Garden cranberries - planting and care. What could be simpler?

Proper planting and care of garden cranberries allows you to get high yields of tasty and healthy berries, which are highly valued for their medicinal properties.

Planting cranberries is an important stage, since the fruiting of the bush is measured over several dozen years. During this time, it is better not to replant the plant without serious reasons.

For planting, it is necessary to allocate an open sunny place in close proximity to a pond. It is good if the groundwater in the area passes close to the soil surface. High humidity is the key to proper growth and development of cranberries. Shaded areas are also suitable for planting, but in this case the cranberry yield is reduced.

Cranberries prefer acidic soils with a high peat content. The soil pH should be between 3.5 and 4.5. To find out the acidity of the soil, you can use litmus paper. Another method for determining acidity involves using 9% acetic acid. When reacting with soil, acid can cause strong foam, which indicates the presence of alkali. Acidic soil is characterized by a complete absence of foam.

Spring is the best time to plant cranberries. Planting holes are prepared up to 10 cm deep. If the soil is not suitable for planting cranberries, the bottom of the planting hole must be filled with drainage. To do this, sand, pine needles or expanded clay are used, and a film is placed on top. For better water passage it is necessary to make holes in it. You can also mix the top layer of soil with sand and peat.

We carefully place the cranberry seedlings into the resulting hole, keeping a distance of 20 cm between the bushes. Seedlings must be purchased with a closed root system - in containers or pots. The younger the seedlings, the better they will take root on the site.

Garden cranberries begin to bear fruit in the third year, and in the fourth you can collect up to half a kilogram of berries from the bush.

In order for the seedlings to take root well on the site, you should purchase only high-quality, healthy plants. It is best to buy seedlings from a nursery, where the plants are completely ready for planting. Such seedlings have additional resistance to diseases and cold.

Cranberry is a moisture-loving plant that grows naturally in swampy areas. It is difficult to provide the plant with excess moisture - it loves water so much. However, if this does happen, you should not think that this will benefit the plant.

Excess moisture, lasting two weeks or more, negatively affects the root system of cranberries. The fungus that lives on the roots and performs a nutritional function for the plant stops absorbing nutrients from the soil. The plant also reacts poorly to drought.

During the season, several complex fertilizing and pest control treatments are carried out. Mature plants need less feeding.
Pruning is carried out regularly depending on the chosen plant shape.

Tip: For better pollination, it is necessary to plant several varieties of cranberries.

Cranberry - recipes for diseases

Recipes with cranberries for diseases are varied in purpose and method of preparation. Thanks to the complex of vitamins, cranberries are useful for strengthening the immune system during colds. The berry is useful for vitamin deficiency and for the prevention of scurvy. Organic acids have anti-inflammatory properties and are also used for diuretic and choleretic effects.
Pectins, a mineral complex and other substances help normalize the digestive system and remove heavy metals from the body.

Cranberry prevents the formation of kidney stones, heart disease and can even suppress the growth of cancer cells.

Recipes for cranberry diseases include the preparation of juices, fruit drinks, infusions and other drinks, as well as desserts, main courses and baked goods.

For colds, it is recommended to use cranberry juice with honey. To prepare it, puree 1 cup of cranberries and add a tablespoon of honey. This product will help strengthen the immune system and replenish the lack of vitamins in the body.

To normalize the gastrointestinal tract, improve digestion and metabolism, tea is prepared from cranberry berries and leaves. For 10 g of berries and leaves, take 200 ml of water. Brew the mixture and let it sit. Take half a mug 3 times a day. This tea will perfectly lower blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis.

Cranberries are often added to pickles and salads. To prepare a vitamin salad, you need to mix cabbage, carrots, onions, herbs and add cranberries. This salad will strengthen the immune system and replenish the lack of vitamins.

Cranberry propagation methods

There are various ways to propagate cranberries: seed propagation and cuttings.

For seed propagation, ripe berries are separated from the pulp and washed. It is best to start sowing immediately. The best time for this is spring or late summer.

The seeds are distributed on the surface of the soil and covered with sand or peat. After this, they need to be watered and covered with a lid, creating a warm, windless environment. Periodically, the seeds need to be watered and ventilated. Shoots will appear in a month - at this stage the shelter can be removed. When leaves appear, the seedlings are placed in a greenhouse, where they will receive moisture and nutrients.

In autumn, seedlings are prepared for winter - mulched and covered with special material. In 1-2 years they will be ready to be transplanted to a permanent location. This method of propagation does not provide for obtaining all the qualities from the mother bush. Seedlings require long and labor-intensive care, which is not necessarily justified. It will take a long time to wait for the harvest, and the plant can only perform decorative functions.

It is much more effective to propagate cranberries by cuttings.

To do this, green cuttings about 10 cm long are separated from the shoots. They can be planted in a prepared container made of a mixture of peat, sand and pine needles or in a permanent place. After planting, the cuttings should be covered with film and watered regularly. The best time to plant cuttings is early spring. The cuttings will become well strengthened and begin active growth only after a year, and the first harvest can be expected only after 5 years.

Cranberries in the northern regions

In the northern regions, cranberries do so well that they are nicknamed northern grapes and northern lemons. The shrub has good frost resistance and remains green even in winter. Under natural conditions, cranberries grow in swampy areas, mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. The most frost-resistant varieties of swamp cranberries are: Krasa Severa, Severyanka, Dar Kostroma, Alaya Zapovednaya and others.

The productivity and large-fruitedness of such varieties is almost on par with American varieties.

Before the onset of the first cold weather, it is recommended to cover the cranberries with a peat layer. This will be especially useful for young seedlings that have not yet matured. At the first precipitation, the cranberries are covered with snow. If covering material is used, it must allow air to pass through well.

Sometimes, to protect against freezing, the plant is subjected to a kind of freezing. To do this, at slightly sub-zero temperatures, the bush is watered several times well with water. It is necessary to wait for the icing effect - the upper part of the plant will be covered with a thin crust of ice. This ice will protect the cranberries during severe frosts.

Cranberry – skin care

Under the influence of cranberry-based cosmetics, skin care will bring more efficiency and results. Thanks to the vitamin C content, cranberries have a rejuvenating and firming effect. Vitamin B9 regulates the secretion of the sebaceous glands and eliminates teenage acne. Organic acids, potassium and other elements nourish the skin, improve its color and general condition, increase firmness and elasticity. In addition, cranberry perfectly moisturizes the skin.

Cranberries are great for making face masks. A mask made from ground berries mixed with honey and olive oil is effective. This mask will make the skin velvety, strengthen and improve its tone.

Cranberry seed oil, containing beneficial Omega acids, will provide invaluable benefits to the skin. It has moisturizing properties, rejuvenates and prevents the appearance of wrinkles.

To maintain facial skin tone and strengthen blood vessels, you can use frozen cranberry juice. To do this, cranberry juice is mixed with a small amount of chamomile decoction and any base oil. Distribute the resulting mixture into molds and freeze. Ice cubes are used after cleansing the skin to wipe the entire face.