Aronia chokeberry: cultivation and care, characteristics of common varieties

Chokeberry, or chokeberry chokeberry, once a year, in the fall, turns crimson, which draws attention to it as a decorative culture. In addition, chokeberry has a huge number of useful properties - an accurate translation of the name of the plant from Greek sounds like a "healthy black fruit."

The history of growing crops

Aronia chokeberry, known as chokeberry or, in common people, chokeberry, actually has nothing to do with mountain ash, these are different genera of the same family. The whole physiognomic appearance, the composition of chemical elements and the requirements for the environment distinguish chokeberry from ordinary mountain ash. Aronia was isolated in a separate genus already in 1935.

Chokeberry chokeberry, called chokeberry, has nothing to do with mountain ash except similar fruits

Historically, chokeberry has grown along rivers and lakes in eastern North America, where at least 20 shrub species can be found. In Europe, chokeberry was bred as a decorative culture until the 19th century, and only I.V. Michurin noticed the unpretentiousness of chokeberry. He developed a subspecies of the chokeberry - the chokeberry of Michurin, which was obtained by crossing the chokeberry and the mountain ash itself.

Thanks to the breeding work of I.V. Michurin and the natural unpretentiousness of the chokeberry itself, culture has spread en masse to various parts of the globe. Aronia is successfully grown in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Baltic states and Belarus. On the territory of Russia it is found in undergrowth and forest edges, it is most widespread in the Volga region, the Central region and the North Caucasus, it is grown in the Urals, in Siberia. It is cultivated on an industrial scale in Altai.

Aronia chokeberry assortment

Aronia chokeberry is a fruit and berry crop popular around the world, which is why the number of varieties is constantly increasing. So, at present, in addition to domestic varieties, there are varieties of Finnish, Polish, Danish and Swedish breeding.

Black Pearl

Variety recommended for cultivation in any climatic zones. This is a tall shrub, which is characterized by powerful shoot formation and a height of up to 3 m. The crown diameter can reach 2 m. The bark of young shoots has a slight reddish hue, which disappears by the second year, being replaced by a dark gray color. Bisexual flowers. The berries are large (weight of one to 1.2 g), purple-black, covered with a grayish coating. The fruit tastes sweet-sour, slightly astringent.

The fruits of the chokeberry chokeberry variety Black pearl sweet-sour, slightly astringent to the taste

Viking

Variety of Finnish selection. It is distinguished by its leaves resembling cherry. In the autumn, they become yellow-burgundy. Inflorescences consist of twenty white-pink flowers blooming in May. Fruits of anthracite color, flat-round, in diameter no more than 1 cm, mass ripening occurs in early autumn. Aronia Viking is an extremely decorative variety that can serve as an element of landscape design.

The Viking variety is distinguished by cherry-like leaves.

Nero

Large-fruited variety of German selection. Aronia Nero is compact, with shrub sizes up to 2 m, but differs in fast growth rates - annual growth is on average 0.3-0.5 m. Branching is strong. Inflorescences are snow-white flowers with reddish stamens. Leaves are blushing by autumn. Fruits weighing 1-1.2 g, collected in more dense than other varieties of brushes, blue-black. It tastes sweet, juicy. Mass ripening occurs in August - September. The variety is one of the most frost-resistant.

Aronia Nero is one of the most frost-resistant varieties

Black-eyed

Chokeberry Aronia is a melliferous, extremely unpretentious and frost-resistant variety, also notable for its resistance to various types of diseases. Fruits are rounded, up to 1 cm in diameter, ripen in early autumn, the least tart of all varieties of chokeberries. Authorship is attributed to breeder T.K. Poplavskaya.

Variety Chernookaya was allegedly bred T.K. Poplavskaya

Hugin

A variety of Swedish selection. The height of the bush is up to 2 m. The leaves by the end of the season from dark green turn into bright scarlet. The berries are large, glossy, with a rich black skin. It is recommended to approach pruning with caution so as not to lose decorativeness.

Hugin - a variety of Swedish selection

Aron

Honey variety of Danish selection. The diameter of the fruit reaches 1 cm, mass ripening is observed in the second half of August - early September. Inflorescences are varieties of white flowers with reddish stamens.

