Honeysuckle: secrets of planting and care in open ground

Honeysuckle is an upright, climbing or climbing shrub quite popular among gardeners. Edible varieties produce tasty blue fruits with beneficial properties, similar in taste to blueberries. The peculiarity of the crop is early fruiting: the berries ripen already in early June.

The plant is grown not only for the purpose of harvesting, but also to decorate a garden or cottage, and both flowers and berries are beautiful. Along with varieties of edible honeysuckle, there are decorative varieties whose berries are not eaten. Decorative plants include honeysuckle, a climbing vine with a fragrant scent, as well as Tatarian honeysuckle, one of the most popular in gardening culture.

Varieties for planting should be selected taking into account the climate of the area where honeysuckle will grow.

Selecting a location and soil requirements

Honeysuckle is considered an unpretentious plant, but you should follow some rules when choosing a place in the garden. She loves open, well-lit places, but can also grow in partial shade.

In northern regions, it is better to grow it in sunny areas protected from strong winds.

The choice of site in the garden for honeysuckle depends on the climate of the area

In the south, it is better to plant honeysuckle in partial shade. If it grows in the sun, it needs to be provided with good watering, otherwise the bush will be low in dry areas and will bear few berries.

Honeysuckle loves fertile, neutral (or slightly acidic), loose soils. It is not recommended to plant it in wetlands with acidic soil and shallow groundwater, as well as in too dry areas and in closed pits.

On a note! Honeysuckle grows rather slowly in the first three years. By the fourth year after planting, its height is about 80 cm, crown diameter is about 100 cm (which is typical for most varieties).

How to prepare the soil for honeysuckle

In the natural growth area of ​​the crop, it is enough to plant the bush in ordinary soil in a sunny place. If the soil becomes soggy, drain the water or arrange good drainage. To improve fertility, add a bucket of humus and 50 g of potassium and phosphate fertilizers to each planting hole. On well-structured but poor soils, organic matter is applied 2 times more.

It is more difficult on soils that are too dense, including chernozems and sandy loams. Here you need to dig a planting hole with a depth and a diameter of at least 50 cm. It is better to completely replace the soil with one of the soil mixture options presented above.

On unsuitable soils, the planting hole is filled with self-prepared substrate

Selection of planting material and its preparation

It is best to purchase seedlings from nurseries. The varieties from the Bakchar nursery are considered one of the best. It is necessary to choose varieties suitable for cultivation in a specific climate zone.

It is recommended to choose two- or three-year-old seedlings with a well-developed root system. It is better not to buy mature bushes taller than 1.5 m, since they take root less well and do not bear fruit for a long time. Too small (rooted cuttings 25 cm high) that have not yet had time to develop should also be discarded.

Seedlings with open and closed root systems are available for sale. Plants without a clod of soil are cheaper, they develop faster, their roots can be examined, but they are stored less well - it is better to plant them on the day of purchase so that the roots do not dry out, or protect them from dehydration by dipping them in hydrogel or mud mash.

Seedlings with a lump of earth are convenient for transportation, tolerate transplantation better, take root faster, but their roots cannot be assessed and they develop more slowly

It is recommended to purchase several different varieties of honeysuckle for planting - at least three. This is necessary for better pollination and, therefore, higher yields.

Before planting, the roots of the young bush need to be soaked in Kornevin diluted with water for 2 hours.

When is the best time to plant honeysuckle?

Gardeners believe that it is better to plant honeysuckle at the end of summer or in the first ten days of September . The culture adapts faster to new conditions, gets sick less and takes root faster.

in spring

You can also plant edible honeysuckle in the spring. Most often, in early spring they are engaged in replanting and dividing the bush. They use the transfer method while preserving the earthen clod (from the container to open ground) so that the root system is not damaged. Moreover, the procedure is carried out before the formation of buds, otherwise the seedling will not have enough strength to grow and develop.

Timing for planting honeysuckle in open ground in the spring, depending on the climate zone:

• end of April - March: southern areas (Crimea, Caucasus, Kuban);
• April: Moscow region and regions of central Russia;
• end of April - first days of May: Siberia, Ural and Leningrad region.

in autumn

Honeysuckle finishes its growing season early and by the end of summer it is preparing to rest. It's time to plant seedlings in open ground. Planting begins after leaf fall, from late August to November .

