The vinegar tree (sumac) is a spectacular plant for your garden. Sumac - a spectacular and bright vinegar tree How a vinegar tree overwinters in the middle zone

Sumac is made from the ground red berries of a small shrub, which is often called the “vinegar tree” for its specific taste properties. The berries ripen by the end of September.

From one sumac bush you can collect up to five hundred berries.

Historians say that even in ancient Rome, sumac was actively used in cooking as a substitute for vinegar or lemon juice.

Sumac seasoning is made from the berries of the sumac tree or, as it is also called, “vinegar tree.”

Science knows about 250 species of sumac, which have spread over vast territories of the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia, as well as the Mediterranean. But only a few varieties of sumac are considered truly edible and suitable as a spice.

The remaining berries are so poisonous that even the leaves of the bush can leave a slight burn after touching.

Beneficial features

Sumac gained its fame not only due to its rich ruby ​​color or sour taste, because its main feature is the ability to preserve dishes for a long time in hot climates.

Sumac is rich in various acids and oils, making it a good antioxidant.

Sumac is rich in natural compounds such as tartaric, citric, malic, maleic, fumaric, succinic and ascorbic acids, tannins and many fatty and volatile oils. It is their combination that sumac spice owes its nutritional value and unique taste. And sumac berries got their dark scarlet hue due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments.

Sumac is known to have antioxidant properties, making it essential for medicinal purposes. The substances contained in sumac leaves are known for their hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects.

Traditional medicine is replete with remedies using sumac to treat diarrhea, rheumatism, paralysis, gout or basic colds.

If you dilute ground sumac in water and drink it, it will help in the fight against scurvy, tumors and dysentery.

Sumac is able to quickly cleanse the body of toxins and harmful wastes, tidy up the digestive system and normalize the functioning of the body in case of diabetes. For this purpose, a special alcohol extract is extracted from the berries, which has a unique hypoglycemic effect.

For cholera or serious inflammation of the larynx or mouth, it is recommended to drink a hot infusion of fresh berries. And the dried leaves and bark of sumac become the basis for medicinal ointments against ulcers and burns.

If you are experiencing severe low energy or fatigue, sumac can have a positive effect.

In many cases, sumac is even added to tobacco mixtures and is considered a good coloring or tanning agent. Tannin isolated from sumac has proven to be a detoxifying agent and is recommended by doctors for poisoning with salts of heavy metals and alkaloids.

Where is sumac added?

Sumac is almost universal and has found its successful use in different cultures - from cooking to canning.

Among the common oriental seasonings, sumac is one of the top five. Thus, in Iran and Turkey it is customary to sprinkle ground sumac on rice snacks, and in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, red berries are brewed and the resulting broth is used to season meat and vegetable dishes.

Botanical researcher John Gerard, originally from England, described sumac back in 1597 as an excellent addition to sauces with meat, after which any discomfort in the stomach disappears.

Sumac seasoning is used in the preparation of meat and vegetable dishes, added to salads, marinades and sauces.

Sumac can be found in salads and marinades; it goes well with fish or poultry, and is often added to dishes that use beans and cereals. To spice up pea soups or hummus (an oriental snack made from chickpea puree), add a little sumac.

Another interesting dish that requires sumak is a sauce made from yogurt or kefir, which traditionally accompanies meat cooked on the grill.

Pork chops or lamb cutlets will get an unusual kick if you season them with sumac and cumin or ground black pepper. Sometimes, to make it more appetizing and tasty, kebab or pieces of pita bread are dipped directly into a bowl of spice.

Not a single lula kebab, shawarma or shish kebab can do without cilantro and onion rings, generously sprinkled with burgundy spice. Marinated meats and barbecue steaks are generously seasoned with sumac before grilling.

The applications of ruby ​​spice do not end there, and sumac can be found in sausages, various fillings and minced meats, cheeses and even drinks or desserts. Lovers of unusual tastes and culinary experiments confidently add sumac to light breakfasts such as sandwiches.

