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Among gardeners, shrubs of the Barberry family are becoming increasingly popular for their unpretentiousness to environmental conditions and a valuable decorative look. Barberry Thunberg Red Rocket is of particular interest even to beginner gardeners for its unusual color and narrow, strict shape.
Description Red Rocket barberry
The thorny deciduous barberry shrub of the Thunberg Red Rocket variety can be seen in any region. This is facilitated by its resistance to different climatic conditions. The description of the Red Rocket barberry allows you to find out what an adult shrub will look like 7-8 years after planting, and the image in the photo will not confuse it with other varieties:
- an adult bush is tall and reaches a height of about 2 m;
- the crown is not sprawling, erect, its width ranges from 0,6 to 1 m;
- the branches are long and thin, densely covered with foliage, growing vertically upwards, giving the whole plant a columnar shape;
- the leaves are rounded, slightly elongated, in summer they have a rich dark red color, in autumn they lighten a little and look light red;
- the flowers are small, bright yellow, collected in small brushes, bloom in May, with abundant flowering they emit a sweetish aroma that attracts bees;
- the berries ripen at the end of September, have an oblong shape and bright red color, due to the high content of alkaloids they have a bitter taste, so they are not eaten;
- spines numerous, elastic, up to 1 cm long;
- the annual growth averages about 15 cm.
Shrub barberry Red Rocket grows well in a sunlit area. It can also be planted in partial shade, but with a strong lack of sun, the leaves turn green and lose their decorative appeal.
Shrubs feel confident on slopes and hills, where there is no stagnation of groundwater. Thanks to the developed root system, this variety of barberry is planted to strengthen slopes and banks.
Barberry Red Rocket in landscape design
Barberry Red Rocket found the main application in landscape design. Purple bushes in combination with other varieties of yellow and light green barberries, as well as the contrast of their yellow flowers against the background of red foliage, allow you to create a picturesque composition that attracts all attention.
Good adaptation in urban conditions and the columnar shape of the bushes make it possible to create a dark red barberry hedge both in a free-growing style and in a sheared form.
Landscape designers plant Red Rocket barberry bushes when creating alpine slides, decorating mixborders. Single plantings in pots can be relocated at will. The photo clearly shows that the Red Rocket thunberg barberry is an element of a garden composition that allows designers to show their imagination to the maximum.
Planting and caring for Red Rocket barberry
The main conditions for lush and prosperous growth are the location (it must be sunny) and the composition of the soil – preferably without stagnant water with neutral acidity. Otherwise, caring for barberry includes all the procedures necessary for shrubs:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- pruning;
- loosening;
- pest prevention;
- winter preparation.
Seedling and planting preparation
When buying Red Rocket barberry seedlings in a specialized store, special attention should be paid to the condition of the roots and leaves – they must be healthy. Before planting in the ground, it is recommended to lower the roots for several hours in a bucket of water.
Seedlings bought in a container are carefully removed along with the ground and lightly watered so that the ground and roots are moist when planted.
The selected site is dug up before planting to enrich the land with oxygen and remove weeds. If the acidity is very high, then it is necessary to add a solution of lime or wood ash during digging.
Rules of landing
When planting alone, it is recommended to place the bushes at a distance of about 1,5 m from each other. Planting a dense hedge will require 4 barberries per 1 lin. m. In the free-growing version of the bushes, when planting a hedge between seedlings, there should be at least 0,5 m.
Landing is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Dig a hole corresponding to the root system of the seedling (most likely it will be 0,5×0,5×0,5 m in size).
- Lay drainage with a height of 15 to 20 cm.
- Half fill with a fertile mixture in the composition: earth from the site, humus, sand in approximately the same proportions.
- Put the seedling in the center.
- Top up the earth to the level of the site, lightly tamp.
- Pour water.
Mulching with tree bark, dry foliage, small decorative stone near the trunk circle will allow the earth to hold moisture longer and not dry out in hot weather. To plant a hedge, they dig a trench where all the seedlings are placed.
Watering and top dressing
The watering regimen of the Red Rocket barberry depends on the climatic conditions of the place where it grows. This type of shrub is drought-resistant and does not like waterlogging. If the summer is rainy, then the barberry does not need to be watered, natural moisture will be enough. In dry weather, do 1 watering per week. A bucket of water is poured onto the bush.
If the Thunberg barberry Red Rocket is planted according to the rules in a fertile mixture, then the first top dressing is carried out for 2 years and beyond, nitrogen fertilizers are applied 1 time in 3-4 years. Complex fertilizers are applied before each flowering.
Trimming
Young bushes planted for free growth are subjected to 2 types of pruning: rejuvenating and sanitary.
Sanitary pruning is done every spring after the snow melts, before the leaves begin to open. Remove frozen, dry and diseased shoots.
A rejuvenating haircut is needed when the Red Rocket barberry is 7-8 years old. It is carried out in the fall, removing old branches growing near the ground, removing some of the young stems in the crown.
There is another type of trimming – molding. It is used when growing a hedge or to give a bush a certain shape. Such pruning is done a couple of years after planting the seedling, when the barberry has faded.
Preparation for winter
The unpretentiousness in the care of the Thunberg Red Rocket barberry variety also includes its winter hardiness. The territory of Our Country has different climatic conditions. This must be taken into account when growing barberries. If the winters are not very frosty and snowy, then there is no need to cover the bushes, only very young ones – 2-3 years old.
When severe frost is expected, and little snow has fallen, then in order to preserve the plant, it is better to cover it for the winter with spruce branches, peat or straw.
Reproduction
There are different ways to propagate the Red Rocket barberry. Not all of them can be successfully used in the garden. But a novice gardener should know about them. You can propagate this variety:
- cuttings;
- layering;
- division of the bush;
- seeds.
Layers and cuttings are most often used, since with this method of reproduction, the varietal qualities of the barberry are preserved. Cuttings can be carried out at any time of the year, except for winter. Summer cuttings are considered the best among gardeners. They are green in color and take root faster.
The method of dividing the bush is applied to young plantings, which are easy to dig out without much damage to the roots. But the probability of survival of a young shrub is not always 100%.
Reproduction by seeds is also possible with proper seed preparation. Seeds can be planted in autumn or spring after 3 months of stratification. This method requires a long time (about 2 years), has poor germination and does not retain the qualities that make this Red Rocket variety grow well enough.
Diseases and pests
Resistance against fungal diseases and pests in Red Rocket barberry is high. However, you should be aware that there are diseases that develop only on bushes of the Barberry family. Also, in case of weakened immunity, even these resistant varieties can get some types of fungal diseases.
Powdery mildew, leaf spot, wilting and drying of shoots, bacteriosis are caused by various pathogenic fungi, against which it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying with special copper- and sulfur-containing fungicides before flowering. If the disease has just appeared, then it should be dealt with immediately. Otherwise, premature leaf fall will begin.
The insect, the barberry aphid, causes the leaves to dry out and shrivele. Against it, the bush can be sprayed with a solution of laundry soap or tobacco. The flower moth, which eats the fruits, is considered dangerous. To combat the caterpillar, the bush is treated with chlorophos or appropriate insecticides.
Conclusion
Barberry Thunberg Red Rocket is a successful result of the work of breeders. Having many advantages, this variety is practically devoid of shortcomings and gratefully responds to the care of it. You can grow this barberry in order to admire the unusual color of foliage in almost any region.