Irga: an overview of the berry bush and the secrets of its cultivation. Cultivation and care

Irga reminds me of purple apples. Why do gardeners like to grow it? The plant is distinguished by increased winter hardiness, early maturity, plentiful and annual harvest. And its charming fruits are a source of valuable vitamins.

By the way, berry berries can rightfully be called apples, since the plant belongs to the Apple subfamily.

Appearance: spreading shrub or medium sized tree

Family: Pink

Leaves: round, sometimes oval, with denticles along the edges, rich green color on the outside, lighter inside.

Flowers: Irga blooms with densely arranged white or cream flowers.

Fruits: Dark blue or purple-red, with a grayish bloom. Weight - 0.5 - 0.8 gr. Pleasantly sweet in taste.

Irga is very beautiful and useful. She decorates the garden with herself for 3 seasons. In the spring it dresses up in white fragrant flowers, in the summer it flaunts with earrings - clusters of dark blue fruits, and in the fall it puts on a luxurious crimson sundress.

Irga is not whimsical to the composition of the soil, not whimsical to growing conditions. During the flowering period, it is an excellent honey plant.

In conditions middle lane In Russia, they usually grow Irga Canadian (average tree from 2 to 6 meters) and ordinary (compact sprawling bush 0.5 - 4 meters).

Common Canadian

The plant begins to fully bear fruit with purple apples at 5-7 years of age. Irga lives quietly up to 70 years. And the average yield from one bush is 9 - 14 kg.

Irga easily overwinter, there is no need to cover it even in especially cold and snowy winters, it can withstand temperatures of -40 and more. It will never leave you without a harvest, even if there are long spring frosts - it easily and without any problems overcomes all the hardships of life.

It can be safely planted in windy places - it will grow a reliable wall for other fruit and berry plantations.

Irga cultivation: pruning, top dressing

Irgu is sheared in the form of a bush, weak shoots are cut out. For the first time, 2-3 years, they almost do not touch the plant, only the bad ones are removed. The finished bush should consist of 10 - 15 branches of various returns.

Further care consists in cutting off extremely weak and unnecessary shoots (shoots), as well as damaged or broken ones.

Every year in early spring before bud break, I do a rejuvenating pruning of the tips of the branches to stimulate productivity. Extra (more than 15) I delete completely. I check the reproductive branches - they should not be older than 5 years. I cut the “old men” to the very base, and in return I leave a young shoot.

top dressing

Watch your game. If you notice that in the first season after planting, it does not develop fast enough, the rate of development is weak, then in May or June it is worth feeding the plant. To do this, you can make nitrogen supplements (20 - 30 g per 1 square meter), mullein tincture (1:6) or chicken manure (diluted with water 1:12).

When the plant begins to bear fruit (usually for 4 - 5 years), it is advisable to feed it with rotted manure (z - 4 kg per square meter) every two years.

Harvest Features

The ripening of the fruits of irgi does not occur simultaneously. The former ripen in early July, and the latter at the end of August. In one brush, multi-colored apples are not uncommon: blue, green, red.

So that you do not figure out how to deal with voracious birds, but the simplest and most effective way crop protection from them is (oh, how birds love to feast) - using a fine mesh or spandond, you can use ordinary gauze (only good density and several layers) to wrap the bushes. Believe me, if this is not done, you will not see the harvest - everyone will peck in a few hours.

Irgi berries are eaten fresh, and they also cook compote or jam, you can freeze it for the winter or dry it. Such dried apples are often referred to as northern raisins. It is often used as an additive for pastries, cakes, rolls. An excellent ingredient for jelly cooked from dried fruit.

Juice from it is advised to mix with sour juices, such as apple, cherry, plum, or add lemon to taste.

Growing irgi: bush propagation

I usually propagate from cuttings that I take from root shoots. I plant 4 good root shoots in one common hole in early spring (deadline 2nd decade of April). It is desirable to fertilize the hole with organic matter and wood ash. The result is 1 strong bush with 4 trunks.

During planting, irgi seedlings go deep into the ground 5-7 cm deeper than they grew before. The seedling should be cut off immediately, leaving 4-5 buds.

propagation by seed:

Fresh seeds germinate well. In summer, July or August, I sow shadberry seeds to a depth of 1-2 cm. Over the course of several years, seedlings grow and develop. The first fruiting begins after 2 seasons for the third, but plentiful only for 4, or even 5.

