Ornamental trees and shrubs: dull privet

Dulled privet (also blunt privet or wolfberry) is an ornamental deciduous shrub of a densely branched type, which is very popular in Our Country. The reason for this is primarily the high resistance of the variety to low temperatures, which makes it possible to grow the plant in regions with a cold climate. In addition, privet is valued for its resistance to air pollution, wind resistance, heat resistance and undemanding soil composition.

Description of privet obtuse

Dull privet is a sprawling shrub, the height of which varies from 2 to 3 m. The diameter of the crown of cultivated plants is approximately 2 m, wild – 5 m.

Privet grows slowly – the average annual growth does not exceed 15 cm. The shoots of the shrub are thin, pubescent. They are located horizontally and slightly sag.

The leaves are opposite, ovate. They densely cover the branches and occupy 1 plane. The length of the leaf plate is on average 5 cm. The width of the leaves does not exceed 3 cm.

Foliage is dark green in summer, turning deep purple in autumn. Dull privet blooms in July, and flowering is quite plentiful. The flowers of the shrub are small, up to 1 cm in diameter. They are collected in neat dense panicles about 4-5 cm long and up to 3 cm wide. The color of the petals is white with creamy notes.

Fruiting begins in late September – early October, when privet forms small purple berries with a diameter of 8 mm.

Ripened dried berries can be used as the basis for tinctures.

Planting and caring for privet tupolis

You can plant blunt privet both in spring and autumn. When planting in the spring, it is important to be in time before the start of sap flow. The exact timing of the autumn planting is September-October.

Dull privet does not impose special requirements on the composition of the soil. It grows equally well in alkaline and acidic soils, but prefers fertile sites. On poor soils, privet leaves may turn yellow.

Lighting level is also not important. The shrub is planted both in open sunny areas, and in partial shade or shade. When landing near buildings, you must retreat at least 1 m from them.

Seedling and planting preparation

Planting material, if desired, can be treated with growth stimulants before planting in open ground. This treatment contributes to better rooting of privet in a new place. Seedlings do not need other procedures.

It is recommended to dig up the soil before planting privet tupolis. If the soil in the selected area is heavy, it can be corrected by fertilizing. As a corrective mixture, you can use a combination of humus, soddy soil and fine-grained sand, taken in a ratio of 2:3:1.

If the soil is highly acidic, it is advisable to slightly dilute it for better growth of privet tupolis. To do this, it is necessary to add a small amount of crushed chalk or slaked lime to the soil.

Rules of landing

The algorithm for planting privet tupolis is as follows:

1. At the selected site, they dig a hole 60-70 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. When determining the size of the planting hole, it is recommended to focus on the size of the root system of the seedling – it should fit freely into the hole without touching its walls.
2. Then the landing pit is filled with a small amount of water.
3. After the water has completely gone into the soil, the bottom of the hole is sprinkled with a drainage layer. Pieces of brick, gravel, pebbles and broken clay shards are used as drainage. The optimal layer thickness is 15-20 cm.
4. Following the drainage layer, a soil mixture diluted with a complex mineral fertilizer is placed in the hole.
5. Fertilizers must be sprinkled with a small amount of earth, forming a neat hill out of it. This is done in order to avoid direct contact of the seedling roots with the soil mixture.
6. The root system of the privet is evenly distributed over this hill and covered with soil. In this case, the root neck of the plant should be at ground level, it cannot be deepened.
7. The near-stem area is slightly pressed down and watered.
8. To better retain moisture and prevent weed growth, seedlings are mulched with old sawdust or bark. You can also use non-acidic peat.

If a dull privet is planted in order to create a hedge, instead of planting pits, a trench of the same depth and width is dug on the site. The recommended distance between 2 adjacent bushes is 45-50 cm.

Watering and top dressing

Young seedlings need frequent watering – they do not tolerate drying out of the soil. The surface of the earth in the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe near-stem circle should not dry out.

Adult bushes of privet blunted are watered only during periods of prolonged drought. For 1 plant, on average, from 2 to 3 buckets of water are spent, during the growing season this amount is increased to 4 buckets. The rest of the time, especially in the presence of frequent rains, there is enough natural precipitation for the privet.

In the spring, privet tupolist is fed with organic fertilizers. To do this, a bucket of humus or compost is introduced into the trunk circle. Top dressing is additionally diluted with granulated superphosphate (no more than 10 g of the substance per 1 m²). Feeding with ash has proven itself well.

After top dressing, the near-stem circle must be properly watered.

In autumn, it is recommended to feed the privet blunted with mineral fertilizers, preferably after pruning the bushes. Potassium and phosphorus are primarily used as top dressing at this time of the year.

