Sea Buckthorn.

[coppice cutter]

Not a species generally found in woodland but I have a few Sea Buckthorn in a very dry area and they're doing really well.

 

So well in fact that one tall one (15ft at a guess) loaded with berries has got tumbled over the past few days. I intend to pull it back and stake it but it would probably help if it had a whack taken off it to reduce it a bit for a few years till it gets established again.

 

Anyone know how robust it is and will it be OK with having the main stem reduced substantially?

 

Thanks.

[sime42]

Interesting plants. Are you growing it for the berries?

They're pretty robust I think, and used as a hedging plant, so shouldn't be too fussed about being cut about. Some info here;-

 

Sea Buckthorn Hedging | Hippophae rhamnoides | Hedges Direct

WWW.HEDGESDIRECT.CO.UK

 

 

[Stere]

Will be fine chopped back severly can be invasive as they sucker like blackthorn. Alot  of conservation work  is being done removing them from Dunes.

 

Also strikes well from cuttings near  as well as willow does

 

As a seaside plant think they do like sandy light soils best...

 

For the best berries there are commercial cultivars with larger berries and less thorns  from eastern europe/ russia where its popular.

 

Sea buckthorn: planting, pruning & varieties - Plantura

PLANTURA.GARDEN

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Trying to grow sea buckthorn in your garden? Some tips on how to care for the shrub and how to use seabuckthorn...

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Stere

[nepia]

1 hour ago, Stere said:

As a seaside plant think they do like sandy light soils best...

 

 

That may be true, I don't know, but one reason they thrive on dunes and sand is that they can manage there where others can't; sea buckthorn doesn't take competition

[coppice cutter]

Yes, berries was the initial attraction.

 

Last year was the first year I seen any sign of berries, this year the same plant is laden, but I haven't figured out what to do with them yet or really have the time anyway. However no doubt they'll help sustain something through the winter in the meantime.

 

They're like Holly that you need both male and female plants for berries so I'm just happy that I haven't ended up with just all one or t'other. I haven't seen any signs or suckering or spreading by any means but frequently you find that something classed as aggressive or invasive in a garden setting is merely tough enough to survive in a woodland setting.

 

That's possibly what you may find with the commercial cultivars?

 

For all the aggressive nature of bramble, I tried a few thornless cultivars of blackberries and they struggled to survive at all in the woodland, it was only a year or two after getting them I read that they are also much less aggressive than wild blackberries.

 

A big plus in the garden, a big minus for me.

 

Going back to the initial query, seems if I need to cut a bit it should be fit for it.

[peds]

1 hour ago, coppice cutter said:

 

Last year was the first year I seen any sign of berries, this year the same plant is laden, but I haven't figured out what to do with them yet or really have the time anyway.

Worth doing, in my opinion. Very good "cure" for cold or flu, especially mulled with lemon and clove.

 

[Stephen Blair]

The most evil thorny jaggy bush tree I’ve ever had to deal with, the pain from the jabs, the puss in the jab holes oh and the smell of the burst berries!  That was 30 years ago and they still haunt me 😂. Sorry I couldn’t help, just had a wee flashback!

[daltontrees]

It's tough stuff, cut it back and it'll be fine, quite hard to get rid of if anything.

[daltontrees]

6 hours ago, nepia said:

That may be true, I don't know, but one reason they thrive on dunes and sand is that they can manage there where others can't; sea buckthorn doesn't take competition

I have noted that in my attempts to transplant it from a seaside location to my guerilla garden it hasn't liked being near hawthorn, pyracantha or even in long grass/ribwort. It gets dosed with road salt, somehow I thought it would like it.

[sime42]

4 hours ago, peds said:

Worth doing, in my opinion. Very good "cure" for cold or flu, especially mulled with lemon and clove.

 

 

What does it taste like? It's one of these things that I imagine to be horrendously sour/bitter/dry/astringent unless you add a rook of sugar to it. Like the Hawthorne berries that I tried a while back. Full of healthy goodness but in no way palatable by themselves!