Cowberry garden: planting and care

In the minds of most people, lingonberries are associated with taiga forests and forest-tundra spaces, which are covered with fields of beautiful and healing berries. But it turns out that there is also a garden lingonberry, which is quite capable of settling in a personal plot and becoming its decoration, while bringing health benefits.

Brief description of cranberries

Lingonberries were widely used by distant ancestors. No wonder its name comes from the Old Slavonic word “brusvyany”, which means red and hints at the bright colors of its berries.

Lingonberry is an evergreen shrub, reaching a height of no more than 30 cm. Evergreen dark shiny oval-shaped leaves up to 2-3 cm long are its main decoration in the cold season. From below on the leaves you can see the resinous glands in the form of black dots. In late spring, small bell-shaped flowers of a pale pink hue appear at the ends of last year’s stems. They are not strong, but they smell nice.

Cowberry roots, rhizomes and underground shoots are located underground, with the help of which plants can conquer additional living spaces. The system of rhizome and underground shoots is located in the upper layer of the earth, no deeper than 15-20 cm.

The seeds are small, reddish-brown in color and have the shape of a crescent.

What type of fruit is lingonberry

The fruits of lingonberries are round, shiny red berries. That is, from a botanical point of view, these are multi-seeded fruits, which consist of a fleshy pericarp and a thin upper layer (skin). They can reach 8-10 mm in diameter, and about 0,5 g of weight.

The taste of cranberries is tart, sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness. In nature, the fruits ripen from mid-August to the end of September. They can hibernate under the snow and crumble at the slightest touch in the spring.

One berry contains from 5 to 30 seeds.

Cowberry yield per season

In the wild, the yield of lingonberries is negligible – only about 100 g of berries can be harvested from one square meter.

Even when wild shrubs are transferred to cultural conditions, their yield can increase several times. The first forms of garden cranberries were already capable of producing 700-800 g of berries per square meter of land. But over time, it turned out that some varieties of garden lingonberries can bear fruit twice a season, and thereby increase the total yield per season up to 2 kg / sq. m.

Compliance with the features of planting and caring for lingonberries, described in the article, will allow you to get even more than 2 kg of berries from 1 sq. m.

Is it possible to grow lingonberries in the garden

It was a significant increase in yield when trying to grow lingonberries in culture that forced breeders to come to grips with the breeding of its garden forms.

Back in the middle of the last century, Swedish, German, Dutch and American breeders took up this process almost simultaneously. At the moment, there are already more than 20 varieties of garden lingonberries, which differ not only in significant yields, but also in the larger size of the berries and the height of the cultivated bushes.

At the same time, the requirements for planting and care for wild and garden lingonberries are almost identical.

1. Lingonberries can grow well and bear fruit only on acidic and well-drained soils with a minimum organic content.
2. Moisture conditions in the root zone should correspond to the “golden mean”. If it is too dry, especially at high air temperatures, lingonberry bushes will die. On the other hand, with constant waterlogging of the soil, they will also die, primarily from a lack of oxygen exchange in the soil.
3. Garden lingonberries adapt quite easily to any air temperature. But in conditions of extreme heat, she will need more plentiful and regular watering, and the berries may still shrink.
4. Morozov is not afraid of either garden or wild lingonberries; it endures up to -40 ° C in winter. The only thing is that its flowers can suffer from frosts in late spring or early autumn (they cannot stand temperatures below -4 ° C).
5. Lingonberries love good lighting, and in partial shade conditions, the yield will decrease, and the berries will shrink.
6. In no case should bushes of garden lingonberries be overfed – in natural conditions they grow on very poor soil.

Varieties of garden cranberries

As mentioned earlier, foreign breeders have been especially active in breeding forms of garden lingonberries in the last 50-70 years. But in Our Country, in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, three varieties of garden lingonberries are currently registered:

• Kostroma pink;
• Ruby;
• Kostromichka.

Although these varieties are inferior to imported ones in yield, height of bushes and size of berries, they take root and feel themselves in conditions, according to gardeners, sometimes better than their foreign counterparts.

