Blackberry: growing and grooming
The plant is a creepinghalf-shrub, belonging to the genus of evergreen family of heather. In earlier publications, it can be called a lynx, siksha, bearberry, black grass, lamb or blueberry. Virtually all subspecies have edible fruits, but only one species can be cultivated in vivo - a blackberry. Let us consider this plant in more detail.
Black water shiksha (description)
The peduncle grows about 20 cm andhas long enough shoots, which can reach one and a half meters, it all depends on climate and soil. Each individual is a separate bush and grows as it were "spots". One of the characteristic features of the wateryard is a branch, which can easily be called additional roots. The main stem has a dark brown color, but the young shoots are covered with small villi. The bush loves freedom, therefore it grows throughout the life, while older shoots eventually die off, but it is almost invisible thanks to the new branches.
The conductor of nutrients is the fungus,which, in turn, is connected directly to the rhizome. The leaves, whose length is from 2 to 8 mm, have an elliptical shape and grow in a certain sequence. Externally, the cadavers resemble pine needles, since the shape of the leaves has a slightly twisted surface on the back side. Life expectancy is about five years.
Inflorescence and flowering
The inflorescence itself is not particularly attractivediffer, since they have only three petals of pink, purple or pale red color. Rarity is the ovary (they only have the upper), which has more than three inflorescences on one branch. The siksha (black crawberry) Siberian begins its flowering around the end of May or the beginning of June, while in the European part this period is shifted to the end of April-beginning of May.
The blackberry has the color of the crow's wings. The name, most likely, is directly related to the wonderful properties of berries, which have a weak diuretic effect.
Blackberry cultivation
In nature, this plant is fairlyoften, especially in areas of peat bogs and a number of other areas - Ivanovo, Tver and Smolensk. Growing a shisha in your own garden is unlikely to work, as it grows poorly under similar conditions and eventually dies. If there is a need for its cultivation, it is necessary to acquire a complete cultural form, together with the rhizome and the fungus itself. Strongly branched shrubbery, which reaches 50 cm in height, has berries not on all branches, since it belongs to the category of dioecious plants.
Planting of each bush should occur ondistance not less than half a meter from each other, but the depth should not be more than 35 cm (the neck itself is 4 cm). Do not forget about the drainage system, which must consist of sand and gravel and make up at least 10 cm, while the soil mixture itself should be made from equal volumes of sand, peat and turf. Black water (shiksha) has a rather interesting chemical composition, as it includes such useful substances and microelements:
vitamin C;
essential oils;
flavonoids;
triterpene saponins;
carotene;
anthocyanins;
manganese;
Benzoic and acetic acids;
different tannins.
Care of the plant
In additional fertilizing, however, the plantneeds, but it should not be conducted more than once a season. Young shoots are mulched using peat, the layer of which should be no more than 7 cm. It does not need additional shelter during winter time. Pruning should consist solely in the form of pruning dry shoots. Weeding should be regular and only in the first few years of her life.
Germinating weeds will be suppressed by the plantafter several years of independent life. If the plant is in a dry climate, frequent waterings should be carried out, and only with standing water, not flowing.
Reproduction
The plant multiplies by separate layers,cuttings or seeds. You can try to plant wild-growing shrubs that were found in the nearest forest, but this method, although quite simple, in many cases remains ineffective. Many inveterate gardeners cut the branches incorrectly, after which the plant begins to grow, but ceases to exist in a few years. The best way is to dig out the root system and the surrounding earth layer, after which an immediate landing should follow. Do not forget about the sanitary pruning, since the blackberry can significantly grow, thereby ruining the rest of the crop.
Useful properties of the plant
In addition to the above useful elements,berries contain the necessary for humans minerals and acids, which allows the body to function normally. Picking berries can begin in late July and continue until the beginning of spring. Collect fruit is recommended in the morning in baskets or clean and dry buckets. The berries that survived the winter are also useful, since they do not lose their properties in conditions of low temperature. It is recommended to store fresh fruits in sealed glass jars in a cool room.
Later in the fall, only those berries are collected,which are intended for freezing, which is produced in bulk. The berries will feel great in cellophane bags, which are also conveniently stored in the freezer. Traditional medicine uses not only berries, but also foliage, young shoots. Raw materials must be cut during the flowering period of the plant. Drying is very ordinary. Thus, the branches are added to one layer on a dry and clean cloth, after which they are sometimes mixed.
Areas of use
Calm the nervous system will help smallthe amount of juice made from berries of watermelons, besides it is capable of curing a strong headache and at the same time greatly improving the metabolism. Some attribute to it marvelous properties: they say, siksa helps in the treatment of such a disease as scurvy. Berries are used instead of potent diuretics. Infusions made from blackberry cadavers can help with diarrhea and other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The broth is effective for various eye diseases. Alcoholic infusion can help with paralysis and epilepsy. And the leaves are used as a medicinal product aimed at strengthening the roots of hair.
Adding a small amount of herbs to teaallows to normalize the work of the kidneys. To heal wounds, hold a branch of wateryards in warm water, then attach to the wound for several hours. In this case, the plant has a beneficial effect on the human CNS. A black horse, or a crow, or a siksha, has no contraindications. An exception can be only personal intolerance of individual elements contained in the juice of this plant. It is not recommended to use berries for future and nursing mothers. Before use it will not be superfluous to get advice from a specialist.
