Rose Hip

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Rosehip (lat. Rosa) - berry and ornamental culture; a genus of plants of the Rosaceae family. Currently, the genus has about 500 species. On the territory of the Russian Federation, 50-100 species grow in the wild (according to various sources).

Characteristics of culture

For the most part, rose hips are erect shrubs, less often low tree-like or herbaceous plants, sometimes lianas, the shoots of which are covered with thorns. Plant height varies from 50 cm to 2 m. Branches are thin, twig-like, red-brown in color. The thorns are firm, curved or straight, flattened at the base, sitting at the base of the leaves on flowering shoots. The root system is pivotal, the base mass of roots goes 15-40 cm deep, some roots penetrate to a depth of 5 m. In some forms of rose hips, a branched caudex is formed, from which numerous woody rhizomes and vegetative shoots (aka turions) are formed.

The leaves are deciduous or evergreen, oblong-ovate or oblong-elliptical, odd-pinnate, with stem-enveloping stipules, toothed margins, dark green on the outside, and glaucous with pubescence on the bottom. The flowers are small or large, simple or double, single or collected in paniculate or corymbose inflorescences, can be of a wide variety of colors (from snow-white to bright red and even black), located on short smooth pedicels. The petals are notched, the sepals are whole, converging upwards at fruit.

The fruit is a multi-root (cynarrodium), reaches 1-2 cm in diameter, spherical or oval, smooth or covered with bristles, fleshy or dryish, crowned with sepals, can be orange, red, purple-red and black. The fruit is formed from a pitcher receptacle. Rosehip blooms in June - July. Fruits ripen in August - September, do not fall off for a long time.

Growing conditions

Rosehip is a light-loving culture, it prefers well-lit, elevated areas, protected from cold winds. Soils for growing crops are desirable fertile, loose, moderately moistened with a neutral pH and deep groundwater. Swampy, saline and low-lying areas are not suitable. Due to the fact that the root system of the dog rose grows rapidly, creeping in the upper layers of the soil, the bushes are enclosed with a small ditch 25-30 cm deep.

Reproduction and planting

Rosehip is propagated by seeds, root suckers, lily and green shoots, horizontal layering and dividing the bush. The seed method is rather laborious and ineffective, since with this method the characteristics and properties of the mother plant are lost. Rosehip seeds require long-term stratification. Sowing is carried out in the fall under a shelter in the form of a thick layer of peat or humus. The seeding depth is 1-2 cm. In the spring, a frame with a plastic wrap is installed on the crops. Seedlings appear in June - July. When the first two leaves appear on the seedlings, young plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

Reproduction by root suckers is one of the most common methods. The offspring are harvested in late autumn or early spring before the buds swell. Shoots are bent into grooves, sprinkled with earth, periodically watered and hilled. The next year, the rooted offspring are separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a new place.

Rosehip seedlings are planted in the fall, but a couple of months before the onset of stable frosts, otherwise the plants will not have time to take root. Planting pits are prepared in 2-3 weeks, their depth should be 40-45 cm, and their width should be 45-50 cm. The soil taken out of the pit is thoroughly mixed with rotted humus or compost and mineral fertilizers. Part of the soil mixture is poured onto the bottom of the pit, the seedling is lowered, spreading the roots, covered with the remaining soil, tamped, watered and mulched with peat or sawdust. Before planting, it is advisable to dip the roots of seedlings in a clay mash. Important: the root collar should be located 5-7 cm below the soil level.

Care

Rosehip is a drought-resistant culture, it does not need constant watering. Three to four abundant watering is enough per season. Rosehip responds well to feeding with organic and nitrogen fertilizers. The first feeding is carried out in early spring, the second - during the active growth of shoots (June - July), the third - in September. Do not forget about the systematic loosening and weeding of weeds near the trunks.

In early spring, sanitary and formative pruning of wild rose is carried out. The bush is formed from 15-20 branches. It is good if the shoots of the shrub are of different age categories, but not older than 7 years, since the old branches bear fruit poorly. It is not recommended to carry out pruning in autumn, since fresh cuts have a negative attitude towards frost.