Schisandra

Family. Schisandraceae.

Origin, where it grows. The plant's homeland is considered to be China, the Russian Far East, some species are found in nature in North America. The liana settles in river valleys, forests, forest edges and clearings.

Description. Schisandra is a deciduous perennial, a tall liana with flexible thin shoots that become woody with age and covered with brown peeling bark. Even at the base, the shoots remain thin and do not exceed 3 cm in diameter.

The leaves are green, broadly lanceolate, pointed, on short petioles, reaching a length of 5 - 10 cm. The leaf blades are glossy, with a large network of branched veins and small teeth along the edge. When damaged, the leaves and shoots emit a pleasant citrus aroma. The underside of the leaf blades is often lighter and covered with light pubescence. In the autumn months, the foliage turns yellow and falls off.

During the flowering period, small inflorescences (3-5 buds) are formed with attractive white or cream buds up to 1.5-2 cm in diameter. As the petals fade, they may acquire a pinkish tint.

The plants are dioecious - there are both female and male specimens, or monoecious - male and female flowers are formed on the same bush.

Each year, the sex ratio of buds can change - for example, in one year the plants produce the vast majority of female flowers, in another - male. It is believed that the ratio will depend on weather conditions.

For a stable production of berries, dioecious vines must be placed in close proximity to bushes of the opposite sex. During the flowering period, lemongrass saturates the atmosphere around itself with a wonderful lemon aroma.

As the flowers fade, as a result of cross-pollination, clusters of small round berries up to 10 cm long appear on female plants, which acquire a bright red hue as they ripen (late summer - early autumn).

Each cluster can consist of 15-25 round berries, reaching 1 cm in diameter. The taste of the berries is pleasant, sweet and sour, with a lemon flavor.

The fruits are edible, they can be eaten fresh, and also used to make jam, preserves and compote. The seeds, of which there are only 1-2 in each berry, give the fruits a bitter, tart taste.

The genus includes about 15-25 species.

Height. The height can reach 3 - 9 m in height.

When it blooms

The flowering period begins in the second half of June or early July and lasts for about 2 weeks.

Medicinal properties and contraindications

Like ginseng, magnolia vine has many beneficial properties - its fruits are widely used as food. The Chinese were the first to notice its healing properties and began to use it for medicinal purposes as early as the 5th century AD.

The berries have a rich composition - they contain organic acids such as citric, succinic, malic, tartaric, as well as pectin substances and vitamins P and C, tannins.

The leaves, shoots and bark of the plant are rich in essential oils, and special substances - phytohormones - have been found in the berries, which can tone the body and withstand quite intense physical exertion. It is no wonder that Siberian hunters ate magnolia vine fruits, and during the Great Patriotic War, the fruits were mandatory in the diet of military pilots.

The plant is used to increase resistance to disease and stress, increase physical performance and endurance, prevent premature aging and increase life expectancy, normalize blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and improve immunity.

The effectiveness of herbal preparations based on Schisandra has been proven in reducing cholesterol levels and treating upper respiratory tract diseases. With the help of drugs, sleep problems (insomnia) are eliminated, fatigue and irritability are relieved, and the condition of the gastrointestinal tract and liver is improved. The seeds are able to regulate the acidity of gastric juice.

It is believed that plants have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects, and also prevent the development of cancerous tumors and help remove toxins from the body.

The fruits contain a large amount of antioxidants and are able to stabilize cardiac activity and improve visual acuity, especially at night. Schisandra is used for weight loss - by stabilizing metabolic processes in the body, it gives people strength and energy, forcing them to move more.

The highest concentration of nutrients is observed in the seeds - they are collected in the fall, after full ripening. Do not take the seeds internally without control - if the dosage is exceeded, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting are observed.

Contraindications are individual intolerance and possible allergic reactions. Schisandra cannot be used during lactation and for the treatment of children under 12 years of age. Also, contraindications for use may be increased acidity of gastric juice, sleep disturbances and increased excitability, increased arterial and intracranial pressure, epilepsy.

Collecting

The collection time will depend on what kind of raw material will be used as a medicinal product. The highest concentration of useful substances in the bark is observed in early spring - it is at this time that it is worth collecting.

