of crossing the mountain ash with a pear and a red-leaved apple tree. This is a medium-sized tree with a wide rounded crown. The fruits are dark red with a bluish bloom weighing up to 2 g. Very winter-hardy. Bears fruit annually.
- Variety "Sorbinka"- a medium-sized tree. The fruits are large (up to 3 g), yellow-red, with a pleasant refreshing taste. It bears fruit in the 5-6th year. Harvests are plentiful.
Rowan berries. © Mary Shattock Diseases and pests of mountain ash
Rowan is quite well resistant to various pests and diseases. Significant damage is noted only in some years. On the mountain ash tree, pests such as sawflies, scoop caterpillars, and mites are found. Flower beetles settle on the flowers of the tree, and mountain ash moth, apple fruit sawfly and bark beetles settle on the fruits and branches. The harvest of mountain ash is significantly seriously reduced by birds.
Mountain ash is one of the most beloved and popular trees in our country. They plant it in parks and squares, along roads, in the yards of high-rise buildings. And, of course, very often mountain ash is an important element in the landscape design of country houses. Such popularity of this plant is explained primarily by its beautiful appearance, as well as the ability to grow on any soil and unpretentiousness.
What does the name "rowan" mean?
The word "rowan" is directly related to the other two - "bird" and "catch". This name was not accidental. The fact is that its bright fruits practically do not crumble and can hang on branches in winter. And this, of course, attracts a huge number of different birds to the mountain ash.
general description
Sometimes Internet users ask the question: "Is the mountain ash a shrub or a tree?" The answer to that is pretty simple. Most often, mountain ash is a not too tall (from 5 to 10 m) tree with a perfectly straight trunk and a dense egg-shaped crown. There are also shrub varieties. The bark of the trunk and branches of all varieties is grayish and smooth. The leaves of the mountain ash are oblong or oblong-lanceolate, pinnate, alternate. Their beautiful appearance is one of the reasons for the popularity of mountain ash as an ornamental plant. Young leaves are pubescent, old ones are not.
The rowan tree blooms quite beautifully. Its flowers are collected in a panicle, may be white or with a slight pinkish tinge. However, they do not smell particularly pleasant. Rowan bears fruit annually, but a good harvest can be obtained only once every about 3 years. This plant blooms either in late spring or early summer. The fruits begin to develop in September. Gradually they acquire a bright red or black color. The shape of the fruits of mountain ash is round or apple-shaped. Of course, they are, of course, inferior in taste to the same cherries and grapes. However, in terms of usefulness, they may well argue with them.
Rowan seeds have a crescent shape and a reddish tint. Fruiting begins quite late - on the 5-7th year of planting. The rowan tree begins to produce the most abundant crops after about 30 years of growth. From one adult old plant, you can collect up to 100 kg of berries per year.
Mountain ash is widespread not only in our country, but also in Europe, as well as in North America and throughout Asia.
Rowan breeding methods
Mountain ash is a tree that propagates both by seedlings and seeds, cuttings or root shoots. Most often, the first and last methods are used. Despite the fact that the tree is very unpretentious, when planting seedlings in the holes, it is necessary to add manure and mineral fertilizers. In order to begin to actively develop, the plant is cut off, leaving about 5 buds on it. Rowan seedlings are taken very easily, and this tree grows quite quickly. It is best to plant this ornamental plant in the fall. Seedlings are usually obtained by grafting a bud or cutting to a seedling.
Growing features
As already mentioned, mountain ash can feel good on absolutely any soil. Another remarkable feature is its frost resistance. This plant is able to endure the most severe winters without any harm to itself. The rowan tree is also very resistant to high temperatures. Watering practically does not require and tolerates drought well. However, it is still necessary to moisten the soil under it in the summer from time to time. Another advantage of this plant is wind resistance. Its root system is well developed. Rowan very well tolerates the gas content of city streets.
Decorative value of rowan
The answer to the question of whether mountain ash is a shrub or a tree is given above. Both varieties are often used for decorative purposes. The popularity of this tree as a plant used in landscape design is due to many reasons. First of all, this, of course, is the beauty of the crown itself, which is distinguished by its compactness and density. Weeping varieties of this plant are especially valued.
In addition, the leaves of mountain ash trees, which are distinguished by an unusual shape and acquire orange-reddish hues in autumn, have decorative value. Another reason for its popularity in this regard is the bright berries that cover the crown in large numbers and retain their attractiveness until late winter.
