Plant, care for, cut and more

Plant elderberry properly

Autumn time is planting time for reds elder. Choose a sunny to half-shady location where the shrub will find humus-rich, well-drained and fresh to moderately dry soil. Before you start preparing the soil there, place the still potted young plant with the root ball in a bucket of water. Then loosen the soil thoroughly to incorporate a generous portion of compost, bark humus or leaf compost. This is how the planting process proceeds:

• Dig a spacious planting pit
• Mix the excavation with horn shavings and compost
• If necessary, the trough all around with a root barrier provided with geotextile
• Repot the shrub to plant it exactly as deep as before
• Press and water the soil

A mulch layer of autumn leaves or bark mulch has a beneficial effect on rooting. In order for the shrub to thrive in a group or as a hedge, dig the next pits at a distance of 100-150 cm.

care tips

To ensure that the wild ornamental shrub meets expectations, the following care program is used:

• Water the shrub as soon as the soil surface has dried
• From March to August every 14 days fertilize with compost, bark humus or nettle manure
• Perform light topiary immediately after flowering or harvest
• Radical pruning is possible during the leafless period up to 50 cm above the ground

In the weeks and months after planting, an adequate water supply is essential for vital rooting. While an adult shrub well-naturedly tolerates short-term drought, a young one may Red elderberry do not dry out.

Which location is suitable?

In the wild, the decorative white flowers and bright red berries can be discovered in sparse alluvial forests. The shrub likes to associate with deciduous trees or look for a spot in the mixed forest. This results in the following criteria for the choice of location in the home garden:

• Sunny to partially shaded position
• Nutrient-rich, humus-rich soil
• Fresh, damp to moderately dry, without waterlogging

Red elder is tolerant of soil acidity. The shrub likes to stretch out its mighty roots in slightly acidic, neutral to slightly alkaline soil.

The right planting distance

Given its majestic habit and extensive root system, we recommend planting at least 100-150cm apart. If you settle the mighty shrub near buildings, the distance to the walls should be 200-250 cm.

What soil does the plant need?

The wide range of locations of a red elder finds expression not least in the frugal demands on the soil. Basically, the shrub thrives in any normal garden soil. In order to get the most out of this magnificent specimen, the soil should be loose and humus-rich, nutrient-rich and freshly moist to moderately dry in structure. A neutral to alkaline pH is perfectly fine, especially since the grape elderberry appreciates a little lime.

When is flowering time?

The cream-colored flowers appear in April and attract pollinators through May. Unfortunately, red elder cannot hold a candle to its big brother, black elder, when it comes to fragrance. In fact, it is precisely the somewhat unpleasant smell that insects fly at. At first glance, the multi-flowered umbrella panicles do not show that the furious, bright red fruit decoration develops from them in autumn.

Cut elderberry properly

Prune a red elder between October and March if the shrub is getting too much for you. During the leafless period, a radical pruning is well tolerated. Go with one pruning shears or saw to work and shorten shoots that are too long to 50 cm. Since the wild wood always blooms on the previous year's wood, the flowers fail in this case. In order to trim the ornamental shrub into shape a little, we therefore recommend an appointment immediately after the flowering period or in the autumn after the harvest. Place the scissors just above an outward-facing, sleeping eye. A sleeping Eye can be recognized as a slight elevation under the bark. In addition, thin out the shrub thoroughly in early spring by cutting off all dead wood at the base.

Pour elderberry

As a flat-rooted shrub, the shrub quickly suffers from drought stress in summer if there is no rain. Therefore, water thoroughly when it is dry. It is beneficial to den once or twice a week garden hose to run for 10 minutes. If you only give a little water every day, the already shallow rooting will decrease even more.

Fertilize elderberry properly

Red elder does not hate food. The shrub attaches great importance to a regular supply of nutrients. Therefore, from March to August, fertilize every 14 days with compost, horn shavings, bark humus or plant manure. If this effort is too great for you, give one in March and June long-term fertilizer.

multiply elderberry

To breed more specimens of red elder, you have the choice of the following propagation methods:

• Half woody in summer cut cuttings, plant in pots and allow to root until autumn
• sowing the seeds behind glass at a constant 20 degrees Celsius in a partially shaded location

Before you sow the seeds, they go through stratification. As cold germs, the seeds stay in a bag with moist sand at + 4 to - 4 degrees Celsius in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for 6-8 weeks.

Is elderberry poisonous?

Red elder contains poisonous sambunigrin in all parts of the plant. This toxin causes nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath in humans and animals. Therefore, warn your children against eating the red berries. Dogs, cats, rabbits or guinea pigs should not be fed the leaves, flowers or berries because in the worst case they will die. The poison dissolves at temperatures above 80 degrees Celsius, making the berries suitable for making jam, jelly or syrup. However, this is not the case for the seeds, which retain their poisonous content. Therefore, only use the fruit after careful juicing.
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Is Red Elderberry Edible?

The red berries are not suitable for fresh consumption. The sambunigrin it contains triggers severe symptoms of poisoning. Only after the fruit has been heated to more than 80 degrees Celsius does the toxin dissolve. The seeds, on the other hand, defy any attempt to decompose the toxic ingredient. Red elderberry can only be eaten with a juicer. Prepared as a refreshing jam or aromatic syrup, the red elderberries use in the household.
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