Growing sea buckthorn

berry / bush fruit

Pollination

Wind-pollinated and dioecious - one male plant for every six to eight female (fruiting) plants.

Growing it

Zones 3-7. Thorny, salt- and drought-tolerant, and nitrogen-fixing. The intensely tart orange berries cling hard - many growers cut fruiting branches and freeze them to strip.

Will you get enough chill?

Sea Buckthorn needs roughly 600–1200 hours between 32 and 45 °F over winter to break dormancy evenly. Check your area with the chill hours calculator. Low-chill breeding has pushed many varieties well below the figure here, so read the plant tag.

Chill and pollination are given at the fruit-type level; specific cultivars can differ. Values are typical ranges for home-garden planning.