Attention! The main rule for autumn planting of honeysuckle is that the procedure is carried out before the onset of the first frost . Rooting takes place within 3-4 weeks.

Landing

Planting honeysuckle has its own peculiarities due to the structure of the root system. Powerful taproots go into the ground and, at a level of 70 cm from the surface, give rise to multiple shoots that grow in different directions and extend 50 cm beyond the crown. This must be taken into account when planting.

The diameter and depth of the hole for honeysuckle seedlings must be at least 40 cm

Planting process:

1. Dig up the soil at the planting site and carefully remove all weeds.
2. Dig a hole about 40 cm deep and 50 cm wide, discarding the top fertile layer of soil separately from the bottom.
3. Pour a bucket of humus or compost, 100 g of superphosphate, a jar (0.5 l) of ash into the hole and mix thoroughly with the top layer of soil. If the soil is clayey, you will need to add a bucket of sand in addition. If it is sandy, you will need to add hydrogel or coconut substrate to retain moisture. Acidic soil needs to be deoxidized with slaked lime (200 to 400 g per hole).
4. Form a mound at the bottom of the hole, place the seedling on it, estimating the position of the root collar, which should be at ground level. The roots of a seedling with an open root system need to be straightened so that they are distributed along the slopes of the mound and do not bend. The seedling needs to be carefully freed from the container as a lump of earth and placed in a hole, also trying out where the root collar will be located.
5. Fill the hole with fertile soil, compact it, stamping it with your feet.

Aftercare is quite simple. Add water. You will need 1-2 buckets per plant. Then immediately lay a layer of mulch: straw, wood chips, bark, grass, peat, so that the soil does not dry out.

Further care

For the first 3 years, the perennial will grow slowly, so it will only need watering, weeding and loosening. To protect the surface root system from injury, it is recommended to fill the root space with humus or peat. Mulching will retain moisture at the roots.

In the future, caring for honeysuckle in the spring at the dacha comes down to sanitary pruning of frozen branches and adding nitrogen fertilizers to the soil. During the season on sandy loam areas, a young seedling will need at least 4 waterings: at the beginning of the growth of branches and ovaries, during the ripening of fruits and harvesting.

Work schedule:

• Third decade of March or early April: pruning dry, deformed and disease-affected branches, adding 2 kg of dry horse manure or a 10% urea solution (10 g per bucket of water) under the bush. Honeysuckle will be happy with such care in the spring.

  
  Reminder for fertilizing

• The first half of May - removing side shoots, digging up the soil under the bush, mulching the root zone with sawdust, dry leaves or bark.
• The second ten days of June - application of phosphorus fertilizers to increase productivity (from 2 years after transplantation). 10 liters of a 10% superphosphate solution is poured under each bush.
• Mid-August – harvesting, sanitary pruning.
• The first ten days of September - adding potassium fertilizers to the soil for better rooting of the bush and the formation of buds for the new growing season. About 10 g of potassium mixtures are added to each well and sprinkled with earth. After this, the honeysuckle is shed with water.
• The first half of November is insulation for the winter. Laying sawdust in the hole, covering with spruce branches.

When growing fruit crops, you cannot alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. It is necessary to transfer a seedling from one type of bait to another gradually to avoid late blight and soil diseases. Organic matter is a concentrated fertilizer, as it is 50% more saturated with nutritional components than mineral bait. It should be applied no more than once a year at the beginning of the growing season.

Video about planting honeysuckle.

When to harvest?

Fruiting of the bush with proper care begins 2-3 years after transplantation into open ground. The volume of the first harvest does not exceed 400-500 g per bush, the maximum amount is obtained from 4-5 years of growth on the site. With properly organized care, honeysuckle will actively bear fruit for 20-25 years.

The beginning of fruit ripening is judged by the change in greenish color to rich blue. After this, the collection is carried out for about 5-10 days. The ripening period for honeysuckle is extended, but harvesting should not be delayed, since the berries of most varieties begin to crumble.

