How to distinguish male from female sea buckthorn?

In Soviet times, sea buckthorn was very popular; it was grown on almost every household plot. Then they undeservedly forgot about these berries, but now more and more gardeners are buying seedlings again. The reason for its popularity lies in the immensely healthy berries. But sometimes even a well-groomed sea buckthorn tree does not bear fruit. There may be several reasons, but the most common of them is the sex of the tree itself. That is why it is very important at the first stage to correctly determine the sex of the seedling.

Sea buckthorn belongs to the category of dioecious plants. This means that there are males and females. Some have only pistils, while others have only stamens. With the help of the wind, pollen flies from the male tree to the female tree, resulting in pollination. This process is possible even if the trees are far from each other. The maximum distance is 50 to 60 meters. On the site, one male bush is enough for pollination of 4-5 females.

The flowering period of sea buckthorn falls on the end of April or the beginning of May. Outwardly, the flowers are not very attractive, so people do not particularly notice them. The males are the first to bloom. The inflorescences contain a high concentration of pollen. Around the next day, the flowering process of the female sea buckthorn begins.

It is noteworthy that only females bear fruit. But the males are necessary for pollination. This is why you need to know the gender at the planting stage. If there are males in neighboring areas, then you can limit yourself to one female bush. However, in this case, one should not expect too rich harvest due to remoteness and insufficient pollination. If you want to get a good harvest, then experienced breeders and gardeners initially recommend planting male and female bushes.

You can negotiate with neighbors on the site by buying one male tree for two. It will be enough for pollination of female sea buckthorn trees located in both sites.

If there are sea buckthorn trees of unknown sex on the site, then it can be installed independently. You can distinguish a "boy" from a "girl" by some visual signs. This primarily applies to inflorescences and leaves. And you should also pay attention to sea buckthorn buds.

In order to determine the sex of a sea buckthorn tree by the type of inflorescences, it is necessary to visually inspect the tree in April or early May, when it will bloom. There are several differences:

• males have only pistils, and females, respectively, have stamens;

• female inflorescences are yellow, and male inflorescences are silver-brown.

If it was not possible to determine the types of inflorescences, you can pay attention to other signs.

In the summer-autumn period, the floor of the sea buckthorn tree can be determined by the available foliage. The leaves of both individuals are covered with a specific bluish bloom. But in male sea buckthorn, this plaque is more pronounced, which is why the leaves themselves seem even gray. The female leaves are greener.

Not only the color differs, but also the shape of the sheet plates. Male leaves have the following distinctive features:

• even;

• there is a central vein;

• turned outward.

On the other hand, female sea buckthorn leaves are concave.

Sea buckthorn trees of different sex also differ in the type of buds. For men, the following distinctive features are observed:

• larger size;

• there are many small scales on the surface of each kidney;

• outwardly resemble cedar cones.

According to the external description, female kidneys are smaller, have only three scales.

If all of the above methods for some reason did not fit for determination, there is another sign, which is the absence of fruits. So, young plants can be infertile. After 3-4 years after planting, the first berries appear, while the harvest, in a good situation, should be very abundant. But only females have berries. Therefore, if the sea buckthorn has not begun to bear fruit a few years after planting, it may be a male tree.

If the planting of sea buckthorn is only planned on the site, then it is important to initially recognize the sex of the seedlings. This is not as easy as it seems at first glance. Sex can only be determined in trees that are 3-4 years old. Younger individuals, as already mentioned, lack generative buds.

But, despite this, you can still try to find out the gender. The first thing to look out for is size. The fact is that the male bushes are much larger. But this is not significant. For to be sure of the sex of the seedlings, it is recommended to purchase them in special nurseries, where the gender of the plant will be accurately indicated in the documentation.

Determining the sex of a sea buckthorn tree is not so difficult if its age has passed the 4 year mark. It is at this time that the trees begin to bear their first fruits, which means that sexual characteristics appear on them. In most cases, it is enough to just look at what the tree looks like and its floor will become clear. The only exceptions are young seedlings, which are hatched independently.