Every detail is important in the design of the garden. There can be no little things. That is why among the plants necessary to create a landscape corner, there should be a barberry Red Rocket - an elegant shrub from the barberry family.
Grade description
Barberis of Thunberg Red Rocket is one of the most popular shrubs of the Barberry family. He gained his fame thanks to his unusual appearance and unpretentiousness when breeding. The purple color of Berberis Thunbergii foliage gives the composition of the garden a special brightness and zest.
Barberry Red Rocket
Barberry Red Rocket is a shrub that reaches a height of 2 meters. The crown is columnar in diameter of 0.8-1 meter. Leaves are rounded webbed with teeth-shaped edges. During the growing season, the foliage has a dark green color with a purple tint. By the first half of August, it acquires a purple color, and in the fall it turns bright red.
The Barberry of Thunberg Red Rocket blooms in the first decade of May. The flowers are yellow and collected in inflorescences. The fruits are elongated, ripen in the first half of September.
Important! When choosing a place for planting, one must take into account that this variety of barberry is an excellent honey plant, and during the flowering period, its flowers attract many bees.
Leaves of Barberry Red Rocket
Growing barberry Red Rocket from seeds
In the description of the variety it is mentioned that the plant can be grown from seeds, but planting with cuttings or root cuttings is still considered faster and more efficient. Problems growing barberries from seeds: few seeds take root, and it is likely that the new plant will lack parental traits.
Seed planting
Seeds are taken from the ripened barberry fruit and soaked for 6-12 hours in a solution of potassium permanganate. After disinfection, drying is carried out. The seeds are planted in containers with soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The volume of the container must be sufficient so that the soil retains moisture for a long time. Due to the low percentage of germination, it is recommended to plant 2 seeds in one container.
In the spring, the sprouted seeds are transplanted into pots and grown there for another year. Then they are transplanted into the open ground. By that time, a developed root system is formed in the plant, which can take root in vivo.
Important! To obtain good germination results, gardeners recommend holding the seeds at a temperature of 2-3 degrees for 45-50 days.
Seedling Care
Before emergence, it is recommended to cover the containers with film or glass. It is important that the soil is not waterlogged, otherwise the seeds will rot.
After emergence, the film is removed and the containers are exposed in a sunny place. The air temperature during this period should be 18-20 ° C. Before the first two true leaves appear, the plant does not need additional top dressing and a new portion of water.
When the outdoor air temperature reaches 15-17 ° C, it is recommended to harden the sprouts, and with the onset of real summer weather, the container is put out on the street. During this period, watering should be moderate, as a top dressing, it is recommended to use a urea solution.
Additional Information. With the onset of cold weather, the container is brought into a heated room for wintering. During this period, watering is reduced so that the plant enters a dormant period.
Outdoor landing
There are spring and autumn planting of barberry. In the first case, two-year-old seedlings are used, and in the second, planting material is one year old. Spring planting is carried out at the time of bud swelling, and autumn - before the onset of the first frost. The best option is the second Indian summer (end of September).
Attention! To get maximum shoot growth, they are planted in the fall, and for a good growth of greenery, spring planting in open ground is better.
Saplings 3 years of age
How to plant
The choice of landing method depends on what result should be obtained. If the barberry Red Rocket will act as a hedge, plants are recommended to be planted in a trench at a distance of 0.5 m from each other. For individual placement, the distance between the bushes should be at least 2 m.
For landing, you will need a pit with a depth of up to half a meter and dimensions on the surface - 50x50cm. A layer of sand is poured to the bottom up to 8-10 cm. After planting, the pit is covered with a nutrient substrate from turf land, humus and wood ash. After compaction, the soil is watered.
Subsequent watering in the first year is recommended to be done at least 1 time in 10 days. The exception is dry years, when the watering regime needs to be increased.
Garden Care
Barberry Red Rocket does not apply to plants requiring special care. However, there are mandatory rules that must be followed for the health of the plant and the preservation of its decorativeness. This is watering, reproduction, pruning and prevention of diseases and pest attacks.
How to water a plant
The shrub easily tolerates hot summer days and does not require additional watering. The exception is the first year, when it is necessary to water the plant under the root once every 10-14 days. Water should be at room temperature. The plant does not like the crown to be irrigated, enough watering under the root. The next day, under it, you need to loosen the soil.
Breeding
Cuttings of barberry are propagated in early summer. To do this, remove the lower leaves from a 20-25 cm long stalk and plant it in a prepared hole so that 3-4 leaves are on top. The landing site is covered with a jar. After 2-3 weeks, the plant will give new shoots. After this, the greenhouse is removed.
Propagation of barberry cuttings
In spring, one of the shoots is bent to the ground and poured on top of a mound of earth in the middle of the shoot. To form new roots, you need to cover 3-4 kidneys. The top with 4-5 leaves is straightened with support. The mound is watered 1 time in 5-7 days. The finished bush is replanted next spring.
By dividing the bush, adult bushes are propagated, starting from 5 years of age. Autumn planting is preferable, before the onset of frost. In late September - early October, the bushes are dug up for transplanting and divided so that the new plant has 4-5 young shoots. After planting, the soil is fertilized and watered.
Attention! When planting in autumn, barberry should be planted 2-2.5 weeks before the first frost. During this time, the plant will have time to heal the wounds and continue the growth of the root system.
Pruning
Despite the fact that the height of the bush reaches 2 m, it is often not recommended to trim it. Typically, pruning is done in the spring, removing the frozen tips of the shoots. Additionally, the plant is cut to form the desired leaf shape. Trimming incorrectly growing branches is performed at the very base.
To form a bush of the correct shape, it is cut off taking into account the location of the kidneys. To get the branch directed outward, the extreme kidney is left on the outside. You can orient the bush branch inward, leaving an extreme bud directed inward on the shoot.
Diseases and Pests
The plant has good immunity to most diseases and pests. However, sometimes it also gets sick or is attacked by insects.
The main culprits of cultural health disorders:
- Insect Barberry aphid - infects foliage.
- Pest Flower pyaditel - damages the fruits of barberry.
- Powdery mildew disease - affects leaves and shoots.
- Leaf spotting is a viral disease.
- Fungal lesions of leaves and shoots.
They treat the bush, treating it with a solution of complex preparations in a timely manner. Also used is spraying with a solution of tobacco dust, laundry soap, copper chloride and copper sulfate.
Care during and after flowering
Blossoms barberry all summer. At the beginning of the flowering period, the plant needs to be fed with complex fertilizers. The second time feeding is recommended in July. When the bush fades, it is treated with insect repellents. At the same time, top dressing and watering are reduced, pruning is carried out to form the appearance of the shrub.
Barberry during flowering
Winter preparations
For normal wintering, you first need to trim the dried branches. Thunberg's barberry tolerates frosty winters well, but when grown in areas where frosts reach 23-25 ° C, plants under 4 years old are recommended to be sheltered.
Note! In winters with little snow, they use shelter, peat, and straw for shelter. Agrofibre can also be used. The use of polyethylene can lead to the death of the bush.
Use in landscape design
Barberry is used as a stand-alone plant in a Japanese garden or on an alpine hill or they make a hedge out of it. Since barberry is an edible plant, it is not necessary to enclose it. In order for the shrub to find the desired shape, it is better to think over the design in advance and begin to form the crown with 2-3 years of growth.
The use of varieties in garden design
Barberry fits well with the urban rhythm of life, which makes it a popular ornamental plant for landscaping islands. The shrub is unpretentious, easily tolerates drought, winter frosts and does not require much attention during growth, so the owners of suburban areas love it so much.
