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The Swedish mountain ash can become a real decoration of the dacha. At any time of the year, it looks great: in the spring it pleases with snow-white inflorescences, in the summer - with green leaves with a silvery sheen, in the fall - with crimson shades, in the winter - with clusters of scarlet berries. The plant goes well with deciduous and coniferous trees, it can itself become a background for decorative flowers and shrubs. It is resistant to unfavorable conditions, grows well anywhere, and caring for it is simple, you just need to know the peculiarities of growing Swedish mountain ash, which is also called intermediate, or Scandinavian.
Description of intermediate rowan (Swedish)
The plant grows in the wild in Scandinavia and Europe, looks like a tree reaching a height of 15 m, or like a bush. The stem of the plant is smooth, gray, short. The crown is oval or pyramidal in shape with a diameter of up to 5 m. The older the tree becomes, the more rounded its crown. While the shoots are young, they have pubescence, later they become naked. The leaves of the Swedish intermediate rowan are pinnate, similar to oak, from below they are pinnate-tomentose. In the fall, the foliage turns red. The flowering culture begins in early summer. The photo of Swedish mountain ash shows that its inflorescences look in the form of white, thick shields.
The fruits have a sweet and sour pulp, there is no bitterness in them. The brushes are able to stay on the branches until winter. Rowan intermediate bears fruit annually. Berries are valued for their taste, they are harvested for the preparation of preparations - jams, compotes, frosts.
Pros and cons of the variety
Rowan Swedish (intermediate) has a number of positive properties. Its advantages include:
- unpretentiousness to growing;
- frost and drought resistance;
- easy tolerance of smoke and gas content in the air;
- fast growth;
- decorativeness;
- the presence of the medicinal properties of intermediate rowan berries;
- resistance to fungal diseases;
- high taste of fruits.
There are few disadvantages of the variety:
- the culture does not belong to shade-tolerant trees;
- does not take root well on soils with a high occurrence of groundwater;
- does not tolerate saline soils.
Planting and caring for Swedish rowan
The plant is propagated by layering, basal shoots. It does not require special care, regular watering is important. For planting a tree, well-lit areas are chosen, the composition of the soil does not play a special role in this, but, ideally, Swedish mountain ash gives preference to drained loams, light moist soil with the addition of lime. The annual growth of the tree is about 40 cm in height and 30 cm in width. To accelerate development, the intermediate mountain ash should be fed with fertilizers for fruit trees in the third year of life.
Landing site preparation
Judging by the description, the Swedish mountain ash is a tall tree in an adult state, so the border of the garden will be the optimal place for planting it. So that the crown does not obscure the space, it is planted on the northern side of the site. The tree can grow in one place for up to 120 years, so it is worth considering in advance where to place it. It is unpretentious to growing conditions, but grows much better on fertile moist soils. For planting an intermediate rowan, it is worth preparing a hole in advance. Its size should correspond to the root system. Most often, the depth is no more than 80 cm.The width of the planting pit is more than 1 m, since the roots of the Swedish mountain ash branch out, mastering the upper layers of the soil, rich in nutrients. The walls of the pit are made vertical, the bottom is loosened by 15 cm, drainage is laid.
Landing rules
The best time to plant Swedish rowan (intermediate) is autumn or early spring, before the buds begin to swell. A number of rules should be followed:
- in order to increase the productivity of the Swedish intermediate mountain ash, despite its self-fertility, it is advisable to purchase several varieties;
- pits are dug at a distance of 8 m from each other;
- add ash, superphosphate and a bucket of three-year manure humus to them;
- set the seedling in the center so that the roots do not bend and do not rest against the walls;
- long roots shorten somewhat;
- the root collar is located above the soil surface;
- the pit is covered with soil mixture and filled with water;
- install a support peg;
- form a landing mound for water retention;
- mulch the soil around the trunk of Swedish mountain ash (intermediate).
