How to grow honeysuckle Bakcharsky Giant in the garden

Description of the variety

The variety was specially bred for cultivation in harsh northern regions. It is planted in Siberia, the Central regions, as well as the Northern regions. This territory is dominated by a temperate continental climate. The bush can withstand frost and temperature changes. Even flower and fruit buds are quite resistant to adverse conditions. Young plants can be covered for the winter, but for adults the main thing is to protect the trunk from rodents.

The Bakcharsky Giant produces the largest berries among its relatives. Their ripening period is average - late June - early July.

Characteristics of the Bakchar Giant

This is a large-fruited variety with high frost resistance. It is very popular among gardeners. It has been growing on the site for about 20 years. Let's look at its features in more detail.

How tall does honeysuckle grow?

The bush is medium in size and densely covered with leaves. Its height can be about two meters. The branches are quite thick, frame-like, up to a meter long. The crown turns out to be round. The density is average, so it does not require frequent pruning.

Honeysuckle yield per bush

Honeysuckle begins to bear fruit 2-3 years after planting. With poor quality agricultural technology, it is possible to collect up to 3 kg of fruit from each bush. And under good conditions, the variety produces up to 5 kg of yield.

Bakcharsky Giant produces the largest berries. Their weight is about 2 g, length is almost 5 cm. The shape is elongated, resembling a cylinder, slightly lumpy. The color is blue with a waxy coating.

The pulp is tender, juicy, sweet. The taste is dessert, has a slight pleasant sourness. The berries are suitable for fresh consumption, as well as for preservation. They are used to make preserves, jams and jellies, compotes, and put into baked goods. Some gardeners make wine and tinctures from honeysuckle.

Does honeysuckle Bakcharsky Giant need a pollinator?

The variety is considered self-fertile, so it requires cross-pollination to produce a harvest. In addition to the Bakcharsky Giant, you will have to plant 2-3 more varieties of this crop. We advise readers of VesOgorod.ru to take a closer look at their neighbors’ plantings. If your neighbors in your summer cottage already have honeysuckle growing, then you can plant your bush not far from them.

The same frost-resistant varieties that bloom at the same time are suitable as pollinators. These can be Bakchar's Pride, Nymph, Amphora, Azure, Gidzyuk's Memory.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The Bakcharsky Giant is popular among gardeners, as it has many advantages. First of all, they relate to growing conditions, since it grows in a harsh climate. Also, the bush is not particularly whimsical. Among the noticeable advantages of honeysuckle of this variety are:

• a bountiful harvest;
• large berries;
• taste qualities;
• variety of fruit uses;
• frost resistance and withstand temperatures down to -35 degrees;
• ease of harvesting due to the weak density of the bush and the large distance between the branches.

The disadvantages of the Giant include the shedding of fruits during ripening, the need for pollinators and the peculiarities of agricultural technology during planting.

Reviews from gardeners

1. Berries with a delicate refreshing taste and slight sourness are very tasty . The bitterness is almost not felt.
2. Sometimes there are situations when, during a long, warm autumn, the bush begins to bloom again, which is undesirable. Another problem is early awakening during the thaw period, then frosts can significantly reduce the harvest.
3. The large size of the fruit is an important advantage . In addition, this is the first berry that is collected on a personal plot.

Growing honeysuckle in the country

Honeysuckle Bakcharsky Giant is not too demanding on the soil and planting site. But it is important to monitor the level of light and humidity. Also, planting timing plays an important role. Honeysuckle is planted only in the autumn months.

Landing dates

Unlike other garden crops, honeysuckle is planted in the fall. Depending on the region from September to the end of October. Planting cannot be done in the spring, since the plant wakes up very early in March, when the rest of nature is still sleeping, and it cannot be disturbed. It will not be possible to plant it before the sap begins to flow.

In spring, the bush emerges from winter sleep and begins to actively develop. But if it is not possible to carry out the procedure in the fall, or there is a need to move the honeysuckle to a new place. Dig up the plant along with a lump of earth, so damage to the roots will be minimal and it will take root easily.

Landing place

To plant the Giant, choose a sunny, warm place that is protected from the wind. Groundwater should run quite deep relative to the surface of the earth - 1.5-2 m, so that in the spring or during rain the place where the bush grows does not become swampy.

Also plant at higher elevations, as cold air and moisture accumulate in low areas. There may be a building or fence nearby, this will protect the plantings from the wind. As for lighting, the Giant likes its upper part to be well lit by the sun, and the lower branches and root space to be in the shade. Therefore, it is better to arrange it next to other trees and bushes on the site.

The Giant is not picky about the quality of soil, but feels better on fertile and loamy soils. But the pH should be either neutral or slightly alkaline. Therefore, if the soils are acidic, deoxidize when preparing the hole. Dolomite flour, ash or chalk are suitable for this. There is a wonderful article on the site about using ash in the garden, be sure to read it.

How to plant honeysuckle

Buy planting material from trusted sellers in specialized nurseries. Seedlings must have a developed root system, preferably a closed type. But the shoots should not be very tall, so that they do not draw nutrients to themselves.

