How to prune honeysuckle in the fall for a good harvest, tips for beginners, pruning diagrams, video

Honeysuckle grows in many summer cottages. Almost 200 varieties of this crop are known, each of which is used for different purposes. Therefore, many gardeners are interested in how to prune honeysuckle correctly. Let's look at this issue in more detail, study several different technologies and figure out how to care for the culture after the procedure.

Why is honeysuckle pruned?

Summer residents are often faced with a choice: whether to prune honeysuckle or abandon this activity. In fact, this procedure helps maintain the pleasant appearance of the plant, and also allows it to produce a large harvest. There are several types of pruning:

1. Formative. It is carried out only once during planting, and if it was in the fall, the procedure is postponed until the end of the first wintering. If everything is done correctly, the honeysuckle's roots will begin to actively grow. When growing hedges, it is recommended to use special patterns and templates for formative pruning.
2. Regular. This is done several times a year to keep the crown in good condition. In addition, it helps strengthen the immunity of honeysuckle and itself in general. You should refrain from manipulation in winter and during the spring sap flow.
3. Sanitary. They do it all year round, removing dead and damaged shoots that are of no use.
4. Rejuvenating. Carry out as needed - if the branches are already old, when the bush grows poorly and does not produce enough yield. Pruning promotes the awakening of buds and the growth of young shoots. It is held in August or September.

Edible honeysuckle must be pruned, because the reduction in yield occurs precisely because of the increased density of the crown. Bees ignore flowers that are located deep in the bush. And if the berries do ripen there, they will be small and tasteless. Moreover, in the first couple of years there is no need to carry out such manipulations; it is enough to simply remove dry and diseased branches.

Decorative honeysuckle is pruned to give it the desired shape. Bushes can be used to make a beautiful and lush hedge; vines are placed on gazebos and railings. Using the formative type of pruning, you can create all kinds of landscape shapes.

What is the purpose of pruning?

The shrub is naturally prone to thickening its crown. If the plant is not trimmed regularly, it becomes overgrown and turns into a thick tangle of tangled shoots. Sunlight and fresh air no longer penetrate into the crown; berries are formed only at the tips of the branches. Such bushes are prone to fungal diseases and suffer more from pest invasions.

Timely pruning and formation of the correct shape of the bush affects the yield and health of the plant:

• berries are formed not only along the periphery of the crown, but in the depths of the bush - the yield increases;
• the plant is evenly illuminated;
• thanks to the correct formation of honeysuckle, the bush is well ventilated;
• annual pruning helps to get rid of diseased and damaged branches - breeding grounds for diseases.

Finally, a properly formed honeysuckle bush looks attractive.

Timing of pruning

Edible honeysuckle should be pruned in the fall, after it sheds its leaves, or in the spring, before the buds awaken. The ornamental plant calmly responds to pruning throughout the growing season.

It is worth noting that, despite its resistance to cold, the crop can still be damaged by frost. Branches are especially susceptible to low temperatures. Therefore, it is advisable to systematically carry out sanitary pruning.

Rules for sanitary trimming of bushes

Such a haircut as an “ambulance” for a bush can be carried out at any time of the year, not only in spring and summer. In case of branch damage, disease or pest infestation, the shoot is removed completely or only part of it (including the healthy part of the shoot).

After removing the diseased or pest-affected shoot, the entire bush is treated with a fungicide or insecticide, including the soil around the plant.

Standard sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring, when branches broken by snow are removed from the bush.

Autumn pruning of honeysuckle step by step

Autumn pruning of honeysuckle allows you to remove diseased and dry branches from the bush, and also contributes to its proper formation. But beginners can easily get confused, not knowing how to carry out the procedure correctly. It should be started after leaf fall, but before stable frosts. In the middle zone this is, for example, the end of October or the beginning of November. You will need the following equipment:

• well-sharpened pruning shears;
• gloves;
• container for assembling branches;
• leaf rake;
• ripper;
• mulch (fresh).