Irga is rapidly growing, so every year you need to cut out all the extra shoots that can be used for grafting. There should always be 10-15 trunks in a bush. I control the height at the level of 2 - 2.5 meters.

Beneficial features

• Irgi berries are good to eat with increased mental stress, overwork, insomnia.

• The fruits are rich in vitamin P. Juice from purple apples contributes to the normalization of the cardiovascular system, in particular the strengthening of the walls of blood vessels, which reduces the risk of heart attack and varicose veins.

• A large amount of vitamin A is present in the berries of the berry. Thanks to him, vision returns, this is a good prevention of cataracts.

• I promote the healing of wounds and ulcers on the skin. To do this, the washed leaves are crushed to form juice and applied to the affected areas.

New varieties

There are Canadian and American varieties of this plant, belonging to the species alder-leaved irga.

So, for example, the Forestburg variety has VERY large fruits, and the Altaglow variety has white and sweet fruits.

These plants are not pollinated by their pollen. On the site you need to grow 2 - 3 varieties so that they are pollinated by bees.

But, I like the proven, responsive, native ordinary irga more. All heaped varieties are hybrids.

Irga, medlar, currant, amelanchier, honey apple - as soon as they did not name a shrub plant from the Pink family. It is common in Europe, America, Asia, Japan and the Caucasus. Grows wild, cultivars have been bred. The plant is valued for its unpretentiousness, abundant flowering, bright seasonal color of leaves and sweetness of small blue fruits. Outwardly, they resemble large currants, but in fact they are tiny apples.

Useful properties of irgi have been known for a long time - leaves, bark, inflorescences and fruits of the plant are used. In Europe, it became widespread in the 16th century - delicious sweet wine was prepared from the berries.

The plant fell in love in America, where entire plantations are grown for this purpose. The berries are good fresh, they are used to make jams, marmalades, and make stuffing for baking.When dried, they keep beneficial features and taste like raisins.

Composition and calories

Irga berry is a source of bioactive compounds. They contain 29 polyphenolic compounds: anthocyanins, phenolic acids, flavonols, triterpenoids, carotenoids, catechins, chlorophyll and tocopherol.

Irga - a low-calorie product - in 100 gr. contains 45 kcal, so the berry is used in weight loss diets. It speeds up lipid metabolism, which affects weight loss.

What is useful irga is determined by the content of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Their protective properties, as well as vitamins and minerals in the composition, reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

For muscles

Ursolic acid in the composition of irgi resists the development of muscle atrophy caused by aging and various diseases.

For the heart and blood vessels

Vitamin P cleanses blood vessels of cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and normalizes the functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

For metabolism and diabetics

There was a decrease in the concentration of glucose in the blood after taking irgi. The berry is recommended for diabetic patients.

For skin

Irga is an excellent skin remedy that is used in cosmetology to make it smooth and soft.

For immunity

In America and Europe, wine from shadberry, jams and jams are found on sale. Choose products in intact packaging and carefully monitor the expiration date.

Everyone's favorite summer is coming to an end, and every self-respecting hostess begins to think about. Of course, you can't do without jam. It is not only tasty, but also very healthy and can help out well with a cold.

The most useful jams are raspberry and currant. Unfortunately, yurga is forgotten - a berry that has no less useful qualities. She can be found at summer cottages and in the forest, because it is very unpretentious. This plant can live for more than 40 years, and begins to bear fruit from three. It grows quite high, up to 4 meters. Yurga is a berry very similar to It contains a lot of healing nutrients, vitamins (B, C, P), microelements (copper, lead). And also it contains a large number of carotene, which is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants. These substances help a person fight diseases and increase immunity. A decoction of the bark of this plant is used to heal various wounds, burns, to disinfect the oral cavity, and with tonsillitis. Yurga is a berry with a calming effect, so it is better not to use it in the morning, especially for those who drive a car. It also helps to lower blood pressure, so hypotensive patients should not get carried away with its fruits.

jam recipe

This plant bears fruit mainly closer to autumn, so yurga berry jam should be prepared even at this time, so that in winter you can enjoy it at any time. To prepare it, you need to take: 1 kg of yurga, 200 g of sugar, 250 ml of water and 1 g citric acid. The berries must be carefully sorted out, all the stalks removed, rinsed with water and left to drain on a clean, dry towel. Next, boil the syrup: mix water with sugar in a saucepan and put on fire so that only one side of the pan is heated. Foam will collect on the other side, which must be removed. As soon as the foam stops forming, you need to put the pan on high heat to evaporate the water until you get the syrup of the density you need. Pour the yurga with this syrup, bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Then it should be left for 6-7 hours. After dovarit with the addition of citric acid. The cooled jam must be decomposed into

Other recipes

In addition to jam, there are various healthy and no less tasty delicacies (recipes) from yurga berries.

