Growing, propagation and storage of Jerusalem artichoke

Thuja varieties and their pruning needs

In Russia, the western species of thuja is mainly grown. It is resistant to frost, tolerates high humidity and other negative factors. There are many varieties of this species, each of which has different pruning needs:

Emerald. The growth of the plant per year is 10 cm in height and 5 cm in width. Preventative pruning is required once a season, since the tree initially grows in the form of a pyramid and acquires an attractive appearance without human intervention. Formative pruning is carried out only for the purpose of creating a hedge, as well as other shapes: spirals, balls, etc.

Columna. The variety is characterized by an increased growth rate; per year the height increases by 20 cm and the width by 10 cm. Trimming is performed twice per season. Formative removal of branches is carried out if the bush deviates from its original shape or to radically change it.
Brabant. Trimming this thuja is mandatory and is carried out twice a year. The growth is 35 cm in height and 15 cm in width. If the procedure is not carried out on time, the tree becomes loose, the branches are too spreading and not so beautiful. After planting in a permanent place of growth, the thuja is trimmed in accordance with the intended shape. The crown is adjusted annually.

Danica, Hosery, Woodwardy. The trees independently acquire a spherical shape, so they do not need constant pruning. Nevertheless, the procedure is carried out every 2-3 years to obtain a denser and fuller ball.
Wagner. Grows 10 cm in height and 5 cm in width per year. Pruning is preventative and is performed once a season. Similar conditions are observed for the Holmstrup variety.

Different varieties of thuja, like people and animals, have their own characteristics of growth, development and, accordingly, haircuts. In Russia, the most popular is the western thuja.

Harvesting and storing Jerusalem artichoke

It’s not enough to know how to grow Jerusalem artichoke. In the fall, when preparing to dig up tubers, you need to imagine how best to preserve them.

From the emergence of seedlings to the readiness of the tubers for harvesting, about 120 days pass. A month before digging, you can stop feeding, and after another two weeks, the plant stems are cut off, leaving cuttings about 30 cm long above the soil level. Over the remaining days, the tubers will be able to replenish their nutrient reserves and form a dense skin for long-term storage. If you dig up young tubers, they will not be able to survive the winter even in ideal conditions; they will rot or dry out.

When growing Jerusalem artichoke in Russia, it became clear that the crop is extremely frost-resistant. Green sprouts can withstand slight sub-zero temperatures during frosts, and mature tubers can successfully overwinter in beds at temperatures down to –40 °C. True, for this the ridges need to be reliably covered with snow. But even with such unique properties, autumn digging is necessary.

Tubers used for food and for planting in the spring are stored in basements, along with potatoes. A small amount of Jerusalem artichoke can be stored in the refrigerator or vegetable compartment for up to several months.

However, part of the harvest can be left in the ground so that in the spring you can dig up tubers that have fully retained all their beneficial properties. There is no need to hesitate here. At the first sign of warmth, the buds on the tubers wake up and begin to grow. When extracting a crop from the ground, it is important to remove even the smallest nodules, otherwise the Jerusalem artichoke plant will turn into a bothersome weed.

Jerusalem artichoke at the dacha - video

Why cut thuja?

Typically, this species of the cypress family grows alone and is used as an area decoration. Accordingly, it must have its own shape and depend on the landscape design as a whole.

Thuja has several varieties differing in:

trunk size;
Color.

The plant needs a haircut in order to:

Remove branches that have diseases or those that have become dry and yellow;
Give a shape suitable for the design, actively used in parks;
Trim the forked crown, if any.

Note! Thuja of low species and young ones need to be trimmed minimally, and long-term ones, if necessary, remove the excess trunk, since it can split during its existence.

There is no clear answer to this question, since it depends on:

Plant varieties;
Age;
Rhizome forms;
Location;
Design.

Note! It is strictly forbidden to trim in damp and rainy weather, since after pruning, sore spots remain on the tree, which can attract pests.

How can you preserve Jerusalem artichoke?

Some housewives prefer to dry Jerusalem artichoke before storing it. But this is not at all necessary. It all depends on the recipe and individual preferences.

Pickled tubers. In addition to Jerusalem artichoke, we will need some carrots, two tablespoons of honey, salt and vinegar per 1 liter of water. Wash the vegetables, peel them, cut them into small pieces of the same size, and put them in a glass jar. Pour in the marinade prepared from the remaining ingredients. Sterilize for 15 minutes, roll up and store.