Now let's look at how to prune honeysuckle in the fall step by step:

1. Carefully inspect the plant, run your hands down and up the branches. This will remove dry leaves.
2. Once the bush is completely clean, inspect its base. It is necessary to answer branches that are not needed. The tool is selected based on their thickness. If they are too stubborn, you will have to use a hedge trimmer or hacksaw.
3. Remove all dry, damaged, dead branches. They should be cut straight to the base; no stumps with buds should remain. Otherwise, next year the crown will be thick again.
4. Remove growth from around the roots. These are vertically growing branches that do not bear fruit, but make the bush denser, preventing the plant from receiving enough air and sun.
5. Thin out the crown itself, removing branches that rub against each other or are duplicates. It is very important not to forget that the crop bears fruit on annual growth, so there is no need to touch the main branches. The bush should be such that the branches with flower buds are illuminated by the sun and are accessible to insects.
6. At the end of the procedure, inspect the honeysuckle again. It should be open, with branches evenly distributed. Their maximum number is 15, maybe 12.
7. Remove fallen leaves and old mulch from under the plant. Cut branches can be used as the base of high beds.
8. Loosen the soil under the plant to a depth of about 5 centimeters. Treat it against pests and diseases.
9. Mulch the bush with fresh material. You can use straw or sawdust to insulate the tree trunk circle.

There is also a visual diagram of how to prune honeysuckle in the fall. It looks like this:

Gardening tips for growing honeysuckle

Experienced gardeners recommend planting at least 4-6 honeysuckle plants on a plot. The point is cross-pollination - the more pollen from plants of different varieties gets on the flower, the more abundant the harvest of berries will be. Honeysuckle is planted in a group, placing the bushes in close proximity to each other (1.5-2 m).

Honeysuckle is pollinated by insects, mainly bumblebees. To attract these beneficial insects to the garden, clover and other fragrant meadow flowers are sown between the bushes. During the flowering period, honeysuckle is sprayed with “honey water” - add 1 tbsp to 10 liters of water. spoons of honey.

When choosing a plant variety, it is better to give preference to modern dessert varieties of honeysuckle. If you choose varieties with different fruiting periods, you can enjoy the berries for several weeks.

When choosing honeysuckle seedlings for planting, you should opt for plants that are 2 years old. Such a seedling has a size from 50 to 80 cm, its bark is clean and smooth.

In adult plants, the bark is not smooth; it constantly forms a new layer, and the old coating peels off and falls off. A similar phenomenon can be observed on raspberries.

To make honeysuckle berries sweet, the bushes are planted in an open and sunny area. In the shade, the fruiting of the bush is weaker and the berries do not gain the required sweetness. Honeysuckle may become bitter due to too hot weather and lack of watering. During the period of berry filling, the plantings should be watered abundantly.

Often inexperienced gardeners are worried about ripening berries falling from the bush. This is a natural process and is not associated with disease or pests. The surface of the soil around the plant can be covered with thick cloth and clean fallen berries can be collected periodically.

Often the gardener does not get a harvest of sweet berries because of birds. Blackbirds and other birds are not averse to eating vitamin berries. Plantings are protected from birds by stretching a special net that will block access to the bushes but will not harm the birds.

Decorative climbing honeysuckle should be pruned at least 2 times a year:

• in the spring they carry out a sanitary haircut;
• in summer, after flowering, remove unnecessary young shoots;
• in the fall, after leaf fall, cut off old shoots.

Features of anti-aging pruning

Honeysuckle is known for the active growth of branches, so anti-aging pruning is required. It will protect against excessive thickness. If this procedure is not carried out, the harvest will be very poor. There are 2 cutting methods:

1. When the plant is 8-10 years old, partial rejuvenation is carried out. You just need to thin out the bush well, removing most of the branches. In total, after the manipulations there should be about 5-6 branches left. It is recommended to repeat the update every 5 years.
2. Complete rejuvenation of honeysuckle requires pruning it to a stump. It is relevant only for bushes that are more than 15 years old. In late autumn, the branches are cut off completely, leaving a stump up to half a meter high.