One of the advantages of sumac is its compatibility with most seasonings, such as sesame, thyme, nutmeg, coriander, hot pepper, cumin, cloves and others.

Today, sumak is widely used in the preparation of pilaf, boiled potatoes and bean soups. Fans of smoked lard will certainly enjoy the new taste of the delicacy combined with a slice of black bread and sumac.

Where to store sumac?

A quality sumac seasoning should have a deep cherry hue.

It is recommended to store this spice in a tightly closed container, preferably ceramic, securely hidden from sunlight.

It is believed that the deeper and more “cherry” the shade of the powder, the better the quality of the sumac. When its shelf life expires, which is a little more than a year, the characteristic shade disappears.

Contraindications

Despite all the positive qualities, sumac also has disadvantages. Due to the fact that sumac medications increase blood clotting and actively stimulate the body to produce gastric juice, they are contraindicated for people suffering from stomach ulcers and acute forms of gastritis.

Sumac should not be consumed by those who are at risk of blood clots in the blood vessels, or who have impaired carbohydrate metabolism.

Sumac has become another find for culinary experts, and opens up endless possibilities for gastronomic experiments. An exotic seasoning from the eastern lands, it is ideal for most recipes and also has many uses outside of cooking.

Unfortunately, fresh sumac berries are unlikely to be found on store shelves, but ground seasoning is sold almost everywhere.

This spectacular tree will become a real decoration of your garden. Staghorn sumac is a species of one of the most ancient plants on Earth. Because of its sour fruit, it is also called vinegar tree and vinegar tree. The plant is highly decorative from spring to late autumn. Even in winter it pleases the eye with bright, elegant fruits.

Features of the plant

This plant is native to the northeastern part of America and southeastern Canada. There it grows up to eight meters. The height of the staghorn sumac in the Moscow region does not exceed three meters. Staghorn sumac, also called downy sumac, is a low deciduous tree whose crown grows greatly in width. The thick shoots of the plant truly resemble panda deer. It has feathery, pointed leaves with jagged edges. Their length reaches eleven centimeters. The inside of the leaves is painted white. On the branches they are collected in groups of up to thirty leaves.

Staghorn sumac, or vinegar tree, is a dioecious plant. It blooms in June and July, forming pyramidal inflorescences up to 15 cm high and 5 cm in diameter. They have red pistillate and light green staminate flowers. After flowering, spherical drupes covered with bristles are formed.

In autumn, the leaves turn red, and the tree looks very impressive due to the bright color of the foliage. When the leaves fall, the sumac leaves behind pyramid-shaped fruits. They taste very sour, and birds do not eat them. They can remain on the plant until spring.

Vinegar grows in height only in the first four years. Then its crown begins to grow in width, and the plant sometimes becomes like a shrub. The spreading tree becomes more and more beautiful over the years.

The plant has other decorative forms. Thus, the lanceolate variety has thin leaves with deep teeth. The Dissekta variety looks very decorative - it has bright, carmine-colored fruits, and the leaves are painted in a silver tone and look like fern fronds.

Using downy sumac, or staghorn sumac

Vinegar tree has found application in industry. Silk dyes are made from the roots and leaves of the plant, and the fruits are used to produce varnish. Tannins are also extracted from it, which have an antibacterial and healing effect. They are used in pharmaceuticals.

Sumac berries have a sour taste, which is why the tree is called vinegar. Therefore, in some regions of the Caucasus and Crimea they are used as a seasoning for barbecue. But when consuming the fruits, you need to be careful, as in some species they are very poisonous.

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The spice made from the fruits of the vinegar tree is well known. Its use in folk medicine and cooking is very wide, since sumac is a strong antioxidant. It contains essential oils, tannins and acids. The leaves have a wound-healing effect.

The plant is used for the following diseases:

• cold;
• gout;
• rheumatism;
• poisoning;
• oncological diseases;
• diabetes;

It is also used as a tonic for severe fatigue.

