Elderberry is a small tree shrouded in a large number of superstitions among many peoples of Europe. However, this does not make the plant less attractive to gardeners. Elderberry cyst has decorative properties, and is also used in folk medicine.

Botanical description of the species

Sambucus racemosa is a woody plant from the Elderberry genus. It is characterized by red fruits and a peculiar aroma of leaves. In the natural environment, the plant actively grows in the Northern Hemisphere throughout Eurasia and North America. Elderberry is considered to be a red bush because it is highly branched, although the height of the bush can reach 5 meters. The bark has a brownish-gray color, the texture is smooth, although it begins to peel off with age. Branches are characterized by their fragility due to the small amount of wood in them. A loose brown core fills the interior of the branch.

In the spring, large ovoid buds appear on the shrubbery. After the plant is covered with leaves, which consist of 3-5 leaves. They have an elongated shape with serrated edges and reach a size of up to 10 cm. Due to the high content of anthocyanin, recently emerged leaves are painted in burgundy or purple.

The fruits of the plant are small red berries, the diameter of which is only 5 mm. Bones are fed by drupes, which spread the seeds, which is the main way of plant propagation in the natural environment.

Important! The juice of this shrub is poisonous to the human body. Red elderberry should not be eaten in any form.

Origin of name

Many Slavic, European and even Indian peoples have a common word "beech", which means completely different types of trees. After scientists learned about this phenomenon, theories appeared about the common ancestors of the modern inhabitants of India and Europe. However, it turned out that the Buk was called the ordinary among the Europeans, the East was the Indians, and the elders were called at all by the Slavs. So the bush acquired a modified modern name in the Russian language over time.

The Latin name Sambucus racemosa can come from different roots. Some believe that due to the bright color of the berries and their use in the creation of dyes, the name comes from the word from the Greek language “sambuca”. It literally translates as "red paint." According to another theory, elderberry in Latin is called that way due to the fact that the Arabic musical instrument sambuca was made from the wood of this shrub.

Racemosa translates as "bunch" or "brush", which connects the similarity of elderberry fruits with grapes

Popular varieties

Many gardeners like red elderberry because of the large selection of varieties that differ in leaf shape and color, size and lighting requirements.

The most common varieties include:

• Plumosa Aurea;
• Sutherland Gold;
• Laciniata;
• Plumosa;
• Ornata.

The first representative from the list is a tall shrub reaching 2 meters in height. It is noteworthy that the leaves are painted yellow, and their elongated shape emphasizes the cuts at the ends. Like all elderberries, Plumosa aurea Not demanding on the soil, but grows best with a limited amount of sunlight. A characteristic feature of the variety is the reddening of the leaves and their interweaving around the inflorescences in the spring season.

Sutherland gold looks very similar to Plumosa Aurea, however, it has high resistance to sun exposure. This allows the shrub to grow in an open area without the risk of getting burns.

Laciniata has some similarities with previous varieties, but has an even more dissected leaf shape. Their color remains green until the fall, which is suitable for gardeners who want to plant greenery.

Main feature Plumosa can be considered an unusual color of the plant. The leaf cover in spring turns purple, and the leaves themselves are surrounded by light green buds. In July, red berries appear that grow until October, which makes the shrub attractive for most of the year.

Ornata Is a peculiar mixture of Plumosa and Laciniata varieties. A unique leaf color was obtained from the first, and an aesthetically attractive form from the second.

Landing

Although elderberry is not too whimsical, it is important for the gardener to plant the plant correctly.

For a successful landing, you need to follow the following algorithm:

1. Choose an open place with partial shade, where soil with a neutral hydrogen index.
2. Choose a seedling whose age is 1-2 years.
3. Dig up a landing pit 50 cm deep and wide.
4. Lay out a broken brick drainage layer.
5. Loosen the soil and fill in 0.5 buckets of sand.
6. Add to the soil a mixture of 7 kg of humus, 50 g of phosphate fertilizers and 30 g of potash fertilizing.
7. Wait for the warm spring weather.
8. Place the planting material so that the plant’s neck is level with the ground.
9. Water abundantly with 1-2 buckets of water.
10. Wait until the water leaves and check if the root neck sticks out above the soil: if so, add more earth.