Types of mountain ash
The genus of mountain ash has more than forty varieties. However, not all of them are widespread. In gardens and parks, you can find both red-fruited and chokeberry, singled out as a separate species, mountain ash. The fruits of both colors have medicinal properties. The most widespread as an ornamental plant was the mountain ash tree. All varieties of this plant belong to the deciduous rose family and are classified into two main subspecies, which differ in the shape of the leaves.
The famous Russian scientist of the last century I. V. Michurin was very seriously engaged in the selection of mountain ash. They bred several new hybrids of this wonderful plant. In his own laboratory, they also obtained such a variety as chokeberry - a tree similar to ordinary mountain ash, but in fact it is not. This plant is a hybrid called chokeberry.
The most famous rowan hybrids
Hybrids of this plant can be mixed with many others. For example, one of the most famous is the variety Krategozorbuz. This is a very interesting hybrid of mountain ash and hawthorn. Malozorbus is another common mixture. It is a hybrid of mountain ash and apple. Sorbapyrus is a mixture with pears, characterized by dark ribbed, very tasty, sweet-sour fruits. Another interesting variety is Amelozorbus, which is a mixture of mountain ash and shadberry.
Medicinal properties of fruits
Rowan ordinary - a tree, the fruits of which are used, among other things, to improve the body. Our ancestors knew about the healing properties of these berries. The fruits of mountain ash contain just a huge amount of vitamins (C, E, P, K). In addition, fructose, glucose, sorbic acid and carotene are present in the juice and pulp of the plant's berries. There are also many tannins in them.
Taking decoctions of rowan berries is recommended for diseases such as atherosclerosis and hypertension. They are also drunk for violations of the function of the kidneys, liver and heart. Rowan juice also helps with hemorrhoids, gastritis and low acidity. Sorbic acid is detrimental to staphylococcus aureus and dysentery bacillus. Therefore, rowan berries are often used as food preservatives or for water purification. Our ancestors also knew that if you throw a rowan branch into a bucket of water, it will acquire a pleasant taste and will not deteriorate for a long time.
Rowan - a tree, the photo of which you can see on this page, has another rather interesting property. Its berries are able to alleviate the patient's condition during oxygen starvation. Our ancestors used the juice and decoctions of the fruit of this tree to treat burnt as a result of a furnace malfunction. In addition, the juice of rowan berries increases blood clotting and reduces the content of cholesterol in it. It also has choleretic and diuretic properties.
Panicles of this plant, as already mentioned, are white. Mountain ash (for a tree, or rather its flowers, sometimes a pink color is also characteristic) is valued not only for the medicinal properties of the fruit. For medical purposes, the flowers of this plant of both shades are also used. For example, they help very well with all sorts of female ailments and coughs.
What diseases are berries used for?
The red rowan tree produces fruits used as a medicine for the following ailments:
- sclerosis and cardiosclerosis;
- hemorrhoids;
- goiter;
- heavy menstruation (to increase hemoglobin in the blood);
- as a contraceptive.
Of course, there are mountain ash and contraindications. You can not take drugs based on its fruits with increased blood clotting and thrombosis. It is also not recommended to use such drugs for gastritis with high acidity, gastric or duodenal ulcers.
Rowan in cosmetics
Rowan ordinary - a tree whose fruits were used for cosmetic purposes in ancient Greece. Infusions of berries were used for washing, as a hair rinse, as baths for hands, etc. Modern cosmetologists advise using gruel made from the pulp of berries to improve facial skin. For aging oily skin, as a rejuvenating agent, you can use a mask of berry juice mixed with egg white whipped into a steep foam.
Rowan (a tree, the photo of which is given just below), or rather its fruits, are often used for weight loss. To do this, you just need to brew the berries like tea (20 pieces per glass of boiling water). You can also prepare a decoction of crushed fruits mixed with thin twigs. Since mountain ash binds carbohydrates in the body, even a sweet remedy can be cooked from its berries for weight loss. To do this, take half a kilo of sugar per kilogram of fruit. Take this jam one tablespoon a day.
