Mahogany commonis an evergreen shrub with distinctive leathery leaves that are commonly used in wreaths and funeral bouquets. Mahonia blooms beautifully, turns red in autumn and has interesting ornamental fruits. See whatmahogany cultivation looks likein the garden, when to domahogany cuttingand how tomahogany propagationgrowing in our garden!
Mahonia common - Mahonia aquifolium
Mahonia is an evergreen, branchy shrubrarely reaching over 1 m in height.Mahonia has thick, leathery, dark green leaves, with varying degrees of wavy edges and spiky cloves on both sides.In autumn, the leaves of the common mahogany change color to an intensely brown-red color
Common mahonia bloomson the tops of last year's shoots in April-May, its flowers are small, golden yellow, fragrant with herbs, gathered in clusters at the ends of the shoots. From August, elliptical, purple-black, mossy fruits ripen on mahogany and are eagerly eaten by birds.
Mahogany is attractive all year round . It can be planted in groups or for greening larger areas. Mahogany flowers are very valuable for bees due to their high content of nectar and pollen.
Common mahonia - cultivation
Mahogany common is resistant to low temperatures . In our climatic conditions, shrubs freeze only during severe winters, especially snowless winters, but they quickly regenerate losses because they have the ability to produce shoots.
Common mahogany has low soil requirementsIt grows best in light, sandy and loamy sandy soil, but humus and sufficiently moist.Common mahogany is best grown in a shady positionIn sunny places it will grow worse and may freeze more often.
Mahonia takes transplanting badly . Therefore, plants that are at least 2-3 years old are planted in the garden, preferably produced in containers.
Mahogany common - flower
Common mahonia - cut
If we have not performedmahogany pruningfor several years, the shrub must have shed its lowest leaves, making the base unsightly. In this case, in late spring, trim the mahogany to the skeleton of strong shoots, 30 cm above the ground.
In addition tofor rejuvenating the mahogany cut , the formative and main cut should also be performed.
The forming cutting of mahoganyis performed during the first spring after planting the plant. This pruning of common mahogany works by stimulating the plant to release conductors with strong shoots at the base of the plant. Therefore, lignified shoots should be cut to the lowest whorl or bunch of leaves, preferably 15 cm above the ground.
The main pruning of the common mahoganystarts in the spring, when the flowers fade. Then we also trim the shoots, which will allow for the maximum extension of the period of growth and development of flowering shoots in the next year, but it will be tantamount to loss of fruit this year. We cut mahogany just above the leaf whorl to stimulate the sleeping side buds to develop three to five new shoots.
It is also worth pruning all thin, over-branchedcommon mahogany increments , as flowers only occasionally develop on them.
Common mahonia - autumn color of leaves and fruit remaining for the winter
Common mahonia - reproduction
Mahogany can be propagatedin several ways: from seeds, semi-woody cuttings or by separating the root suckers and making layering.
By propagating the common mahogany with the seedsshould be cleaned of flesh and sown in the fall in the inspection, stratifying them first.
Anotherway to reproduce mahoganyis by semi-woody cuttings. We collect them in August, from side shoots, the length of which should be 5-10 cm. The end of the mahogany cuttings is dipped in the rooting plant and planted in the inspection (at 18-20 ° C) in the sand. Then, when the seedling starts to take root, we replant it to a mixture of peat and sand in the ratio (1: 1). We leave it in the inspection during the winter (10-12 ° C). In spring, we plant in a light soil seedbed and cultivate there for a year or two.
The easiest way to breed mahoganyis to make layering. Propagation by layering consists in bending a he althy, flexible mahogany shoot to the ground, tearing off the leaves and immobilizing the shoot near the ground, covering it with a layer of earth. Then we water the place where the deposit was made and check whether the mahogany shoots have taken root. When this happens, we separate the seedling from the mother plant.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