Description of lingonberries Belyavskoe fleece

A variety of garden lingonberries was bred by Polish breeders in 1996. It forms low, but compact and dense spherical bushes, which are 20-25 cm in height and width. It differs in early ripening: from mid-August to early September. The berries are quite large, oval in shape, ranging in size from 9,5 to 11 mm. They have a sour but mild taste.

The variety is also distinguished by self-fertility and high yield (up to 300-350 g per bush). Tolerates frost well.

Judging by the reviews, the Belyavskoe runo lingonberry variety is in demand among gardeners, primarily due to its frost resistance, high yield and attractive taste.

Coral

This variety, originally from the Netherlands, is considered the very first garden form of lingonberry obtained in culture. It was registered back in 1969. Despite its rather advanced age, Coral is still popular due to its high yield and decorative effect.

Its berries are not the largest (up to 0,9 cm in diameter), but a lot of them ripen. In addition, the bushes are remontant, that is, they can bring 2 crops per year. The first harvest is small, it ripens in late July or early August. The second harvest produces the most berries in late September or early October. In total, from one bush you can get up to 400 g or more berries per season.

The bushes are distinguished by erect shoots more than 30 cm long. Child rosettes are weakly formed.

Red Pearl

Another Dutch variety of garden lingonberries, registered already in 1981. The berries are large, up to 12 mm in length. And the bushes themselves, and the leaves are relatively large in size. It is also capable of producing two crops per season, but yields are slightly lower than those of Coral.

Sanna

This variety of garden lingonberry was bred in Sweden, in the province of Småland in 1988. Its distinctive feature is the intensive formation of daughter rosettes on underground shoots. Due to this, soon after planting one plant in the garden, a whole carpet of lingonberries can form. The berries are quite large, rounded, reach 0,4 g by weight, ripen in mid-August. From one bush you can get 300-400 g of lingonberries. It is the most productive Swedish garden variety.

Kostroma pink

This variety of garden lingonberries is characterized by the largest berries. Their diameter reaches 10 mm, and the mass of some reaches 1,2 g.

The bushes are small in height – up to 15 cm. It is distinguished by self-fertility and early ripeness, it ripens in mid-August. The yield of lingonberries varies depending on growing conditions from 800 g to 2,6 kg per square meter.

Ruby

Considered the most promising lingonberry variety of garden selection, it is able to bear fruit twice a year. True, in the conditions of the Kostroma region, this is not always possible due to early autumn frosts. It was obtained, like all other lingonberry varieties, in 1995. The berries are medium in size, reaching 0,6 g. The yield, therefore, is up to 2,9 kg / sq. m. per season. The bushes are low – up to 18-20 cm.

Underground shoots are actively formed by children, so the variety can be used as a ground cover plant. Ruby is classified as a self-fertile variety, therefore, it requires the mandatory presence of insects (bumblebees) on the site.

Kostromichka

The variety of garden cranberries Kostromichka is also distinguished by low bushes. Its advantage is early ripeness, the berries ripen in the first half of August. They differ in average size (diameter about 8 mm, weight – about 0,3-0,5 g). However, the yield can be up to 2,4 kg/sq. m.

Varieties of garden lingonberries for the Moscow region

In the conditions of the Moscow region, almost any variety of garden cranberries should have enough heat and light to not only grow well and bear fruit, but also produce two crops per season, if it has potential data for this.

In addition to those described above, in the Moscow region, you can plant the following varieties of garden lingonberries:

1. erythkrone, a variety from Germany that is capable of producing two harvests per season.
2. Eritzegen, also a German variety, characterized by especially large (more than 1 cm) and sweet-tasting berries.
3. Ammerland, another German variety of lingonberry garden, forming high spherical single bushes, 30 cm in diameter. It is distinguished by a rather high yield (up to 300 g per bush) and double fruiting.

Other well-known varieties do not differ in such high yields, but can be quite used for decorative purposes.