Aron - a honey variety bred in Denmark

Nadzeya and Venis

Varieties of Belarusian breeding included in the State Register of Belarus in 2008. The bushes are medium-sized, sprawling, not requiring pollinating varieties. Entry into fruiting is recorded from 3-4 years after planting. The weight of one berry is on average 1.3 g. The fruits are slightly oval, collected in 18 pieces. Varieties of Venis and Nejey are relatively resistant to diseases and insects.

Venis Aronia does not require pollinating varieties

Landing

In general, the plant does not impose requirements on soil conditions; it survives well and bears fruit on almost all types of soils. The only exceptions are saline soils. The most lush flowering and abundant fruiting is observed on illuminated moist loamy soils with a neutral reaction. The root system of the black chokeberry is mainly located no deeper than 0.6 m, so groundwater does not have any effect on the culture.

Aronia is undemanding to the composition of the soil

Aronia grown as a tapeworm (a separate plant) should be planted taking into account its growth - 3 m from tree-shrub plantings and structures. When forming a hedge, seedlings are planted every 0.5 m.

Like any fruit and berry culture, black chokeberry has two main planting dates: spring (until the last days of April) and autumn (from late September to early November).

1. Landing in the spring. A mixture of soil, humus buckets, 0.3 kg of ash and 0.15 kg of superphosphate are placed in a prepared pit measuring 0.5 x 0.5 m at 1/3 depth. Then a fertile substrate is added to half the depth and 10 liters of water are poured. The seedling is centered, the root system is evenly distributed along the bottom. During backfilling of the seat, it is necessary to constantly monitor that the root neck of the bush is not too deeply buried in the ground (the maximum allowable value is 2 cm). 10 l of water is poured into the compacted near-barrel space and 5-10 cm of mulching material is poured. In the pit before planting, you can install a peg to bind a young shrub. It is recommended to shorten the shoots by 1/3, leaving 4-5 buds on each.
2. Autumn planting is not much different from spring. However, many gardeners prefer it, because the plant spends energy on survival, and not on the formation and maintenance of leaves, which guarantees active development in the next season.

Read more about planting in our article: We plant chokeberry chokeberry correctly.

Breeding

The shrub propagates as the generative parts of the plant: root offspring, green and lignified cuttings, dividing the bush, grafting - and vegetative, that is, seeds. The most commonly used seed method and propagation through cuttings.

Seed propagation

Chokeberry seeds are extracted from ripe fruits by grinding them through a sieve. Then they are immersed in water to remove the remaining pulp.

Seeds for planting are extracted from the fruits of chokeberry

Before planting, it is imperative to carry out pre-sowing preparation of seeds - stratification. To do this, the washed seeds are laid out in a container with calcined river sand (1: 3 ratio), after which they are placed in the vegetable box of the refrigerator. The sand in which the seeds are kept must be kept constantly moist. The complexity of the method lies in the fact that the seeds can stick early, then the temperature of their content must be lowered to 0 ºC.

The landing process is as follows:

1. Seeds are planted at the end of April in grooves with a depth of 6-8 cm, after which they are sealed and covered with any mulching material.
2. After the appearance of two true leaves at the seedlings, they are thinned out, leaving 3 cm between the seedlings.
3. When 4-5 leaves appear at the seedling, the plantings are thinned out so that at least 6 cm remains between seedlings.
4. Next spring, the last thinning is carried out, at which the distance between young plants should be about 10 cm.
5. By the fall of the second year, the plants are ready for transplanting to a permanent place.

In the process of growing, a bed with seedlings is regularly loosened, watered, and weeds removed, which are the main competitors of young plantings in the struggle for nutrients. Once (in spring) the future planting material is fertilized by pouring slurry.

Generative breeding

Propagation of a plant in a generative way (parts of shoots, root offspring, mustache, dividing the bush) is one of the keys to success. In generative reproduction, in most cases, all the signs of the mother plant are preserved, while in seed, this is extremely rare.

Propagation by cuttings can be carried out in two ways, depending on the type of harvested cuttings.

Table: requirements for planting chokeberry chokeberry

Root offspring

Aronia chokeberry - a culture that actively forms root offspring that can be used to propagate the plant.

The root shoot is separated by a sharp shovel from the mother plant along with the root system. Shoots are cut so that they have 2-4 buds.

Caring for such planting material does not differ at all from caring for any other seedlings: from time to time it is necessary to loosen the soil, maintain cleanliness in the trunk circle and carry out regular watering.