Ritual meaning of mountain ash
Once upon a time, in a tree, red rowan had, among other things, a sacred ritual meaning. For example, in the Central regions it was used during wedding ceremonies. The newlyweds' shoes were covered with its leaves, and the berries were put in their pockets. This was done in order to protect the future family from the intrigues of sorcerers and witches. For the same purpose, rowan trees were planted near the house. Until now, this tree is considered a symbol of family happiness. In the Middle Ages in Rus', mountain ash was used to expel the spirits of illness. The sick were placed on its branches for healing.
The rowan tree, the description of which is given above, is a plant about which all sorts of legends are composed. For example, there is a very interesting legend explaining the bitterness of its fruits. In ancient times, it was believed that this tree was created by Satan himself from the tears of Eve, shed by her when she was expelled from paradise. He did this as a sign of his triumph over humanity. However, the Creator, seeing that the leaves of this tree resembled a cross, took it from the garden of the devil. Of course, Satan did not like this, and for a long time he tried to steal and destroy the mountain ash. However, all he succeeded in was making her berries bitter. But at the same time, a divine sign also appeared on them - a five-pointed stigma in the form Until now, this “mark” on the fruits of mountain ash is considered a symbol of the imminent second coming.
Not only legends, but also poems and proverbs were composed about this wonderful tree. By the way, not only in antiquity. The songs of Yevgeny Rodygin “Oh, Curly Rowan” and Irina Ponarovskaya “Rowan Beads”, we think, are well known to everyone in our country.
Folk omens associated with mountain ash
There are several signs associated with this tree:
- If the mountain ash tree, the description of the flowers of which is given above, is strewn with white or pinkish panicles in spring, it means that oats and flax will be born this year.
- A high harvest of the wild variety in the forest portends a rainy autumn, a low one, respectively, dry.
- If the leaves on the mountain ash turned yellow very early, then autumn will be early and winter will be cold.
rowan harvesting
The answer to the question of whether mountain ash is a shrub or a tree, you now know. However, whatever the variety of this plant, you can collect its fruits from the moment of ripening until late frosts. It is most convenient to cut the brushes with a sharp knife or secateurs. Already on the ground they are cleaned of stalks and various kinds of debris.
Dry the berries in the oven at a temperature of about 70 degrees. You can also do this outdoors, of course, not in rainy weather. Rowan berries retain their healing properties for two years. In winter, they can be brewed as tea or ground in a coffee grinder and added as a seasoning to various dishes. In addition, jams are made from chokeberry, and very tasty marmalade is made from red chokeberry.
The mountain ash tree is unusually beautiful in autumn because of the bright red or red-orange berries. However, its fruits do not have a very pleasant bitter taste. But after the first frost, it disappears. Therefore, it is best to harvest the fruits of this tree in late October or early November. Bitterness in berries is caused by a special substance amygdalin. By the way, it will be said that it cannot be considered safe. In the stomach, it decomposes to hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, eating too many bitter rowan berries is not recommended.
Medicinal and decorative properties are not the only advantages of this wonderful tree. Rowan wood is made of very high quality. Its distinctive properties are hardness and elasticity. In ancient times, mainly spinning wheels and spindles were made from this wood. In addition, mountain ash can serve as a mother plant for other members of its family, for example, pears and quince.
One of the most interesting varieties of mountain ash is considered large-fruited (Sorbus domestica). It was bred in the Crimea by the Crimean Tatars. The fruits of this variety can be pear-shaped or round. At the same time, they reach a diameter of about 3.5 cm and a weight of 20 g. Their taste is simply wonderful. However, this variety requires shelter for the winter and is not nearly as unpretentious as the common varieties. In some regions, it is believed that the mountain ash is a widow's tree. If you cut it down, there will be a dead person in the house.
At the beginning of the 20th century, mountain ash was used to make tinctures on an industrial scale. They were made from fruits of an ignorant variety. However, the tincture was called "Nezhinskaya". Why its manufacturers chose this particular name is still unknown. It was believed that this was done in order to confuse competitors. There was also an opinion that such a name was given to the tincture because “unfeminine” sounds more pleasant than “ignorant”. By the way, it was in the village of Nevezhino, Vladimir Region, that they were first discovered with sweet fruits without bitterness. Subsequently, they spread throughout Russia.
You can see a beautiful photo of the mountain ash tree a little higher. In the people, its fruits are called berries. However, from a biological point of view, they are nothing more than apples. The presence of rare vitamin P in them puts mountain ash in one of the first places among all medicinal plants. It is his presence in the juice that explains the ability of the fruits of this tree to eliminate irritability, insomnia and general weakness of the body.