The diagram looks like this:

Schemes and technologies of pruning taking into account stages of growth

Beginning gardeners are often afraid to trim honeysuckle so as not to further injure the bush. At the same time, the lack of proper plant care negatively affects the yield. In a thickened crown, insect pests most often breed and bacterial diseases develop.

Autumn work

During its life, honeysuckle goes through 3 stages of growth:

• juvenile – the initial growth phase when the seedling grows tall;
• generative – the phase of growth of the plant trunk in breadth;
• hydrocyanic – wilting phase.

The last stage is undesirable for any plant; during this period the crown becomes too heavy and thickened, the trunk breaks and rots under its weight, there are barely enough nutrients to maintain life in the drying trunks, and the harvest becomes smaller. In order to eliminate negative factors, it is necessary to trim weak and old branches in a timely manner.

Read the instructions and watch the video on how to prune garden roses for the winter.

Crown-forming haircut from the first year of growth to the age of five

After transplanting the seedling into open ground, gardeners begin to form the crown. To do this, choose 4-5 zero shoots growing from the soil as the main trunks. Less strong and thin branches are pruned for the tillering node. The cut areas are treated with garden varnish to avoid infection of the seedling.

The following year, overwintered specimens are inspected for the presence of new branches. Branches laid at an acute angle are removed; in the future they can provoke a break and cracks in the trunk. It is recommended to cut the longitudinal stems to the very base, because they shade the trunk and prevent crown aeration.

In one procedure, no more than 20% of the crown can be removed from the bush.

The gardener must ensure that each whorl does not contain more than 2 branches, since in an adult state, closely planted stems not only impair aeration and overload the crown, but also bear fruit poorly due to a lack of nutrients.

Ripe berries

How to prune shrubs aged 5 to 7 years?

The maintenance pattern for pruning honeysuckle is very simple. Its goal is to avoid thickening of the crown and maintain the correct habit of the bush. The maximum size of honeysuckle should not exceed 2 m in height and 1.5 m in width. At the age of 5 to 7 years, all replacement shoots (tops) and root shoots are cut off from the bush, as they draw the maximum amount of nutrients onto themselves.

The shoots of edible honeysuckle are not shortened so as not to reduce the yield.

Faded buds are removed from some varieties of honeysuckle. This pruning is carried out after picking the berries. If necessary, remove weak and old stems inside the bush to increase aeration and better lighting.

Scheme of cutting honeysuckle branches

Sanitary pruning

Sanitary pruning is not tied to calendar garden work and is carried out as needed:

• when dried shoots are detected;
• when a bush is infected;
• with mechanical deformation of the crown.

By the appearance of honeysuckle you can determine whether this bush needs pruning. Broken or shriveled branches, diseased areas of the crown, and insect infestation are grounds for sanitary work. Cleaning the crown from contaminated areas must be carried out in compliance with garden hygiene standards. To do this, gardeners will need:

• pruner;
• garden knife;
• disinfectant solution;
• gloves;
• garden pitch or resin.

Affected branches are cut to the base. The cut areas are coated with tar or varnish. When moving to a new shoot, the instrument is wiped with a disinfecting solution.

Video with details of gardening work.

At what age does honeysuckle require rejuvenation?

Upon reaching 8-10 years of age, the shoot reduces yields and growth rates. This is due to the fact that in old, lignified trunks, metabolic processes slow down and vegetation stops. A sign of aging is the drying out and subsequent death of the tops of the branches. To rejuvenate the bush, it is necessary to trim it “on the stump”. To do this, mark 30-40 cm from the base of the bush and cut off all branches and shoots to the specified height.

Anti-aging pruning is carried out at the end of March or mid-April. The best time is autumn, when the entire structure of the bush is visible.

If you prune honeysuckle in the spring, then over the summer strong young shoots will grow from the stumps. Next season the bush will be ready for abundant fruiting.