Nutritional mixture with therapeutic effect. Combine a glass of boiled water with two glasses of natural sea buckthorn juice. We clean the Jerusalem artichoke and cut it into small cubes (you should get 1 kg of product). Pour the vegetable into a glass of granulated sugar and fill it with the liquid mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, remove and pour into jars. We sterilize them for 30 minutes and roll them up.

Pear and pumpkin jam. For 1 kg of peeled Jerusalem artichoke we take the same amount of pumpkin pulp, cleared of seeds, a glass of sugar and one lemon. Cut the vegetables into small pieces, cut the lemon into slices (do not cut off the peel), remove the seeds and grind in a blender. Combine these components, add sugar and leave for 1 hour. After this time, put the mixture on the stove, bring to a boil and keep on medium heat for no more than 5 minutes. In this case, the composition must be constantly stirred with a wooden spoon, skim off the foam if it appears. Pour the finished mixture into jars, close without additional sterilization and leave for a day under a blanket to cool.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the 20 best remedies for getting rid of the smell of a dead mouse under the floor.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with: Why you should eat garlic every day

When working with earthen pears, you should not use ordinary metal knives, but their ceramic or bone counterparts. In contact with the juice of the product, the metal will oxidize, which will gradually reduce its strength and lead to damage to the blade.

Haircut time

Maintaining the plant in optimal condition depends not only on correct pruning as such, but also on choosing the appropriate period. For coniferous trees it will be significantly different from fruit trees. The reason for this is the physiological characteristics of the family.

Let's consider when to trim thujas:

In spring, the bud breaking phase usually occurs 10 days after the average daily temperature has strengthened at 10 degrees. The flowering phase begins depending on the region: the first half of May or April, early June. If you remove excess branches before buds open and flower, you increase the risk of stopping the growing season. This technique is used only to save the current dimensions of the tree. To obtain growth, be sure to wait until the thuja fades.

The second optimal period occurs in the autumn, at the end of August, at the beginning of September. The purpose of this event is to prepare the plant for wintering. Particular attention should be paid to long branches that may break off due to snow.

Any variety of thuja is pruned immediately after planting. It’s correct if you immediately give the plant the desired shape, without waiting for it to grow. In the future, pruning is done in such a way that the thuja slowly grows. To do this, only the apical shoots are cut off to cause tillering. The Brabant variety reacts especially to this. The sides are trimmed to create the desired shape and width of the hedge.

Sanitary pruning in the spring will include the removal of dead branches. And after the hedge has reached the desired height, only formative cutting is carried out.

Spiral-tiered or spherical-tiered pruning of western thuja is carried out in the third year after planting. In the first two years, you need to allow the plant to take root and develop well. After this, the bushes are given the desired shape, and in subsequent years it is maintained with the help of small adjustments.

Features of growing Jerusalem artichoke and caring for it in open ground

Jerusalem artichoke is an extremely unpretentious, but productive and useful plant. Unfortunately, it is not so often found on the garden plots and dachas of Russians. And in vain, because its tubers are edible, rich in vitamins and minerals, and the green mass is very popular with farm animals. Growing Jerusalem artichoke is not a difficult task, so those interested will be interested in learning about the agricultural technology of this crop.

Related article: Indoor vines - care: watering, propagation, replanting, formation, rejuvenation. Types of indoor vines

When should I prune?

Shaping should be done during growth, and then only the top of the head is cut off to accelerate growth.

After the winter period, treatment should be carried out in the form of removing yellowed leaves and dead particles. If at this time the tree was protected from frost, then after opening it should be allowed to straighten for 2-3 days, and only then pruned.

If the crown is thick, it should be trimmed to allow oxygen and water to enter. Giving shape only stimulates the development of the tree, so it is not harmful, but even beneficial.

Let's celebrate! The most optimal time for shaping is the beginning of June, when young shoots are just beginning to emerge.

Autumn pruning

The second season for pruning is the first days of September, as it is necessary to complete the preparatory work for the winter.

Key indicators should be recorded:

How the thuja survived the hot weather;
How many centimeters is the height, usually the normal values are 25-30 centimeters.

Note! Long and protruding branches need to be removed; they can interfere with further development and the upcoming wintering. The plant should be wrapped from severe frosts, otherwise the tree may die.

Where to buy Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke here is more of a gastronomic exotic than a familiar product, so you cannot buy it in the vegetable department of the nearest thrift store. However, Jerusalem artichoke is available for sale, and if you set your mind, it is not so difficult to find it, especially during the tuber digging season. Where can I buy Jerusalem artichoke?

Stores with eco- and organic products. The beneficial properties of Jerusalem artichoke have long attracted the attention of advocates of a healthy lifestyle.
Vegetable rows of food markets, farmer's fairs.
Private message boards on the Internet (for example, Avito). Through them, private farm owners often sell surplus crops.
Hypermarkets, premium grocery stores.