Layering

The procedure is carried out in the spring, while the soil under the plant is dug up to a depth of about 15-20 cm. For reproduction, strong healthy shoots of last year are selected, which are bent to the ground and fixed with hairpins. Pinch the top of the shoot. Care for future layering is the same as for an adult plant: weeding from weeds, timely watering.

To obtain layering, the shoots are bent to the ground and fixed with studs

When new shoots reach a length of 12 cm, they must be sprinkled with humus. The procedure is repeated several times as it grows. Separate and transplant the subsidiary plant is recommended next spring.

Bush division

Aronia chokeberry is characterized by a superficial root system, the highest root concentration is observed at a depth of about 0.6 m in the near-stem circle. In April, the plant is dug up and divided so that each new plant has young roots and several new shoots. At the same time, it is recommended to remove age-related shoots, and the places of cuts of roots and trunks must be treated with crushed coal.

Landing is carried out in pre-prepared pits, on the bottom of which a mixture of humus and superphosphate is laid. Each new instance of chokeberry should be no closer than 2 m to the other. In general, the procedures for planting and caring for dividends do not differ from nursing measures for seedlings.

Graft

The chokeberry is vaccinated in the spring, before the sap flow begins. As a stock, young seedlings of mountain ash are used. A cleavage is made on the scion in the place of cut with a sharp knife. The private shoot is cut wedge-shaped, after which the places of the cuts are combined as closely as possible and tightly wrapped with elastic material.

Experts recommend wrapping the splice with plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. After about 30 days, the film is removed.

Video: Aronia chokeberry vaccination

Care

Being a fruit crop, chokeberry does not require special care: timely top dressing to stimulate productivity, competent pruning to prevent uncontrolled thickening of the crown, as well as preventive treatments against diseases and insect pests.

Fertilizer application

A guarantee of a plentiful harvest is regular top dressing. The chokeberry growing on fertile soils almost does not need fertilizers, it is enough to add 50 g of ammonium nitrate in the spring and fill the near-stem circle with a layer of organic fertilizer as a mulching material (manure, compost, or humus).

Ammonium nitrate is used in spring as a fertilizer for chokeberry.

Plants on poor soils need to be re-fertilized after spring feeding. So, at the beginning of summer, under each bush of aronia contribute:

1. A bucket of mullein mortar in a ratio of 1: 5.
2. A bucket of bird droppings in a ratio of 1:10.

In the autumn, after harvesting, the plant is fertilized with a mixture of 0.5 l of wood ash and 100 g of superphosphate.

Pruning

Aronia chokeberry is prone to thickening the crown, due to which productivity is rapidly declining. Without trimming, it stretches up and grows in breadth, forming fruits only on the peripheral shoots, which get at least a drop of light. Pruning almost all fruit trees and shrubs is carried out in two main periods: in spring and autumn.

Choke Trim Scheme

In spring, young chokeberry seedlings are pruned at a height of about 0.2 m. Next year, several of the strongest shoots are selected in the shoots that appear, they are leveled to the same height, and the remaining ones are removed. The procedure is repeated annually until the number of branches reaches ten.

In order to prevent overconsolidation of the crown, thinning trimmings are regularly carried out, they are tried to combine with sanitary: all diseased, weak or drying out, low-value shoots on which the fruits are not tied, as well as those that grow inside the crown, are removed.

Chokeberry choke should be trimmed annually

It is believed that fruiting in chokeberry occurs only on branches younger than 8 years old.Branches that reach this age must be removed from the bush, cutting as close to the base as possible, instead of such a branch it is worth leaving a couple of strong shoots from the root shoot. Every year it is recommended to carry out 2-3 similar replacements, rejuvenating the bush. In addition, age bushes can be subjected to anti-aging pruning. The whole bush is cut to the base of the branches, that is, "planted on a stump." The following spring, from the emerging shoot, molding begins, like a young seedling.

Additional sanitary pruning is carried out after harvesting. During it, all broken, shrunken or infected branches are removed. Sections of large branches are recommended to be treated with garden varieties or powdered charcoal to prevent infections from entering the plant organs.

