Planting barberry in spring and autumn: decorative (Thunberg) and ordinary

Due to its exceptional decorativeness, barberry can be increasingly seen on personal plots. This plant is great for various landscape compositions (looks good both in single and in group plantings, including as a hedge), and can also have edible fruits. Some even call barberry the king of the autumn garden, because it is in the autumn time that it literally flashes with bright colors and attracts everyone's attention.

It is quite simple to grow a shrub, since it is a rather unpretentious plant that can grow on almost any soil and tolerate long droughts and severe frosts perfectly.

Let's talk about when and how to plant a barberry correctly, how to care for it after a spring or autumn planting.

When is it better to plant barberry - in spring or autumn

Barberry, like many other shrubs, can be planted both in spring and autumn, especially if you purchased a container plant, and it is in this form that it is sold in most garden centers and nurseries.

Planting dates in spring and autumn

If you decide to plant barberry in the spring, then you need to do this immediately after the outside temperature is above zero and the snow melts.

For example, in the Middle Lane (Moscow region), barberry is planted in the spring already from April (as a rule, in 2-3 decades).

Autumn planting of barberry can be carried out until stable frosts and freezing of the ground are established, but it is better to do this 2-3 weeks "before", so that the plant has time to root well in a new place before wintering.

In other words, the approximate timing of planting barberry in the fall in the Middle Lane (Moscow region) is September-first half of October (if the autumn is warm, then, of course, you can plant it at the end of October).

Video: planting barberry in the fall

According to the lunar calendar in 2021

Choose the optimal date for planting seedlings can help you Moon calendar.

So, favorable days for planting barberry in 2021, according to the lunar calendar, are:

• in March - 26-29;
• in April - 11-15, 24, 25;
• in May - 2-10;
• in September - 19-26;
• in October - 3-13, 18-21.

Of course, it is not always possible to get to the dacha on favorable days, so the main thing is not to land on unfavorable dates (the days of the Full Moon and New moons, as well as the period when the Moon is in Aquarius, because it is a barren and dry sign -italicized).

Unfavorable days, according to the lunar calendar, for 2021 for planting barberry seedlings are the following dates:

• March -9-10, 13, 28;
• in April -5-6, 12, 27;
• in May -2-4, 11, 26, 30-31;
• in June -10, 24, 26-27;
• in July -10, 24-25 (24 - also Full Moon);
• in August -8, 20-21, 22;
• in September -7, 16-17, 21;
• in October -6, 13-15, 20;
• In November -5, 10-11, 19.

How to plant a barberry: step by step instructions

Varieties and popular varieties

There are several varieties and varieties of barberry:

• Common or berry barberry (fruits are large and edible, grows up to 3 meters in height).
• Decorative Thunberg barberry (fruits are small and inedible, grows up to 1.5 meters).

  

Naturally, in landscape design, as a rule, the Thunberg barberry is used, which represents many varieties with different colors of leaves and their sizes.

The most popular varieties of Thunberg barberry are: Aurea (yellow, up to 80 cm), Atropurpurea Nana (purple-red, up to 50 cm), Admiration (red, up to 50 cm), Golden Ring (dark purple or red, up to 1 meter) , Kobold (green, up to 40 cm, very similar to Boxwood), Bagatelle (dark purple), Red Carpet (red, up to 1 meter) and Green Carpet (green), Coronita (purple-red, up to 1.5 meters) , Maria (yellow, up to 1.5 meters), Natasha (pink-green-white), Pink Queen or Pink Queen (pink), Red Chief or Red Leader (purple), Orange Rocket (orange-red).

Video: the most interesting varieties of barberry top-10

What should be a seedling

When buying a seedling, you need to pay attention not only to the appearance of the branches and leaves, but also to the root system of the plant. It should be sufficiently developed, with a strong main root and many additional adventitious roots (if you find a seedling with an open root system - OKS).

It is best to purchase seedlings from specialized garden centers or nurseries.As a rule, they sell seedlings in containers with soil (with a closed root system - ZKS).

By the way! You can yourself propagate barberry in several ways.

Landing place

Barberry is a thermophilic plant, therefore, it is recommended to plant it in sunny areas, but protected from drying northern winds.

If you plant a shrub in a shaded area of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe cottage, then most varieties in the shade will lose their decorative effect (only green varieties can grow in partial shade, but variegated, in other words, red and yellow - no).

Of course, ideally, you should find a place in the garden where the barberry will be well illuminated by sunlight in the morning and evening hours, and at noon it will be slightly shaded and receive diffused light.

Barberry does not like soils with a close location of groundwater (closer than 1.5-2 meters) - from this, the root system begins to mold, rot, and the bush dies. Also, however, it is impossible for the barberry to grow in a place where moisture stagnates after the spring thaw of snow or heavy rainfall.

