I just returned from a vacation, visiting my parents' farm in northern BC (Zone 4). Last year, I planted a Sea Buckthorn plant that I purchased from a local nursery. It was a few years old, and had both male and female plants on the same rootstock. Nice idea, for people who don't have large yards, or who don't want to wonder if their plants are male or female. This way, customers are assured they have both a male and female and, guaranteed to produce berries. (I assume it was a male graft on a female rootstock.) Unfortunately, 90% of the plant that was above ground is dead. See attached photos. There are some small shoots coming up from the base of the plant. I assume the root survived the cold winter and so the shoots I see are from the female. And the grafted part is dead. Which means, assuming these shoots grow into viable plants, a male plant will be needed. I am surprised this plant was affected by the cold so drastically. They are supposed to be cold-hardy to Canadian Zone 4. After all, they originate from Russia and are no stranger to cold. Anybody in these forums have success growing Sea Buckthorn in Zone 4 or colder? I'm curious to know what variety of plant you have, and if you've taken any extra measures to help your plants survive cold winters.
22 July 2024: An update I just returned from my annual trip to the Bulkley Valley. Looks like the Sea Buckthorn plant did not make it through last winter. Everything is dead. I saw no indication that new growth started this Spring. Either the plant died last Autumn (perhaps of drought), or the Bulkley Valley winters claimed another victim. Darn! After surviving one winter, I hoped the worst was past. It would have been nice to watch that plant grow.
Maybe the grafting had something to do with its being not as robust as a wild plant? Actually, I know nothing about this, but I read your post and I'm sorry your plant died.
A clue is perhaps in the name - seaside locations are generally milder in winter than interior locations. But equally, there are populations of Sea-buckthorn native to the saline semi-deserts of central Asia, where it gets extremely cold in winter (zones 1-2!), so there should be hardy provenances. Do you know the provenance of your plant? Another possibility is that they don't like rich, fertile soil; in the wild, they grow on dry, inhospitable sites with low fertility (sand dunes and suchlike), which reduces competition from other plants, encourages slow, hardy growth, and also reduces soil-borne fungal diseases. Your soil looks black and rich with very strong grass growth and root density, perhaps that's what did for it?