Necessary tool

Proper pruning of thuja can be done using pruning shears, garden shears or electric shears. To avoid creases on the branches, the tool must be well sharpened.

Main types of hand tools for circumcision

To get the curly hedge into the correct shape, you need to use templates or vertical posts. To do this, you can make metal arches if you want to get a rounded outline of the fence. A rectangular shape can be easily created by taking ordinary pieces of reinforcement and stringing twine between them.

The twine is stretched at the level at which the top point will be. This marks the line above which all unnecessary branches are cut off. Then the twine is lowered. There is no need to rush to get the shape right.

To carry out the event, you do not need any special tools; a pruner, garden shears and a hacksaw or sickle will be enough. You should also stock up on gloves to avoid pricking your hands.

Special attention is paid to instrument disinfection. This will prevent the introduction of fungal or viral diseases. After the procedure, the cut sites are treated with garden disinfectant paint.

How to trim thuja in a hedge?

When forming a green fence, many gardeners wonder whether it is possible to trim the top of a thuja. The answer is clear - you can. This is done to level the height of the plants, as well as create a denser hedge.

In general, no special skills are required to create the design. The first time, the height of the tree is shortened by 1/3; in the second year, it depends on the situation. It is cutting off the top part of the plant that stimulates the growth of side shoots and gives compaction to the crown.

The choice of thuja variety should be determined for the future, since why buy a spherical thuja if you need a pyramidal one, right?

The best option for the garden is:

Brabant;
Emerald;
Fastigian.

When installing a fence near a thuja, you do not need to wait until it reaches a certain height and density; you need to form a wall from the first years of life, this will help improve the area and not affect the root system.

To form a smooth hedge you need:

Leg-split;
Serka with large holes;
Racks;
Sample.

Form support

It’s absolutely not difficult to shape a plant yourself, you just need to follow the nuances for this:

In the first year of planting in open ground, there is no need to engage in shaping;
Next year you can begin this procedure, but first you need to make sure the weather conditions;
Shaping should be parallel in several places;
Move a meter or two away from the thuja and look at your work from the side;
Remove branches completely without bare trunks;
The crown must be completely closed.

Beginning gardeners should start training on varieties with natural shapes, such as a pyramid.

If you have purchased a plot of land or for some reason have not taken care of this tree yourself for a long time, a radical pruning is required to initiate new growth and volume.

For a beginner in thuja pruning, the following tools and devices are suitable:

Gloves that protect hands from unwanted cuts and punctures;
Sickle, helps remove thick branches;
Scissors for the garden will give shape and will not cut off excess;
Secateurs are actually for cutting branches.

Note! For regular processing, the simplest tools found in almost every home with a garden will come in handy. By the way, they should be sharpened and moderately sharp. People with experience in processing use machines for cutting greenery, this helps them quickly process a large amount of work.

The end result of pruning thuja is for health purposes; if you trim the branches correctly and often, you can get a tall and thick plant with the right shape. Each stage of working with any plant requires planning.

Thuja pruning plan:

Objective conclusion on the rhizome;
Removing branches that interfere with further growth;
Shaping.

Already from the name alone it is clear that a haircut should be mandatory and entails:

Removing dead and disease-prone branches;
Adding volume and thickness;
If the thuja is too tall, the crown is cut off;
We remove the cones that appear; they can be used in folk medicine.

After the main formation, maintenance pruning of the thuja will be required. It is carried out in the summer, when young shoots begin to stand out from the general mass and disrupt the decorative appearance. If the crown is too thick, it is thinned out.

The procedure is carried out according to the following instructions:

The tree is inspected from all sides, areas that require intervention are identified.
The crown is cleaned of dry, diseased, damaged and yellow shoots.

The dense crown is thinned out evenly. At the same time, you need to ensure that there are no holes or bald spots.
If the plant has grown above normal, the top part is removed.
The growths that protrude outwards are cut off.

Marinade with pepper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnW6TRlKeaQ

Jerusalem artichoke for the winter in a spicy marinade

Ingredients for marinade:

900 g of Jerusalem artichoke fruits;
chilli;
½ tbsp. mustard seeds;
2 tbsp. Sahara;
a glass of vinegar 5%;
1 lemon;
1½ tsp salt.

