A specimen of sea buckthorn left to its own devices tends to become bald with age. It also produces fewer fruits. To ensure that the harvest does not fail completely, regular pruning is recommended to care for the shrub.

When is the best time to cut back?

In principle, a cut of the sea buckthorn bush is not absolutely necessary. However, if you like to enjoy its fruits regularly and do not want to get a bare crown, you should trim the shrub regularly.

The ideal time for pruning the sea buckthorn is after the harvest in late winter. Female specimens should be cut every two years (at the latest every three years). On the other hand, it is sufficient to cut male specimens every four years.

How is sea buckthorn pruned?

With the right time in mind, the following points should be observed when cutting:

  • Wear gloves to protect against the long spikes
  • Cut back all harvested branches (sea buckthorn bears its fruit from the previous year's wood)
  • remove no more than half of the shoots
  • if necessary, also thin out the inner crown area in the course of the year

Cut sea buckthorn for harvest

Clever minds already cut the sea buckthorn to harvest its berries. To do this, the fruit-bearing branches are cut off. You can take the branches home with you and pick them off at your leisure.

A similar procedure is used in industrial harvesting. The risk of injury from the spines and crushing of the berries is therefore lower than if the berries are picked directly from the bush.

Use the cut branches for propagation

If you prune back a male specimen that has no berries attached, you can use the branches to propagate the plant. However, the procedure using sticks is unusual. More often, the root suckers are used to propagate the sea buckthorn.

tips and tricks

Avoid severe pruning of the sea buckthorn. Then in the spring, with bad luck, there is a failure of flowering and in late summer there is no harvest. It is better to cut sea buckthorn lightly, in good time and regularly every two to three years.

Category:

Vegetable garden