The leaves are collected young, when they have just reached their adult size, the berries are collected in September, after turning red and ripening. Checking the ripeness of the berries is very simple - with the slightest tap on the hand, they are easily separated from the stalks and fall off.

Drying different parts of plants should also take place differently. The berries are scattered on a hard surface and left in a warm place without direct sun to dry. Complete drying should take place in an oven or a special dryer at a temperature of about 40 degrees. Instead of drying, the berries can be frozen or mixed with granulated sugar.

The shoots and inflorescences can be tied into small bunches and hung upside down, away from direct sunlight. After complete drying, the raw materials are collected in paper bags and stored in a dry and cool place.

Planting and care

Growing schisandra does not cause much trouble, but it is important to immediately choose a suitable location for the flower. The area should be illuminated by the morning sun and at the same time be in light shade during the daytime.

This vine does not like flooded lowlands or areas from which rain and melt moisture does not drain for a long time; areas with shallow groundwater are also not suitable. You should not plant the flower in places blown by strong winds, where there is often a cold draft.

When and how to plant

Planting of seedlings in open ground is carried out in mid-May - at about this time the threat of the last night frosts becomes minimal, and the soil warms up to the required 10º C. It is better to plant in the ground on a cool and cloudy day, and if the weather is warm, then you can postpone it until the evening.

Bushes 2-3 years old and 12-15 cm high are suitable for planting. For planting, it is worth choosing specimens with dormant growth buds - as soon as they wake up, the plant will need a long rooting.

The area is carefully dug with a shovel and a week before planting, planting holes are prepared, the depth and width of which should exceed the root ball of the lemongrass bushes - by about 50 - 60 cm. About 100 cm are left between the holes.

At the bottom of the planting holes, make a drainage layer of crushed stone, river pebbles or large expanded clay. The free space in the holes is filled with a soil mixture, into which turf and leaf soil, wood ash and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are additionally mixed. After 1 - 2 weeks, the soil in the holes will settle and you can start planting.

The day before planting, water the plants very generously, completely soaking the soil in the pots. The seedlings are moved by transshipment, keeping the root ball intact.

If you have purchased a seedling with an open root system, you should make sure that such a plant has three root shoots at least 20 cm long.

If there are rotten or diseased areas, they are removed with pruning shears, too long roots are shortened to 22 - 25 cm.

After soaking, the root system is dipped in a clay slurry with the addition of well-rotted manure and dried in the air for 2 hours.

A little earth is poured into the bottom of the planting holes on the drainage layer in the form of a mound and a seedling with straightened and downward-directed roots is placed on it. Then the bushes are sprinkled with earth and the surface is well tamped.

After planting, the flower should be at the same depth as in the container, and the root collar should be flush with the soil level or 2-3 cm above it.

The planted vine is watered generously with warm water and the shoots are cut, leaving only 2-3 growth buds. The leaf blades are removed completely or also cut, leaving only 1/3 of the length.

The bases are mulched with mown grass, straw, rotted humus or sawdust. Mulch will protect the lemongrass from weeds and help retain moisture after watering.

In the first 7-10 days, the bushes are protected from direct sunlight and watered generously, keeping the soil evenly moist, but not waterlogged.

Soil

Schisandra loves nutrient-rich substrates that easily allow moisture to pass through and allow the root system to receive oxygen. If the soil at the planting site does not meet these requirements, it can be easily corrected.

To improve the structure and drainage capacity, river sand is mixed into dense clay soils. In order for the plants to receive a sufficient amount of nutrients, the soil is enriched with well-rotted manure or humus.

A slightly acidic soil pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 is preferred. 

Support

This liana is grown only on a support - without it, the bushes will remain small and are unlikely to exceed 80 - 100 cm in height. Such specimens will not bear fruit. With the help of lemongrass, you can decorate gazebos and the walls of buildings.

For growing, you can provide temporary structures - vertical supports, trellises. Two lemongrass bushes planted on different sides of a decorative arch located above the garden path will look extremely decorative.

Flexible shoots can be secured with construction ties or special garden plastic clamps painted green. High shoots can also be simply thrown over the garden fence.