Sumac fruits are contraindicated for:

• ulcers and gastritis;
• thrombosis and bleeding disorders;
• impaired carbon metabolism.

Sumac fruits are often used in oriental cuisine. They have a pleasant sourish, slightly astringent taste. Sumac - a natural preservative that helps preserve food freshness.

Sumac fruits retain their properties throughout the year. They should be stored in a closed container in a dark place. A high-quality spice has a bright color. If it becomes dull, it is expired.

Sumac should be added to dishes carefully. If you put too much of it, the food becomes too sour.

Wintering the plant

The natural habitat of sumac is warm countries, and it does not tolerate our winters well. However, even frozen plants quickly recover. New branches grow in place of old branches, and the tree becomes more branchy and beautiful. It doesn't even need pruning.

If the winter is snowy, then sumac tolerates frosts down to -30 C. Snow protects the plant from wind and freezing of the roots. The depth of snow cover in frosty winters should not be less than half a meter. Snow should cover not only the crown of the plant, but also the entire space around it. To help the plant winter better, sprinkle the tree trunk circles with leaves in the fall. Additionally, you can cover it with peat or hay.

Staghorn sumac looks good in combination with conifers, especially with blue needles or horizontal crown. In autumn, its bright colors combine perfectly with perennials. The vinegar tree is used in landscape design as the main element in rocky areas. It looks good in Japanese style parks.

Vinegar is unpretentious. It is planted near fences and used as a hedge element. Plantings stabilize ravines well. The vinegar tree is used for the survival of weeds - it grows quickly and displaces them from the garden. The disadvantage is that it can also invade beneficial plants, so its growth must be constantly monitored. The lifespan of vinegar is about twenty years, after which the tree dies. But it can be replaced with a new one, which is grown from root shoots.

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To ensure that you get good seedlings of the staghorn sumac - vinegar tree, it is better to buy them from gardening farms. Carefully inspect the tree before purchasing. He must have elastic, developed leaves and healthy roots. The shape of the sumac should be symmetrical. If it has a crooked trunk, it means the plant has been pruned.

A tree with a damaged root dies quickly. Choose a seedling with a lump of earth, then you will know that the rhizome is not damaged. A high-quality plant has fresh leaves without dried tips. There should be no cobwebs or mold on it, as this is a sign of disease or insect infestation.

The roots of the seedlings should not be rotten or spotted. A healthy tree has strong roots, well buried in the ground. If the tree has too bright leaf colors or too large flowers, this means that it has been overfed with fertilizers. The plant will become sick and you may quickly lose your sumac.

Fluffy sumac loves light. In the sun it grows faster and develops better. Seedlings should not be planted near a house or barn. Choose a place for them somewhere in the middle of the site and do not fence it off with anything. A good planting location will make caring for the plant easier - shoots of overgrown sumac are easier to remove from an open area. The tree can get sick from drafts, so it’s better to choose a place protected from the wind for it.

Vinegar prefers loose and dry soils. It can be grown on sandy, clay-sandy and rocky-sandy soils. The tree does not tolerate wet or swampy soil, as well as close groundwater. But it grows well on saline soils and on limestone. On the slopes of ravines and embankments, strong roots hold the sumac tree well.

Planting the plant is simple. The tree is planted in spring or autumn. Young plants should be about two years old. In autumn, the tree is planted in a container in order to be moved to the main planting site in the spring. To get fruit, there must be a male and a female tree on the site.

The hole for the seedling should contain a ball of earth. A shovel of compost is added to it. The roots of the plant are straightened and placed in the ground so that the earthen ball is level with the surface of the soil. The hole is filled with earth and the plant is watered.

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Trees are planted at a distance of no more than 2.5 m. During planting, you need to dig in slate, boards or sheets of metal that will limit the growth of roots. This will prevent vinegar from growing throughout the entire area. After planting, sumac should be watered generously and sprinkled with mulch for three days. The mulch layer should be more than five centimeters.

