What does a strawberry tree look like?
The strawberry tree (Cornus capitata), also called the strawberry tree, is a member of the Dogwood family. In nature, it grows in southern China, as well as in the foothills of India. Introduced and successfully grown in New Zealand and Australia, as well as on the Black Sea coast of Russia.
It is a deciduous tree with green shoots that turn brown with age. The leaves are yellowish-green in color, small in size, pale. The flowers are also small, yellow, and arranged in spherical inflorescences.
Kudrania berries only superficially resemble strawberries and mulberries. They are scarlet or burgundy in color, round, with a diameter of 2 to 5 cm. The pulp is juicy, sweet, without the slightest sourness. The taste of kudraniya is similar to persimmon, so it cannot be considered a strawberry that grows on a tree: the similarity is only external. The seeds of the strawberry tree are brown in color and resemble hemp nuts in appearance. It is impossible to transport the crop over long distances, since the berries are very soft.
Attention! Only ripe fruits of the strawberry tree are suitable for food.
Unripe ones are very sour and do not have a distinct taste. The harvest of ripe fruits should be used immediately: eaten fresh or made into jam for the winter.
Description of the plant
The strawberry tree belongs to the Mulberry family, it is related to figs and mulberries, and is a deciduous plant. Kudrania reaches a height of 6 m, has a spreading and dense crown, the tree lives for about 50 years. The leaves are simple, oval, emerald green in color, with fine teeth along the edges. In China, strawberry tree leaves are sometimes used to feed silkworm caterpillars.
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The strawberry tree begins to bloom in May-June. The flowers are dioecious, small, whitish in color, open in the axils of the leaves one or two at a time, the male flowers are slightly larger than the female ones.
The fruits ripen fully after the leaves fall. They look like large raspberries, round, up to 5 cm in diameter, dark red or cherry color. The berries are very sweet, juicy, tender and aromatic, and taste like persimmon. Inside the berries there are dark grains - seeds. The fruits and leaves of the plant contain milky juice. From a 10-year-old tree you can collect about 180-200 kg of berries.
Kudrania berries are very healthy; they contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements. But they must be consumed fresh as soon as possible; they do not have the ability to be stored. You can make jam, compotes, marmalade, and jelly from fresh berries. Berries can be dried or frozen.
Characteristics of curling
The strawberry tree is an exotic plant that has the shape of a bush. Main characteristics:
- height up to 6 m (in nature up to 12 m);
- flowering: May – June;
- berry ripening: August – September (occurs after the leaves fall);
- cross pollination (the plant is dioecious);
- life expectancy: up to 50 years;
- winter hardiness: low, but increases with age;
- appearance of berries: spherical, scarlet, burgundy;
- taste: sweet, reminiscent of persimmon.
The fruits of the strawberry tree from a distance resemble strawberries
Strawberry tree productivity
The strawberry tree begins to bear fruit at 5–6 years of age. Maximum yield is achieved by 10 years: from one tree you can harvest from 150 to 200 kg of berries. Yields are affected not so much by soil type and care as by climatic conditions. The culture grows well only with sufficient heat and light.
Pests and diseases of kudrania and methods of combating them
No matter how sissy the tree we are considering may seem, few plants can compare with it in terms of resistance to pests and diseases. This exotic beauty is not affected even by such “famous” pests as spider mites and aphids. However, if agricultural practices are not followed, the strawberry tree may be attacked by thrips and mealybugs. Normalizing the humidity and temperature in the room helps to cope with them, as well as special preparations that can be purchased at any store for gardeners and flower growers.
Planting and caring for a strawberry tree
Growing kudrania in open ground is allowed only in the southern regions of Russia (Krasnodar Territory, North Caucasus, Crimea). In other cases, it is better to cultivate indoors, but only on a sunny window (south or southeast side). The tree does not require special care, but it does require light and regular watering.
Landing dates
Strawberry tree seeds must be planted immediately after harvest. Seedlings grown from cuttings or shoots are transferred to open ground in the second half of May, when the soil has had time to warm up well.
Requirements for place and soil
The place for planting a strawberry tree should be well-lit and moderately moist - lowlands are not suitable, as moisture accumulates in them. Soil requirements:
- neutral or slightly acidic environment (pH from 5.5 to 7.0);
- structure: loose;
- type: fertile loam.
The site is prepared several weeks in advance. The soil is dug up and humus or compost is added in a 2 m2 bucket. If the soil is clayey, add sawdust or sand 1 kg per the same area.
How to plant correctly
Planting a strawberry tree is quite simple:
- Dig a deep hole (about 1 m).
- Pour small pebbles and expanded clay in a layer of at least 30 cm.
- Pour out fertile soil - turf soil with peat, sand and humus (2: 1: 1: 1).
- Loosen the soil well and plant the seedling.
- Lightly compact the soil and water with warm, settled water.
