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Lingonberry, as a forest fruit shrub, is known to every inhabitant of our country. And how about growing a crop like lingonberries in the garden? With the light hand of enterprising Swedes, garden lingonberries are effectively grown not only by amateurs in their own gardens, but even on an industrial scale.
Varieties of berries
With due desire, the reproduction of lingonberries of any variety you like is available to any city dweller: you can sow seeds obtained from frozen berries from the nearest supermarket. Such seed has already survived stratification, so seedlings should appear without problems. But this option is only suitable for seedlings – lingonberries are distinguished by a powerful, horizontally located root system, prone to constant renewal. As a result, common lingonberries growing in natural conditions can live for about 100 years. So, as a pot culture, such a bush is hardly suitable, but for a garden plot – that’s it.
In summer cottages (even within the Moscow region), cultivated varieties are effectively grown, which compare favorably with their wild relatives in yield and fruit size, as well as the fact that such bushes will need some care. Let’s take a closer look at the description of each common variety:
- Variety Coral – a variety of large-fruited lingonberries. This variety is extremely loved by gardeners for its productivity. Coral is able to produce twice a year. Coral acquires its most attractive appearance in July, when both flowers and berries are present on the bushes. The fruits of the Coral variety have a characteristic sweet and sour taste, with a slight bitterness;
- variety Mazovia – this culture was bred from a wild form. The bushes are undersized, very decorative, but, unfortunately, not very productive, but very tasty, and they also do not require special care;
- Rubin variety – plants of this variety are characterized by increased frost resistance. Even a 30-degree frost, in the presence of snow cover, does not bother the bushes. Such lingonberries do not require additional care, and they can bear fruit twice a season.
Video “Features”
From the video you will learn about the features of lingonberries.
Useful Properties
Why do you think lingonberry sauce creates the best flavor combinations with meat dishes? The answer is simple. Lingonberry sourness not only perfectly sets off the rich taste of meat, but also helps it to be fully absorbed without overloading the digestive system.
This berry well increases appetite, has antiseptic properties, protects the gastrointestinal tract from toxins. In addition, berries or a decoction of leaves have a beneficial effect on the genitourinary system.
Cultivation
Cultivated garden lingonberries are effectively propagated by the so-called children, root cuttings, or by simply dividing the bush. You can see the first berries on a young plant no earlier than a year after planting.
Young bushes are planted in spring, from April to May or in autumn, long before the onset of frost. When planting, a distance of 30 cm between the bushes should be observed, and the aisles should be formed about half a meter.
Until the seedlings take root, the beds are covered with an opaque film, which can be removed after three weeks. It is noteworthy that common lingonberries develop quite well and with a vertical method of cultivation, it is enough to provide the bushes with the necessary support.
Site Selection
Regardless of the variety, lingonberries prefer areas that are devoid of the danger of excessive moisture. For culture, well-drained acidic soil, with a peat-mineral composition, is best suited, capable of maintaining productivity for a long time. Try to choose open places, on hills, to avoid flooding.
Mulching
Post-planting care for lingonberries, no matter which variety you choose, consists in the obligatory mulching of the soil. This procedure makes it possible to slow down the evaporation of moisture, provide greater stability for the root system, and also protect the young plant from attacks by possible pests. 
Sawdust or straw is usually used as mulch, and only after the protective layer is laid, the bush can be watered. It is noteworthy that in the first 10 days after planting, any lingonberry variety needs careful monitoring of the level of soil moisture around the root system.
Reproduction and watering
The current care of such a crop as common lingonberry consists in a standard set of techniques that are typical for any garden plant: regular weeding, fertilizing and watering. The latter is worth talking about in more detail. Any variety of cranberries loves good and high-quality watering. If the summer turned out to be dry, the plants will like sprinkling, by the way, this is where mulch comes in handy – the protective layer perfectly retains moisture from accelerated evaporation. Any horticultural crop variety should be watered twice a week during spring and summer. It is noteworthy that the care of lingonberries involves the frequent removal of weeds, and this procedure is much more important than the same top dressing.
To get the variety you like on your farm, you can purchase a seedling in a specialized store. It remains only to plant, provide proper care and wait for the harvest. But if you already have at least one lingonberry bush, you can avoid extra expenses and try to breed your own variety.
Reproduction of lingonberries is carried out in several ways, but the most effective of them is the rooting of cuttings. To do this, it is necessary to make a formative pruning of the mother plant (by the way, such a procedure involves mandatory care of the crop) in order to force the bush to give young shoots. It is from the latter that a sufficient number of cuttings can be cut. Rooting occurs well if the stalk was cut in the summer. They are planted in greenhouses or greenhouses, and transferred to open ground when the plants have crossed the age of two.
Lingonberries are not a crop that is difficult to care for, and the variety is not of fundamental importance. The plant is actively developing, bearing fruit, and gives you health and longevity. Be sure to settle such a “resident” in your garden, he will certainly generously reward you for your care.
Video “Growing”
An experienced gardener in the video will share the secrets of how to grow lingonberries.
