Aronia: Methods Of Breeding Chokeberry

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

September-October is a doubly successful period for all fans of chokeberry. At this time, both harvesting and breeding activities for the chokeberry shrub take place

The incalculable virtues of the chokeberry

Aronia is not only a very nutritious plant that has a high dietary and therapeutic and prophylactic value, but also the most real decoration of your backyard farm. Chokeberry bushes grow quite high - up to 3 m, and the crown of an adult plant is about 2 m in diameter. The branches of the chokeberry are densely wrapped in bright green foliage, against which during the flowering period - in May-June - the lush inflorescences of future fruits look very elegant … From the end of summer, the branches are adorned with heavy clusters of purple-black fruits. But even in autumn, chokeberry does not lose its decorative appeal when the foliage takes on a rich reddish hue.

Aronia has many virtues. Among them - early annual abundant fruiting, a long productive period. Fruits can be stored on branches until frost, and the shrub itself belongs to winter-hardy plants. The branches of the chokeberry retain productivity for about 10 years, and the annual growth of root shoots ensures the natural restoration of the fruiting of the bush. Among other things, chokeberry easily multiplies and takes root well in a new place.

Chokeberry propagation by seeds

Aronia is good because it can be propagated in almost all ways available to plants, and every gardener can choose the one that he likes best:

• reproduction by seeds;

• division of the bush;

• cuttings;

• root shoots;

• horizontal and vertical rooting of layers;

• through vaccination.

When the chokeberry fruits ripen, this is the best time to collect seed from them for further reproduction. To do this, rub the berries through a sieve. The juice and pulp are collected, and the remaining mass is immersed in a vessel with water. This procedure helps to separate the seeds from the pulp, which rises to the surface of the water, while the grains sink to the bottom.

The seed must be allowed to dry, and then laid for stratification. In late January - early February, the seeds prepared in this way snow, and with the arrival of spring, they sow. You can also use these seeds for sowing in the fall. The seed is embedded in the grooves to a depth of approximately 0.5 cm. The crops are mulched with a layer of humus. When seedlings appear, they are thinned so that an interval of about 5 cm is formed between the plants.

Reproduction of chokeberry in a vegetative way

Aronia root suckers are an excellent breeding material. In the first year of life, they should be carefully covered with earth, then they quickly form their own strong roots. Next year, this growth can be separated from the mother bush by digging up and cutting off the roots with a shovel.

It is not difficult to propagate chokeberry with horizontal layers. To do this, notice a well-developed annual shoot at the edge of the bush, which can be easily bent to the ground. It is buried in a groove to a depth of about 5 cm and pinned to the soil with a slingshot. Vertical shoots are formed from the buds. During the summer period, soil is poured onto the layer to form adventitious roots. By autumn, they will already be able to become independent plants. After the foliage has fallen, they can be dug up and cut into full-fledged seedlings.

The seedlings are placed at a distance of no closer than 2 m from each other, otherwise they will interfere with the neighbor's being well illuminated by the sun. Before planting, the root system is shortened by approximately 20 cm. The aboveground part is also cut off.