Things Needed
Elderberry bushes ( Sambucus spp . ) are low - maintenance , intermediate - sized to tall bush that develop Charles Edward Berry - like edible yield . The purplish - black , clustered elderberry fruits are often used in making wine-coloured , jam , jelly and pie . Most elderberry bush miscellanea are hardy down to USDA Hardiness Zone 3 or 4 , tolerating wintertime temperature as low as -35 degrees F. Elderberry shrubs bloom during recent June in flat - topped clusters of creamy - white-hot flower . The most common elderberry mintage is the American elderberry ( S. canadensis ) .
Step 1
Water your elderberry bushes deeply and soundly to inebriate the full root sphere once or twice each workweek to append rainfall during the first growing season . After the elderberry bushes are established , weewee deeply once per week in the absence seizure of rainfall .
Step 2
Mary Jane around the elderberry George Bush by hand during the first year or two after engraft them . Spread a 2- to 3 - in - dense layer of constitutional mulch on the ground around the elderberries to oppress pot . Weeding wo n’t be necessary after the elderberry bushes develop larger .
Step 3
Feed your elderberry President George W. Bush once each year in early spring with a 10 - 10 - 10 NPK plant food at a charge per unit of ½ pound for each twelvemonth of the Sambucus nigra ’s eld . For mature plants , apply no more than 1 pound of 10 - 10 - 10 NPK fertiliser .
Step 4
trim your common elder when the bushes are dormant in late winter or early spring . Remove all weak , dead and discredited canes , as well as any canes that are three days previous or older .
Step 5
Harvest the elderberry yield by picking off the entire yield clustering . The elderberries should ripen and be ready for harvest in late August through mid - September , depend on the smorgasbord .
Tip
Prune off any diseased or infested cane from your elderberry bushes frequently to care for powdery mould and cane woodborer infestation . You may also apply an appropriate fungicide or insect powder to do by these problems in severe guinea pig .
Warning
Do n’t hoe weeds from around the elderberry bushes , as they have extremely shallow and easily damaged beginning systems .
References
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