Well, we hope we have given a fairly detailed description of such an interesting tree as mountain ash. High decorative qualities and unpretentiousness make it more than expedient to use it as a decoration for courtyards of private houses and cottages, as well as city streets.
Tkacheva Marina
Help me figure out which of these plants are trees and which are shrubs: cherry, lilac, mountain ash, elderberry?
Sometimes, with apparent obviousness, it is not entirely clear whether some plants are attributed to a tree or shrub. Among them are elderberry, mountain ash, cherry, lilac.
The main difference between the tree form and the shrub form is the presence of one main trunk (at the tree), or several equivalent shoots (at the bush). Trees are much taller than shrubs and live longer. 150 and 30 years respectively. But, in some cases, these signs cannot give a clear understanding of what kind of plant is in front of us. The article contains information on this issue.
Plant height is from 2 to 15 m, the crown is dense, rounded. Mountain ash is usually referred to as tree forms, since in most cases it has a single trunk. Often it forks, but the crown characteristic of trees is preserved. In addition, the life expectancy of mountain ash in natural conditions is about 80 years. However, it can also be a shrub, it depends on the characteristics of the species or on the growing conditions. A number of types of mountain ash are traditionally considered trees:
Mountain ash - Ordinary.
- Intermediate.
- Large-fruited.
You can find mountain ash with several trunks, growing in the form of a tall woody shrub. But this is rather an exception. There are mountain ash, always forming a bush, these are:
- Mealy.
- Ken.
- Elderberry.
- Host.
rowan elderberry Cherry
The height of the plant varies greatly, some species reach 20 m, others develop as low-growing shrubs of only 0.5 m. The average life expectancy of bush cherries is 15-20 years. The cherry tree can live 25-35 years.
Sakura Woody types of cherries:
- Ordinary.
- Sakura or Japanese cherry.
- Black.
- Maksimovich.
- Sakhalin.
- Bird.
Cherry Kuril Bush cherries:
- glandular.
- Warty.
- Gray-haired.
- Kuril.
- Sandy.
- Steppe.
Elder
This plant is usually a highly branched shrub. Only in exceptional cases, or as a result of careful pruning and crown formation, does it grow like a tree. Height can be 1.5-5 m.
Elder Life expectancy is not more than 60 years. Canadian elderberry always forms a bush about 4 m tall. The elderberry grows in a bush, but sometimes it is able to form a single trunk, characteristic of a tree.
Attention! Elder grass is an unusual species of this plant genus. It is a tall grass with poisonous berries, often a weed. Can be used to repel rodents and harmful insects.
Lilac
Lilac belongs to the genus of shrubs. In nature, free-growing wild species always form several basal shoots, and not one trunk. But you can grow this plant in the form of a tree. To do this, it is specially formed into a standard form.
It is believed that as soon as the constant pruning stops, the plant again tends to develop primary branches coming from the root. Lilac is able to live up to 100 years of age, which is considered a very long time for shrubs.
Lilac Advice. The lilac formed on the trunk is unusually decorative. To obtain such a form, you will have to work for at least 4 years. A skilled gardener can leave the crown to grow naturally and picturesquely, or give it an architectural shape.
Summing up, it can be argued that through pruning and shaping, it is possible to grow a bush in the form of a standard tree. Or select several branching trunks from a tree, thereby turning it into a shrub. And sometimes in the wild, the difference between a shrub form and a tree is really minimal.
Flowering trees and shrubs: video
Since ancient times, mountain ash has been willingly grown on the territory of our country. Gardeners love this plant not only for its beauty during the period when the mountain ash blooms, but also for the usefulness and excellent taste of the berries. Rowan began to be used in ornamental gardening many years ago, so you can often find it in gardens and summer cottages.
Rowan is very attractive during the flowering period.
Plant characteristic
There are about a hundred varieties of this tree in the world. Only a third of them grow in our country. The most popular variety is the mountain ash. It grows in forests, in garden and summer cottages, even in the urban landscape. In nature, this tree does not form thickets. It grows alone in the undergrowth of coniferous and mixed forests, in clearings and edges. One of the advantages of this tree is that it is not at all afraid of frost, so the climate of our strip suits it.