The formation of a choke in one barrel

Aronia chokeberry - a plant that originally had the appearance of a bush, massively forming shoots at the roots. To give the chokeberry a small tree appearance, all shoots of the root shoot, except the strongest, are removed. Every year, several apical buds are left on top of this leader. After the stem reaches the desired height, the growth point on the top of the shoot is removed, which stimulates lateral branching. In the future, work on the formation of the crown.

The formation of the stem by many experts is not recommended, although the culture tolerates the molding trim: such an event is fundamentally contrary to the nature of the chokeberry itself.

Pest and disease protection

Chokeberry is considered extremely resistant to insect colonization. In addition, it is almost not susceptible to any disease. However, climatic conditions, proximity to infected plants and illiterate agricultural technology can lead to a general weakening of the plant, which will affect its immunity.

As a prophylaxis, the bushes are treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid before buds open, in the fall, repeated treatment with the same preparation or 7% urea solution is acceptable.

As a prevention in spring and autumn, chokeberry is treated with Bordeaux liquid

In addition, in autumn it is recommended to carefully cut and immediately burn damaged and diseased shoots, remove lichens and any growths from the bark, remove leaf litter and scavenger from the trunk circle, dig the soil in the trunk circle. Weeding and destruction of weeds, analysis of construction and other debris can also significantly reduce the risk of plant diseases in the garden.

Choke Pests

Many fruit plants and bushes in the garden are exposed to insects that are dangerous for chokeberry, and this significantly increases the risk. There are at least 20 species of insects and ticks that can develop on aronia.

Table: Pests and Pest Control

Photo gallery: pests of chokeberry

Choke diseases

Infection of a plant with any virus and insect colonization are interconnected. A rare insect is able to settle on an unpressed, completely healthy specimen. The following types of diseases are most often diagnosed in chokeberry aronia:

1. Peripheral rot is a sign accompanying the colonization of honey mushrooms. Heavily affected plant specimens must be removed and burned with the root, treating the soil with fungicides. Processing only infected bushes is 1% Bordeaux liquid and any fungicides.
2. Moniliosis - fruits affected by fruit rot soften, and then mummify and partially remain on the branches. Any fruits with signs of disease must be destroyed. It is recommended to treat infected trees with solutions of Bordeaux fluid or copper sulfate.
3. Septoria - diseased leaves in July become covered with light brown spots with a dark border, the inside of which "falls out" over time, forming through holes. At the end of the growing season, fallen leaves are removed from the trunk circle and burned. At the beginning and end of the growing season, the soil under the plants and the chokeberry bushes themselves are treated with Bordeaux fluid.
4. Brown spotting - the disease manifests itself in the form of small brown spots on the leaves, which form a whitish coating on the underside. Heavily damaged leaves dry out and fall off. At the first signs of the disease, it is recommended to treat the bushes with 1% Bordeaux liquid, and destroy the leaf litter.
5. Bacterial necrosis (cortical cancer) - Aronia is affected by necrosis much less frequently than stone fruits. It manifests itself in the form of sections of weeping and falling away bark, which at the same time exudes an unpleasant odor. All affected areas must be cleaned 8-10 cm below the damaged tissue, disinfected, treated with garden var. Heavily affected bushes are cut and destroyed.
6. Rust is a fungal disease, which is a yellow spot, on the back of which (the lower side of the leaf) spores are located. Affected branches are destroyed, like leaf litter at the end of the growing season, chokeberry bushes are treated with 1% Bordeaux fluid.
7. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects young shoots and leaves. It is a whitish coating, which darkens by autumn. The disease spreads rapidly in thickened plantings; moist, warm weather contributes to the development. For treatment, spraying with a solution of colloidal sulfur is carried out.
8. The comb is a thin, leathery, grayish-brown color mushroom, which is most often a sign of root rot. If the bodies of the fungus are detected, the bushes are twice treated during the season with solutions of Bordeaux fluid or copper sulfate.

Photo gallery: Aronia diseases

Features of cultivation in the regions

Observations of chokeberry grown in various climatic zones show that it is most productive within the following limits:

• in the north - in the Leningrad, Novgorod, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Perm, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo regions, in Gorno-Altaysk;
• in the south, the range is limited to Kursk, Voronezh, Saratov, Samara, Orenburg.

Moscow region

The process of growing aronia in the suburbs differs little from growing in the Central region. This area is located in climatic conditions, where the chokeberry shows the highest productivity. In addition, the climate in the region is much milder than the Siberian. Only a snowless winter can be a danger, since the roots of the chokeberry begin to freeze at a temperature of -11 ° C. Among the gardeners near Moscow, the following varieties are most popular: Chernookaya, Nero, Dubrovice, Viking.