Carry out planting in the following stages:

1. If the root system is open, dip it in a growth stimulator.
2. At this time, do weeding, remove weeds and roots of predecessors in this area.
3. Prepare a hole measuring 0.5 x 0.5 m. Read instructions for creating a planting hole here.
4. Mix some of the soil with humus, peat and compost. We wrote about how to prepare compost correctly here.
5. Fill the bottom with drainage: broken brick or crushed stone.
6. Add superphosphate and potassium salt, 50 g of each substance. Look at the article about the correct use of superphosphate on the site.
7. Fill the soil with fertilizers, plant the bush, straightening the roots.
8. Add the remaining soil, compact it and water generously with 10 liters of water.
9. Mulch the tree trunk with peat, manure, sawdust or pine needles. Find out what else you can use as mulch.

If you plant several bushes at once, keep the distance between them 2.5 meters. This way, you won’t have to replant them when they grow and expand.

Edible honeysuckle (photos, varieties and their features)

When selecting planting material, keep in mind that one bush will not give a good harvest; group plantings of at least 3 different varieties of bushes are necessary. The best pollinators are the varieties Slastena, Fianit and Berel. If the description of honeysuckle varieties below does not contain recommendations on pollinators, you can choose them yourself:

• purchase varieties that bloom at the same time,
• Be guided by the ripening time, do not take bushes that ripen at the same time.

There are many varieties, choosing a seedling can be a difficult task, and in order not to get confused when purchasing, it is better to decide on the most attractive options in advance, and we will help you with this! We have combined all the necessary information about the varieties of edible honeysuckle in a table where, in addition to the description, you can see photographs. Also, for ease of searching, we divided the varieties by ripening time.

Care

The variety is not capricious, but requires certain rules of watering and fertilizing. Proper care makes it possible to grow a strong and healthy plant.

How often to water honeysuckle

This variety is demanding on the amount of moisture. If there is not enough of it, the berries become bitter. Water the plants twice a week with a break of 4 days. Each bush requires about 10 liters of water.

Do not increase watering unnecessarily, as the roots may begin to rot. Honeysuckle Bakcharsky Giant does not survive drought very well, so in the absence of rain, irrigate more often than usual. But if there is a lot of precipitation, then additional watering can be canceled altogether. At the same time, loosen the soil after each irrigation.

How to feed honeysuckle

Fertilize in three stages:

1. In the spring months, nitrogen-containing substances, for example, ammonium nitrate. 15 g for each bush. Find out what other garden plants ammonium nitrate is suitable for.
2. During and after fruiting - nitrophoska or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. And here are the rules for using nitrophoska.
3. Before wintering, scatter organic matter in the tree trunk circle - manure, humus or compost. You can make a solution at the rate of 1 to 4 per 10 liters of water.

How to prune honeysuckle

The first pruning is carried out 3-4 years after planting. Since the branches grow far from each other, and the crown does not grow much, there is practically no need for formative pruning. But honeysuckle is also used for decorative purposes, then it is pruned in accordance with the design.

For honeysuckle, sanitary pruning is more relevant. Remove dry, damaged, old and abnormally growing branches. Leave no more than 15 branches in the middle to allow the sun's rays to penetrate. Then the harvest will be sweet and abundant.

You can also perform anti-aging pruning on an old plant. To do this, cut off all shoots at a height of 40 cm from the ground.

How to prepare honeysuckle for winter

The giant tolerates strong temperature drops well; no special preparation is required. Before wintering, retain water and fertilize. Young bushes can be covered with burlap and covered with snow in winter. If the site is located next to a forest or field, you can fence the bushes with iron mesh to prevent them from being damaged by hares.

Honeysuckle propagation

Honeysuckle Bakcharsky Giant is grown on the site in three ways:

• Dividing the bush . This method is used for adult plants. Make sure that both parts receive an equal number of roots and shoots. It is also advisable to trim the shoots to a height of 0.4 m. The procedure is carried out in the fall.
• By layering . In spring, several branches are bent to the ground, secured and covered with earth. In summer they water actively. The next year they take root and can be separated and replanted.
• By cuttings . They are prepared in the fall, grown and rooted in boxes with sand all winter. The edge that will give roots is soaked in a growth stimulant and planted in sand, and a greenhouse effect is created so that the plant grows roots faster.

Pollinators of honeysuckle Bakhchisarai giant

Honeysuckle is a cross-pollinated fruit shrub. To obtain stable yields, gardeners recommend planting pollinating varieties nearby. It is optimal to place 2-3 additional types of honeysuckle; the bushes are placed in groups on the site. Can be planted as a hedge. It is recommended to choose from the following varieties:

• Delight;
• Silginka;
• The Giant's Daughter;
• Enchantress;
• Yugan, etc.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with Gooseberry Grossular
To improve the quality of pollination of buds, it is recommended to spray the bushes before flowering with a special solution. You will need to dissolve granulated sugar (2 tbsp) and liquid natural honey (2 tbsp) in settled water (10 l).

In cloudy and rainy weather or precipitation, fruit bushes are sprayed with compounds that increase the rate of ovary formation. The solution is prepared from the preparation Zircon (1 ampoule), water (10 l), and Cytovit preparation (2 ampoules). The buds are sprayed with the composition.