Rowan is loved for its beneficial properties for the body. Jam is made from its fruits, jams are prepared. Its berries contain healthy oils that have a beneficial effect on digestion, improve the functioning of the digestive tract. It is useful for blood vessels, the heart, and also improves the condition of the skin, hair, for which women especially love it.
You can make delicious jam from rowan berries
flowering period
The most common variety - rowan ordinary - is easy to recognize from the description.
- The plant is medium-sized - from 5 m and above.
- It has a perfectly even trunk and smooth branches of a gray tint. Due to these qualities, the bark is used in the furniture industry.
- The leaves are beautiful oblong, elongated, green. This quality of mountain ash is used in landscape design.
- Mountain ash blooms with white small flowers, which are collected in large inflorescences, with a diameter of 4 to 7 cm. The flowers have a strong and unpleasant aroma, which is somewhat reminiscent of the smell of fish. Usually, the flowering period occurs at the end of May - beginning of June (the exact forecast depends on the weather ). The flowering period of the plant is approximately 1-2 weeks.
The advantage of mountain ash is that the tree calmly tolerates frosts down to -2 ° C.
Berries usually ripen in August or early September. This plant is great at any time of the year, but it is especially good in the fall.
Flowering of other varieties
Despite the fact that several varieties of this tree may grow in one region of the country, the approximate flowering time will be the same.
The flowering of the plant lasts from one to two, regardless of the type of tree. But if the weather brings surprises (it will be rainy or too hot and dry), then the fruits will be tied very poorly and for quite a long time, which will also affect the flowering period of this tree.
Blooming chokeberry variety
The flowers of chokeberry, or as it is commonly called, chokeberry, are collected in large inflorescences, the so-called umbrellas. Each of them usually has about twenty small flowers. By themselves, they are white in color and have a fragrant, pleasant aroma. Chokeberry blooms in the second half of May - early June. It lasts 12 - 16 days, depending on weather conditions. The fruits ripen in August - September.
Flowering dates in different regions of the country
This tree begins to bloom quite late, because the plant likes to have completely summer and hot weather by this time. It is clear that this depends on the location of the regions of our country. In the southern and central regions, warm weather sets in early to mid-May. And in areas located to the north, heat comes in the first decade of June. In most cases, the plant begins to bloom in mid or late May. This is the period of the first heat, when the spring frosts have already passed and are unlikely to happen again. At this time, lilac and bird cherry also bloom.
The plant blooms very beautifully - with large clusters of white flowers, with which the entire crown of the tree is strewn. Moreover, unlike the flowers of the same bird cherry, the flowers of mountain ash are hairy, because of this they look more impressive - lush and voluminous.
Depending on the variety, rowan flowers can vary, not only in size and color, but also in smell. Non-torn varieties have rather large flowers and a pleasant aroma. And others have a bitter almond smell or smell like fish. Some flowers are collected in shields or umbrellas, others - in panicles.
Rowan blossoms in large inflorescences
Plants growing in the Crimea and southwest Asia bloom for two weeks. The flowering period is the same as that of the common mountain ash (which grows in the central zone of Russia, the Far East, most of Siberia) - the end of May and the beginning of June. For about a week, rowan varieties that grow in Northern Europe bloom.
An interesting fact - the fruits of mountain ash are popularly called berries, but they are apples.
Rowan has long been a sacred tree. And it does not matter in which region the tree grew. It was used in rituals and rituals. With the help of fruits, leaves, tree bark, they treated the sick, exorcised spirits. Rowan beads were a talisman against evil spells. Until now, mountain ash is planted near the house, because it is a symbol of family happiness.
Rowan during germination, it brings the cotyledons to the surface. They live in most species from 50 to 80 days. Life expectancy is higher with high humidity. Rowan starts growing earlier than apple and pear, but blooms a week later. By the time of flowering, the shoots reach almost full size and soon after flowering they finish growing, which determines the high frost resistance of mountain ash. In the first year of life, seedlings develop slowly, and from the second or third year, intensive growth of shoots begins. Young trees often have pyramidal crowns, which change with age under the influence of the weight of fruits, foliage, and mutual shading of branches to round ones.
Most mountain ash is dominated by apical growth. The apical buds give rise to powerful shoots (up to 100-120 cm long), while the lower buds remain dormant, which determines the tiered crown. When forming the crown, the shoots must be shortened. The beginning of growth shoots is given by simple vegetative buds.
