Viburnum — what useful properties does it have? 80 photos of berries

Shrubs or small trees of viburnum vulgaris are quite common in central Russia. The tree will decorate the infield. Its fruits have healing properties. In order for the viburnum to bear fruit and delight the owner with its appearance, you need to know how to properly care for it.

Summary of the article:

Currently, about 200 species of viburnum are known. Viburnum vulgaris is especially common. It belongs to deciduous trees of the Adaxaceae family. The umbellate and globular inflorescences may have light pink or white flowers. Blooming viburnum pleases the eye. The leaves grow in pairs, opposite. They are especially beautiful in autumn. The fruits of the plant are red berries, bitter in taste.

The tree lives on average up to 60 years. The height of the plant is 2-3 meters, it is less common to find specimens up to 5 m. Viburnum grows in a temperate climate zone.

Currently, gardeners are happy to plant it together with other fruit trees. Look at the photo, how viburnum looks growing separately and together with other fruit trees.

Basic landing rules

Growing viburnum does not require any special approach, it takes root well. He likes peat, sandy or podzolic types of soils more. You can plant viburnum in autumn and spring. The soil needs to be dug up, removing all the weeds.

During spring planting, you should prepare a pit measuring 40x50 cm, about 50 cm deep. In the case of planting several bushes, the indentation from the pits should be at least 2.5 m. Three-year-old seedlings will take root better.

In each hole we pour a mixture of this composition:

soil from the topsoil;
humus;
fertilizer.

As a fertilizer, you can take Nitrofoska in the amount of 2 cups, mix with a bucket of humus and soil. We put 2/3 of this mixture in the pit. Pour out 4 buckets of water and leave for about a week. At the end of the term , we fill the pit with the rest of the soil mixture with a slide of about 10 cm . We straighten the roots of a young plant, compact the soil around it.

The seedling should be well watered and mulched with compost, peat or humus. The root neck should be 5 cm underground. Autumn planting is carried out according to the same rules. It is better to do this before the onset of frost.

Plant care

The plantings need care. This is tillage, fertilization. It is also necessary to protect viburnum from pests and diseases.

In the first spring months, you need to loosen the ground near the trunk. To destroy the remaining pests after winter, it is necessary to treat viburnum bushes with fungicides. It is important to do this before the kidneys open, otherwise a burn may occur.

You can feed the tree with a 7% urea solution. In May, top dressing is carried out with potash fertilizer. After flowering, a complex fertilizer is applied.

If pests appear, then they need to be destroyed. You can do this with environmentally friendly infusions. Tobacco, potato tops, onion or garlic husks are used for their preparation.

It is necessary to water the viburnum regularly, especially in hot and dry weather. One bush requires about 3 buckets of water. Young seedlings require less moisture. Watering the viburnum is better in the evening. Soil loosening and weed control are also carried out.

For preventive pest control in autumn, liquid top dressing is introduced into the soil. It is necessary to dissolve 30 g of potassium sulfate and 30 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water.

How to prune a plant

The tree is cut in spring or autumn. In spring, it is better to do this before the juice starts moving. First you should think about how exactly you want to trim the viburnum, in the form of a tree or a bush?

In the beginning, we do sanitary pruning, and then forming. For the tree, you need to leave one branch growing upwards. At the bottom of the stem, the buds are removed. Within two years, the trunk is removed. When its height becomes about 1.5 m, the growth point is pinched. In the following years, the tree will begin to branch.

The root growth is constantly removed so that a shrub does not form. If you decide to grow viburnum in the form of a bush, then pruning is still necessary. Too thick crown is not convenient when removing fruits. Their quality will deteriorate over time.

Just like on other trees, you need to remove bushes that grow inside, or intertwine with each other. For rejuvenation, old branches are cut off 1/3 per year.

In autumn, sanitary pruning of viburnum is performed. It is necessary to remove dry, broken, diseased branches. If the cut is thick, then it needs to be treated with a garden brew. The pruning procedure is carried out in windless dry weather.

Types of reproduction

Reproduction of viburnum is carried out by seeds or vegetative method. The latter includes cuttings, layering, basal processes.

With seed propagation, it takes a long time to wait for the result, since germination lasts 2 years. The seeds are collected and put into wet sawdust and stored for about 2 months. When germination begins, the seeds are moved to a cool place. After a month, they are planted in boxes to a depth of 3-4 cm. In the spring, seedlings are planted outside.

The easiest way is vertical layering. Autumn branches of plants are cut off, leaving 2-4 buds, the stem is hoed. In the spring, repeated hoeing is performed.

At a height of shoots of about 20 cm, they need to be excavated and tied at the base with copper wire, spud 1/3. After two weeks, the young plant should be spudded again. In autumn, such shoots are transplanted into the open ground.

When propagating by cuttings, they take the middle of a shoot 10-12 cm long with several nodes. The lower cut is made obliquely. It needs to be treated with Kornevin or other suitable means. After that, the cuttings are planted in a substrate of peat and sand in an inclined form to a depth of 2 cm.

If there are several cuttings, then the distance between them should be about 5 cm. Close the cuttings with a glass container and keep at a temperature of 27-30 ° C. Several times a day, they should be moistened with water using a spray gun. In a month they should take root. The container is removed first for a short time, and then left without it. In the spring, the cuttings are hardened and planted in the open ground.

Horizontal layering can propagate a three-year-old plant. In the spring, a shoot with several buds is left. After a year, it is shortened by 1/5 of the part and pinned to the ground with hooks.

Shoots should form from the kidneys. When they grow about 10 cm, they are covered with earth. Only the tops remain on the surface. Over the summer, they are hoed 2-3 times. In autumn, the twigs are separated from the main bush and transplanted to the right place.

Application of viburnum

Viburnum berries have useful properties. Their taste is not very attractive, but the pulp contains a large amount of vitamins. They treat the kidneys, heart, stomach and other organs. Viburnum fruits help boost immunity.

Infusions and decoctions of berries are useful. They are used to treat skin diseases. The leaves and shoots of the plant also have healing power. Viburnum is used in the food and cosmetic industry. It is recommended to harvest after the first frost.

For some people, it is contraindicated as an allergen. Pregnant women and people with low blood pressure are not recommended to eat the berries of this plant. There are other limitations. Therefore, a doctor's consultation is needed before use.