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Hawthorn

Hawthorn

A popular landscaping tree or shrub because of ther hardy nature and profuse fragrant flowering in spring, Hawthorn trees fall in the genus Crataegus, comprising hundreds of species in the Rose family. They are deciduous trees with upright spreading or bushy habits; some varieties can be kept as shrubs.

Hawthorn is a versatile deciduous tree that grows 15 to 50 feet tall and 8 to 35 feet wide, depending on variety.

The fruits, which look similar to rose hips, are red, orange, yellow, or black. Classified as pomes (as with apples and pears) the fruits are produced in fall and persist through winter. The edible pomes, which have various culinary and medicinal qualities, are also an important food source for robins, waxwings, and other songbirds.
Introduction
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Description

Hawthorn can survive growing zones 3-9. As with most fruiting trees, it prefers full sun but can survive in part shade.
Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
Planting in fall or in spring is best for hawthorn, but, as for all shrubs, the ideal period is always fall. Choosing to plant in fall makes root development possible before winter,and growth in spring will be stronger. If you plant in spring, remember to water regularly after planting to ensure it settles in well.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Hawthorn can survive in many soil conditions but it prefers rich, well drained soil. Hawthorn does not like wet feet. Hawthorns prefer well-amended soil that is fast-draining, but is tolerant of clay or sand. Soil pH should be between 6.0 to 7.5. Compacted soil or poor drainage can result in root rot.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
The best method of propagating hawthorns is from seed, saved from the haws or berries. Mix the seeds with sand to make it easier to spread them out. Sow in fine compost mixed with leaf mould, in pots. Keep well watered and seeds will germinate in around 18 months. Then they can be transplanted out into the garden. Upon transplanting, incorporate organic compost into your garden soil. Bear in mind that your hawthorn tree will get large, so give it plenty of space. Do not plant near foundations or drainage pipes where the roots can cause trouble in the long run. To make an impenetrable hawthorn hedge, keep a distance of around 32 to 40 inches (80 to 100 cm) between each hawthorn plant. You will need to prune it regularly to keep the shape of a hedge. Prune in spring but always after the blooming. This hedge can be an excellent natural fencing to keep larger animals such as deer out of your garden, although it is a favorite hide out for bunnies.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
As a fruiting tree that blooms in early spring, hawthorn will benefit from plants that attract pollinators and bloom in spring, when the hawthorn is blooming. If your hawthorn in in the middle of a lawn you can naturalize early blooming crocuses, scilia, snowdrops and grape hyacinth bulbs in the grass. Lungwort is an old world medicine plant that blooms early, attracts pollinators and is also very cold hardy.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Hawthorn is very easy to care for, and only requires little attention when it is correctly settled in. If it isn’t pruned, your hawthorn can grow quite large and its branches can get very thick.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Hawthorn is drought-tolerant once established. Water regularly during the first year and during prolonged heat or dry spells. Don’t overwater, as this can cause root rot and other fungal diseases.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Hawthorn will outgrow most weeds very quickly.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Hawthorns are light feeders. In spring, apply compost and, if needed, mulch with a layer of pine, straw, or bark chips (keeping away from the trunk) to conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
The two most destructive diseases of hawthorns are rust and fireblight. Rusts find hawthorns to be suitable hosts in which to complete their complex life cycle In some years on certain species and cultivars, the foliage and succulent shoots of entire tree canopies can become infected with the rust fungus. As a result, the foliage is dropped prematurely and the tree becomes stressed. Fireblight is a bacterial disease that affects young succulent shoots in the spring The bacteria replicate quickly once within the plant, and this leads to the death of the stems. In addition, English Hawthorn is highly susceptible to a leaf spot fungus that causes early defoliation. Many species of wood boring insects attack the trunk and twigs of hawthorns. Sucking insects such as lacebugs, aphids and scale also attack hawthorn readily. These insects harm the trees by feeding on sap from the conductive tissues, and excrete a substance called honeydew, which is a sticky byproduct of their feeding. Spider mites, eriophyid mites and many caterpillar species can also damage the foliage and reduce their vitality. In addition to those previously mentioned, hawthorns also host diseases such as anthracnose, fungal cankers, leaf spots and powdery mildew. All of the factors described combine to place a great deal of stress and pressure on the tree. All of the above can be reduced and eventually be eliminated with the application of Jadam foliar sprays and neem oil and by introducing predators such as ladybugs to your garden. Improving the health of the tree by maintaining good soil biology helps the tree to outgrow many pests by improving its overall health.
Every part of the hawthorn has a purpose. Thus, one can harvest the flowers, leaves and berries.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Hawthorn berries must be harvested in fall or winter. Pick flowers during the blooming, especially at the beginning of spring when there are only very few leaves. The right time to harvest the leaves is spring, when the leaves are still quite young. Hawthorn leaves keep best in an airtight container such as a shoebox, in the dark.
How to Harvest:
Berries must be picked by hand in fall, while carefully avoiding thorns. Leather arm covers similar to those worn by citrus fruit pickers are helpful. Treat the fruit from hawthorns as you would rose hips. Remove the seeds before eating as they are toxic.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Hawthorn berry paste (with all seeds strained out) can be dried and made into an organic pectin for making jams & jellies. Hawthorn is more famous for it’s thickening abilities than for its flavor.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Dry the flowers, spreading them out on the ground in a dry and ventilated place, in low light (no direct sun). Hawthorn flowers keep well in an airtight container such as a shoebox, in the dark. Hawthorn berries are high in pectin, so they can be added to other fruits to make jelly. just ripe berries have more pectin that over-ripe berries. Preparing hawthorn berries for pectin: Put the berries in a bowl and quickly crush them thoroughly with your hands. The resulting liquid should be about the consistency of pudding just before it sets. It should be that consistency naturally. If you’ve had a dry year add some water to get to that consistency. Work quickly. Squeeze the seeds out of the berries then quickly filter the thick slurry into a bowl. In about five minutes the liquid will jell. Flip it over onto a plate. It can be eaten as is or sliced or sun dried. It will be sweet and will last for many years.
Seed Saving:
Seeds are removed from the fruit known as“haws” which look like rose hips. It takes a long time, but start by mashing the berries to extract the seed then run the mash through a sieve and rinse the seeds (which should be left behind in the sieve) under water. They can be planted immediately or dried on paper towel to be stored. Caution – hawthorn seeds are toxic to humans – do not eat them.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

Hawthorns are often used as the hardy root stock to graft more tender fruits on such as plums. The old variety of hawthorn from the UK has naturalized in many areas of North America. These now wild varieties of hawthorn found in most temperate regions provide good bush foraging. Most hawthorns look similar. Consider varieties that have distinguishing features such as colorful bark or leaves. Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum), although it has green summer leaves, starts out with reddish-purple new leaves in spring and has purple, red and orange fall leaves. The white-flowered tree grows to 25 to 35 feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 8a. The silvery bark of “Winter King” Southern hawthorn (Crataegus viridis “Winter King”) peels to reveal orange under-layers, making it a handsome tree even in winter when it is bare of leaves. The large, bright orange fruits and small thorns add to the tree’s value. “Winter King” grows in USDA zones 4 through.

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