Inflorescences are formed from generative buds that form on fruit twigs-collets (twigs 1-3 long, sometimes up to 5 cm with ring-shaped traces of fallen petioles) and on spears (twigs up to 15 cm long with a generative bud at the top). Ringlets of mountain ash live five to seven years, in domestic - longer than in all other species (12-16 years).
In spring, a short shoot with three to four leaves develops from a generative mixed bud and then an inflorescence. The flowers are bisexual with a strong smell. The pistil matures first, and then the anthers, which is important for cross-pollination. Rowan blossoms up to twelve days.
Rowan ordinary is partially self-fertile, and all varieties of Nevezhinsky and Michurinsky mountain ash are self-sterile, but pollinate each other well.
Most species of mountain ash are characterized by a horizontally creeping type of root system - surface-anchor or surface-comb. Annual seedlings develop taproot and short lateral roots. The depth of their occurrence is from 5 to 30 cm. Lateral roots, branching, form many small (fibrous) roots. The diameter of the root system of young trees exceeds the diameter of the crown twice. In adult plants, the roots extend to the side by five to six meters, the diameter of the root system is 1.3 times larger than the diameter of the crown. The bulk of the overgrown fibrous roots is located at a depth of up to 40 cm. Almost all types of mountain ash form abundant root shoots. Increased undergrowth causes root damage during tillage. The life expectancy of mountain ash is about 60 years, but specimens are known that are older than 200 years. The duration of the growing season is 182-189 days.
Mountain ash are among the winter-hardy tree species. Even in particularly severe winters, when the temperature drops to minus 45°C, rowan and Nevezhinsky varieties are not damaged. Moravian rowan and bereka endure thirty-degree frosts. The least winter-hardy species is mountain ash.
Vegetation begins at relatively low temperatures, earlier than most fruit plants, but flowering stops when the average daily temperature reaches +15-16°C. The leaves of the mountain ash fall two weeks earlier than those of the apple tree, so by winter it has fully matured wood and buds, which determines its high winter hardiness. Tree roots are also highly frost-resistant.
Rowan ordinary grows better and bears fruit in well-lit, moderately humid places. Under the forest canopy, her productivity and life expectancy are reduced. The most demanding of light are aria and home. The best soils for mountain ash are chernozems and dark gray forest loamy soils.
Groundwater in areas where mountain ash is planted should lie no closer than one and a half meters from the soil level. And at the same time, young Nevezhinsky mountain ash without watering in dry years can die, and adults can drastically reduce the yield. Moisture is necessary for mountain ash in the spring, during the period of active growth of shoots, as well as during the period of fruit growth and the laying of branch buds for the next year's harvest. Seedlings are very demanding on water supply.
Reproduction, cultivation and care:
Mountain ash reproduces by seeds, and garden sweet-fruited varieties mainly by vegetative means (budding, grafting, root offspring or layering).
The seed method of propagation of mountain ash has become widespread. To obtain seedlings, stratification of seeds is necessary (from 3 to 6 months). If the seeds were formed in a wet and cool summer, their stratification period is short, and after a dry summer it is long. To obtain healthy seeds, the fruits are crushed and washed immediately. Wet, they are mixed with peat in a ratio of 1: 3 and placed in a box. During stratification, the peat is constantly moistened, making sure that it does not become very compacted. Stratification is carried out in the basement at a temperature of 1°C. As soon as five percent of the seeds have hatched, the box is placed in a glacier or under the snow, covered with a thick metal mesh from mice. A layer of snow 50-60 cm thick and a layer of sawdust (up to 15 cm) are poured on top.
In the spring, rowan seeds are sown on ridges prepared in the fall. The soil on the ridges should be light and abundantly fertilized with humus, phosphorus and potash fertilizers (respectively 100 and 50 g per 1 sq. M). Seeds are sown in grooves prepared 25 cm from one another to a depth of 2-3 cm (3-5 g of seeds are sown per 1 m of the groove). From above, the grooves are covered with humus soil. This prevents the formation of a crust, the seeds do not dry out and sprout together. After germination, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of at least 8 cm between them, otherwise they will stretch and fall down.
It is possible to sow rowan seeds without stratification at the end of August or in early September using the same technology. With later sowing, the seeds can give mass shoots not in the first, but in the second spring, as they do not have time to go through stratification.