When organizing the care of garden honeysuckle, you must take into account that it prefers sunny places or partial shade, does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, and requires systematic pruning and balanced fertilizing. Only in this case will it please you with high productivity.

Features of planting honeysuckle in different regions

A distinctive feature of honeysuckle is its amazing frost resistance. The plant can survive cold temperatures down to -40 degrees.

In the middle zone and Moscow region

In the middle zone, it is recommended to plant the following varieties of honeysuckle - Nymph, Izbrannitsa, Silginka, Morena. Silginka is considered one of the best varieties for growing in the Moscow region. For planting, you need to choose a sunny area without strong winds with neutral soil. Planting time in the middle zone is mid-April.

Diseases and pests of honeysuckle

Honeysuckle diseases do not threaten if all care rules are followed. However, it is worth knowing that it, like many shrubs, is susceptible to fungal and viral diseases, such as sooty fungus, mosaic, and powdery mildew. Treatment is carried out with the help of appropriate drugs; pruning of the affected branches gives good results.

Insect pests are much more dangerous to honeysuckle. Scale insects, honeysuckle aphids and various leaf-eating caterpillars are not averse to enjoying the sweet fruits. Caterpillars can still be collected manually, but it is better to use insecticides against other uninvited guests, otherwise loss of the crop and even the entire plant cannot be avoided.

How to seat

To plant honeysuckle on a plot, it is not necessary to buy a seedling if it is already growing on the plot. You can get planting material from existing bushes. To do this, it is better to choose young, strong plants that are not susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. Rooted shoots should not be planted immediately; they need to be grown for another year for the root system to grow.

There are several options for vegetative propagation - obtaining a new plant from part of the mother bush:

Diseases of honeysuckle

• By cuttings. There are two options - green and woody. The first is preferable due to better survival rate.
• Root shoots - sprouts that emerged from root buds.
• Horizontal layering - from shoots in contact with the soil.
• Dividing the bush. You need to use a young bush that is not too overgrown.

Another way to propagate honeysuckle is by seeds. Can this method be used at home? The seed method is usually used if you need to obtain a large number of plants. This method is more often practiced in nurseries for mass sale, and it is also used by breeders. Propagation by seeds is quite a troublesome task, requiring knowledge and skills. In addition, the plant may lose the varietal characteristics of the mother bush, which is undesirable for honeysuckle.

The table shows the advantages and disadvantages of vegetative and seed propagation of honeysuckle:

Most often, gardeners plant crops using vegetative methods, which are considered simpler and more reliable.

Green cuttings

This method is practiced in the summer. Cuttings can be harvested during flowering and the formation of green berries, after harvesting. The best time for cutting them is from the second half of May to mid-June. The thickness of the prepared cuttings is approximately the same as that of an ordinary pencil. They should still be green, but already break well.

It is advisable to choose powerful shoots for cutting cuttings. The time for preparing them is morning or evening in cloudy weather.

How to prepare:

1. Take cuttings from the middle part of the shoots. Cut the bottom obliquely (at an angle of 45 degrees), the top - horizontally (at a right angle) 2 cm above the internode. Their length is 10-13 cm. You need to leave 3-4 buds on the cuttings.
2. Remove leaves at the bottom completely, remove half at the top. This will retain moisture for root development. Make cuts at the bottom edge to stimulate the growth of the root system.
3. Before planting, immerse the cuttings in a root formation stimulator for a day.
4. Apply root powder to the lower cut.
5. Rooting will take 30 days.
6. You can root in water or light soil. In the first case, they are placed in heteroaxin for a day, then transferred to plain water. As it evaporates, it is added, but not changed. When roots appear, they are planted in a container with substrate. To plant in the ground, mix sand with peat (3 to 1) and plant the cutting so that the internode is in the soil. Then they are covered with a film from the sun's rays and to create a greenhouse effect. After three weeks, roots should form, then they begin to remove the film and gradually accustom the plant to the street. In autumn, cover the rooted cuttings with branches or spruce branches. In spring, grow them for one more season, then you can transplant them to a permanent place on the site.