In order not to part with the bulk of the harvest after the shrub is rejuvenated, gardeners practice gentle pruning. Old skeletal branches are cut not to the base, but to the middle, making the crown sparse. This will enable the plant to form many powerful growths in the coming season. In varieties such as Blue Bird, Azure, Cinderella, the skeletal branches bend to the soil, and the plant falls apart over time. In this case, it is better to remove the lodging growths to the base, giving the perennial a raised shape.

Cutting onto the stump of an old bush

If the plant is neglected and its age exceeds 20-25 years, then all the stems are cut to the stump, leaving 30-40 cm from the base. During the season, 30-60 new growths 35-50 cm long will form. In the second year after rejuvenation, the shrub will delight you with large berries. In the spring of the third season, thinning should be done, leaving 10-15 strong branches.

Pruning decorative and climbing honeysuckle

Cleaning the crown of climbing honeysuckle is done in the fall after the vine is exposed. To do this, the main trunk is suspended on a rope, and the side shoots are cut off under the base. Decorative honeysuckle is often used to create hedges and plant sculptures. In this case, the correction of the bush is carried out taking into account the aesthetic preferences of the owner of the personal plot.

Monitoring the condition of honeysuckle, regardless of its shape, begins from the moment it is transplanted into open ground. This is due to the high vegetative performance of the plant.

Features of formative pruning for plants up to 5 years old

By about 4 years old, honeysuckle will have a wide spherical or cupped crown. It will need to be changed to increase fruiting.

1. Remove horizontal branches located in the lower tier if they are very low and lying on the ground.
2. Get rid of the growth. Leave a couple of shoots for replacement.
3. Remove tops growing vertically from a horizontal shoot. There is practically no harvest on them.
4. Get rid of shoots that grow deep into the bush.
5. Cut off branches that are too thin and underdeveloped. If they form a weak growth, you need to reduce them by a quarter to stimulate growth.

Last year's branches of the plant, which look healthy and strong, are not touched. They should grow symmetrically, from the center of the bush to the sides, like a fan. The optimal quantity is 5-6 pieces.

Reproduction and transplantation of honeysuckle

Many years of experience of gardeners shows that honeysuckle planted in a new place in the fall or at the end of summer takes root better and faster. True, this only applies to seedlings with an open root system. But if the plant is sold in a pot, it needs to be planted at any warm time (except for the flowering period).

It is best to buy and plant two-year-old or three-year-old seedlings. Large bushes do not tolerate moving well and get sick for a long time, and small bushes make them wait too long for the first harvest.

If you already have honeysuckle and you just want to increase the number of bushes, you can propagate it in several ways.

The first and longest is the seed . Even if you choose the largest berry, receive and dry the seeds, sow them and not weed them out in the next couple of years, you will still get a wild one. The main disadvantage of this method is that the varietal qualities of bushes grown from seeds are not preserved.

The next method is propagation by cuttings (green or lignified). The first ones are cut from this year's growths after flowering, the second ones after leaf fall. Both are stimulated with Kornevin’s solution, and then sent to the cuttings for rooting. But remember, if more than half of the green cuttings take root, then at best a fifth of the lignified ones take root.

Propagating honeysuckle by dividing the bush is a simple method, but is suitable only for young plants that are not yet five years old. Dig up the bushes, cut them with a sharp tool into several parts, so that the roots remain in each, and plant them.

And finally, the easiest way is to propagate honeysuckle by layering . Select annual branches growing close to the ground, dig up the soil under the bush, tilt and pin the branch to the ground, and lightly sprinkle 3-5 cm of soil on top. Next season, roots will form on the branch, and you will be able to separate it from the mother plant.

• How to plant honeysuckle correctly: revealing the secrets

  Everything you need to know about how to properly plant edible honeysuckle on your site.

Regular pruning of honeysuckle

This pruning involves preparing the bush for winter. It starts already in the first ten days of August. It is necessary to reduce watering so as not to awaken fresh buds and slow down the growth of the crop as a whole, and stimulate the development of roots. The pruning procedure itself is carried out in September. The timing should be strictly observed so as not to harm the honeysuckle. After pruning - on the same day and the following days - the bush must be watered abundantly so that it recovers as quickly as possible.