Seedling care consists of weeding, loosening row spacings, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers. The first feeding is carried out when three to five true leaves appear with a solution of urea or ammonium nitrate (at a concentration of 0.1-0.2 percent), and after 25-30 days - a second, higher concentration. With good care, by the autumn of the first year of life, the seedlings have a well-developed root system and a stem with a thickness of at least 7-8 mm at the root collar.
The easiest way to propagate rowan shoots. Two-, three-year-old shoots with good care are ready for landing in a permanent place. The annual is first planted in the ridge for growing. The quality of planting material is greatly improved if the shoots are separated from the roots of the mother plant and transferred to their own roots. To do this, in early spring, at a distance of 20-25 cm from the shoots, a sharp shovel cuts the root coming from the mother plant and leaves the stem in place. In two years, it forms its own root system and can be transplanted to a permanent place.
To obtain layering, one- or two-year-old shoots are usually used. The soil around the mother mountain ash is abundantly fertilized with humus, dug up to a shallow depth, choosing weeds. Grooves 8-10 cm deep are made from the trunk, shoots are laid in them, strengthening it with wire or wooden hooks. For better rooting, you can slightly pull the growth with a thin wire at the place where it enters the groove, and cut the bark from below. The top of the overgrowth is tied to a vertical peg, the groove is covered with loose earth and watered abundantly. Watering is carried out regularly during the summer. At the same time, the layers are fed with a solution of urea (at a concentration of 0.2-0.3 percent). A year later, and if the roots are weak, then two years later, in early spring, the layers are cut off from the mother plant and left in place until autumn for better rooting. In autumn, it is planted in a permanent place.
For layering, you can also use the lower branches of the crown, but they take root worse than shoots. Cuttings also take root poorly, so rowan is not propagated by cuttings.
For reproduction of valuable forms of mountain ash, grafting (budding) is used. Rowan seedlings are taken as a stock, the bark of which is elastic, well separated during budding, ensuring a high survival rate of the eyes. For Nevezhinsky mountain ash, chokeberry serves as a dwarf stock. On it, these varieties grow less intensively than on mountain ash. In the third year after planting, the trees begin to bear fruit. Irga as a stock is less suitable because of the abundance of root shoots. The mountain ash is budded in the first half of August (earlier than the apple tree). The technology is the same as that of fruit trees.
Growing rowan seedlings has its own differences. First of all, in the spring of the year following budding, the stock is cut into a spike 15-18 cm high, on which all buds are removed. A shoot growing from a grafted bud is tied to it. The one-year-old scion grows, as a rule, above a meter. In the second spring after budding, a crown is formed. To do this, remove the upper part of the annual with close buds, as shoots grow from them, at an acute angle to the trunk. If the tree is not intended for growing in the alleys, it is formed low. The best type of crown for mountain ash is sparse-tiered, in which no more than three branches are laid in the first tier.
Considering that mountain ash starts growing early, it is better to plant it in the fall. To obtain good yields, the soil for planting them is prepared as for other fruit species, organic, phosphorus and potash fertilizers are applied under arable land. The feeding area for Nevezhinsky mountain ash is 6x4, 6x3 m. Pits are dug 80 wide, 50-60 cm deep. Two buckets of humus, 250 g of superphosphate and 100 g of potassium salt are brought to the bottom. All this is covered with a fertile layer of soil and trees are planted.
The budded plants are planted so that the root neck is four to five centimeters above the soil level (when the soil settles in the pit, it will be on the same level with it). Plants from cuttings or root offspring are planted in the soil four to five centimeters deeper than they grew in the school or near the mother plant.
Plantings are plentifully and regularly watered. After the first watering, the planting hole is mulched with humus, chopped straw. When planting for the winter, after watering, the plants are hilled (to a height of 25-30 cm) to prevent freezing of the roots. In autumn, while the plants are weak, their stems should be whitened to protect them from sunburn in the spring.
Planting care includes weeding, shallow loosening, an annual increase in the area of the fertilized near-stem circle by 0.3-0.4 m (in diameter). When the mountain ash enters fruiting, continuous tillage is carried out (in the entire width of the aisle), fertilizers in this case are also applied over the entire area. Every three to four years, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied.
