Why doesn't sea buckthorn bear fruit and what to do?

Sea buckthorn does not require special care, but even with comfortable conditions, the tree may not bear fruit. There are several reasons for this. The most common of them are insufficient pollination or its complete absence, as well as the peculiarities of climatic conditions.

If berries do not appear on the sea buckthorn, then the first step is to find out the age of the tree.... The first harvest can only be obtained from trees that have reached 3-5 years of age. Even so, the harvest may not be as plentiful as the gardener would like. Many berries appear on trees that are over 7 years old. If the plant is cultivated, then the average yield is 20-23 kg. Wild bushes bear fruit a little worse - only 10-15 kg per tree.

It is noteworthy that there are no berries on the new growths. The fruits are formed and ripen exclusively on last year's growths. Thus, every year, fruiting moves gradually upward, and the lower branches die off. In order for them not to take away food from the tree, it is recommended to remove them in a timely manner with the help of a secateurs.

The average life of a sea buckthorn tree is 30 years. Of course, it can last longer. There are known specimens that have reached the age of 50. But still, the fruiting period varies from 15 to 25 years.

In the wild, sea buckthorn is found in different regions. This tree can be found in Altai, the North Caucasus, the Baltic states, Eastern and Western Siberia. These regions, as well as the middle lane, are considered optimal for growing sea buckthorn. The plant is very frost-resistant, therefore it survives even severe frosts well.

In the southern regions, sea buckthorn is also grown. The plant easily copes with drought, but grows much worse in the south. The reason is that in these regions the plant is much more likely to undergo various diseases: scab, endomycosis, fusarium, leaf spot and some others.

In order to prevent this from happening, in the southern regions it is recommended to pay a little more attention to the tree. During a drought period, you need to water, examine for the presence of diseases, if possible, feed with complex mineral fertilizers.

Besides, it is recommended to plant sea buckthorn varieties that are most adapted for a particular region... So, in the southern regions, it is recommended to grow the Lydia variety. It is relatively new, but has many positive characteristics. For the middle lane and northern regions, the following are more suitable: Pearl, Chuiskaya, Siberian. This condition is recommended to be observed, since it is very problematic to care for southern varieties in the north, and vice versa.

Sea buckthorn belongs to the category of dioecious plants. This means that there are individuals of the male and female sexes. The ability to bear fruit is preserved only in the latter.

The reason why a tree does not bear fruit may lie precisely in its gender. It is possible that a male sea buckthorn tree is being grown on the site. To find out the sex of an existing plant, you need to know the signs by which it is determined.

1. Inflorescences and buds. In males, they are large in size, have a scaly structure. Women also have scales, but no more than three pieces.

2. The leaves of males are also larger in size, have a more regular and even shape, and are turned outward. Women, on the contrary, have concave leaves.

3. Sea buckthorn leaves of both sexes are covered with bloom... The only difference is in its quantity. Females have much less plaque, so visually their leaves appear greener. In male representatives, the layer of plaque is greater, so the leaves are gray-gray in color.

If by outward signs it is clear that the growing tree belongs to the male sex, then you should not expect fruits from it. With any care, berries will not appear on such sea buckthorn. But getting rid of the tree is not worth it, since it is necessary for pollination.

If you still want to grow a fruitful sea buckthorn on your personal plot, then you need to buy a female sapling. You need to purchase it only in specialized nurseries, where they provide accurate information about gender.

After purchasing a female sea buckthorn seedling, you must plant it in the immediate vicinity of the male representative... The fact is that the level of pollination depends on the distance. The closer two opposite-sex trees are located to each other, the better pollination occurs. This, in turn, determines the quantity and quality of the future harvest.

Sometimes there are two trees of different sexes on the site, but berries still do not appear on the female. The reason may lie in the failure of the timing of flowering. This period for sea buckthorn begins at the end of April or in May. The first to bloom are males, they have a huge amount of pollen.

Pollination is possible only if there is a distance of no more than 50 meters between the male and female sea buckthorn. With a significant distance, pollen will not reach its destination even in the strongest wind. If you take care of a female tree, but do nothing to pollinate, then you may not see the berries either.

In order for the sea buckthorn to start bearing fruit, it is necessary to buy and plant a male.

The main reasons for the absence of fruits on the sea buckthorn tree are: belonging to the male sex, the wrong choice of a variety for a particular region, insufficient pollination or its complete absence. To solve the problem, it is recommended to remove one or more of the existing obstacles. Only in this case it will be possible to get a good and annual sea buckthorn harvest.