Watering and feeding
The first time after planting a rowan seedling, it is necessary to ensure regular watering, especially in hot weather. Mulching the trunk circle will help to save and retain moisture in the soil. Top dressing is carried out starting from the third year of life. In the spring, before the flowering of the intermediate rowan, 15 g of nitrogen and potash fertilizers, 25 g of phosphorus fertilizers are recommended for each square meter of the trunk circle. In autumn, after picking berries, it is necessary to feed with phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizers are scattered over the surface and embedded to a depth of 15 cm.
Pruning
In order not to harm the intermediate mountain ash, the pruning of the bush must be carried out correctly, so that it contributes to abundant fruiting, as well as the prevention of diseases.
The summer procedure is better tolerated by plants than the spring one. It is carried out on a dry sunny day so that the fungal infection does not penetrate the wounds. Sections are treated with garden pitch.
In the Swedish mountain ash, the lower branches are removed to a circle 50 cm from the ground, the skeletal ones are shortened, and the conductor is cut so that it is 25 cm longer than the skeletal ones. With the help of such manipulations, the crown of the tree is formed and the growth of new shoots is stimulated.
Pruning in autumn is not recommended, as the plant prepares for winter and additional trauma leads to its weakening.
Gardeners recommend pruning in February. For this, trees at least three years old, already frost-resistant, are suitable. Remove damaged, weak branches or crowns that are out of shape. They are shortened to the last external kidney. The strongly thickened crown should be thinned out, and a rejuvenating pruning is carried out on a mountain ash with a weak increase. In addition, root growth must be constantly removed.
Preparing for winter
The Swedish rowan (intermediate) is frost-resistant, therefore, it does not require special preparation for winter. The exception is young autumn seedlings, which did not have time to get stronger. Their root system should be piled up by filling a mound 20 cm high, and the trunk circle should be insulated with a layer of leaves and spruce branches.
For adult plants, preparation for winter consists in harvesting fallen leaves, and with it, insect pests, as well as mulching the trunk circle.
Pollination
Rowan Swedish, or intermediate - a triple hybrid obtained from three varieties - an ordinary variety, a mountain ash and a round-leaved mountain ash. The tree is widespread in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Poland. The intermediate rowan is reproduced without pollination and is spread by birds that eat the sweet fruits and carry the seeds.
Harvesting
As you can see in the photo, Scandinavian mountain ash, or Swedish, has red, hemispherical berries collected in a brush with a diameter of up to 1.2 cm, weighing -1 g. They taste different from the fruits of ordinary mountain ash in the absence of bitterness in the pulp. They begin to ripen in September and remain on the branches for a long time.You can harvest at the end of September or after frost.
Berries are used in cooking, as a basis for jam, compotes, in the food industry they are used to prepare drinks, jellies, and sweets. The medicinal properties of berries are used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic.
Diseases and pests
Rowan Swedish (intermediate) is resistant to diseases and pests. Defeats by pathologies and insects are observed in some years. The main diseases include:
- rust;
- scab;
- septoria;
- phomosis;
- powdery mildew;
- black;
- cancer;
- rot of wood.
On the trees of the intermediate rowan (photo), insect pests are found:
- caterpillars;
- sawflies;
- ticks;
- aphid;
- gall midge.
For the treatment of intermediate rowan and the destruction of insects, chemicals and folk remedies are used.
Reproduction
The most successful Swedish intermediate rowan reproduces by cuttings and root shoots.
The diversion method scheme is as follows:
- Dig up the site, remove weeds.
- Dig out a groove.
- Choose a long rowan shoot.
- Bend it to the ground and pin it with staples.
- After the appearance of the first shoots, fill them with humus by half.
- After a year, separate the layers from the mother plant, transplant to a permanent place.
A simpler breeding method is to use young growth that periodically appears near the trunk. It is carefully dug up and planted in a permanent place, observing all the rules for planting a seedling.
Conclusion
Rowan Swedish - an excellent ornamental plant for the site. It looks great in the foreground when combined with deciduous and coniferous plants. The culture itself easily becomes the backdrop for shrubs and flowers. In autumn and winter, the berries attract birds, making the site even livelier.
