Dogwood tree, how to plant correctly, care features, beneficial properties

Dogwood is a very tasty berry that immediately brings back pleasant childhood memories. The dogwood tree is widely used by gardeners, planting it in the garden next to the pear and apple trees.

Although the tree is considered unpretentious, it is still important to carry out watering, fertilizing, pruning and other agrotechnical procedures in a timely manner. Let's take a closer look at how to do this.

Content:

• Dogwood tree, description
• Dogwood varieties: Lukyanovsky, Vladimirsky
• How to plant dogwood in the country
• Growing, care rules
• How to prune dogwood correctly
• What are the benefits of dogwood for men and women?
• Contraindications and dangerous properties of the product
• How to eat berries correctly

Dogwood tree, description

The plant can be characterized as follows:

• dogwood tree small, which is why some call it a tall shrub (approximate height is two and a half meters).
• The shoots are orange-red in color, the tree has a strong root system, and quickly takes root when planted.
• The leaves are bright green.
• The inflorescences are white, milky, their diameter is no more than five centimeters.
• Fruit ripening occurs at the end of August and lasts until October.

Dogwood berries contain seeds inside. The color and shape differs depending on the variety. The fruits are round, pear-shaped and elongated, and in color: purple, red, yellow, pink and black.

Dogwood tastes sweet and juicy, some varieties have a slight tartness and sourness, some are not juicy, and rather dry.

The tree is a long-liver; with proper care it can live more than 100 years.

Frost resistance is good, however, if the outside temperature is below minus 30 degrees, the ends of the shoots may suffer.

Each variety has its own individual characteristics, so before planting it is worth familiarizing yourself with the characteristics of the selected crop.

Dogwood varieties: Lukyanovsky, Vladimirsky

There are a lot of varieties, let's look at the two most common.

Variety Lukyanovsky, characteristics:

• It has good frost resistance and tolerates drought.
• High yield, which increases every year. If the tree is about fifteen years old, the yield is from thirty to forty kilograms, and if it is at least twenty-five years old, the yield increases to seventy kilograms.
• The berries ripen in August, until the first days of September.
• The shape of the fruit is pear-shaped, bottle-shaped. Even when ripe, they stick well to the tree. There is a seed inside, the flesh is scarlet, a little light in the middle. The skin is red, becoming almost black when ripe.

The weight of one dogwood is six grams, in rare cases it can exceed seven and a half; this is quite a large size, unlike other varieties.

They eat it in its pure form, use it for jam, syrup, jam and compotes; it is recommended to pick the berries when ripe, then they have the maximum number of beneficial properties.

The Lukyanovsky variety is not picky about climatic conditions and grows well on any soil, even marshy soil.

Vladimirsky variety, characteristic qualities:

• Not susceptible to attacks by pests and diseases characteristic of this crop.
• The weight of the berries exceeds the weight of the fruits of the Lukyanovsky variety; the weight of one berry is nine grams. The color of the fruit is red when overripe - black.
• Very high fruitfulness, up to fifty kilograms of fruit are collected from one tree, up to sixty kilograms are obtained from an old dogwood.
• The taste is sweet, with pleasant sourness and strong aroma.
• Inside there is a small bone and dense pulp.
• The berries are suitable for fresh use and for preservation.
• Harvesting takes place at the end of September and beginning of October.

Planting of seedlings is carried out in the fall.

The principle of caring for each variety is the same; there should be no difficulties if everything is done correctly and on time.

How to plant dogwood in the country

Step-by-step instruction:

• First, you need to decide on the optimal time for disembarkation. The ideal period is considered to be autumn, when the leaves have fallen on the poplars. Planting in the spring is allowed; in this case, the right time is selected so that the earth warms up well, otherwise the roots will die.
• The next step is choosing the soil and site. Dogwood prefers calcareous soil, although some varieties can be planted in any soil. It is better to choose the southwest or south side as a site. Groundwater should not be closer than one and a half meters to the surface of the earth. If the site has acidic soil, this will have a bad effect on the yield and development of the tree’s root system.
• It is advisable to plant several trees in one area at the same time, at a distance of three to five meters from each other. Thanks to pollination, the yield will double.

Selection of seedlings

Two-year-old plants are suitable for planting; the thickness of the shoot is at least 2 centimeters, and the height is not less than one and a half meters. Branches must be present, at least three.

Landing in the ground

The optimal pit depth is eighty centimeters. It is recommended that after digging a hole, drive a peg into the hole to tie the seedling to it. A peg is driven in from the windy side - where the wind most often blows.

Mix the excavated soil with mineral fertilizer and humus. Make a mound from this mixture in the center where the young tree will be located. Gently straighten the roots and cover them with the remaining fertilized soil on top. The root neck should be 4 centimeters above the surface of the garden plot.

Now the soil under the seedling is well filled; this will require at least 3 buckets of water. After the earth settles and is level with the site, cut off the shoots by a third and tie the stem to a peg driven in beforehand.

The area around the trunk is mulched with humus and covered with dry soil. The landing process is complete.

Growing, care rules

Caring for dogwood is almost identical to the technique that is used for fruit bushes.

The growing process includes the following stages:

• watering;
• weeding to eliminate weeds and fluff up the soil;
• pruning;
• feeding

With proper care, the tree produces a good harvest every year, unlike other shrubs, which are characterized by periodic fruiting.

Active growth and swelling of the buds begins in May and lasts until June; during this period, dogwood needs special care, formation and watering.