Horizontal layering

The method is considered simple and not labor-intensive. The procedure is as follows:

1. In spring, choose a plant with the strongest annual lower shoots.
2. Weed and loosen the soil under the selected bush.
3. Press the shoots to the ground and secure them with slingshots.
4. Cover them with soil with a layer of 5 cm.
5. Water and keep the soil moist.
6. By autumn, the shoot should grow roots and sprout shoots.
7. Next spring, separate the shoots from the mother plant and replant them in a permanent location.

Dividing the bush

The bush can be divided if it is strong, has reached 3-6 years old, and has from 6 to 9 skeletal branches, which are buried in the ground at the root. You can get up to 12 divisions from it.

You need to act in the following order:

1. Dig up a bush and divide it into parts. Each should have a good rhizome and 2-3 shoots.
2. Sections must be treated for disinfection with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or ash.
3. Plant the cuttings using the same technology as ordinary seedlings with an open root system.

Selection of seedlings

Depending on varietal preferences, gardeners can choose large or low-growing specimens, winter-hardy or southern, ornamental or fruit-bearing for planting. When purchasing, they are guided by several criteria:

• the age of the rhizome does not exceed 2-3 years;
• the above-ground part of the plant consists of at least 3-4 young and strong shoots, densely dotted with small green buds;
• The length of the shoots is at least 30 cm, they are flexible, without visible damage;

  
  Variety with large berries

• peeling of the bark is normal for honeysuckle and is not a risk factor when planting;
• the plant is prone to cross-pollination, which is why shrubs of different varieties can transfer their best qualities to each other;
• You should pay attention that the seedlings were raised from cuttings, layering, or formed by dividing the bush.

Plants bred from seeds lose their varietal characteristics over time, which is why the shrub turns into a bluish wild plant after a few years of fruiting.

When purchasing, experienced farmers focus on the following parameters:

1. The increased winter hardiness of the variety is important for northern regions with long frosty winters. Otherwise, the seedling will freeze and dry out by spring.
2. Unpretentiousness in seasonal care. Summer residents prefer to buy drought-resistant specimens. Southern varieties and hybrids of blue wild plants do not require regular watering.
3. The volume and height of the crown of an adult plant. Young seedlings are distributed at such a distance that the bush does not come into contact with other decorative inhabitants.
4. Compatibility with other plantings on the site. Some summer residents use honeysuckle lashes to form fruit-bearing hedges for the garden. Owners of suburban areas display such plant structures in close proximity to single plants. The latter, due to their powerful root system, oppress neighboring bushes, drawing moisture and nutrients onto themselves.

   
   Honeysuckle blossom

FAQ

Which variety should you choose to reap big harvests? To obtain high yields, it is necessary to choose the right variety, as well as follow agricultural techniques. It is recommended to choose high-yielding, large-fruited varieties with non-shedding fruits. These include: Bakchar giant, Yutana, Pride of Bakchar, Blue piglets, Lapot, Slastena, Soldier.

Why did not a single green cutting take root? Rooting honeysuckle is quite difficult, especially for inexperienced gardeners, and many first attempts end in failure. It is best to cut cuttings during the most active sap flow - during fruit set or immediately after picking berries (within one, maximum two weeks). Be sure to dip it in the epin solution and treat the cut with crushed coal. It is important to plant in a loose substrate so that the roots do not protrude in the spring. These can be rotten leaves, sawdust, wood rot. Plant at a distance of 5 cm from each other, be sure to water and cover, for example, with a transparent cake lid - cover the cracks by sprinkling with earth. It is necessary to provide humidity and constantly monitor it, and also need good shade. They should take root by September, then remove the cover. The resulting seedlings can be planted in the fourth year.

Brief description of honeysuckle

Common honeysuckle is a frost-resistant shrub reaching 2-2.5 m in height. The leaves are long from 6 to 60 cm, 1 cm wide, pale green. The flowers are bisexual. The flowering period begins in May, the first fruits appear in mid-June. The berries are egg-shaped, size from 1 to 3 cm, color blue, blue or blue-black, depending on the variety. Their taste is sweet and sour with a slight bitterness.