How garden lingonberries reproduce

Lingonberries can fairly easily reproduce generatively (by seeds) and vegetatively (by green and lignified cuttings, underground rhizomes and children).

seed method

Under natural conditions, young lingonberry plants hatched from seeds appear around June-July. At home, sprouts can begin to develop in the spring.

In general, seed propagation allows you to get a considerable number of seedlings ready for planting almost free of charge, especially since lingonberry seedlings are very expensive (about 500 rubles with a closed root system). In addition, plants that are stronger and more adapted to specific growing conditions are usually obtained from seeds.

But this method of reproduction also has disadvantages:

1. Fruiting of bushes grown from seeds can be expected for at least 4-5 years.
2. This occupation is quite laborious and the first two years the seedlings require constant attention and may die due to any oversight.
3. Plants obtained from seeds do not retain the characteristics of their variety, so anything can grow from them.

Propagation of lingonberries by cuttings

Both green and lignified cuttings of garden cranberries are suitable for propagation.

Green cuttings are usually harvested in mid-July, while lignified – at the end of March, in April – during the swelling of the kidneys.

After cutting and before planting, they can be stored in moist sphagnum at a temperature of 0 to + 5 ° C.

It is best to root cuttings in greenhouse conditions in loose and acidic peat-sandy soil. The length of the cuttings should be from 5 to 8 cm.

The lower leaves are cut off, leaving only the upper 2-3 buds, which are located above the soil surface. The rest of the cutting, previously treated with Kornevin or another stimulant, is placed in the ground.

From above, the cuttings should be covered with a film on arcs and additionally insulated with non-woven material if the weather is cold.

Roots may appear as early as 3-4 weeks, but final rooting occurs within a few months. During the entire time, the soil must be kept moist, and the plants should be sprayed periodically. By autumn, the bed with cuttings is covered with a layer of mulch and again insulated with covering material.

The next year, in the spring, rooted cuttings can be transplanted into pots or onto a special bed for growing.

Depending on the conditions of care, the rooting rate of such cuttings can be from 50 to 85%. The first fruits on them may appear in 2-3 years.

Since the cuttings can be cut quite a lot, and the resulting bushes retain all the properties of the mother plants, this method of propagation is more popular among gardeners.

Reproduction by rhizomes

In the same way, cuttings can be cut in early spring from underground shoots or rhizomes of garden lingonberries. They are cut 10-15 cm long so that each has at least one bud or shoot germ. Plant cuttings to a depth of about 10 cm in loose and acidic soil. The rest of the care for the resulting bushes is the same as described above. The percentage of rooting is usually around 70-80%.

Reproduction by layers

Since some varieties of garden lingonberries have an increased ability to form babies, this is often used to propagate bushes. From one plant you can get up to 10 layers. You can also separate the children in early spring or autumn. In the first case, they are traditionally planted on a seedbed, and by autumn, full-fledged plants are formed from them. During the autumn separation, the children are seated in pots and left to winter in a frost-free room. The survival rate of seedlings with this method of propagation is usually 85-100%.

Therefore, reproduction by layering is the most reliable way to propagate lingonberries. That’s just to get a lot of seedlings in this way will not work.

Growing lingonberries from seeds at home

If a decision is made to grow lingonberries from seeds, then it is easiest and most reliable to do this at home.

Recommended sowing dates

Cowberry seeds are able to actively germinate only after stratification. Since stratification usually takes 4 months, it must be started in advance, in November-December. At this time, the seeds selected from the fruits are washed and mixed with wet sand. A container with seeds is placed in a refrigerator or other cold place, where the temperature is constantly maintained at about + 4 ° C.

Sowing begins after four months, that is, approximately in March or April.

Soil and tank preparation

For sowing garden crops, you can use any plastic or ceramic containers. Their volume depends on the number of seeds sown. Usually use half-liter or larger containers.

The ideal composition for germinating lingonberry seeds:

• 3 parts sphagnum peat;
• 2 parts sand;
• 1 part perlite.

