Aronia growing tips

Aronia (Aronia  Melanocarpa)

In recent years Aronia started to gain more and more popularity for its health benefits, ornamental value and low maintenance.

Although Aronia is native to the Eastern US where it grows in the wild, most of the cultivated plants were developed in Russia and Northern European countries. It is still not very common in US gardens.

Wild berries have an extremely tart and astringent taste which is why another name for Aronia is chokeberry. The berries of cultivated plants have a sweet, tart and slightly astringent taste and could be eaten fresh. Aronia berries are used mostly to make juices and jams. It makes a particularly nice wine with an unusual and fruity bouquet.  

Aronia berries have a lot of beneficial properties. They are high in vitamin C, anthocyanins and other flavonoids (antioxidants). The juice of Aronia is believed to help to fight cancer and heart diseases and is known to lower blood pressure.

Besides the amazing health benefits, Aronia is hardy (up to USDA zone 3), an easy to grow bush which is especially good looking in the Fall, covered with bright orange to burgundy leaves and clusters of black berries. It is very suitable for a hedge.The berries of Aronia do not drop when they are ripe. They are easy to pick since they grow in clusters. Just pick the whole cluster and then pluck the berries. The berries have a long shelf life and are good for freezing.

Big juicy berries of Aronia Viking

Most plant  nurseries sell Nero, Viking (both are developed in Northern Europe) and McKenzie (developed in Iowa) cultivars. Nero and Viking taste and look the same to me. Both bushes can grow up to 6 feet high and both produce abundant clusters of large black tart-sweet slightly astringent  juicy berries by the third year after planting. I just have started to grow McKenzie. It grows fast and seems to be as resistant to pest and diseases as Nero and Viking (at least on my property). I have not tasted the  McKenzie berries yet because the bushes are too young to produce.

Creating the growing site.

I found out through my experience (and sometimes mistakes)  that for good growth and berry production Aronia absolutely requires moist sites where groundwaters are close to the surface. It even can grow in temporarily waterlogged soils. Aronia can tolerate water shortage, but it will grow poorly and will not produce well. It prefers full sun exposure. It would be an excellent choice of berry plant for people who have wet, but sunny spots on their property or around a pond.

Planting Aronia

Aronia is easily adaptable to most soils. However, it grows better on moist, rich in organic matter soils. Plants can be planted in the spring as well as in the fall. Most plant nurseries send bare root plants in the Spring and potted in the fall.

1.Dig a hole 2 feet deep and 2 feet wide and fill it with Miracle-Gro Garden Soil For Trees and Shrubs or any good soil rich with organic matter, preferably with neutral pH. When filling the planting hole, leave a space for the plant. Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart for berry growing.

2.Put the plant in the hole, not too deep, just make sure that the roots are covered with the soil. Mulch with 1-2 inches around the bush covering the planting hole.

3. Water well.

In a dry condition always make sure that the soil is moist.

Aronia is easily transplanted. You made a mistake and planted your bush where it is growing poorly, not a problem. Just scoop the root ball as big as you can and transplant the bush into a better site.

Each year, except the first after planting, I put 1/3 of bag of Scotts Premium Humus and Manure as a fertilizer in a radius of 2  feet for young plants, and 1/2 of  bag of Scotts Premium Humus and Manure in radius of 2-3 feet for mature plants. It gives good results in a sense of growth and berry production. It also improves the soil around the bushes. Fertilizer in this form releases nutrients slowly and does not leach away. Some informational websites suggests not to fertilize Aronia every year, but I found that if I don't fertilize every year Aronia does not increase in growth and produces less berries.

Remove the weeds around the bushes regularly, but do not cultivate the soil more than 4 inch deep. Aronias roots are not very deep below the soil.

Many plant nursery sites and informational internet sites state that aronia is not bothered by pests and diseases. This is almost true. It depends on temperature and humidity. Aronia Nero and Viking were developed for the cool climate of Northern Europe. One should keep that in mind.  Although Aronia is generally a low maintenance plant it can have diseases and pests if neglected.

Aronia leaf affected by black spot

Aronia will have more diseases if it is neighboring other fruit plants (with diseases) and the weather is hot and humid as in most of the Eastern US. Stone fruits are the worst neighbors because they are very susceptible to different diseases and almost always have some.

I found through practice that with a little effort and a few applications of appropriate fungicides Aronia pests and diseases could be successfully dealt with even if Aronia grows near fruit trees and other berry plants.

Dealing with diseases

1. Begin the spraying schedule in the fall. For the first spraying I use Captan and spray bushes in the fall after I collect all the leaves around the bushes. I use Bonide Fruit Tree Spray (it contains Captan and insecticides). The next spray with Captan I do in early spring when the bushes are still dormant. Do one more spray with Captan when the leaves are just opened, but there are no flowers yet. I use a minimal concentration of Bonide Fruit Tree Spray which is proposed by Bonide company for stone fruits like plums and peaches. Do not spray with Bonide Fruit Tree Spray when flowers are open because you will harm the pollinating insects.

2.  After the flowering is finished and berry zygotes are visible start spraying with myclobutanil.  I use the one produced by Spectracide called Immunox Multi Purpose Fungicide. I spray according to Immunox instructions (they have chokeberry cited). I do the first spray just when I see the zygotes, and the second time in the beginning of July. And then two more times in August before harvest for berry rot prevention in high humidity. Bonide Captan/Spectracide Immunox strategy, in addition, to the removal of infected leaves and leaves dropped in the fall works. Aronia responds really well to this fungicide treatment.

3. In the fall collect all the fallen leaves around the bushes as best as you can.

Dealing with Pests

Aronia does not have many pasts in the Eastern US.

For the harvest the biggest pest is deer. Aronia forms flower buds on the tips of the twigs and that is what the deer are browsing on. 

Aronia berries forming on the tip of the branch

If deer eat all of the branch tips they can reach, you may lose almost all of your harvest. I found that applying Bonide Repel All repels deer completely. In early spring when deer are hungry and  throughout the Fall I combine Bonide Repel All with Liquid Fence (The Liquid Fence, Inc). This strategy works year after year. Rabbits also will munch on young Aronia plants. The two above mentioned repellents will ward off rabbits as well.

The second worst are Japanese Beetles. Aronia has new leaves coming throughout the growing season, Japanese Beetles like young juicy leaves, but will eat mature ones as well. They can inflict a significant amount of damage. 

Aronia leaf damaged by Japanese Beetles

Pyrethrin powder or spray works very well. Imidacloprid also can be used against tissue eating insects, but only outside of the flowering season.

Various caterpillars and aphids do not cause that much damage and can be dealt with by applying Pyrethrin.

Birds did not bother the bushes yet in our garden, but with more and more berries coming, I am planning to use the bird net over the bushes.

Pruning

Prune the bushes when needed to let the air and sun reach inside the bush and encourage new growth. Usually pruning is not needed for the first 7 years of bush life. Pruning is also used to rejuvenate old plants. When pruning, remove the branches which are 3 years and older.

Summary

Aronia is a good looking and versatile plant, which has ornamental and berry producing value. It needs a small amount of effort to care for.  Before planting the bushes two things have to be taken into consideration: good water supply and full sun exposure. Aronia Nero and Viking are very productive which makes them good choices for berry growers. A small plantation of 10 mature plants will give enough berries for jams, juices and quite a few bottles of wine for a family to get through winter.