Caring for vinegar is easy. Young plants should be watered abundantly in dry weather; mature plants do not need to be watered at all. First, the soil is fertilized with nitroammophoska - 30 grams per square meter. In spring, you also need to cut off frozen or dry parts of the plant. If you don't want sumac to grow upward, you need to trim the branches - sumac looks more impressive with a wide crown. During pruning, the plant secretes thick sap, which subsequently hardens and turns black.

Pests do not attack trees, but sumac is highly susceptible to fungi. The most common of them are powdery mildew and drying of shoots. Fungal spores can be airborne or in the soil and infect the tree.

Powdery mildew first forms cobwebs on the leaves of plants, which then turns into plaque. Subsequently, it spreads throughout the tree. If the disease is not treated, the sumac may die.

Powdery mildew usually attacks the plant in warm, humid weather. Its spread is facilitated by excess nitrogen in the soil. To prevent the disease, you need to remove weeds around the plant and loosen the soil around it. Trees should not be planted close to each other. Diseased shoots should be removed immediately.

To treat vinegar in the early stages of the disease, you can use folk remedies. If the disease has taken over the entire tree, then chemicals must be used.

Drying of shoots and branches of a plant can begin if the bark is damaged. It begins to crack, then the branches and shoots dry out. Black or brown mycelium forms on dead branches. If you notice signs of this disease, then you need to start treating the bark and branches. Diseased branches are cut off and burned. Chemicals are also used to treat the disease.

Staghorn sumac is a spectacular and unpretentious tree. With proper care, it will delight you with its beauty and decorativeness all year round.

Sumac or vinegar tree is a shrub belonging to the Sumacaceae family. There are about 250 species of vinegar tree, but only 3 types are used in cooking, medicine and pharmaceuticals: Chinese, tanning and staghorn sumac. It grows in the Middle East, Caucasus and Asia. Sumac berries are burgundy in color with a sour taste.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties of sumac tree fruits

They include the following substances:

• Tannins.
• Organic acids: malic, tartaric.
• Fatty acids: myristic, oleic, linoleic.
• Minerals: K, Mg, Zn, Na, Ca, P, Fe, Cu, Mn.
• Vitamins: C, group B.
• Essential amino acids.
• Tannin.
• Flavonoids.
• Essential oils.

Tannins have an antibacterial effect, relieve inflammation, and promote the removal of toxic substances, toxins and heavy metal salts.

Malic acid improves metabolism, removes excess fluid from the body, and enhances intestinal motility.

Tartaric acid improves the elasticity of blood vessels and accelerates metabolism.

Fatty acids suppress the growth and development of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, strains, increase the body's defenses, remove free radicals from cells, strengthen the heart and blood vessels, and improve skin elasticity.

The berries contain 8 essential amino acids.

Leucine slows down cell aging, participates in protein metabolism, and takes part in the formation of hemoglobin.

Lysine prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques and increases calcium absorption.

Valine maintains normal blood sugar levels and removes waste and toxins from the body.

B vitamins support the normal functioning of the nervous system, improve cerebral circulation, lower cholesterol levels, and accelerate the healing of damaged tissues.

Vitamin C increases the body's defenses and accelerates the recovery process after infectious and viral diseases.

The fruits have the following beneficial properties:

1. Slow down cell aging.
2. Removes free radicals, heavy metal salts, waste, toxins and poisons from cells.
3. Relieves inflammation.
4. Suppress the development of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi.
5. Reduces cholesterol levels.
6. Remove excess fluid from the body.
7. Prevents the formation of malignant tumors.
8. Increase lactation.
9. They have an astringent effect.
10. Normalize intestinal microflora.
11. Accelerate the healing of wounds, abrasions, burns.
12. They have anthelmintic properties.

