Content
Barberry Natasha is a plant that grows in its original form in the Far East. It was spread to North America and Europe by gardeners who value culture for its high decorative effect.
Description barberry Natasha
The plant is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 2.5 m in height. When cultivated in specially created conditions, barberry rarely exceeds 1 m.
Description of barberry Thunberg Natasha: the plant has arcuate ribbed shoots, characterized by a bright red or red-orange tint. Gradually they change color to brown and brown.
The buds of Natasha barberry are reddish, differ in ovoid shape. Their length reaches 5 mm. Leaf plates are rhomboid-oval or rounded in shape, can be rounded at the top and resemble a wedge at the base.
The leaf plates are located on the petioles, their maximum length is 2-3 cm, and the width is 1 cm.The upper side of the leaf has a juicy green tint, and the lower one is gray in color. In the fall, they turn bright red or yellow.
The branches of the plant are equipped with thin thorns. Flowers can be either singly or form bell-shaped racemes in early May. In September-October, elongated fruits of a coral-red color ripen.
Gardeners prefer Barberry Natasha, whose photo confirms the unusual appearance of the plant. The culture is popular and due to the fact that it is unpretentious in care, it gets along well with other representatives of the flora.
Planting and caring for the barberry variety Thunberg Natasha
The optimal time for planting a plant is autumn. Before the onset of cold weather, the seedling transferred to the ground manages to take root and, after the snow melts, it quickly starts growing. If necessary, planting in the spring, the procedure is carried out before bud break.
If it is necessary to plant the bushes separately, a distance of at least 1.5-2 m is left between them. To form a hedge, it is necessary to place 4 bushes one after the other. Gradually the barberry Natasha will grow and occupy the surrounding area.
Seedling and planting plot preparation
Barberry Natasha is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and high vitality, but compliance with the basic rules of agricultural technology will allow you to get a decent ornamental plant. The seedling gives preference to neutral soil, but grows well in acidic soil.
To make a soil mixture, humus, garden soil and sand are mixed in equal proportions. If it is necessary to transfer the plant to acidic soil, the earth is mixed with limestone.
The preparation of a seedling consists in its acquisition and treatment with a stimulant. The main requirement for Natasha barberry is a strong root system and the presence of buds on the branches.
Landing rules
If you give preference to a sunny area, then the foliage will quickly acquire a yellow or red tint, when in darkened gardens the Natasha barberry retains the green tint of the leaf plates.
Landing Algorithm:
- Prepare a pit with a depth of at least 0.5 m.
- Place the prepared substrate in the well.
- Transfer the seedling to the hole, spread the roots in a natural position.
- Fill the hole with soil, compact it tightly around the bush.
It is important to moisturize the soil at the end of the process in order to activate the growth and rooting processes.
Watering and feeding
The basis of Natasha barberry care includes not only soil moistening and fertilization, but also soil loosening, removal weeds.
In favorable weather conditions with periodic precipitation, irrigation is not necessary. Intense heat is the reason for the need for additional soil moisture. Watering is carried out with warm water under the root, it is necessary to avoid getting liquid on the leaf plates.
Keeping the soil moist is essential for freshly planted bushes until they take root.
Excessive watering or bad weather negatively affects the plant, increasing the risk of its death.
The bushes should be fed with fertilizers annually. Preparations containing nitrogen are useful for barberry Natasha. When growing a crop for the sake of fruit, it is fed with potassium and phosphorus.
The best option for fertilizing is the use of the Kemira-Universal solution, which is watered the soil at the beginning of July.
Pruning
Shoot shortening is an infrequent procedure that is carried out if necessary: disturbances in shoot growth, its strong deviation from the crown. Damaged or dried out branches must be removed. Pruning is carried out before the start of sap flow.
Preparing for winter
Initially, all weeds are removed, the soil is mulched. To preserve the root system, it is recommended to leave the fallen leaves under the bush, and in winter, cover the lower part of the plant with snow. The aerial part is pulled with ropes and wrapped in a cloth. Barberry bush Natasha can be left upright or bent to the ground.
Reproduction
There are several ways of breeding Natasha barberry. One of them is seeds. To obtain them, ripe berries are harvested, the seeds are separated from the pulp and placed in a solution of potassium permanganate, then dried.
In autumn, the seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of 1 cm and lightly sprinkled with earth. In the spring, after the appearance of 2-3 leaves, the planting is thinned out and the growing of the bushes continues for 2 years. After the expiration of time, they are seated.
For propagation by cuttings, they are preliminarily prepared: they are cut in mid-July, the leaf plates are removed from the bottom, and the upper ones are shortened by half. After that, the plant is placed for 2-3 hours in a growth stimulator - this is Epin, Kornevin. At the end of the procedure, the cutting is washed and transferred to a moist substrate consisting of humus, peat and fertile soil.
A plastic dome is formed over the planted cutting, which is periodically removed to ventilate the plant. After the formation of the root system (the process takes about 2 weeks), all fences are removed. It is recommended to grow young barberry in a greenhouse bed for 2 years, after which the bush is transferred to its permanent habitat.
Another breeding method is layering. In the spring, a strong annual shoot is selected on the Natasha barberry bush, which is bent to the ground and fixed. From above it is lightly sprinkled with soil, leaving only the top.
By autumn, the cuttings will form a root system, which will allow you to separate the seedling from the mother bush and transplant it to a new place.
Low bushes 3-5 years old are conveniently divided into seedlings. To do this, the bush is dug up in the spring and cut into equal parts. To separate the roots of barberry, it is recommended to stock up on a saw, which should be done carefully, avoiding unnecessary trauma to the plant.
At the end of the work, the sections are treated with crushed coal and distributed over the plots. Bushes with shoots branching above ground level are not suitable for dividing.
Diseases and pests
The main pests of Natasha barberry are aphids and moths. The plant is saved from the latter by treatment with Chlorophos or Decis. To get rid of aphids, it is recommended to spray the plants with folk remedies in the spring (300 g of soap per 10 liters of water, or 0.5 kg of makhorka per 10 liters of soap solution). If the procedures are ineffective, treatment with acaricides is carried out - Aktare or Aktellika.
When a whitish bloom (powdery mildew) is detected on the leaf plates, Natasha barberry bushes are sprayed with a sulfur-lime mixture. With complete defeat of the shoots, they are cut off and burned.
Spotting is characterized by the appearance of spots that provoke drying of the leaf plate. To destroy a bacterial infection, a solution of copper oxychloride (30 g per 10 l of water) is used, which is treated from a spray bottle before and after flowering.
When affected by fungal diseases, the affected shoots are cut out, and the plant is treated with fungicides.
Often in the spring, spots of rich orange color can be seen on the upper side of the leaf. On the reverse side of the plate, orange pads are formed, where spores remain. This disease is called rust. As it progresses, the leaves dry out and fall off.
To destroy the bacteria, the Natasha barberry bush is treated with a 2% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
It is important to timely monitor the condition of the plant. If there are signs of complete infection of the bush, it is dug up and burned, and other barberries are prophylactically treated with antibacterial agents.
Conclusion
Barberry Natasha is an ideal plant for creating hedges, setting up picturesque nooks for relaxing in the garden and making interesting landscaping. Ease of care and strong frost resistance are the undoubted advantage of barberry.