During manipulations, all unnecessary growth near the roots is removed, as well as branches that grow inside the bush. It is also recommended to get rid of those that cannot become woody in the cold weather. It is very important that strong annual shoots remain.

When forming a hedge, you should not make the top wider than the area at the roots. So it will easily break from wind or heavy snowfall. The center of gravity at the crown should be below the middle of the height. Therefore, it should taper slightly at the top and be trapezoidal in cross-section.

Adviсe

Tip #1

For cutting, use sharp pruning shears. But if honeysuckle grows as a hedge, it is better to update the garden tools and add an electric trimmer. It will make the work easier and make the green “fence” neat.

Tip #2

The procedure for the formation of a neat crown is required for all adult specimens that are already bearing fruit - older than 3-4 years. At this age, the procedure should be performed annually. And after 5-7 years, the interval can be increased to 2-3 years.

Decorative climbing honeysuckle: how to prune

Decorative honeysuckle requires a couple of haircuts throughout the season to remain in a pleasant appearance. The first procedure is carried out in the spring, even before the buds begin to swell. The scourges are shortened to the optimal length, and dead vines and shoots are removed. The bundles are tied to give the shoots the desired direction. The most important thing is to maintain the desired shape of honeysuckle.

The second time pruning is done after the vines have finished flowering. Remove young shoots that protrude beyond the contours. The supporting old branches remain as a frame. Once again the procedure is carried out after leaf fall. In fact, this is a simple sanitary pruning.

Optimal timing of the procedure

The beginning of sap flow in honeysuckle occurs in early spring . During this period, the buds on the bush begin to swell. The first fruits appear in early June. In order not to damage the swelling buds at the beginning of spring and not to expose the bush to stress, pruning is carried out in the fall.

Attention! Spring pruning will significantly reduce yields. In addition, after spring pruning there is a risk of bush disease.

Therefore, pruning and formation of honeysuckle is carried out after the end of leaf fall . When the foliage is dropped, the bush is clearly visible. The procedure is carried out before the onset of persistent cold weather.

Each region has its own deadlines . In the central part of the country, pruning is carried out in late October - early November. At this time, the air temperature at night sometimes drops below zero. Earlier, in early October, pruning is not recommended, since at this time the plant is still sensitive to mechanical damage. This can weaken the bush in winter.

Interesting things on the site:

Instructions for transplanting honeysuckle to a new location

When and how to plant honeysuckle in the fall

When to cut honeysuckle: immediately after fruiting or in the fall

It is not recommended to prune the plant immediately after fruiting , since sap flow is still ongoing at this time. It is better to carry out the procedure in the autumn. During this period, the shrubs begin a dormant period. Honeysuckle sheds its leaves, which indicates that the sap flow process has completed. The plant begins to prepare for the winter period, and pruning the branches will not cause significant stress, and the bush will retain its strength before the onset of cold weather.

It is recommended to prune in summer

Many gardeners do pruning immediately after fruiting - this is in the summer. Then new branches will grow before autumn, and in spring only final pruning of dry and frozen ones will be required. But when honeysuckle has leaves, the bush is poorly visible, it is more difficult to figure out what and how to remove.

In addition, by autumn a lot of unnecessary things may grow. Trim it anyway in the spring. The timing is not important, whatever suits you. It’s more convenient for me to prune once - in the spring. The pruning pattern and principles do not change.

Honeysuckle, swollen buds

Features of honeysuckle care in autumn

Gardeners plant several varieties of plants.
One of them is a low edible shrub. Due to cross-pollination, it is necessary to grow more than 2 bushes of different varieties on the plot. This plant tolerates severe frosts well down to -35°C. Another type of honeysuckle is a climbing shrub called honeysuckle. Over the course of several years, the plant wraps around a fence about 5 m high, creating the effect of a living green flowering hedge. These bushes do not survive winter cold so well, so they need shelter.

Despite the difference, the care required for shrubs is almost the same.