Indications and contraindications for use

The berries of the vinegar tree are used for the treatment and prevention of the following diseases and pathologies:

• Diarrhea.
• ARVI, acute respiratory infections, bronchitis.
• Wounds, abrasions, bruises, burns.
• Liver disorders.
• Digestive disorder.
• Dysbacteriosis.
• Arthrosis, arthritis.
• Diabetes.
• Gynecological diseases.
• Alzheimer's disease.
• Helminthiasis.
• Oncological diseases.
• Avitaminosis.
• Intestinal colic.
• Tonsillitis, pharyngitis.
• Stomatitis.

Based on the juice obtained from the berries, a huge number of medicines are produced for colds, sore throats, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. The tannins, organic acids and vitamins contained in the juice relieve inflammation and have an antiseptic effect.

Freshly squeezed juice is used to treat burns; it accelerates healing and prevents the development of inflammation.

The tannins contained in the berries have an astringent effect, so it is recommended to use it for diarrhea, poisoning and indigestion.

The fruits normalize the menstrual cycle and increase lactation.

Based on the berries, sumac seasoning is prepared, which is widely used in cooking.

However, there are a number of contraindications for using berry juice:

• Thrombosis.
• Acute gastritis.
• Stomach ulcer.

Use for helminthic infestation

Fruits of the vinegar tree They are very rare in fresh form, so to treat helminthiasis you can use sumac seasoning, which is produced on the basis of these fruits.

For prevention, seasoning can be added to dishes instead of lemon or a preservative. Thanks to its sour taste, it goes well with meat, fish, and can be added to vegetable salads and cereals.

Another name that downy sumac goes by is vinegar tree. Gardeners love it for a number of undeniable advantages:

• ease of care;
• the possibility of planting on those soils on which others simply will not take root;
• beautiful appearance.

Wood is also used as a raw material in industry. For example, sumac tannins are used in pharmaceuticals, which have an antibacterial and healing effect. The roots and leaves of this tree are raw materials for making dye for silk, the fruits are for wax, which is needed for the production of varnish. And it has also been used in cooking. Indians very often use fruit extract as a seasoning for their delicious dishes.

Sumac is a tree (the price is quite reasonable), which, in addition to North America, is also found in some areas of the Caucasus and Crimea, in particular in mountainous areas.

The berries of this tree have a sour taste. Because of this, they are often used as a seasoning for marinating meat for barbecue. But you need to be extremely careful, since some species of this plant are famous for their poisonousness.

Advantages and disadvantages

The number of advantages undoubtedly exceeds the number of its disadvantages, which is why staghorn sumac is so popular in modern garden plots. The advantages have been mentioned above. The disadvantages include the following:

1. Low frost resistance. This is due to the fact that the homeland of sumac is the east of North America, where it most often grows in open, sunny areas. However, in some cases, this feature can be considered an advantage, since if there are frostbitten branches, you will certainly not forget to prune them in the spring. And this will be the reason for the excellent shape of the crown.
2. Growing sumac is very difficult. The tree, however, is characterized by the ability to recover from root shoots. The root system of the tree grows quite actively, which is often used to strengthen the soil on slopes. However, if you plant it in your garden plot, the growth of root shoots must be controlled.

There will be no problems with reproduction, and if you really want, the garden can be completely “populated” with scions of the vinegar tree.

Features of the appearance of sumac

The tree came to us from North America, where it is found on rocky and dry soils in the mountains. It has a very attractive appearance.

The crown shape - umbrella-shaped - gives sumac a special decorative appearance. A healthy tree's foliage is large and dense and feathery. The color of the leaves is especially beautiful in autumn. It is during this period that it changes from ordinary green to bright red-pink.

Young shoots also have their own specifics. They are covered with red pubescence, and in some places the surface of sumac leaves resembles velvet. The tree also blooms in a very original way. The flowers are small, located at the ends of the branches, forming pyramid-shaped panicles (about 20 cm long).

At the end of summer, sumac begins to bear fruit. And it is truly a sight to see because the plant is covered in carmine-red tassels that are also covered in down. The color of the down is bright red. These fruits will continue to decorate the tree until spring, and this is truly amazing. It is thanks to them that sumac reproduces.

