Sea buckthorn can grow in sandy, coastal areas of Texas.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a drought-resistant ornamental shrub that also has practical uses in Texas, other than its highly nutritional fruit. Sea buckthorn is hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone 4, according to the University of Connecticut, and has an extensive root system that can stabilize large areas of sandy or eroding soil. Because Austin, Texas, lies in Zone 8, sea buckthorn can thrive with a little bit of care and extra water during extremely dry weather. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Plant sea buckthorn in spring. Choose a site that gets full sun six to eight hours per day and has deep, sandy soil. In Austin, that's just about anywhere, but if you do run into clay, amend it with equal parts peat and sand for a deep, silty mix.
2. Plant sea buckthorn shrubs at least 10 feet apart. Dig holes twice the width of the root ball and just as deep. Check that the root collar of the shrub sits even or just above the soil line. Back fill the hole with soil, tamp it down with your foot, and finish with a bucket of water poured slowly over the root zone.
3. Water with a bucket of water every other day for the first month after planting, especially if the sea buckthorn is beginning to flower or develop fruit. According to Purdue University, a dry, hot spring can be a real problem for this plant.
4. Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch over the root zone of the sea buckthorn, beginning six inches from the trunk. Mulch will suppress weeds, hold moisture in the soil and regulate soil temperature. Rake the mulch out, and replace it annually.
5. Prune sea buckthorn annually in fall. Clip away branches that cross and rub each other. Prune out vertically growing branches to increase light penetration in the canopy. Trim out dead or diseased branches at any time of year.
6. Fertilize sea buckthorn before it blooms in the spring. The shrub needs a phosphorus-heavy fertilizer, such as 5-10-5, instead of a nitrogen-based one. Read the instructions on the packaging to get the right proportions for feeding your sea buckthorn.
Tags: Austin Texas, bucket water, buckthorn beginning, over root, over root zone