It is best to build a support for lemongrass, similar to a trellis for grapes - take poles about 3 m high and dig them into the ground at the same distance from each other.

A thick metal wire is stretched between the posts so that its lower level is at a height of 50–60 cm above the surface of the substrate, the second is at a height of about 150 cm, and the third is about a meter higher.

As the shoots grow, they are directed first along the lowest wire, then along the middle wire, and then along the highest wire.

Watering and fertilizing

Young and newly planted plants will need regular and abundant watering. With age, the lemongrass will better tolerate minor droughts, but during the period of appearance of leaves and buds, watering should not be neglected. As the flowers fade and the berries ripen, the frequency of watering can be reduced slightly.

Watering is carried out early in the morning or in the evening - before sunset. At this time, water can go deep into the ground. When watering during the daytime, water evaporates too quickly from the soil surface, and if it gets on the leaves, it can even cause sunburn.

Since the liana develops a fairly large root system, each liana will need about 50 - 60 liters to be fully saturated with moisture. Schisandra does not like watering with cold water - it is better to use warm and well-settled water.

Representatives of this genus prefer a moderately warm atmosphere and in extreme heat they should be frequently and abundantly watered and sprayed.

For abundant flowering and fruiting, timely fertilizing will be required, which is carried out 2-3 times per season.

The first fertilizing after planting can be carried out only after 2 years - until this time, the bushes will have enough nutrients that were introduced into the planting hole.

As the first spring fertilizing, you can use well-rotted organic matter or mineral compounds rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen will help the vine grow leaves faster. With the appearance of the first buds, it is worth switching to potassium-phosphorus fertilizers - elements that contribute to the formation of a large number of buds.

As an organic fertilizer, plants are watered with a weak solution of chicken manure, a slurry of well-rotted horse or cow manure, and wood ash and coal are also added.

The third feeding is carried out mainly when growing on fairly poor soils - after ripening and harvesting the fruits with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. After any feeding, the plants are abundantly watered.

Care in autumn, wintering

Schisandra has enviable frost resistance and, when grown in the garden without shelter, can withstand frosts down to -20 - 30 degrees Celsius. 

The greatest danger to adult plants can only be posed by night frosts in spring, when young leaves appear on the shoots.

For young seedlings less than 4-5 years old, it is worth providing additional shelter for the winter. To do this, the root system is very generously watered with warm water, adding up to 80 liters under each bush, then removed from the support and long shoots are laid on the ground.

The liana is hilled, raising the soil high, and sprinkled with dry fallen leaves or spruce branches on top. As soon as snow falls, it is also sprinkled on the shoots.

The shelter is removed in the spring, when the snow has completely melted and the temperature at night exceeds zero degrees.

Transplant

It is not recommended to transplant adult specimens - they react negatively to damage to the root system and suffer for a long time if they lose too much moisture during the transplant process.

It is also worth choosing the right time - during the flowering and fruiting period, all energy goes into this process, so it is worth transplanting the bush in early spring, before the buds form.

In emergency cases, transplantation is carried out in cloudy, or better yet, rainy weather. Prepare the planting holes in advance and water them generously.

The vines are dug up together with a lump of earth and placed on a small piece of plastic film - this way you can carefully transplant the lemongrass to a new place along with the lump of earth. Plants are planted in holes, then watered generously and mulched.

In the first 7 - 10 days after transplantation, protect from direct sunlight, and during the first month, water generously and regularly. Overdrying of the soil during this period can threaten death.

Pruning and formation

Formative pruning of male plants is carried out immediately after flowering, female plants - after the fruits have fully ripened. Sanitary pruning can be carried out as needed.

Most often, during sanitary pruning, shoots that have frozen over the winter are removed, and this is done in early spring.

In the first 2-3 years, plants are allowed to take root and develop freely, cutting off only weak and dead shoots. The growth of the above-ground part during this period is quite slow - the main forces are directed to the formation of the root system.

At the age of 4-6 years, the first formative pruning is carried out. From 3 to 6 stems are left on each bush, and the rest are cut at ground level - this pruning is carried out after the leaves have completely fallen in the autumn months.