The tree cannot be called tall; in our latitudes it rarely reaches three meters. This is due to the characteristics of the root system, which contributes to the bush-like development of the plant.

Landing rules

For planting, as a rule, a seedling that has reached the age of three years is taken. It is best to carry out this procedure in the spring, since it is in this case that the sumac will take root well.

The landing site must first be carefully prepared. A special soil mixture is mixed, which includes:

• leaf soil;
• coarse sand;
• compost.

The ratio of components is as follows: 1:2:1.

After the seedling is finally planted, it needs abundant watering. This must be done over the next three days.

In addition, you need to think in advance about mulching the soil, because the roots of the tree are located close to the surface of the soil, which means there is a risk of damage to them during loosening. For mulching, you can take wood chips or sawdust, the layer thickness of which is about 5 cm.

Sumac is a dioecious plant, so it is necessary to choose both a female and a male plant for planting.

Organization of watering

Sumac is a tree whose care is not particularly specific. As for watering, it should be moderate. Young plants need watering only in dry and hot weather. Sumac is characterized by its ability to withstand short-term drought without additional watering, so there is no need to worry about it during the holidays.

Feeding rules

Mineral fertilizing will help increase the number of flowers, and therefore fruits, in the future. The number of these procedures should not be more than once a year, otherwise the plant can only be harmed. In addition, you need to choose the right site for planting. It is best if it is acidic or saline soils. In some cases, it is the application of fertilizers that leads to a similar result. However, this does not make much difference to the success of growing sumac.

Other rules of care

In addition to watering, the tree needs to be provided with optimal lighting. It is better to plant sumac in well-lit areas, it loves it. However, if this is not possible, slightly shaded areas will not be an obstacle to obtaining a beautiful and healthy tree.

You can make care easier if you carefully choose agricultural technology before planting the plant, because some types of this tree can be poisonous. Just like other plants, sumac is susceptible to diseases and pest attacks, which may prevent other trees in the garden from developing normally. Therefore, when the first signs are detected, the vinegar tree must be treated immediately.

Transplantation should be carried out only when the plant is still young, however, even at this age there is no special need for it. In addition, it is worth considering the time of year. The best time for transplantation is spring. In autumn, young shoots can simply freeze. However, in this case, you can use some trick: sumac is characterized by the ability to recover from its buds, which are located on the lower and middle shoots.

In preparation for wintering, mulching is carried out, and in this case it is impossible to spare raw materials.

Proper pruning

The purpose of pruning can be to form the correct crown or any other one at your discretion. This will allow you to create entire compositions in the garden; there are no restrictions on forms.

In addition, every year in May it is necessary to remove dried and frozen branches. If you do this regularly, you will end up with a lush and large shrub.

If you follow all the rules of care, then in the fourth or fifth year your sumac will bloom.

The only drawback of this plant is its short life span. Sumac dies off after 20 years of life, but this does not become an obstacle to its cultivation.

Compositions with vinegar tree

Sumacs are ornamental trees whose species require appropriate neighbors. Since its appearance is unusual for the middle zone, this uniqueness needs to be emphasized. Varietal coniferous plants, which are characterized by a horizontal crown or blue needles, will help with this. This proximity will create the contrast necessary for the attractive appearance of the garden.

In addition, staghorn sumac goes well with many perennials that are part of mixed groups. When creating such compositions, you need to focus on the brightness of colors in autumn.

Sumac is a tree (reproduction is possible both by seeds and vegetative-root suckers), which will become indispensable if you want to create a Japanese or rocky garden.

How to care for it and how to decorate your garden.

