Sirola™ Sea Berry
This new hybrid of Siberian and German parents, Sirola™ Sea Berry is a great variety for the home garden. Early ripening and attractive, Sirola™ Sea Berry bears abundant crops of bright red-orange, large and unusually sweet fruit. Sirola™ is good for fresh eating and makes a tasty juice, especially when mixed with Leikora, Orange Energy™ or another more acidic variety.
Very Popular in Eastern Europe, Russia and China, Sea Berry is a new and very valuable plant for North American gardeners. Also known as Sea Buckthorn, Sea Berry is prized for its exceptional ornamental value, tasty and healthy fruit, and the ability to grow in and improve poor soils. In late summer and fall, large clusters of bright orange-yellow berries cover the branches and, on some varieties, can persist well into winter.
Sirola ™ Sea Berry fruit is very high in Vitamin C (about 7 times more than lemons), Vitamin A, and E, and has a pleasant acidic flavor which, when sweetened, makes delicious juice. During the Cold War, East Germany used Sea Berry as a healthful substitute for orange juice. The fruit is also unique for its oil content, which is used as a treatment for burns and skin diseases as well as for ulcers and other illnesses. You will often see Sea Buckthorn as an ingredient in many nutritional supplements and cosmetics.
We harvest out fruit by hand or by cutting off the fruit laden branches and freezing them. The frozen berries can easily be shaken off and, after thawing, make great juice and preserves. Like cranberry juice, Sea Berry juice is usually diluted with up to 70% water.
Click here to view our Sea Berry Growing Guide.
Latin Name: Hippophae rhamnoides
Site and Soil: Sea Berry likes full to 1/2 day sun and well-drained soil.
Rootstock Description: Grown from cuttings.
Pollination Requirements: Wind pollinated. Plant with a male plant for cross-pollination.
Hardiness: Hardy to minus 40° F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 6-8 ft. in height.
Bloom Time: April
Ripening Time: Mid August
Yield: 30+ lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Sea Berry is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 3-9