Irga Smoky - a high-yielding shrub for your garden
Irga is gaining increasing popularity among gardeners, especially varietal, with its large berries and high resistance. This is exactly what the Smoky Irga variety is - one of the most productive and hardy species of this plant. What is it remarkable for, and how to grow a sweet berry on your site?
Characteristics of the variety
This is a fairly tall plant, a type of Canadian alder irgi. It is more like a tree than other species, stretching up to 4.5 m in height. At the same time, dense shoots form a beautiful vertical crown, but droop on the sides with age, creating a kind of umbrella.
Irga of the Smoky variety is distinguished by abundant fruiting - up to 1 kg of berries can be taken from only one shoot in the second year of fruiting. In addition, the berries are very large, with an average diameter of about 14 mm. They are assembled in brushes of 15-20 pieces, which makes cleaning quicker and easier. The pulp is sweet, without signs of astringency, with a fruity aroma. At first, the berries are pink-red, but as they ripen, they turn into a rich dark blue. The first harvest of irga will give in 5 years of life.
Due to the fact that the berries grow in full clusters, Smokey is ideal for sale and transport. You do not need to pick one berry at a time, but immediately cut it off with brushes and put it in a container for transportation. In this form, the irga does not drain off with juice, because it is not damaged during collection.
The bush bears fruit steadily, even despite possible frosts. They are not scary for Smoky, since the bloom of irgi occurs much later than in other species (after May 20). By this time, the subzero temperature is no longer, respectively, nothing threatens the buds.
Among the advantages of the variety, it is worth noting large-fruited, yield and high resistance to diseases and weather conditions. He has perhaps one minus, but characteristic of all types of irgi - numerous basal shoots.
Irga Smoky varieties - cultivation features
To achieve a more even ripening of the crop, it is worth choosing a well-lit area for planting. All irga, which will be in the sun, will ripen almost simultaneously, leaving green (in the sense, red) only those brushes that will be in shade.
For the rest, the cultivation of Smoky's irgi does not differ from other types of culture and includes:
- Regular spring pruning to thin out the crown. If this is not done, the plant will become too dense, making it difficult for light and air to enter the bush. In addition, fruiting without pruning will be only at the top of the shoots.
- Top dressing. To preserve varietal characteristics, it is advisable to fertilize the bush in spring with nitrogen preparations. In the fall, they bring phosphate-potassium fertilizers.
- In dry summer, water at the root.
The variety winters just fine and easily withstands frosts at 40 ° without shelter. This allows you to grow irgu even in northern latitudes, which gardeners use successfully.