The vinegar sumac has as many followers as its enemies. It is attractive, it changes color effectively in autumn, but it also grows very quickly thanks to root suckers. See what varieties of vinegar sumac is worth choosing for your garden, what does the cultivation of sumac in the garden look like and what to do before planting it, as well as how to get rid of acetic sumac when it turns out to be too expansive. Here's everything you need to know about vinegar sumac!
Vinegar sumac
The acetic sumac(Rhus typhina) is an undemanding tree.Reaches a height of up to 7 m. It has an impressive shape of the crown with shoots covered with red hairs. Very large, dark green, odd-pinned leaves, up to 50 cm long, turn red, orange and yellow in autumn, harmonizing with the brown-red flaky infructescences that remain on the tree for a long time. As a result, the plant looks attractive not only in summer, but also especially beautiful in the fall. Sumac fruits are edible and can be used to prepare vinegar and slightly acid syrups. Planting acetic sumac is also a good way to keep mosquitoes in your garden as mosquitoes avoid the tree.
Sumac vinegar - varieties
Vinegar sumacis famous for its low soil requirements. It does great wherever there is sun. The varieties of vinegar sumac are characterized by lower growth than the common species, therefore they will fit perfectly in small gardens with perennials and small shrubs. Interestingly,garden sumac varietiesproduce fewer root suckers, so they are not as expansive as the pure species. Vinegar sumac varietiesare also perfect for container cultivation.
The acetic sumac 'Dissecta'is a variety that grows up to 4 m high and 6 m wide. It will grow well in large containers and small gardens. The leaves are deeply cut, resembling ferns, they change color in autumn. Another very interesting variety of vinegar sumac isTIGER EYES sumac 'Bailtiger'It is a low growing variety with an umbrella crown. It grows slowly, reaching 2 meters in height and the same width. Leaves are light green in spring, yellow during the growing season, and in autumn they turn a scarlet shade. Ideally suited to a small garden and large containers.
Sumac vinegar - cultivation
Vinegarwill be satisfied with any soil. It will grow well in permeable, sandy soil, not moist, with a slightly acidic to alkaline reaction. Prefers a sunny position and tolerates seasonal heat well.The plant has no special requirements, sogrowing vinegar sumacwill not cause problems, also due to its resistance to diseases, pests and complete frost resistance. Sumac will find its place even in an unattractive place in the garden, where other plants have failed.
Note!In order to avoid uncontrolled growth of vinegar sumac before the root suckers, it is better to plant the plant in a pot or dig a root barrier around it, e.g. made of HDPE foil (this type of barrier can be purchased sometimes as root barriers for bamboos.)
Vinegar sumac - reproduction
The acetic sumacis an extremely expansive tree with shallow rooting and producing numerous root suckers. So without our control, sumacs can occupy a large area of our garden. If we injure the roots with a spade, root suckers will appear quickly. This feature of sumac makes its multiplication by suckers is very easy.
Another method ispropagating acetic sumacfrom root cuttings. Such cuttings are harvested in February from well-developed roots. We cut them into 2.5 cm pieces with a sharp knife and plant them into a sand-peat mixture (1: 1). The collected seedlings should be provided with a warm place in the inspection, encouraging them to grow at 20 ° C. Then, in March-April, plant the seedlings permanently.
Note!Vinegar sumac juice is poisonous and can cause severe irritation at times. Therefore, be careful when preparing seedlings. Perform all work in protective gloves.
Sumac vinegar - how to get rid of
Whencaring for vinegar sumacavoid damaging the roots, as this further enhances the formation of root suckers. The prevention of sumac infestation consists in removing the already formed root suckers. You may be tempted to use various types of herbicides, such as Avans Premium 360 SL or Roundup, for root suckers.Left to its own devices, the vinegar sumac begins to take over the area expansively, displacing other plants. In order toget rid of vinegar sumacfor good, we need to thoroughly remove the entire plant from the garden, which will not be easy. It may happen that the plant starts to bounce again, so this action must be repeated until it succeeds.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