Siberia, the Urals and Yakutia

The introduction to the culture of shrubs in the region was initially carried out by the M.A. Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture in Siberia.

Aronia chokeberry can withstand temperature drops of -30-35 ° C, which allows it to grow in harsh Siberian conditions. In order to prevent freezing of shoots above the level of snow cover, it is recommended to bend them to the ground before winter (practiced in the regions of Petrozavodsk, Vologda, Perm, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Omsk and Barnaul). However, you should carefully monitor the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, which will not allow the bushes to prepare for wintering in time, and, accordingly, will lead to freezing or death of the plant. Most often, chokeberry in this area is affected by brown spotting. Mass ripening of fruits occurs in late August - early September.

Aronia chokeberry is freely grown both in Altai and in Siberia

Ukraine and Belarus

In Ukraine, black chokeberry is cultivated in Donetsk, South-West and other regions. Successfully culture grows in Kazakhstan and almost throughout Belarus. Aronia, grown in Ukraine, is often diagnosed with pest populations that are uncharacteristic of other regions - raspberry beetle, scale insect, and May beetle. Ripening occurs in September, harvesting may be delayed until early to mid-October. In Ukraine, some experts have noticed a tendency to use chokeberry in landscaping yards.

In Belarus, the total area of ​​aronia plantations is more than 400 hectares. Local varieties of Venis and Nadzey are considered the most resistant. Ripening begins in the second half of August.

Reviews

Still, it is more shade-tolerant than in the description. Penumbra is not a problem for her. Suppose, if there is sun after dinner, then the harvest will be necessary. For the crop, most likely, the absence of constant moisture is critical. What is needed is not just watering, but constant moisture, even for an adult plant. The farm lives in the lowest place of the site, in partial shade. Harvest is always there. It’s better not to plant it near the garden because it’s an invader. Strong and prolific on game.

Summer resident//www.botanichka.ru/blog/2017/01/09/aroniya-chernoplodnaya-sovsem-ne-ryabina/

And black chokeberry simply saves me from the neighbors, the only thing to wait is when the foliage blooms at least a little in the spring ... And that’s it. Wall. About 2.5 meters high.

Roberta//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/14964/page-2

In our country, chokeberry (unknown variety) is grown just in the form of dwarf trees, on a stem, but without vaccination. It turned out by accident: when planting the delenoks (they were very high), they trimmed the tops, the trunks stopped growing upwards, thickened, only the side branches developed. It grows like an umbrella. My neighbor at the dacha grows in the form of a stem; he planted a meter-long chokeberry branch bought at the bazaar a long time ago. This is not a vaccination. It grows in almost complete shade, and for some reason it does not give root growth. Height is about 2.5 ... under 3 meters. Anomaly. But, as noted, the yield is small, and the taste is more acidic than that of the bush form.

T-150//forum.vinograd.info/archive/index.php?t-11527.html

At first, it could not grow black chokeberry, it froze and that's it. Then I planted it between the bushes, but so that she had enough sunshine, and the thing went, it began to grow, the crops are happy every year, now one concern is what to do with the berries. / ... /. You can’t eat a lot in fresh form, another berry and that’s all. I would also like to try jam cooked from chokeberry, while there is no experience. In cultivation, chokeberry does not require special care. I shape it in the form of a bush, it’s easier to collect berries.

Anna Zakharchuk//xn--80avnr.xn--p1ai/%D0%96%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B5_%D0%B8_%D1 % 80% D0% B0% D1% 81% D1% 82% D0% B5% D0% BD% D0% B8% D1% 8F /% D0% A7% D0% B5% D1% 80% D0% BD% D0% BE% D0% BF% D0% BB% D0% BE% D0% B4% D0% BD% D0% B0% D1% 8F_% D1% 80% D1% 8F% D0% B1% D0% B8% CC% 81% D0% BD% D0% B0

Exceptional decorativeness and condescension to growing conditions distinguish chokeberry as a wonderful plant for creating seasonal accents of tree-shrub groups in the garden, as well as for use in hedges. Aronia at any time of the year will be a decoration of the garden. In addition, the plant will delight its owners with delicious fruits.