Family of Solanaceae.
Sunberry in our area is a new and very rare culture, although its more than its closest relative - wild black - is very well known to everyone as a weed. As a matter of fact, Sunberry is a cultivated hybrid form of this unpleasant weed, with the difference that it is not only not poisonous, but even beneficial to health - they have many healing propertiesmoreover, they are larger and more numerous.
Biological features
Sunberry - annual herbaceous plant with a bush reaching 1.5 m in height. The stalk is powerful, fleshy, tetrahedral, forms a large number of stepsons. The leaves are the same as those of the black nightshade. The flowers are white, star-shaped (like a nightshade or), collected in an inflorescence-brush, on average, 10-20 pieces. It blooms until late autumn, only on some flowers the fruits are tied, as the next ones bloom. the shape is the same as that of the black nightshade (miniature black "tomatoes"), the size of (1.5-2 cm in diameter), do not ripen simultaneously (until late autumn). At the moment of the most massive ripening, it seems that the bush is covered with them entirely.
Sunberry is very unpretentious and bears fruit well with bad weather conditionsin which others do not ripen.
The value of culture
sunberry can be eaten in fresh., but not everyone likes their nightshade flavor, so they are much more often used for processing. You can partially remove this aftertaste by pouring boiling water over them, insisting them for several minutes and draining the water. After that, they can be processed into juice (from which a special wine is also prepared with healing properties) or jam, which western countries highly appreciated for its original taste.
Diluted with water 1: 1 Sunberry juice with honey (300 g of honey per 1 liter of juice) normalizes blood pressure, increases endurance, relieves or completely eliminates headaches, and is also useful for stomach ulcers, rheumatism, hepatitis and asthma. From juice mixed with raw eggsmake lotions for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and seborrhea.
Leaves with stems also have medicinal properties (however, do not forget that, like all nightshades, they are poisonous, and therefore their use requires great care). An infusion of crushed dry leaves is taken for gastritis, colitis, cystitis, neuroses', hypertension, various convulsive conditions (including epilepsy), neuralgia, as a sedative, as well as for bronchial asthma and many skin diseases.
During mass ripening, the sunberry bush looks very original and decorative.
Varieties
Ukraine does not yet have its own officially recognized varieties of Sunberry, and the range of imported varieties is unpredictable. Sunberry seeds are most often found commercially under the name "blueberry-forte". It is worth purchasing them only in proven stores in the packaging of seed companies, since there were already precedents when seeds of ordinary wild black nightshade were issued for Sunberry.
Seat selection
For sunberry, it is better to divert warm, wind-protected areas on an elevation with good lighting, sandy loamy and loamy soils are optimal with a pH of about 6. Since the sunberry is an annual, you can sow a couple of its bushes right on the beds with. In this case, the best predecessors are, and legumes; unacceptable -, peppers, (but the sunberry can grow next to them).
Soil preparation
The soil is processed as for garden crops. Landing pit not done. When autumn processing soils are brought in, in the spring - mineral.
Reproduction methods
Sunberry is usually grown seedling method... They can be sown in boxes at the same time as tomatoes, from mid-February to March. Seeds germinate when room temperature... In seedling boxes you need to make good drainage, water only with warm water. After germination, the box is placed in a warmer place, if possible. Additional illumination is desirable for seedlings.
After it gets stronger, it needs to be opened, preferably in separate cups. They are planted in the ground at the end spring frostswhen 6-7 true leaves are already formed.
If you want to get your seeds, it is better to select for this from the brushes that are ripe earlier than others (there is a possibility of increasing early maturity).
Loss diagram
The usual layout is 70 x 70 cm.
Care
Sunberry is very unpretentious, its maintenance is minimal. It should be watered only in the absence of rain for a long time. Other activities are also carried out only as needed. Top dressing is desirable, but not enough fertile soil optional. The only specific feature is that stepchildren can sink to the ground under the weight of ripe ones, this should not be allowed, therefore, slingshots must be substituted under such branches or tied to stakes.
Pruning
Although pruning as such is almost never carried out, an action similar to it - regular plucking of flowers and buds, carried out in the fall (it should be started about a month before the onset of a stable cold snap), will increase yields, since in this case new ovaries will not form , which will not have time to ripen anyway. But those already tied up have enough nutrients to form quickly and efficiently.
Features of harvesting and storing crops
The crop can be harvested all summer as it ripens. The rest of the crop is completely removed after the onset of stable cold snaps. They are not stored fresh for a long time, but they can be grated with sugar or processed into juice.
Sunberry is practically not damaged by pests and even protects neighboring crops from them (infusion of stems and leaves can even be used for pest control in the same way as infusion of nightshade greens). Diseases - like in garden nightshade crops, although in general the sunberry is infested with them less often.