Drainage (expanded clay, fine gravel) is usually placed at the bottom of the containers with a layer of about 1 cm, then the prepared soil is poured and spilled with snow or rain water to compact it.

How to plant lingonberries

The most important feature of lingonberry seed propagation is that its seeds germinate only in the light. Therefore, in no case should they be sprinkled with soil on top.

1. Usually, grooves are made in the prepared and slightly compacted soil mixture, several millimeters deep.
2. Cowberry seeds are poured into the grooves.
3. The container is covered with polyethylene on top and placed in a well-lit place with a temperature of about + 20 ° C.
4. The film is periodically lifted to ventilate and check the soil moisture.
5. If necessary, the soil is moistened.
6. On the 12-15th day, the first shoots may appear, but the appearance of the rest may well stretch for 4 weeks.
7. A month later, the film can be finally removed.

Rules for growing lingonberries at home

When lingonberry seedlings form 4-5 leaves, it is advisable to pick it up in boxes, keeping a distance of 5 cm relative to each other.

In the first months, young lingonberry plants need a lot of light and relatively little heat. They should not be placed in too warm a room. The ideal temperature will be from + 15 ° С to + 20 ° С.

Humidity should also be moderate, but it is not advisable to let the soil dry out.

Already in the first season, they can begin to branch. It is best to keep young lingonberry plants for the entire first year of life in a box at home, without planting them in open ground. And only for the second season, seedlings can be carefully transplanted into a seed bed prepared in advance. Or you can plant them in separate containers that will overwinter in a greenhouse.

Only in the third year of life, lingonberry seedlings are recommended to be planted in a permanent place of growth.

Planting and caring for lingonberries in the open field

In order for garden lingonberries to please not only with good growth, but also with abundant harvests, it is necessary to pay attention to all its care requirements. Moreover, the plant does not differ in particular capriciousness. There are only basic nuances that must be taken into account when communicating with this culture.

Recommended landing dates

You can plant lingonberry bushes in spring and autumn. But planting lingonberries in the fall carries the risk that plants that are not sufficiently prepared for winter may simply die. Therefore, in the autumn period, usually only fully grown seedlings are planted, preferably with a closed root system, without violating the integrity of the earthen coma.

Most gardeners recommend planting a berry in the spring. Depending on the weather conditions of the region, this can be done from mid to late April, or in May.

Site selection and preparation of soil

When choosing a suitable place for laying lingonberries, it is necessary, first of all, to take into account its illumination. Indeed, when shading, the bushes increase the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbgrowth and leaf mass, but the yield inevitably decreases.

The terrain should be as even and horizontal as possible. So that lingonberries are not planted in depressions where water can stagnate. On the other hand, a source for irrigation should also be located nearby in order to continuously supply the bushes with the necessary moisture.

Wind protection required. You can use the walls of buildings or rows of planted trees for these purposes.

Garden lingonberries are not so picky about the choice of soils, they can grow even on almost bare rocks. The most important thing for her is good drainage, which provides a constant flow of oxygen to the roots and an acidic reaction of the soil environment. Therefore, she will feel bad on chernozems and heavy loams. Sandy soils are best suited for growing lingonberries in the garden.

If garden lingonberries are supposed to be grown in fairly large volumes, then the soil for it must be plowed up and completely rid of the rhizomes of perennial weeds. It is best to do this a year before planting. On heavy soils, a significant amount of sand will need to be added. But lingonberries will grow well only if the acidity of the soil does not exceed 4-5.

The easiest way is for those who plant lingonberries will take only a few square meters. In this case, garden lingonberries can be grown on any soil, creating special soil for it.

1. To do this, in a fenced area, the top layer of soil with a thickness of about 25 cm is removed and all weed rhizomes are mechanically removed.
2. Then the vacated territory is covered with a mixture of high-moor peat, sand, coniferous litter, sawdust and part of the forest floor from coniferous forest.
3. Then the surface of the resulting soil is sprinkled with sulfur, in an amount of about 50 g per 1 sq. m.
4. Finally, the soil is compacted and a layer of sand about 4-5 cm thick is poured on top.
5. The prepared area is watered with acidified water, based on the calculation – per 1 sq. m. of land use 10 liters of liquid.