Kudrania bears fruit well with sufficient sunlight and warmth
How to care
To grow a beautiful strawberry tree, as in the photo and description, it is recommended to take into account the reviews of experienced gardeners. The basic rules are as follows:
- Moderate watering: the plant has a developed root system, so it is enough to give water 2 times a month. In hot weather, it is advisable to irrigate several times.
- Fertilizers are needed from the second year of life. In the spring, use urea or ammonium nitrate (15–20 g per tree), then during flowering a complex mineral fertilizer (azofoska, Bogatyr, Kemira Universal or others).
- Loosening the soil and weeding - as necessary.
- Formative pruning is carried out every spring and autumn for the first five years. Remove weak branches, thin out the crown, and trim shoots growing inward (toward the trunk).
Attention! When growing a strawberry tree indoors, the care rules are approximately the same.
For winter, the plant should be placed in a north or west window, preferably in a cooler place.
Diseases and pests
The strawberry tree is highly immune to various diseases and pests, but in hot weather it can suffer from thrips and other insects. You can destroy them by spraying with homemade solutions and infusions:
- tobacco dust;
- wood ash and laundry soap;
- garlic cloves;
- mustard powder;
- ammonia;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- onion peel.
Insecticides also control pests: “Decis”, “Inta-Vir”, “Match”, “Fitoverm”, “Aktara” and others.
If the tree in the pot begins to hurt, you need to thoroughly rinse the leaves under running water. If there are insect larvae, remove them with a cotton swab. Then the plant is transplanted into a container with new soil, and the old soil is thrown away. The pot should be kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After this, the strawberry tree is sprayed with any insecticide. Wrap in film for a day.
Preparing for winter
Even in the southern regions, the strawberry tree needs to be prepared for winter. To do this, the roots are carefully mulched with leaf litter, sawdust, hay, peat - the layer should be 5–7 cm. Burlap or other woven material is placed over the trunk. It is especially important to cover young trees under five years of age.
Strawberry tree propagation methods
Kudrania can be grown from seeds, and also propagated by vegetative methods - by cuttings and root shoots.
Most often, strawberry trees are propagated by shoots or grown from seeds.
Cuttings
Cuttings are a relatively simple, but not very effective method of propagation: about 30% of seedlings take root. The procedure begins at the end of May. You need to take several young shoots and cut cuttings 15 cm long. Make an oblique lower cut and a straight upper cut. Step-by-step instructions for growing are as follows:
- Place overnight in a solution of a growth stimulator - Epin, Kornevin or Gumat.
- Make up fertile soil: turf soil with humus and sand (2:1:1) with the addition of a small amount of vermiculite.
- Plant in pots or open ground, cover with a jar or film.
- Periodically water and spray with growth stimulator solutions.
- After 3-4 months, the cuttings will give roots. For the winter, they must be mulched with leaf litter, spruce branches, and sawdust.
- Next spring you can transplant it to a permanent place.
Root shoots
To reproduce by shoots at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to separate several offspring from the mother bush, plant them in open ground or in a pot with fertile and loose soil and water them with a solution of a growth stimulator. This propagation method is considered quite effective. The shoots grow quickly, and within a year they reach a height of 1 m. In the fall they are mulched, and the next season they are transplanted to a permanent place.
Seeds
Seeds must be planted in a pot with fertile soil immediately after they ripen (to a depth of 1–2 cm). The surface of the soil is sprayed with water, covered with film and left in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf for 2 months. After this, they are transferred to the light. Keep at room temperature, periodically watering the soil. In May, the seedlings can be transferred to a permanent place.
Attention! Trees grown from seeds begin to bear fruit only after 10 years.
Frost resistance
Curlyweed does not tolerate frosts well: at high sub-zero temperatures, the root system of the strawberry tree dies - both young and perennial plants can perish. Indoor curls are moved indoors during the winter, placed on the sunny side and constantly sprayed to avoid drying out the leaves. Street trees are tightly wrapped in homespun, dried pine needles or straw are sprinkled on the roots, the surface near the roots is sometimes even covered with oilcloth, and then again with cloth on top.
Benefits of strawberry tree
Strawberry seedlings are grown for fruit production, as well as for landscaping gardens and parks. The bark is used as a raw material for paper production, and the wood, which is particularly durable, is used to make furniture and souvenirs.
Kudrania produces tasty berries and is also used for medicinal and industrial purposes.
Benefits of the strawberry tree
The fruits of the strawberry tree are rich in useful minerals and organic substances:
- vitamins C, P, group B;
- routine;
- pectin;
- carotene;
- glycoside;
- iron.
Therefore, the berries are used fresh as an additional remedy in the treatment of a number of diseases:
- stomach and intestinal disorders;
- heartburn;
- dysentery;
- insomnia;
- wounds, ulcers and burns;
- pathologies of the spleen and liver.
The bark of the strawberry tree is also used for medicinal purposes. A decoction is made from it, which is used in the form of compresses to heal wounds and other skin damage. The bark is also dried and a powder is obtained from it, which is used to treat burns (externally) and stomach and duodenal ulcers (internally).