Pruning when planting is reduced to shortening (by a third of the length) of all branches, removing a competitor of the continuation shoot (the continuation shoot is left 20-25 cm above the side branches). During the fruiting period, diseased and damaged branches are cut out, the crown is thinned out, rejuvenating pruning is done every four to five years, and the main branches are shortened.
To old trees that have stopped growing, they began to lose branches, reduced yields, apply a stronger rejuvenating pruning: they shorten the main branches by a third of their length, the axis of the main branches is continued by shoots grown from dormant buds, called "tops". At the same time, organic and complete mineral fertilizers are applied to the entire feeding area.
Pest and disease control:
Mountain ash is affected by mountain ash and rose aphids, hawthorn, ringed and unpaired silkworms, rowan leaf rollers, and sawflies. Measures to combat them are common, with the help of insecticides.
In addition, there are specific pests on the mountain ash. This is, first of all, a mountain ash moth or a dive that damages apple trees, a small butterfly with a wingspan of 11-12 mm, its front wings are grayish-brown with a silvery white strip along the posterior edge, interrupted by a dark spot in the middle. The hindwings are lighter, with a fringe. There are light hairs on the head. The fruits are damaged by caterpillars that penetrate from the calyx. Therefore, such fruits are difficult to distinguish from undamaged ones until caterpillars emerge from them, leaving behind round holes. After leaving the fruit, the caterpillars pupate in the surface layers of the soil under the rowan crown or in bark cracks on trunks and branches. Pupae overwinter in the ground under fallen leaves. In the spring, butterflies fly out of them. Their mass years occur at an average daily temperature of 10 ° C, and after seven to eight days, egg laying begins and sometimes continues until August. The female lays from 30 to 90, and sometimes 200 eggs. After 12-13, in hot weather - after 8-10 days, caterpillars hatch from the eggs, penetrating into the pulp of the fruit. They live in fruits from 25 to 40 days. Rowan moth gives one generation per year.
In pest control, agrotechnical, chemical and biological control measures are used. Agrotechnical measures include the collection and composting of fallen leaves in autumn, shallow digging of tree trunks in late autumn, and collection of carrion, since pupae sometimes overwinter in fallen rowan fruits. Chemical protection is used during the years of mass reproduction of moths. In late July - early August, the trees are sprayed with any of the available insecticides. The timing and number of treatments depends on the number of pests. It is advisable to spray after flowering and again - after 10-12 days.
From biological control measures, infection of rowan moth caterpillars with polyhedrosis and granulosis viruses is effective. Caterpillars that go into the soil for cocooning are eaten by predatory ground beetles.
Diseases most affect mountain ash in wet, rainy years. Many species are affected by brown leaf spot. The first signs of it appear already in late May - early June. Sometimes spotting also appears on the shoots in the form of slightly depressed dark brown spots with a pink rim. The disease causes premature leaf fall, reduced yield growth and reduced fruit quality. To combat brown spotting, spraying with a one percent solution of Bordeaux liquid or other fungicides is carried out at least three times per season.
Usage:
Residents of the northern regions use berries for food fresh, dried, soaked or pickled. From mountain ash, jam, jam and jelly, marshmallow and marmalade, compote, kvass and vinegar are prepared.
Jam from the fruits of mountain ash is prepared after they are fully ripe, often the bitterness from the fruits goes away after frost. The fruits are cleaned from the stalks, washed, blanched for 4-5 minutes at a temperature of 95-100°C, then poured with sugar syrup. For 1 kg of berries, take 1.5 kg of sugar, add 3 cups of water and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Berries insist in syrup for 6-8 hours. The cooking process is intermittent: after boiling, the container is removed from the heat, cooled, the foam is removed from the jam, heated again to a boil and cooled, and this is repeated four to five times. Chilled jam is poured into a colander, separating the berries from the syrup. The berries are placed in jars, and the syrup is boiled and the fruits placed in jars are poured hot.
To prepare compote, the fruits are poured with boiling water, insisted for an hour, the water is changed and the fruits are allowed to stand in water for about an hour to remove the astringency. Then the water is drained, the fruits are placed in jars, slightly compacted by shaking, poured with boiling syrup and sterilized for 15 minutes in a water bath at a temperature of 90°C. To prepare syrup, 1.5 kg of sugar is added to 1 liter of water.
Vegetables and fruits, layered with rowan leaves, are stored in cellars much longer.
