Aronia berry plant

How to grow Aronia berry plant growing condition and care:

Chilling hours, clay soil, free from weeds, heavy soil, rich soil

How to care:
Fertilize once a year, prune once a year, add organic matter

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed (explanation bellow) / Vegetative Reproduction – Suckers or Cutting in the late winter to early spring (possible in green house in other season), moist soil and high humidity better to use root growth hormone, better to use peat soil, for suckers need to separate in the winter and transplant them.

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, it’s faster to get the fruits, ensure the quality of the fruits and easier than seeds

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Seeds contain poison when eaten raw

Planting season:
Winter, spring, summer, in hardiness zone 9-10 winter to early spring and when planting bare roots winter to early spring after this it might die

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, rust

Pruning season:
End of the autumn to beginning of the winter, but if there isn’t a lot of fruits better after the fruits season

How to prune:
Prune the week branches and dead, crossing branch, in order to get bigger fruits better to reduce the buds in order to get bigger fruits, old stems, reduce the amount of branches and need to take care that all the fruits will get enough light

Size of the plant:
0.5-4 m, 2-12 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing / Slow growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water and don’t let the plant dry

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun and when grow in hardiness zone 10b better to grow it in half shade without noon sun

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a pot, planter, flowerpot, containers:
Yes, in containers need to keep the plants small, start with pot that will be 20-50% more than the root ball, bigger the plant smaller the percentage, every time that the tree arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, better to use this method because the soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the tree, when the plant big need to switch part of the soil, drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil and maybe some lava grit in the bottom or something like that, put a bottom for the container and when water the plant let it fill the bottom but also need to dry in the same day.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Spring to summer

General information about the flower
White small flowers with 5 petal, grow in groups

Thinning the bloom:
First years, recommend to prune the bloom stems because it has negative affect on the growth and the development of the plant

Pollination is done by:
Bees

Edible fruits information

Fruit harvest season:
End of the summer – beginning of the autumn

Fruits pests or diseases:
Birds

What can be done with big quantities of Aronia berry plant fruits?
Juice, cakes, alcholic beverge

Work requirements on the fruit:
Cover in net, if the birds eat all

How long does it take to bear fruit?
2-3 years

How to grow Aronia plant from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Small black seeds, the seeds need to be soaked in water 12 hour, recommend to change the water in every few hours

Saving seeds until sowing:
Cold dark place, better in the refrigerator

Sowing season:
Spring

Planting spacing:
0.5-0.7 m

Depth of Sowing:
1-2 cm

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist, not direct sun, not to hot

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water

Germination time:
1-3 month

Condition of seedling:
Half shade, well drain soil

Do the seeds require burying?
Yes

Time to bury the seeds:
Mid of the winter

Chilling Requirements:
After the soaking the seeds put them in the refrigerator 1-3 month in moist dark, well drain soil

Vegetative Reproduction

Vegetative Reproduction Method:
Cutting, basal shoots

Preferred time for vegetative reproduction:
End of winter – early spring

Time to grow roots in vegetative reproduction:
1-2 month

Treatment for vegetative reproduction:
Wet soil, half shade

Subspecies

Aronia arbutifolia – bright red fruit, 2-4 m

Aronia melanocarpa – Black Purple fruit, 0.5-2

Aronia prunifolia – burgundy to black, 1-2 m

Scientific name:

Aronia

Alternative names: Chockberry, Chokeberry