How to grow Aronia

Aronia melanocarpa · black chokeberry, chokeberry, aronia berry

Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa) — aronia, or black chokeberry, is a hardy, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub about 1.2–2.4 m tall, a relative of the apple. White flowers open in late spring, and clusters of 10–15 small black berries ripen from mid-August to early September. The berries are too astringent to enjoy raw and go into juice, jam, syrup, baking and drying. Aronia is self-fertile, so one bush crops on its own, and it needs a cold winter, so it does not suit regions with mild winters.

Checked against sources: October 3, 2026

Quick facts

Type	Berry
Family	Rosaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6–6.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 4 °C
First harvest after planting	about 1 year
Where it grows	Open ground

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	—	nitrogen, at the start of the stage
Flowering	every 7 days	—	—
Fruiting	every 7 days	—	—
Harvest	every 7 days	—	—

Growing notes

Light

Full sun gives the biggest crop and the sweetest berries. In half shade the yield drops only a little, but the bushes lean hard towards the light.

Soil

Grows in almost any soil, from boggy to well-drained loam, and tolerates pH 5–8.5; it does best in well-drained soil at pH 6–6.5. Avoid low spots, where late spring frost can catch the flowers.

Care

Plant 1.2–1.8 m apart. Water young plants regularly through their first two seasons. Feed with nitrogen each spring, about 7–14 g of nitrogen per plant a year; a wood-chip mulch needs a little extra. Next year's flower buds form while this year's berries ripen, so prune lightly and leave enough buds. The bushes sucker freely. Birds leave unripe berries alone but eat ripe ones, so net the bushes if you let the fruit hang longer to sweeten.

How to tell it is ripe

The berries turn from green through red and purple to completely black.
Most berries in a cluster ripen at the same time, with a few stragglers.
Fully ripe berries are black right through their skin; they stay astringent even when ripe.
Pick before the berries start to wrinkle and dry on the bush.
Pick whole clusters, which is quick; the berries keep for several months in the fridge.

Pests and diseases of Aronia

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.