If you wish, you can also make a set of mineral fertilizers in the amount of:

• 20 g of saltpeter;
• 40 g double superphosphate;
• 20 g of potassium sulfate per 1 sq. m.

When planting garden lingonberries, organic fertilizers (manure, humus, compost) and those that contain chlorine should not be used.

How to plant lingonberries in the country

The density of placement of lingonberry seedlings on the prepared site is determined, first of all, by the varietal characteristics of plants. Varieties prone to the formation of children should be planted a little more spacious.

On average, the distance between bushes in a row should be left equal to 25-30 cm, and between rows – 30-40 cm.

Plants are planted, slightly deepening them (by 1-1,5 cm) into the ground, compared to how they grew in the previous place. The site is immediately watered and mulched with a layer of sawdust, pine bark, nutshell or sand, 3-5 cm high.

In the first two weeks after planting lingonberries in their summer cottage, watering should be regular (daily if there is no rain).

Cultivation of lingonberries in the garden

Watering is a very important procedure for caring for growing garden lingonberries. It is desirable to carry out drip irrigation so that in dry and hot weather, watering is carried out at least twice a week. For 1 sq. m. it is necessary to spend about 10 liters of water.

Watering with acidified water can be carried out several times a season to maintain the required level of acidity in the soil. To do this, it is best to use a battery electrolyte solution (10 ml of solution per 50 liters of water).

As for top dressing, it makes sense to apply fertilizers for the first time only in the second year after planting lingonberries in the ground. And here the main rule should apply – it is better to underfeed than to overdo it in this direction.

Of the fertilizers, sulfate forms are most suitable; you can also use superphosphate in the amount of 5 g per 1 sq. m.

The next top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer is carried out only when the lingonberries begin to bear fruit abundantly.

Weed control is very important when caring for lingonberries. In addition to their mechanical removal and periodic loosening of the soil, it is important to constantly maintain the required thickness of the mulch layer around the lingonberry bushes (from 3-4 cm). It serves both as a maintenance of the required level of humidity, and for protection against frost in winter, for weed control and for additional plant nutrition.

On purely peaty soils, it is best to mulch plantings with sand. In other cases, help:

• sawdust;
• coniferous litter;
• crushed bark;
• shavings;
• gravel;
• nutshell;
• crushed straw.

In the Moscow region, planting and caring for lingonberries are completely standard. But special attention should be paid to the danger of frost in late spring and early autumn. Because of them, ovaries and flowers can be damaged and, accordingly, part of the crop is lost.

To protect the bushes, they can be covered with various insulating materials: spunbond, spruce branches, straw, film. Or use smoke bombs on the eve of frost.

In order not to reduce the productivity of garden lingonberry bushes, they need pruning and thinning, starting from about 6-8 years of age.

Anti-aging pruning is carried out by cutting off the tops of the bushes in early spring (before the juices begin to move) and leaving about 5-7 leaves at a height of 5-6 cm. After pruning, lingonberries should be fed with complex fertilizer in small doses. Fruiting after pruning will resume only the next year, but after a few years, it may even surpass previous yields.

For gentle pruning, only about 1/3 of the branches are cut from the middle of the bushes, or only 1/3 of the bush is cut in height.

Since many of the varieties of garden lingonberries are self-fertile, it is necessary to actively attract and protect pollinating insects: bees and bumblebees.

Diseases of garden cranberries

Cowberry garden is rarely damaged by pests or diseases. From insects, leafworms and heather leaf beetle can annoy her. For preventive purposes, it is necessary to treat the plants with an insecticide, for example, phytoverm, in early spring.

Of the diseases, rust and late blight can occur. Preventive treatments with phytosporin, alirin and hamair can help.

Conclusion

Cowberry garden is a plant known since ancient times, but relatively new for cultivation under cultural conditions, which, nevertheless, can successfully fit in and decorate the appearance of any personal plot.

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