Prepare the appetizer in the following sequence:

The fruits are soaked, washed, peeled, and cut into 10mm slices.
A 1 liter jar is washed and sterilized.
Place Jerusalem artichoke slices in the prepared container in layers, sprinkling each with mustard seeds, and place hot pepper on the bottom.
Prepare a marinade from water, zest, spices, and add vinegar at the very end.
Boiling brine is poured into a jar and sterilized for 10 minutes.
The jar of pickled Jerusalem artichoke is screwed up and, after cooling, placed in the refrigerator or lowered into the cellar.

Ingredients

Water – 2 glasses;
Jerusalem artichoke tubers – 1 kg;
Sea buckthorn juice – 1 glass;
Granulated sugar - 200 g.

Ground pear with sea buckthorn juice

How to cook Jerusalem artichoke jam with sea buckthorn juice

Peel the washed tubers and cut into slices.
Mix sea buckthorn juice and water.
Fill the slices with this mixture and add granulated sugar.
Place the mixture over medium heat and remove when it boils.

We suggest you read: How to remove glue from labels from dishes

Transfer the jam into sterile jars, cover with lids and pasteurize. If the jars are 0.5 liters, pasteurize for 10 minutes, 1 liter - 15 minutes.

Topiary haircut

Quite often, coniferous trees become a field for experimentation with topiary. This type of pruning is called topiary and allows you to create green sculptures in the garden. Even a beginner will be able to do this initially seemingly difficult task. The basic rule is the exact choice of shape, taking into account the natural habit. The first time it is better to choose something simple: a ball, square, pyramid or cone.

The pyramidal shape is created by placing a slatted frame on top of the tree. Each plank is an edge of the pyramid. The haircut is performed simultaneously on three edges.

Creating a ball usually does not require additional effort from the gardener; the main thing is to choose a variety of the appropriate shape. Trimming consists only of removing branches that are too long and stand out from the general mass. Globular thujas are also used to create other shapes, as they easily tolerate this process.

Cutting a thuja in a spiral requires a little more skill and is carried out using the following method:

One end of a long rope is tied to the top of the tree, then a cascading wrap is made to the base.
Using the created markings, a light outline is marked using garden shears.
The main cutting of the turns in a spiral is carried out. The change should be pronounced, but at the same time smooth and consistent.
The rope is removed from the thuja upon completion of the operation or when there is no longer a need for it.

Formation of a beautiful crown

To begin with, you need to say what the crown of a thuja is - this is the combined concept of branches and leaves located inside the plant. Crown formation should only be done on an adult tree, after mandatory pruning.

Factors that have a beneficial effect on the haircut process:

It is necessary to take into account the natural shape of the crown;
Inspect the crown and prevent pests;
Pruning should be done a little, but often;
To give the shape you need to use a stencil;
You need to monitor your form on an ongoing basis;
Trim branches without needles;
Use the right tool;
Removing branches should begin directly from the bottom.

Formation methods:

Pull a rope over the top of the plant, which will hold the growth of the thuja;
Before wintering, remove the rope and cut the crown by 10-15 centimeters;
Tie objects to the branches to prevent upward growth.

Taper haircut

To properly give the shape, you should make a stencil of wood that is 20-30 centimeters higher than the height. It needs to be made in the form of a triangle, where the base will be on the ground;
Trim parallel on all sides;
Apply the stencil periodically.

Haircut with paws

A shape that looks more like a bonsai. All side parts should be removed one by one, and the so-called legs should be left at the ends. Also, after cutting, experienced gardeners recommend tying a weight to the branches, which will pull them down a little.

Pyramid shape

The most suitable variety for this haircut is considered to be the variety of thuja - Smaragd, since it naturally has such an appearance, it just needs to be maintained. Like other types, the haircut should be done in one step, for an even cone.

Spiral haircut

A popular technique among designers that allows you to attract your attention. Basically, this technique works if:

There is one trunk, if there are several of them, then they must be connected to each other;
In addition, the trunk must be level;
To give it a shape, you can use paint, which will later be washed off, and during this period of time you can trim the plant correctly;
For the first time, you should only slightly outline the work plan, later you can cut it more strongly;
Trimming is done with scissors, moving from top to bottom.

Topiary haircut

This haircut represents the formation of a figure from wood, for this you need:

The frame of the figure you want to get;
Work can only be carried out with a small thuja, since it must initially grow along the frame;
You need to trim your hair as often as possible, but not too much.

Unlike other forms, the spherical one is represented by everyone and, probably, it is the most complex. But the positive side is that there are many types of thuja that are naturally round in shape.

However, if the tree has not been looked after for a long time, you can make a stencil of their wire and trim off the excess branches yourself.

Ovoid shape

A simple haircut that can be achieved with the help of a frame, however, there are those plants that naturally have the appearance of an egg.