• For example, sea. For him, the fruits need to be washed, squeezed out of them, the juice and set it aside. At the same time, the squeezed yurga should be poured with 1 liter of boiling water and left to infuse. Then mix it with juice, add sugar. It is better to refrigerate before use.
• Yurga compote: for the base you will need the yurga itself (berries - 700 g, ripe, intact) and 300 g of currants. Selected and washed fruits should be placed in jars and poured with syrup, which must be prepared in proportions of 1: 2 (500 g of sugar per 1 liter of water). Put the jars in boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then roll up the lids.
• Yurga raisins: peel the berries from the stalks and dry them in the air or in the oven. box or cardboard box Line the inside with parchment paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover the berries with gauze on top to put a small press. Such a product is very convenient to use in the preparation of muffins or pies.
• Kvass from yurga: crush 1 kg of ripe berries and pour 10 liters of water. Bring to a boil and cool. Strain the resulting broth and add 2 cups of honey and 25 g of yeast to it. Let it brew for 10-11 hours and pour into a bowl. Should be kept refrigerated.

Irga ( Amelanchier) Rose family ( Rosaceae)

Description of irgi:

Irga is a deciduous shrub or small tree, twenty species are distinguished. This shrub grows in the temperate climate of the northern hemisphere, is distributed wild in North America, in some parts of Europe, in a small part of North Africa and Asia Minor, East China, on the Korean Peninsula and on the Japanese Islands. In our country, irga grows in the Crimea and the Caucasus. Irga is very unpretentious plant able to tolerate frosts down to minus 45 degrees, during flowering up to 5 degrees. It can grow on any soil, except marshy with low standing. ground water. The main condition for productivity is the presence of the sun, then her berries ripen large, juicy and tasty. In the wild, it can be found in thickets of small shrubs, in a sparse forest, on forest edges, it is found in the mountains at an altitude of up to two kilometers above sea level. On the territory of Russia, round-leaved shadberry (A. rotundifolia) and Canadian game (A. canadensis) are common, cultivated as a fruit crop (yield from a bush is 8–15 kilograms, fruiting is extended over time, so the fruits are harvested in several doses or at a time, ripe the fruits do not crumble), melliferous (blooms early and profusely in spring) and an ornamental plant.

Reproduction of irgi:

Irgu is propagated by seeds, grown from cut cuttings, root shoots and dividing the bush. Irgi bushes grow very strongly, due to root offspring. It is better to propagate irgu one - two-year-old seedlings, in spring or autumn, when planting, they are buried to a depth of 8 - 10 centimeters, for better rooting. The distance between the seedlings, depending on what you will use this shrub for. If this hedge- distance from 0.5 - 1.5 meters. If the irga is grown as fruit bush- distance 3-4 meters. A hole for planting a bush is dug 40 centimeters deep and 70 - 80 centimeters in diameter. After planting, the plant is watered - about a ten-liter bucket of water per plant, then mulched with earth or peat. The aerial part is cut to a distance of 15 centimeters from the ground for better growth of side shoots.

Irgi properties:

Fruits, bark and leaves of shadberry have many positive properties because of this shadberry is used in traditional medicine, medical and dietary nutrition, winemaking and cooking.

Irga surpasses grapes in the amount of vitamin C, contains up to 12% sugars, malic and other organic acids, is rich in carotene, has a high content of tannins and dyes, flavonols, vitamins P, group B, trace elements, fiber, pectins; the seeds contain fatty oil, and the bark and leaves contain tannins.

Irga in folk medicine is used as:

1. A sedative that improves sleep and strengthens the body;
2. Vision improvements;
3. Improving digestion and strengthening the stomach;
4. For the prevention of cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases;
5. To strengthen the walls of blood vessels and increase their elasticity;
6. To improve heart function and lower blood pressure.

Video about irga, its properties and cultivation on the site:

Irga photo