Using a sharp and sterile garden tool - a knife or pruning shears - too long shoots are shortened, often leaving only 10-12 buds at the base. In the first half of summer, you can regulate the growth again.

Unlike many other species, lemongrass actively releases juices in the winter months, and at this time it should not be touched - after winter pruning, the plants may die.

If necessary, root shoots are also cut. An exception to this rule is the rejuvenation period - when the old skeletal shoot should be replaced with a young one, which is left in the root shoot. Branches that have borne fruit for 3 years in a row must be completely removed - they are replaced with young shoots.

Without pruning, the plants become too bushy, are often susceptible to fungal diseases and produce fewer fruits.

When the vine is 15-18 years old, it is worth carrying out a radical rejuvenating pruning, leaving only 4-5 shoots entering the fruiting phase, and cutting the rest to the ground.

Home care

Schisandra can be grown not only in the garden, but also at home. Plants are installed on a southeast or southwest windowsill. If the vine is large in size, then it is grown in a floor pot, in close proximity to the window.

Every 2 weeks, the pot is rotated around its own axis a quarter turn so that the vine does not stretch towards the light source and develops evenly.

Pruning and shaping are carried out more radically, maintaining a compact shape and removing old and diseased shoots.

For watering, use water at room temperature until the soil is completely saturated. After watering, immediately remove excess moisture from the tray.

Schisandra prefers to be in well-ventilated rooms without cold drafts. There should always be sufficient air movement in the rooms.

In the warm season, the pots are taken out into the fresh air - into the garden, placed under the shade of trees or on the balcony. Do not immediately change the location - the plants get used to any changes gradually, within a week.

Since the bush in the pot has a limited feeding area, for proper development and flowering it will need regular feeding, which is carried out from spring to autumn. Fertilizers are added to moist soil immediately after watering.

The main difficulty in growing is the cool dormant period. In the fall, after the leaves have fallen, the frequency of watering is reduced so that the liana is in a barely damp substrate.

The air temperature is gradually lowered over the course of a week to 4–6 degrees Celsius — you can send the plants to the basement or take them out onto an unheated balcony.

In the spring, at the first signs of new growth, the pot is taken out of the basement and brought into a warm room, in a bright place.

As with growing outdoors, the shoots need to be supported.

Transplantation into new soil is carried out every spring. For young seedlings, the size of the pot is gradually increased during transplantation. For adult tub specimens, the transplantation of which is difficult due to their size, it is enough to replace the top 5–7 cm of soil with fresh soil mixture in the spring.

Reproduction

There are many ways to propagate schisandra - this includes growing from seeds and vegetative propagation using air layering, stem cuttings, and root suckers.

Growing from seeds

Schisandra is quite easy to grow from seeds, which you can collect yourself from fully ripened berries. The berries are crushed by hand and the seeds are washed from the remaining pulp with running water.

The washed planting material is laid out on sheets of paper in a warm and ventilated room to dry. After complete drying, the seeds are collected in paper bags or fabric bags stored in a dry, cool place and used throughout the year. After this period, seed germination will decrease.

Before sowing, soak the seeds overnight in warm water, and 1-2 hours before sowing, you can add stimulants to the water.

The outer hard shell of the seeds can be scarified - carefully scratch it with sandpaper, trying not to damage the internal contents.

Instead of scarification, you can carry out cold treatment - stratification. During this period, 2 months before sowing, the seeds are placed in bags with slightly damp peat in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. After stratification, the surface of the seeds may even crack.

Sowing is done in late winter - early spring, in small individual pots with drainage holes, placing 2 - 3 seeds in each.

Drainage is placed on the bottom of the pots and covered with a slightly damp, crumbly and nutritious substrate with the addition of river sand. The seeds are sown and covered with a 5-10 mm layer of soil. and thoroughly moisten the soil surface with a spray bottle.

To maintain high air humidity, pots with seedlings can be covered with polyethylene film or covered with transparent plastic. Place the pots in a warm and well-lit place, but small sprouts should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

The cover is lifted every day, airing the plants and wiping off accumulated condensation. The airing time is increased daily, and with the appearance of the first shoots (after 2 - 2.5 weeks), the cover is completely removed.