The first 4 days after planting, red elderberry should be watered with a bucket of water per day. If the gardener wants the plant to take the form of a tree, and not a spherical bush, you will need to install a support. It should be higher than the current size of the seedling.

For better pollination, other plants should be near the elderberry. However, then you will have to follow the development of the root system of the shrub so as not to disrupt the growth of other samples in the garden.

Video: Comparison of black and red elderberries

Elderberry care

To elderberry cystic actively grow, the gardener needs to take care of her. Maintenance is not difficult and consists mainly of watering. Seasonal pruning is also important, as well as protection from possible pest attacks. However, the rest of the bush is unpretentious and does not require strong intervention from a person after planting.

Watering

Elderberry in spring and autumn does not require watering. In summer, during dry and hot weather, an adult plant requires 10-15 liters of water weekly. To stimulate growth, young elderberry is watered more often, but still 2 times a week is still enough. To reduce the volume of water evaporation, it is enough to mulch the basal area of ​​the bush with a mixture of straw or freshly cut grass with humus.

Fertilizer

If a gardener added nutrients to the soil during planting, red elderberry will not need to be fertilized for the next 2 years. After this period, at the end of March it is necessary to add organic additives. Humus will serve as a good fertilizer: the bush reacts positively to its presence in the soil.

Important! Peat-based mixtures cannot be used to fertilize elderberry. This plant cannot actively develop on peaty soil.

Check the pH after adding. If it deviates from neutral towards acidity, add lime to the soil. To prepare the lime mixture, add soil to the main component, mix thoroughly and pour with water, then leave for a week. Stir again and add compost with water. Leave for another 2 weeks, after which the deoxidant will be ready. On average, 500-600 g of lime per 1 m² is required, depending on the degree of oxidation of the earth. However, the amount of lime fertilizer should not exceed 700 g per 1 m².

Pruning

Before the onset of the growing season, elderberry must be cut. This is due to the rapid growth rate of shoots under good growing conditions. It is important to thoroughly check the shrub for frozen areas and, if necessary, remove them.. If the whole plant is frozen, it will have to be cut under the root to prevent the occurrence of fungus.

Did you know? In elderberry flowers, the levels of carotene, orange carrot pigment, are higher than in carrots.

In addition, many gardeners cut elderberries completely every 2-3 years, leaving only a portion of the main trunk 10 cm high. This is due to the fact that with such pruning the bush begins to grow abundantly: some varieties grow again by 1.5 m during the growing season, covered with a new healthy deciduous cover. Although red elderberry does not freeze like black elderberry, it is necessary to cut branches first to rejuvenate the plant.

Breeding

The best way to propagate elderberry cysts is the Cherenkov method. It is noteworthy that both lignified and young specimens of cuttings are suitable for this. The vast majority of samples take root if cuttings are carried out in the right season: the most ideal time falls on the end of June or the first days of July. To prepare the cuttings, branches with two internodes are cut. It is necessary to leave 2 cm of branch under the lower one and clean this part of the leaves. Above 1 cm from the upper kidney you need to make a cut. On the remaining workpiece, cut the sheets so that only a couple of them remain.

Next, the gardener needs to take a small container, for example a disposable glass, and fill it with soil. Submerge the resulting cuttings in soil to the level of the upper kidney and pour a small amount of water so that the soil is moist, but the liquid does not stagnate. From above the container is covered with transparent polyethylene. The blank must be put in partial shade. Watering is necessary every 2 days, so that the young plant has time to absorb moisture.

If the container is transparent, then the gardener will be able to quickly determine that the stem has taken root: an extensive root system will appear. Otherwise, evidence of a positive result will be the appearance of new sheets from the kidney.