Therefore, the plant should be planted on slopes (preferably southern) or hills (you can make an artificial embankment).

The barberry looks very beautiful in composition with heather and coniferous crops.

Suitable for framing ridges and borders.

You need to know that barberry should not be planted next to windows overlooking the garden. The plant attracts a large number of various insects and midges, so if you do not want to constantly keep the windows closed or drive out annoying insects from the room, then you should choose another landing site.

At what distance to plant

The distance from other plants is required to be calculated depending on the purpose for which the barberry is planted and what variety it is.

If you want to plant a single barberry, for example, on a lawn, then the shrub should be placed at a distance of 2-3 meters from other plants (we are talking about an ordinary one), although the decorative Thunberg barberry can be planted closer (especially dwarf varieties - 50-60 cm) than an ordinary one - 1-1.5 meters.

If you plan to make a hedge out of barberry, then the placement of the bushes should be done much closer, i.e. the distance between plantings can be about 30-40 centimeters.

Moreover, the barberry can be beautifully planted in a checkerboard pattern.

Let's write it down! Ornamental varieties (for example, Thunberg barberry) at a distance of 50-150 cm, ordinary barberry - 2-3 meters.

To what depth (dimensions of the landing pit)

As a rule, the standard dimensions of a planting pit for barberry are 50 by 50 cm (depth and width / diameter).

If you have a seedling in a container, then the hole should be 2-3 times larger than the earthen ball of the plant (i.e. container).

But the bottom of the pit is filled with a drainage layer, and then it is approximately half filled with a nutrient mixture (more on this in the next paragraph).

What soil is needed andhow to fertilize (fill the planting hole)

Barberry can grow in any soil - neutral or slightly acidic (acidity) - so it can be grown in almost any garden.

How to prepare a nutrient medium for filling the planting pit?

So, you need a bucket of humus or compost, peat and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (according to the instructions on the package), as well as the top layer of fertile soil that remained after digging a hole.

For example, a mixture superphosphate and potassium sulfate, or a complex fertilizer - diammofosk (optimal for autumn planting) or nitroammofosk (for spring).

If you are not a supporter of the use of mineral fertilizers, you prefer organic matter, then your choice is wood ash and bone meal.

Next, everything must be thoroughly mixed and filled into the planting pit.

Direct landing

Step-by-step instructions for planting a barberry seedling in open ground:

• Fill the planting hole with fertile soil in advance, leaving a depression for the size of the seedling root system.
• Lightly spill the pit with water if desired.

To water or not to water before planting a seedling is a moot point. Many water only after planting, others both before and after.

• Place the seedling in the center of the hole on a mound, gently spreading the roots down (The roots should in no case bend and stick up!)

If the seedling is in a pot (with ZKS), then no mounds need to be poured - just put it in the center without damaging the earthen lump.

• Deepen the root collar 3-5 cm below ground level (the root collar is the place where the first root originates from the plant trunk).
• Cover with earth and lightly tamp.
• Spill abundantly and wait for the soil to settle.
• Fill up the soil, make a near-trunk circle, water again.
• Mulch.
• At the end, it is recommended to cut the bush, leaving only 4-5 good buds (although you can not do this either).

Video: how to plant a barberry correctly

Care for barberry after planting

Taking care of the plant after planting is easy enough.

If you planted in the spring, then during the season you will only need to monitor the humidity (but do not overdo it!), Periodically watering the shrub (especially in the case of a hot and dry summer).

When planting in autumn, at the end of autumn, insulate for the winter, more precisely, mulch the trunk circle in order to protect the still fragile root system of the plant from possible freezing.

In the future, barberry care is completely standard:

• timely watering (but infrequent and only when necessary, for example, in the case of a very dry summer. The fact is that the shrub is very drought-resistant and does not like waterlogging);
• top dressing (as a rule, it is enough 1 time per year with complex fertilizer, but you can also 2 times: in spring - with nitrogen fertilizer, and in late summer and early autumn - with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer);
• regular pruning (sanitary and anti-aging once every 3-5 years) and haircut / shaping (optimally done in June or mid-late August);

• treatment for diseases and pests;

As a rule, most varieties of barberry, especially Thunberg, are resistant to all diseases, but in late summer and early autumn, the shrub is often affected by powdery mildew, especially if there are frequent rains, and your barberry is planted in the shade or excessively thickened. In general, in this case, you can carry out the autumn eradicating treatment of the shrub with copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid, but this is not necessary, because next spring, your plant will be fine.

• carry out autumn care.

Important! More about how to care for barberry in autumn in order to properly prepare it for winter, you can read in this article.

Now you know that planting a barberry is no more difficult than any other shrub or tree, which means that you do not need any extra effort or new knowledge. It is much more important to choose a suitable sunny place on the site, where all the beauty of the barberry foliage can be fully revealed.

Video: features of growing and caring for Thunberg barberry