When watering, dig a small ditch around the tree; this will allow the water not to spread out, but to fully penetrate to the root system.Moderate watering is needed, it is important to avoid dry soil, but it is unacceptable for the roots to be in water all the time. In the first case, the root will dry out, and in the second, it will rot.

After watering, the soil is weeded and fluffed up. It is recommended to loosen the soil eight to ten centimeters deep, but it is important to ensure that the root system is not damaged. It is advisable to remove all weeds so that they do not take away moisture, minerals and deplete the roots of the tree.

Phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers are used as fertilizers, especially at the beginning of the season. In the future, it is effective to use wood ash or other substances that contain potassium and calcium. Compost or humus is also used.

These procedures will strengthen the stem, root, and contribute to good yield. Proper formation also contributes to obtaining a bountiful harvest; pruning will help with this. Reproduction takes place in three ways: layering, seeds, cuttings.

Let's watch a video about planting and growing a dogwood tree:

How to prune dogwood correctly

The time for pruning has come, there is no need to worry about it. No special skills are required, so even a beginner can carry out the procedure.

Dogwood blooms early, practically one of the first, so it is important to start sanitary pruning in the last months of winter, it is important to do it before the buds wake up.

Operating principle:

• The branches growing inside, which contribute to thickening, are pruned.
• Sick, dry, broken and intertwined branches are removed so that the roots do not waste their energy in vain.
• Now it’s time to take care of the crown; it is important to trim it so that not only the side branches, but also the internal shoots located in the middle are illuminated by sunlight.
• Dogwood loves the sun and warmth very much, so they create a candelabra-shaped palmette, placing all the skeletal branches in one direction, this is especially effective for a garden where there is not enough free space. Thanks to the palmette, the garden will become a decorative place.

Then, regular pruning of wild growth is important throughout.

When the tree is at least 15 years old, anti-aging pruning is carried out.

Watch a video about pruning dogwood:

What are the benefits of dogwood for men and women?

Dogwood is very useful for both men and women. The main advantage of the fruit is that it quickly strengthens the human immune system, stabilizes blood pressure and increases hemoglobin.

If you eat berries daily, it promotes the normal functioning of the entire digestive tract, the functioning of the nervous system is restored, bile is properly excreted, blood vessels are strengthened, dogwood has a choleretic effect.

Benefits for women:

• Due to its composition, dogwood is widely used to restore the skin. Cosmetic products are prepared on its basis.
• Fresh berries are low in calories, they also normalize metabolism, remove toxins and waste from the body, and speed up metabolism. All this is important for women suffering from obesity.

Benefits in the gynecological field. Allows you to restore the menstrual cycle and reduce pain. This is due to the high iron content.

Dogwood fruits have a very good effect on pregnancy. A large variety and volume of minerals and vitamins strengthens the mother’s immunity and has a beneficial effect on the cardiac system of the baby and mother.

Dogwood is also a diuretic, so in case of severe swelling, it will quickly get rid of excess fluid.In this case, you should not exceed the daily dosage, otherwise this berry will harm the pregnant woman.

Benefits for men:

• Dried and fresh berries charge the body with energy, giving strength and vigor.
• If you drink berry-based tea or eat no more than 50 grams per day, you will feel more energetic than a cup of coffee, and the benefits will be much greater.

Dogwood is useful for men as prevention and protection against the development of prostate cancer.

Men should not get carried away with dogwood if they have allergies, problems with high acidity and constipation.

Let's watch a video about the benefits of berries:

Contraindications and dangerous properties of the product

Although berries have a positive effect on the body, there are a number of contraindications that are very important to consider.

Here is a list of contraindications:

• You should not eat dogwood if you have the following diseases: stomach ulcers, gastritis, high acidity, pancreatitis.
• Chronic constipation. The berries have a fixing effect.
• Contraindicated for insomnia and emotional imbalance.
• Take with caution for allergy sufferers.
• Individual intolerance to one of the components included in the fetus.
• It is especially dangerous to eat unripe berries.

How to eat fruits correctly

To get the most benefit from consuming dogwood, it is important to do it correctly.

Here are some recommendations:

• The largest amount of useful elements is contained not in the pulp, but in the bone.
• Many people throw away the seeds, not realizing that they can also be eaten. To do this, dry the seeds and grind them to a powder. Coffee is then prepared from these raw materials.
• This drink will not only give you energy, but also has an anti-inflammatory effect for the intestines.
• Juice is squeezed out of fresh berries; in this form, dogwood can be taken by patients with diabetes mellitus.
• Dried fruits are recommended to be eaten for hypertension and heart disease.
• It is not recommended to drink jelly, compotes, decoctions or eat fresh berries before bed. This is due to the fact that dogwood increases appetite and can cause a feeling of hunger, which will result in poor sleep and even insomnia.
• Berry decoction is useful to take during the day as a preventive measure against colds; it is good for cough and inflammation.
• In order to lose weight, consume 100 g, maximum 150 g of fresh berries, before breakfast.
• An infusion or compote is good to take during a diet. Bee honey is added for taste if there is no allergy.

Do not forget about precautions and contraindications so as not to get harm instead of benefit.

So, dogwood is a very healthy berry. To get a bountiful harvest, it is important to water the tree in a timely manner and follow all agrotechnical procedures: timely planting, fertilizing and pruning.

To get the maximum benefit from eating fruits, it is important to know how to eat them correctly and not forget about contraindications.