Possible diseases and pests

It is noteworthy that the elderberry cyst is not only rarely attacked by pests, but also drives them away from neighboring plants with its aroma. However, there are insects that feed on this shrub.

First of all it elderberry mining fly - Two-winged pest, which also feeds on agricultural crops and vegetables. These insects lay eggs on leaves, which leads to a deterioration in the decorative qualities of elderberry and its weakening as a whole. Flies can be exterminated with the help of Kinmix, Karbofos and other insecticides by spraying immediately after detection of pests. It is necessary to carry out the procedure twice with a break of a week in order to get rid of the senior representatives of insects and those that have just appeared from the masonry.

The second known pest is elderberry leaf mite. It feeds on the juices of the bush, absorbing them from the leaf cover, which leads to the drying out and darkening of the leaves. In order to get rid of this insect, twice use an insecticide, such as Metac or Fitoverm.

Elderberry cyst is rarely exposed to ailments. If this happens, it is exclusively with young plants. The most common disease is called powdery mildew.. It can be found in early spring, in March, according to the main feature in the form of a white coating on the leaves. It is treated quite simply: after the gardener noticed the disease, the bush needs to be treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux fluid. To prepare this mixture with your own hands, you need to add 300 grams of copper sulfate and quicklime to a bucket of water.

Plant application

Although elderberry is red and has poisonous fruits, as well as a peculiar aroma, this plant is used everywhere. The decorative properties of many varieties allow gardeners to use shrubs in landscape design. The unusual properties of elderberry juice determine its use in traditional medicine.. In addition, the smell of the plant scares away most of the pests from the garden.

Video: Useful properties and application of red elderberry

In landscape design

Most often, elderberry cysts are used for landscaping summer cottages, and sometimes squares. The presence of hardy varieties that do not require active human intervention, determines the growing popularity of this plant. Also, the shrub is great for growing along with large trees or in a group with other, lower bushes, as the main element. Elderberry can become a feature of a flower bed, stretching along the alley, surrounded by low-growing herbaceous plants.

Dwarf varieties can help the gardener to equip the Alpine hills - a miniature imitation of the rocky slopes of the Alps. Any red elderberry looks great in a small artificial pond due to its splendor and bright fruits..

In medicine

Official medicine does not use elderberry in treatment. That is why the composition of flowers, berries and juice is little known to modern science. However elderberry has been used in folk medicine since ancient times. It is known that this plant was described in one of the first herbalists of medieval Europe, which was published in 1546.

In folk medicine, flowers and berries of a shrub are used.. Many people believe that the infusion treats colds, asthma, and migraines. With angina and inflammation in the oral cavity, such a drink is used to rinse.

As a remedy for constipation, jelly is made from berries. But it is worth remembering that the internal use of red elderberry can harm human health due to the high concentration of toxins.

Did you know? Elderberry has long been surrounded by many gloomy beliefs. However, its presence in the yard has always been considered a talisman, which brings prosperity and protects against uninvited guests.

In other areas

Elderberry is believed to be a honey plant. Medicinal properties are also attributed to the honey obtained from it, although some sources claim that this shrub does not emit nectar at all.

People have long noticed that elderberry gives off an unpleasant odor that scares off animals: small rodents, insects and other animals. It is believed that where this plant is, mice never wound up. To get rid of moles, broken branches and carpal stems of elderberry were laid in holes. Breeders and shepherds guessed to plant these shrubs around the cattle grazing area so that the animals would not run away. On the farm, the fruits can be used to clean plaque from bowls and cutlery made of copper.

Elderberry will please both people who appreciate the practical use of plants, and gardeners, whose work is focused on aesthetics in the garden. The variety of varieties of this shrub allows you to choose a plant that is exactly necessary to create a unique composition. Useful properties are also noteworthy: although they are not proven by official science, they are not in dispute.