What does it look like

Downy sumac or staghorn sumac, vinegar tree or as it is called in Latin Rhus typhina, is a member of the Sumacaceae family, growing mainly in the northeastern part of the United States and southeastern Canada. This deciduous tree grows up to 8 m tall. In the Moscow region, the height of the staghorn sumac will not exceed 3 meters at the age of 4 years. The leaves are 6-11 cm long, pointed in shape, jagged at the edges, and white on the inside of the leaf. Each leaf is “collected” on the branches into a “commonwealth” of 9 to 31 leaves.

Sumac blooms in early to mid-summer. the plantings are very beautiful, red-brown or light green in color. Each flower has stamens and a cone-like shape. The length of the flower is on average 15 cm, diameter is about 5 cm.

Did you know? Sumac is used in Central Asia as a seasoning for meat dishes, instead of vinegar.

In autumn, the leaves turn red and the tree turns red due to the color of the foliage, and after it falls, fruits appear on the sumac, which have a pyramidal shape. Birds are not interested in them, which means you can admire them for a long time. They stay on the tree until next spring.

The tree grows tall only in the first years of its life, then it expands in breadth. Sometimes the planting resembles a bush due to such a wide crown.

How to cope with winter and cold

Due to the fact that the natural habitat of the tree is southern countries, sumac has difficulty withstanding our winters. But what is bad for planting is not entirely bad for garden design.

The fact is that old branches freeze over, but new ones form in their place, which helps the tree, over time, become branchy, and therefore more beautiful and sweet to look at.

Sumac can withstand winters down to -30 °C, but there needs to be plenty of snow: it protects the tree from wind and freezing of the root system, otherwise it may die. Make sure that the snow covers not only the crown of the plant, but also the entire space around it.

For protection in winter, the snow depth should be about half a meter. In autumn, it is necessary to sprinkle the tree trunks with leaves to make it easier for the plants to overwinter. Additionally, peat or hay will help protect the tree from frost.
Another confirmation that sumac has adapted to our winters is the presence of red fruits on the “female” plants, which remain on the tree until spring.

Application in landscape design and neighbors

This plant is often chosen for Japanese gardens. In addition, it harmonizes well with horizontal coniferous crowns and gets along well with plants with blue needles. Another company for the vinegar tree is perennials: they look very beautiful with sumac in the autumn.

The plant can also be used as a component of rocky gardens. The vinegar tree itself is very unpretentious.

When planting it, designers pay attention to such features as: the possibility of well securing slopes and ravines and frequent use for removing weeds, since this planting grows very quickly and does not give harmful plants space to develop.
Vinegar is also planted along the fence or as a hedge.

The only problem associated with this plant may be the sumac’s ability to grow, because it “swallows” not only pest plants, but also all benign plantings.

Did you know? The vinegar tree lives for about 15-20 years and dies. But it is reborn again due to new shoots emerging from the root of the plant.

How to choose the right seedlings when purchasing

It is best to buy seedlings from trusted nurseries: they are definitely taken care of properly there. Before purchasing, you need to carefully consider the small plant. The seedling should be symmetrical, with normally developed leaves. If it is slightly crooked, it means it has been trimmed.

The rhizome must be well formed and developed. If the root is damaged, the plant will soon die. It is better to be offered a lump formed from native soil: this way you will know that everything is in order with the root system.
Next, look at the leaves. They should not be withered and lifeless. Good seedlings always have elastic leaves, which should not be withered at the ends. There should also be no mold or cobwebs: this indicates a plant disease or the presence of harmful insects.

A good specimen has a root system without rot or stains. Elastic roots should be well buried in the ground. If the plant has too large flowers or an unnatural green color, it means that it has been overfed with nutritional compounds.

You should not buy it, as it will hurt and may die before your eyes. Now that we have figured out how to choose a plant, let's figure out how to plant it.

Choosing a landing site

Having figured out exactly what conditions are needed for the vinegar tree, in the future this knowledge will help you choose the most suitable site for it.

Lighting

Sumac loves a lot of light. It can live in the shade, but with very good lighting, development will be better and faster. So don’t plant it next to the house and barn: it’s better to plant it in the middle of the garden, without fencing it with anything or anywhere.