Trimming

Dull privet must be trimmed regularly, as the shrub grows very quickly. If the bush is not given the desired shape in time, it will soon lose its attractive appearance. On the other hand, active shoot formation hides all the mistakes made during pruning.

The first time the seedling is pruned shortly after planting, when it takes root in a new place. The procedure consists in removing the ends of the branches, after which the privet will acquire a compact shape. After the shoots grow about 10 cm, they are cut again.

Dull privet is thus formed 2-3 years after planting, twice a season, in spring and summer. Mature plants are pruned 3-4 times a year. In addition to the tops of young branches, they also remove old and dried shoots.

The shape of the hedge is adjusted according to the twine. Old bushes of blunt privet are sometimes recommended to be cut off almost the entire length of the shoots in order to rejuvenate the shrub.

You can learn more about the features of trimming blunt privet from the video below:

Preparation for winter

Dull privet is a cold-resistant plant that can withstand frosts down to -32 … -34C, so adult shrubs do not need additional shelter. They have enough natural protection from the cold in the form of snow. Moreover, even if blunt privet freezes in especially harsh winters, the plant quickly recovers in spring.

It is better to bend young seedlings to the ground for the winter and cover them with spruce branches. Before this, the trunk circle is mulched.

Reproduction

Tupolis privet can be propagated both by seeds and vegetatively. The seed method is rarely used, since seed germination is low. In addition, with this breeding, blunt privet loses some of its varietal qualities.

Vegetative propagation methods include:

• dividing the bush;
• formation of layers;
• cuttings.

By dividing the bush, the dull privet is propagated as follows:

1. The bush is dug up and the shoot with a sufficiently developed root system and buds is separated from it.
2. The branch is cleaned a little, leaving no more than 6 buds on it.
3. The roots of the separated part of the privet are shortened if they are too long. Then they are soaked in a growth stimulator. You can use the drug “Kornevin” for this.
4. The seedling is buried in pre-moistened soil at an angle of 40-45°C and covered with plastic wrap or glass.

Reproduction of privet blunted by layering is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. In June, the shoot from the bottom of the bush is pressed to the ground and its end is slightly deepened.
2. During the summer, it is watered in the same way as the mother bush.
3. The next year, when the shoot forms a full-fledged root system, it is finally separated from the shrub and transplanted.

There is another way to breed privet tupolis, in which you do not need to add layering. It looks like this:

1. The surface of the selected branch is slightly scratched with a needle. 2-3 scratches are enough.
2. Moistened soil is poured into a plastic bag and fixed on the shoot. In this case, the ground must be in contact with the damaged area. For better contact, the package is attached to the branches with adhesive tape.
3. When the bag is filled with roots, the shoot is cut off and transplanted.

Cuttings are the most effective way to breed privet, and, therefore, the most popular. The survival rate of planting material with this breeding is 90-100%. Summer cuttings are best suited for this.

The cutting procedure is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. In the summer, after the privet has faded, mature shoots are selected on the shrub and cut obliquely.
2. The resulting cuts are divided again into parts of 10-15 cm, while the incision is also made diagonally.
3. The cuttings are cleaned by removing the leaves in the lower part, after which the bottom is treated with growth stimulants.
4. Then the planting material is buried in soddy soil, sprinkled with coarse sand on top. Deepening is carried out at an angle of 45 ° C.
5. Containers with cuttings are covered with glass or film to create a greenhouse environment.
6. After 10-15 days, the seedlings form the first roots.
7. Within 2-3 months, they develop a full-fledged root system, but it is not yet possible to transplant privet. Cuttings must be grown throughout the year.
8. If the roots become too large, the plants are transplanted into larger containers.
9. When the seedlings reach a height of 50 cm, they can be moved to a permanent place. This usually happens in the spring of the following year.

Diseases and pests

Privet tupolistnaya is resistant to most diseases. The danger of infection arises only when planting in soil with high acidity – this arrangement makes plantings vulnerable to powdery mildew and spotting. As a preventive measure in this case, it is recommended to periodically dilute the soil with crushed lime or dolomite flour.

Pest resistance is also quite high, but sometimes blunt privet is still affected by insects. Of particular danger to the bush are:

• aphid;
• shield;
• spider mite;
• thrips;
• worms.

Against them, privet is sprayed with insecticides. Effectively cope with pests drugs:

• “Aktellik”;
• “ExtraFlor”;
• Fitoverm.

Conclusion

Dulled privet is an unpretentious frost-resistant shrub that looks good both in single plantings and as part of a hedge. Planting a plant does not cause difficulties, caring for privet is also simple. The undoubted advantage of this garden culture is active shoot formation, thanks to which plantings can be given almost any shape.