Encyclopedia

Akigumi

Akigumi, or sucker umbrella - this is the most valuable and rather unpretentious large shrub that can be grown both in the city and on personal plots.

It is sometimes called red sea buckthorn or shepherdia, this is incorrect, because these are three different plants, but there is still a little truth in this, after all, the umbrella sucker, and sea buckthorn, and shepherdia are relatives.

 

Umbrella sucker is widespread in East Asia, Japan and China. In Russia, growing it without shelter is possible in the southern regions, in the center of Russia it is possible to cultivate the sucker umbrella under shelters, to the north it will freeze out in the very first winter.

 

Akigumi fruit

 

Botanical portrait

Sucker umbrella (Elaeagnus umbellata) is a very powerful and rather tall shrub with long and drooping shoots, it belongs to the species of the sucker of the Loch family. The height of the shrub reaches 2.5 m on nutritious soil and with enough moisture and light, it does not grow very quickly.

Umbelliferae is a partially self-fertile crop, therefore, to get a really good harvest on the site, you need to plant a couple of plants for pollination.

The crown of the shrub is broadly spreading, has open shoots, flexible branches with thorns, which are observed only at a young age of the plant. The shoots have scaly hairs, so they appear to be covered with silver paint.

The leaf blades of the Umbelliferae are light green, lanceolate, reaching a length of 8-9 cm.

Umbrella sucker (Eleagnus umbellata)Umbrella sucker (Eleagnus umbellata)

Umbelliferae bloom is observed in May, and this time you can see small yellowish-silvery flowers, of which there are a very large number, therefore, the Umbelliferae is considered an excellent honey plant. Blooms on the shoots of last year.

The fruits are drupes, in an unripe state they are greenish-silvery, during the period of full ripening, which can be observed from September to October, the berries become ruby-scarlet and are interspersed with brown dots.

The fruits are not very large, they reach 0.8 cm, in the middle they contain a stone similar to an almond, around which a rather tasty mealy pulp is concentrated. They have a high nutritional value, are rich in vitamins, contain sugars, trace elements, fats, acids.

The fruits ripen almost simultaneously, so you can wait for all the berries to ripen and remove them at a time. From an adult bush on nutritious soil, with enough light and moisture, you can easily collect up to 4 buckets of harvest (in the southern regions). In central Russia, the entire crop does not have time to ripen, the fruits begin to ripen in September, uncommonly.

The most active fruiting usually begins 6-7 years after planting, but the first berries can be obtained a year or two earlier.

The harvested berries can be eaten fresh or processed, making jelly, preserves, jams or candied fruits.

Akigumi varieties

In 2014, Swiss varieties with abundant fruiting of the Pointilla series began to be sold, distributed by Polish nurseries. All of them are winter-hardy up to - 23 degrees (zone 6), we need shelter. They bear fruit well in the presence of at least 2 or more plants of the varieties of this series. The maximum growth of plants in suitable climatic conditions is 0.5 m, shrubs reach a height of 2-3.5 m. Fruits are larger than usual.

  • Pointilla Amoroso - with red fruits;
  • Pointilla Fortunella - with solid yellow fruits.
Umbrella sucker (Eleagnus umbellata) Pointilla AmorosoUmbrella sucker (Eleagnus umbellata) Pointilla Fortunella

Growing akigumi

Umbrella sucker is undemanding to care, it is drought-resistant, and therefore, watering is not particularly important to him, however, during periods of drought, they are necessary, especially during the flowering period and at the time of setting berries.

As for the landing site, it is better to choose the most illuminated and perfectly protected position from the cold north wind under the umbrella sucker.

It is better to plant the sucker in the spring (in the south - and in the fall), in a previously well-prepared soil.

After planting and in the future, every year it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning, removing all broken, dry or frozen shoots.

 

Breeding Akigumi

The optimal breeding options for Akigumi are root suckers, sowing seeds and propagation by cuttings. Sowing seeds is used very often, this method is good because plants grown from seeds are more winter-hardy.

Seeds are usually sown immediately after excretion from the berries, that is, in October. With this sowing, germination usually exceeds 90%. Seeds are buried to a depth depending on the type of soil - so, on dense and heavy soils, it is better to sow seeds, embedding them by 2 cm, on loose and sandy ones - by 3 cm.

In the spring, after the emergence of seedlings, they need to be shaded for a week, protecting from the midday sun, in the future, the plants only need to be watered, loosened the soil around them, remove weeds and in the spring feed them with nitroammophos, dissolved in water in the amount of a tablespoon per bucket - the norm per square meter beds with seedlings.

Typically, in a year, seedlings are extended by 17-19 cm, the roots are deepened by 7-9 cm. After a year, the plants can be transplanted to a permanent place.

The seedlings will grow and yield yields for 16-19 years.

 

Shelter for the winter

In central Russia, the umbrella sucker should definitely be covered, this should be done in mid-November, when the temperature will stably stay below 0 degrees.

For shelter, the bushes are very neatly bent to the ground, as far as possible, and covered with a non-woven covering material or burlap on top. Spruce paws can be placed on top for maximum snow retention. Sometimes covered sucker plants are sprinkled with soil, this is also quite acceptable.

 

Umbrella sucker (Eleagnus umbellata), formation for the convenience of a shelter for the winter

 

Medicinal properties of Akigumi

In the sucker umbrella, literally all parts of the plant are used as a medicine, but berries are especially valuable in this regard, of course. Decoctions and berries are used as protection against viruses, as an astringent like bird cherry, antibacterial.

Usually, in the first half of summer, leaves are harvested, during the flowering period - flowers. The collected leaves and flowers must be dried before use, after which you can brew and drink like tea or rub into the skin for joint diseases, sciatica and even gout.

 

Use in garden design

Umbelliferae is an unusual, interesting and attractive shrub, both during the flowering period and during the full ripening of the berries, therefore it is very often used in design. It is grown both in group plantings and in single plantings, for example, as a spectacular lawn decoration. Umbrella sucker is perfect for creating hedges, it perfectly tolerates a haircut and even strong pruning.

All these methods are suitable for the southern regions; in central Russia, Akigumi feels best in groups, under the protection of other plants.

Read also the article Jida and Akigumi are Asian fuckers.

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