Blueberry forte plant how to use Sunberry (canadian blueberry, blueberry forte)
Family Solanaceae. Sunberry in our area is a new culture, although its more than close relative, the wild black nightshade, is very well known to everyone as a weed (by the way, it is also very useful from a medicinal point of view). As a matter of fact, Sunberry is a cultivated hybrid form of this weed, with the difference that the berries are not only not poisonous, but very useful for health - they have many medicinal properties, in addition, they are larger, like the plant itself. in many countries of the world. They have already appreciated its dietary qualities and medicinal properties. (I have been growing it for five years.)
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FROM of English language "sunberry" translates to "sun berry". Sunberry is the result of many years of work by the famous American Darwinist breeder Luther Burbank. Representatives were used as parental forms flora from different continents: African and European creeping nightshade. The brainchild of L. Burbank inherited from its African ancestor large-fruited, high yield, unpretentiousness to growing conditions, and good palatability from a European congener. Sunberry has a height of up to 150 cm, a thick tetrahedral stem with powerful stepsons. This green giant is a tremendous sight when the berries ripen. The plant is covered with black berries the size of a large cherry. They are collected in brushes of 10-15 pieces. Harvest - up to a bucket of berries from a bush. The flowering and ripening of berries goes on continuously until late autumn.
Due to its many beneficial properties, sunberry is extremely popular in many countries. Nowadays, herb, berries and sunberry seeds are officially recognized by the pharmacopoeias of England, France, USA, Germany, Turkey, China, India and other countries. In Russia, this plant is actively used in folk medicine... Sunberry reduces the permeability of the vessel walls. This property is determined by the presence of anthocyanins and vitamins in this plant, especially P (rutin, quercetin). These substances also protect from destruction ascorbic acid involved in the synthesis of collagen - the basis of the walls of blood vessels, which eliminates the main cause of angina pectoris and atherosclerosis. This makes it possible to prescribe her drugs for any manifestation of bleeding, hemorrhagic syndromes itself of different origins - after radiation therapy, with varicose veins, arthritis and arthrosis.
The extract from the berries reduces eye fatigue and improves visual acuity. It is useful for rheumatism, osteochondrosis, atherosclerosis, asthma, improves blood composition, digestion, memory, sleep, appetite, general well-being, appearance, returns beauty and youth, strength and health. Due to the high content of pectins, Sunberry berries improve intestinal motility and promote intestinal emptying.
Sunberries are one of the richest sources of plant antioxidants. They actively combat the symptoms of aging such as loss of memory and muscle strength, blurred vision and impaired motor coordination.
According to long-term observations, this miracle berry heals from neuroses, head and joint pains, gastritis, colitis, cystitis, hypertension, angina pectoris, diabetes, seizures, varicose veins veins, seborrhea, eczema, etc.
Sunberry leaves are also useful. They have a high antimicrobial activity, astringent and hemostatic effect, increase the acidity of gastric juice, weaken spasms of smooth muscles of the intestine and urinary tract, reduce blood sugar, which is especially important for patients with diabetes mellitus.
A month before the onset of a stable cold snap, leaves and buds are plucked daily. This agrotechnical method significantly increases the yield, since the remaining berries fully ripen. It should be noted that Sunberry tolerates light autumn frosts.
I grow sunberry through seedlings. I sow seeds and plant sunberry seedlings at the same time as tomato plants. In the open field, the Sunberry is placed according to the scheme 70x70 cm. The Sunberry is resistant to lodging. Its powerful stems do not need a garter. Only stepchildren can sink to the ground under the weight of ripening fruits. The berries should not come into contact with the ground. Therefore, I tie my stepsons to stakes or lay them on wooden slingshots.
This is an annual plant, so I collect seeds every year. For seeds I select the largest berries from the earliest and most prolific clusters. This is how the signs of early maturation and productivity of plants are fixed annually.
Sunberries are non-toxic (unlike wild nightshade), they can be consumed fresh without restriction. Not everyone may like the taste of fresh berries, which can be preserved in the blanks, so it is advisable to pour boiling water over it, and drain the water after cooling. But the sunberry pie filling is excellent. Sunberry jam has an incomparable taste.
Sunberry is unpretentious. Even in the most unfavorable years, it will delight you with a high harvest. And this means that in the event of a crop failure of other berries, the Sunberry will help out, and you will make preparations for the winter from this crop.
Jam (300 grams of sugar per 1 kg) resembles the taste of grape. Berries dipped in hot syrup for 2-3 minutes and dried acquire the taste of raisins. In this case, the healing properties are not lost.
Let me tell you, friends, about the properties of blueberries. This sun berry is an amazing source of health ...
