Combining ornamental and useful plants in your own garden is a great change for the garden. However, plants that give a harvest can also have a very attractive look. The sea buckthorn proves that. The unusual exotic is a shrub that is becoming increasingly popular among hobby gardeners. You harvest healthy wild fruit and at the same time enjoy the uniqueness of the garden shrub. The sea buckthorn is a low-maintenance plant that still needs enough attention. That’s why we’re taking a look at sea buckthorn care needs, specifically how and when to prune sea buckthorn.
Cut sea buckthorn – tips on how to do it right
Sea Buckthorn – This is what you need to remember about the shrub
Sea Buckthorn – This is what you need to remember about the shrub
The shrub belongs to the willow family and is a deciduous plant. The unusual name of the plant means “shining horse” in German and indicates that sea buckthorn was used as a medicinal plant for animals, especially horses.
The special thing about the plant is that it grows very sparsely and does not form a dense crown. But the beautiful exotic can grow very high and reach four to five meters.
If you want to have a rich harvest, you have to plant at least two female and one male bush. The shrub bears fruit, which is only borne by the female plants. These only form in the outer crown area. The sea buckthorn berries have orange-yellow to orange-red fruits that are ready for harvest from mid-August to mid-September. They are characterized by a very sour taste.
The graceful shrub has narrow grey-green leaves with grey-silver hairs
Sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant – one specimen can have only male or female flowers
location and soil
The right location is crucial for the correct development of the sea buckthorn. This must not be shaded under any circumstances, as it needs a lot of light. If the sea buckthorn doesn’t get enough light, it doesn’t feel good. The sea buckthorn needs a deep and not too acidic soil. It cannot thrive on arid soil.
watering and fertilizing
As a rule, the sea buckthorn does not need to be watered or fertilized. The reason: the shrub can survive heat and drought well. But in the year after planting, you can use horn meal as a fertilizer. After that, you have to wait another year before you fertilize the shrub again.
The plant convinces with an enviable wind resistance
Cutting sea buckthorn – Useful tips for a good harvest
Which rules do you have to observe?
The sea buckthorn is only cut after the harvest, i.e. in autumn. Winter is also a good time to cut back. However, do not cut the sea buckthorn in spring, in which case you could affect the yield.
It is also very important to know two things in advance:
- Don’t cut too wildly;
- always wear gloves because sea buckthorn has long and sharp thorns.
Cutting sea buckthorn – what should be considered?
The sex of the plant determines the pruning
Over time, the sea buckthorn crown gets wider and wider. The inside of the crown becomes bare and lignified. It is therefore recommended that the shrub is not allowed to grow freely. You have to cut back the harvested shoots to short approaches every two years in late winter. You could even thin out the bush additionally. It actually depends on the sex of the plant how often you can cut it back.
If the female shrubs are pruned regularly, a good harvest can be expected every year. Prune the male shrub as well, but only cut back every three or four years. You can cut this correctly if you only remove half of the flowering shoots.
You could also combine harvest and pruning and snip off the fruit-bearing branches. If you are freezing these, shake the berries very gently. Otherwise, harvesting is a relatively tedious task.
We hope that we have given you enough information on how to properly cut sea buckthorn. Take good care of the shrub and it will thank you with a rich harvest!
Growing sea buckthorn is straightforward, but you do need some prior knowledge
Prune the exotic before the flowering period begins, that is, in late winter
Cut sea buckthorn – the innermost part of the bush must also get enough light