This will also help if (and it will) the plant grows. The fact is that it is much easier to pull out young trees you don’t need in an open area than in the vicinity of young apple or pear trees.

Important! Try to choose an area where there are no constant cold winds, because this green pet does not tolerate drafts well.

The soil

The tree grows on sandy, sandy-clayey and sandy-rocky soils. The vinegar tree loves loose, dry soil. Does not like waterlogging and does not tolerate close proximity to groundwater or strong soil density. The plant does not like moist and medium-moist well-drained soil types.
However, it easily tolerates medium salinity of the substrate. Sumac can also grow on limestone rocks. The roots of the plant cling well even to the soil of a ravine or scree.

Planting seedlings on the site: process and diagram

Staghorn sumac seedlings should be planted in spring or autumn, when the plant is two to three years old. In autumn, seedlings are planted in a container and then transplanted into permanent soil in the spring. Both female and male plants need to be planted.

The planting process begins with digging a hole for the root. It must correspond to the earthen coma of the planting. The excavated soil should be mixed with a shovelful of compost.

Straighten the roots of the plant and plant it in the ground so that the earthen ball is level with the surface of the soil. Next, fill the hole and water the planting.

The distance between two vinegar trees should not be less than two and a half meters. When planting, dig the root stops deeper.
It can be a board, slate or metal sheets: sumac grows very quickly throughout the garden, which is not always pleasant for the gardener.

Three days after planting, it is necessary to mulch the soil around the plant and water it abundantly. It is best to mulch with sawdust and peat.

Important! The mulching layer should be at least 5 cm.

We've figured out how to plant staghorn sumac, now let's look at the rules for caring for it.

Watering and fertilizing

Caring for this plant is easy. It is necessary to mulch the soil immediately after planting, using wood chips or sawdust, in a layer of 6 cm. Watering is carried out only in dry weather. If the plant is already mature, then it does not need to be watered at all.

At the beginning of spring, nitroammophoska is applied: 30 grams of fertilizer are needed per 1 m².

Trimming

In winter, many branches of the plant die off because they cannot withstand severe frosts, which means that it is necessary to do this in the spring. Only dead and dry branches are pruned.

It is also necessary to trim the branches if you do not want the tree to grow upward: the plant looks much more interesting and attractive with a wide crown. During pruning, the tree secretes a thick yellowish sap, which hardens and turns black over time.

Diseases and pests

The vinegar tree most often suffers from fungal diseases. We will not consider all of them, but will focus on the two most common: powdery mildew and drying out of branches and shoots. Fungi can be transmitted either by air or on/in the soil.
So, powdery mildew. Initially, the disease is noticeable as a kind of white cobweb on the leaves of the tree, but over time it turns into a plaque. This plaque quickly spreads to neighboring leaves and quickly takes over the entire tree.

The longer the plant is left untreated for this disease, the greater the chance that the vinegar tree will die. Most often, the plant suffers from powdery mildew in warm weather and high humidity. Also contributing to this disease is a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers or nitrogen in the soil in general.

To avoid this disease, it is necessary to weed out weeds around the plant (if they appear), loosen the soil around the planting, and also do not plant trees too close to one another. If one shoot still gets sick, you will have to destroy it, otherwise all the plants will die.

There are also folk remedies that can be used to destroy powdery mildew, but they are better used to prevent the disease or are used in its early stages. If the disease has long taken hold of sumac, use chemicals.
Drying of shoots and branches. A plant is susceptible to this disease when the bark is damaged. It begins with cracking of the bark, then the branches dry out. Dead branches have mycelium - black, light pink or brown formations.

Prevention of this disease consists of monitoring and treating the bark and main branches of the tree. If a branch is diseased, it must be cut and burned. Chemical drugs are also used to treat this disease. The plant actually does not suffer from pests.

In general, sumac is a beautiful, bright tree that will delight your eyes for many years, you just need to put in a little effort and provide it with comfortable living conditions.

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