Sun berry. History and medicinal properties of blueberries
Plants like "blueberry forte" do not exist in nature. There is a forest blueberry known to all of us (there are no cultivated forms or varieties yet), and there is medical drug from the category of biologically active additives (dietary supplements) called "blueberry forte", which is made from the berries of the same blueberry.
It's about the sunberry - a hybrid plant from the nightshade family, which includes, by the way, tomatoes (tomatoes).
This plant was obtained in 1905 by the famous American breeder Luther Burbank from crossing two wild species of nightshade: tall African and small-fruited creeping European.
The scientist gave the new plant the name "sunberry", which translates as "sun berry".
About ten years ago, Sunberry finally reached Russia, where, out of ignorance, the plant began to be called American garden blueberry. She was credited with unheard-of taste and medicinal properties.
Seeds were in great demand at unimaginable prices, so the sellers of exotic goods had at first real opportunity to put together some kind of money. True, this excitement did not last very long - our gardeners did not accept the Sunberry. Now the situation seems to be repeating itself.
Now "American garden blueberry" has become the trendy "blueberry forte". So what do we really have?
Sunberry is a perennial herb that is grown in temperate climates as an annual, from seed through seedlings. Outwardly, it is a powerful bush up to 2 meters high with black juicy berries the size of a cherry, collected in bunches of 10-15 pieces.
Blueberry forte, the sun berry, or sunberry, is popular in many countries. However, in our climatic zone, this plant is enough rare plantdespite its dietary and medicinal benefits. In Russia, this culture is known as the crow or blueberry-forte.
From one bush, you can collect about a bucket of berries. It blooms and ripens continuously until late autumn. The fruits (berries) are not poisonous, unlike the black nightshade. The season of fresh berries can be extended by plucking a bush in the fall and hanging it upside down in a warm room.
So that they do not have a nightshade aftertaste, the berries must first be doused with boiling water and allowed to stand for a few minutes, drain the water, and then process them. They make excellent jam and pie filling.
The culture is annual (in our climatic conditions), so the seeds are harvested from the most large berries... They are sown at the same time as tomatoes.
And here is what is said about Sunberry in folk medicine:
Sunberry has healing power... Sunberry berries contain selenium, which slows down the aging process and prevents the development of cancerous tumors, as well as anthocyanins, which improve blood composition, and pectins, which remove poisons and toxins from the body. Its fruits have a beneficial effect on visual acuity, have a laxative, diuretic, antihelminthic and antiseptic effect.
Healing recipes with blueberries
Sunberry can be used to make elixir of health.
The berry must be minced and squeezed through cheesecloth. Dilute with water in a 1: 1 ratio. In five liters of such diluted juice, 1.5 kg of honey is introduced. The elixir is poured into jars and stored in the refrigerator or in the cellar.
Take 2 tablespoons before meals.
This remedy normalizes blood pressure, eliminates headaches, and visual acuity, increases the stamina and adaptive capacity of the body to adverse factors, helps in the treatment of stomach ulcers, hepatitis, bronchial asthma and varicose veins of the legs.
Sunberry leaves used to treat eczema, psoriasis,. For this:
Mix 100 grams of leaves with 2 egg whites, add two tablespoons of ripe berry juice, mix thoroughly and make lotions.
Infusion of dried leaves helps with neuroses, headaches, colitis, cystitis, hypertension, epilepsy (convulsions), neuralgia, bronchial asthma. Preparation of infusion:
Pour 2 teaspoons of chopped leaves with 1.5 cups of boiling water, insist in heat for two hours, filter. Take one tablespoon 4 times daily before meals.
Chopped fresh berriesmixed with sour milk (1: 1), applied to purulent wounds, abscesses, ulcers.
Sunberry juice diluted with water (1: 3) and used to gargle with sore throat.
And finally, two recipes ...
:
Chop the stems of the sunberry along with the leaves and berries and place in a saucepan. Pour 3 liters of water and bring to a boil over low heat, then cool. Strain and wash your hair with this composition, first every other day, then two, three and less often, until the headaches disappear altogether. You can wet a towel with this infusion and wrap your head. Walk until the towel is dry. The infusion is applied fresh every time. At the same time, it is useful to drink tea from sunberry flowers (3 grams of dried flowers per 500 ml of water).
(the same composition applies):
Stir the juice from the leaves, stems and flowers of the sunberry in equal parts with honey and take 2-3 tablespoons at night. This composition slightly stimulates, then soothes, dilates blood vessels, removes salts, toxins and uric acid from body tissues, lowers and stabilizes blood pressure. Take until a clear improvement in the patient's condition.
It should be remembered, my friends, that any treatment can be carried out only after consulting a doctor and under his supervision.