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How to Grow Aronia
How to Grow Aronia. A wide-ranging group of shrubs, the most common aronia varieties include black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and purple-fruited chokeberry (Aronia × prunifolia). Named according to the color of their astringent berries, chokeberries are low maintenance shrubs that are invasive in...
A wide-ranging group of shrubs, the most common aronia varieties include black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and purple-fruited chokeberry (Aronia ? prunifolia). Named according to the color of their astringent berries, chokeberries are low maintenance shrubs that are invasive in favorable conditions if not controlled by pruning. Black chokeberry is the most compact, growing 3 to 6 feet tall and wide; red chokeberry grows 6 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide; and purple-fruited chokeberry is the largest shrub, growing 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 9 feet wide. All three shrubs bear white spring blossoms followed by berries in fall, and red chokeberry also bears pink blossoms.
Things You'll Need
12-4-8 fertilizer
Pruning shears
Rubbing alcohol
Step 1
Grow aronia in sites with full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. The largest fruit production occurs at sites with full sun exposure. Aronia tolerates most soil types including boggy soils.
Step 2
Water aronia regularly during the growing season, so that the soil remains constantly moist but not saturated.
Step 3
Feed aronia when new growth appears in spring, applying a ready-to-use, slow-release 12-4-8 granular fertilizer at a rate of 4 tablespoons per 4 square feet around the shrub's base but avoiding its stems. Reapply once more during the growing season, after three months.
Step 4
Sterilize pruning shears by wiping the blades with rubbing alcohol, and prune aronia root suckers monthly throughout the growing season to prevent the shrub's invasive spread. Suckers are shoots that grow from the roots of shrubs and trees. Sterilize the pruning shears again after use.