Honeysuckle is a real long-liver; the age of plants can exceed 20-25 years. Unpretentious in care.

Transfer to a new place

The most favorable time to transplant honeysuckle is in the spring - after the snow melts before the buds open.

Site preparation

Since the roots of a dug-out bush quickly dry out and wither, the planting hole is prepared in advance:

1. In order not to damage the root system during transplantation, a new hole is dug with a slightly larger diameter than before - 70x70 cm.
2. In clayey areas, the bottom and walls become too dense when digging a hole; roots have difficulty penetrating such soil, so sand is added and the surface is slightly loosened.
3. The fertile layer of soil is mixed with 15 kg of humus, 160 g of superphosphate and 70 g of potassium salt, and the pits are filled with this mixture.

Pits for transplanting honeysuckle bushes are filled with humus

When planting honeysuckle, fresh manure should not be used as fertilizer - it can cause burns to the roots and cause viral infections.

Transferring a bush

Before replanting, bushes older than 5 years old have their branches shortened by one-third of their length and damaged shoots are completely cut off. Young shrubs do not need pruning; they only need to remove broken or dry branches.

1. The bush is carefully dug around the perimeter of the crown. If you dig closer to the trunk, you can damage the roots extending beyond the crown area, which will worsen the survival rate of the plant.
2. The honeysuckle is removed along with a lump of earth.
3. The bush and soil are rolled onto a burlap or film spread nearby and transferred to a new place.

A honeysuckle bush with a lump of earth is removed from the hole and transferred to a tarpaulin

Proper care after planting is the key to a bountiful harvest.

In order for young seedlings to withstand winter frosts, in late autumn they are covered with pine needles or sawdust, a layer 10-15 cm thick.

In early spring, the soil around the young bushes is dug up using half a shovel and watered abundantly.

In general, this culture is moisture-loving and loves daily watering in hot weather. The bushes do not need fertilizing - after planting, fertilizers are applied only in the third year of growth.

Shrub pruning is also carried out after three years of growth; only dry shoots that interfere with the growth of the bush are cut out.

Transplanting adult honeysuckle bushes

Sometimes it may be necessary to move an adult plant to another place. In this case, an adult fruiting honeysuckle bush is replanted in the fall. In this case, plants under the age of 5 years are simply dug up and placed in holes measuring 50x50 and 70 cm deep, filled in the same way as when planting. But bushes older than 6 years are pre-pruned at a height of 40-50 cm from the soil level so that the above-ground part is not too large. But keep in mind that at this age it is better not to replant plants - they take a long time to take root, and the first full harvest can sometimes be obtained only a couple of years after replanting, or even later.

About the healing properties of honeysuckle berries

In the berries of garden honeysuckle all the good properties of the fruits of its wild-growing ancestors are completely preserved. The luxurious chemical composition of early-ripening honeysuckle berries (vitamins, acids, microelements) and the strength of their beneficial effects on the body make this plant essential in the garden. In terms of healing effects, edible honeysuckle berries are right behind ginseng, but there are much fewer worries about growing honeysuckle!

Honeysuckle berries, like the leafy cuttings of rhubarb that grow in the spring, are the earliest vitamin medicines and delicacies in the garden. Honeysuckle fruits ripen 15 days before the first strawberries. Thanks to this, honeysuckle berries are the very first and surest remedy for spring vitamin deficiencies and various types of body overload. But the most basic health-improving effect of garden honeysuckle fruits is anti-radiation. For treatment, you just need to constantly eat fresh berries in such quantities as the body requests and tolerates.

The fruits of edible honeysuckle have long been used in alternative medicine for hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, malaria, etc. Honeysuckle berries are also used as a medicine for diabetes (type 2), obesity, hypertension and joint diseases.

Both fresh and prepared honeysuckle berries for future use (frozen, jam, juices, compote) bring many benefits to our body; they also taste good and are very refreshing. Grow undemanding and productive varieties of honeysuckle in your own garden, eat delicious and healthy berries for pleasure and benefit!