Male and female sea buckthorn: what is the difference?

Sea buckthorn is a healthy berry, which pleasantly surprises with its taste and aroma. A tree with such berries can be a real decoration of any garden.Gardeners love sea buckthorn and know all the subtleties in caring for it. What distinguishes male sea buckthorn from female and how to properly care for such trees - the answers to these and many other questions will find further.

By its nature, sea buckthorn is considered a dioecious plant, which means the fact that there is a female tree, and there is a male tree. To distinguish male sea buckthorn from female is not so difficult. True, sex can only be determined when buds appear. Now we will tell in more detail.

"Boy from girl" can be distinguished by the buds and flowers of the tree, this is their main difference. As a rule, the female tree is distinguished by same-sex pistillate flowers, and the male tree stamina. Recognizing the staminate buds is simple, as they are several times larger.

They differ in leaves. The flatter leaves belong to the boy-tree and they are covered with a thick, almost gray bloom. Concave leaves are a sign of a “girl”, there is almost no plaque on them, they are more green.

Having learned all the details of the differences, a quite logical question arises - which of these trees will bear the most useful fruits? As a rule, sea buckthorn berries appear on the female tree. But if there is no male tree next to it, then, accordingly, such a plant will not bring fruit.

In windy weather, the male tree will pollinate the female, after which orange berries appear on it. It should be noted that for 6–7 female trees there will be quite enough one male. Remember that it should not be planted too far, the distance should be no more than fifty meters.

It would seem that the sea buckthorn is just one species. This is the same tree that we used to see in the gardens since childhood. But in fact there are many different varieties. We will tell about the most popular right now.

"Favorite", "Girlfriend", "Amber", "Excellent" - all this popular sea buckthorn varieties. Their main difference is that these varieties grow practically without thorns, so that it will be much easier to harvest. For example, the “Excellent” variety is distinguished not only by the complete absence of thorns, but also by the fact that the berries are easily picked and not damaged at all during the harvest. The remaining varieties grow with rare spines.

Among the dessert varieties, the following can be noted: “Ruet”, “Tenga” and “Elizaveta”. The first of these varieties is distinguished by the fact that it gives abundant early harvest. The spikes of this variety are short, the berries are small, but very tasty. "Elizabeth" perfectly tolerates the winter and is considered a later variety. The bush of this variety is compact, and the berries have a special, pronounced taste. "Tenga" - the sweetest variety among the above, having tried that it is impossible to stop.

All the varieties listed above are female tree varieties. As for the male, namely pollinator varieties, it is worth noting the "Dwarf" and "Aley". Both variants perfectly withstand cold weather, give a lot of pollen and take up little space in the garden, so they do not block other trees and plants.

We hope that all our tips will help you choose the right sapling, and soon there will be another fruit tree in your garden. It is important to note that you need to plant sea buckthorn in the most sunny and bright corner of the garden, as the tree loves light and heat very much.

We do not recommend planting male and female trees together. It is best that the male tree is located in the center, and the female - around it. This will help him to pollinate all saplings better, buds will be on time and properly bloomed, which will lead to proper growth of plants and, accordingly, to a good harvest in the future.

It is recommended to plant the selected tree species in early spring. Summer hot weather will help them settle down well. It is best to plant biennial seedlings. But planting in the fall is not the best option for sea buckthorn.

Many amateur gardeners have a question about whether a vaccine is needed for this type of tree. To instill, of course, possible. The main thing is to know all the details. Remember that only good growing, strong shoots can be planted. It is best to do this a week before flowering, using an improved copulation method.

It is important to start watering on time, especially if the winter was not snowy and there was little rain in the spring. If all winter lay snow, and spring began with heavy rains, then postpone watering the trees for a later time.

In the summer, in any case, do not let the soil dry out. Do not let the weeds grow around the trunk either, just remove them in time. When the ripening of fruits begins, it is important to make supports for heavy branches. You can start harvesting when the berries are fully ripe.

A few more useful recommendations for all lovers of this fragrant and sunny berries.

• Remember that sea buckthorn is very fond of water, so it is important to ensure her regular watering. During the fruiting period, the tree will need water twice as much.
• Do not allow water to stagnate so as not to harm the roots.
• It is recommended to loosen the soil regularly, but it is worth remembering that the roots of this tree are quite close.
• If during the flowering of trees there is no wind at all, pollination will have to be carried out as follows: cut a small sprig from the male tree and shake it over the female's crown.

Fix the information obtained in this article will help the video below.