The last shoots may appear even 2-2.5 months after sowing. During the first month, maintain uniform soil moisture using a spray bottle.

If all the seeds in the pot have sprouted, then get rid of the weak shoots by pulling them out with tweezers. As the vines grow and develop, larger containers are selected, transshipping the seedlings together with the clod of earth.

After each transshipment, after 7-10 days, the bushes are fed with nitrogen fertilizers in a very low concentration. Over 1 year of development, the shoots add only 5-6 cm in height.

Sowing in open ground is carried out before winter - in mid-autumn. With autumn sowing, the seeds will undergo cold stratification in natural conditions, and this will contribute to an increase in seed germination. The first shoots may appear in the spring.

Before planting seedlings in the garden, they are hardened off by leaving them outside during the daytime and gradually increasing the duration of this time over the course of 2 weeks.

Cuttings

Cuttings are carried out using both stem and root cuttings. Stem cuttings are taken in early summer using young shoots. The length of the cuttings can reach 10 - 12 cm and have 2 - 3 internodes.

The leaf blades of cuttings are shortened by half their length to reduce moisture loss. The bases of the cuttings are immersed in rooting powder, and then 1–2 cm deep in well-moistened soil or wet river sand.

The cuttings are covered with a transparent film on top, creating greenhouse conditions and placed in a warm, well-lit place, but inaccessible to direct sunlight.

After 2 - 3 weeks, if these agricultural techniques are followed, it will be possible to observe the appearance of the first young leaves - and this, in turn, indicates that the first roots have appeared under the surface of the earth.

When transplanting, you can separate the lateral shoot from the root system, cut it into cuttings about 10 cm long, and in each such part there should be 2 - 3 renewal buds.

The wound surface is treated with charcoal powder or wood ash for disinfection and drying. The rhizomes are soaked in dissolved rooting powder for several hours.

Planting is carried out in open ground, sprinkled with a layer of soil about 3 cm thick on top and watered abundantly. 

Formation of air layers

In early spring, as soon as the snow melts on the site, shallow grooves are dug near the schisandra bushes and 2-3 year old, non-lignified lateral shoots located closer to the ground are placed in them.

Air layers are pinned to the soil surface and covered with a 10-15 cm layer of soil. The soil in this place is kept uniformly moist throughout the summer. The top of the shoot should remain above the soil surface for photosynthesis. After 2-3 months, you will be able to observe how new shoots appear from under the ground.

With this method of rooting, several bushes can be formed from one layer at once, since the root system is formed in each buried leaf node.

It will be possible to completely separate the daughter bushes from the mother ones only after 2-3 years.

Separation of root shoots

Basal shoots are daughter plants that form on the root system of the mother adult bush - on a side branch located close to the soil surface.

In the first half of summer, such shoots are separated with a shovel, the wounds are treated with wood ash and immediately planted in a new, permanent place. As with transplantation, the offspring are watered abundantly and protected from direct sun.

Diseases and pests

Diseases that may occur include leaf spot, phyllostictosis, ramularia, and ascochytosis. Powdery mildew may appear at high air humidity, low air temperature, and insufficient movement. High humidity also contributes to the development of fusarium.

Slugs and snails may attack plants as harmful insects.

Types and varieties:

Schisandra chinensis

 The most common species in Russian gardens, which is distinguished by excellent healing properties, high frost resistance and unpretentiousness. Dioecious perennial vines with shoots up to 10 m long. Modern breeders have developed self-fertile varieties based on this species, which form berries regardless of pollination. 

Schisandra rubriflora

 The second name, “Chinese magnolia,” indicates the similarity of the attractive flowers of this species with magnolia. A climbing, deciduous vine with woody shoots up to 8 m high. The leaves are lanceolate, smooth, green, sometimes with reddish veins. The flowers are unisexual, often with male and female buds located on the same plant. Inflorescences form in the leaf axils of new shoots, the buds reach 3 cm in diameter and have dark crimson petals. Bright red berries the size of a pea, collected in drooping clusters up to 12.5 cm long.