A vegetable garden is a place not only for physical work, but also for mental rest and relaxation. Planting something with your own hands, caring for it and watching the growth process - what could be more interesting and enjoyable?
More recently, many gardeners in our country were amazed by the fact that on their own plots it is possible to grow crops that were previously considered wild, that is, growing in forests, fields and meadows.
One of these crops that has won the recognition and love of Russian gardeners is honeysuckle, a resident of impenetrable forest thickets.
This culture has many varieties, both edible and decorative. One of these varieties will be discussed in our article. So, meet honeysuckle Kamchadalka. Description of the variety, reviews and growing tips are given in our article.
Breeding history
To develop a new species or subspecies of a crop, it is necessary to spend a lot of time and effort researching and studying this issue. Therefore, creating varieties is a long and painstaking process, but very exciting and interesting.
Honeysuckle variety Kamchadalka belongs to the authorship of two experienced scientist-breeders A. T. Tkacheva and I. K. Gidzyuk. The experiments of gardeners began many years ago. In 1984, the newly created variety was submitted for state testing, and nine years later it was widely distributed throughout all regions of the Russian Federation.
The selection of the variety took place at the stronghold of northern gardening in Bakcharsky, with the support of the Scientific Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia. Honeysuckle Kamchadalka was bred from honeysuckle Kamchatka, through free pollination of this species of selected form.
Let's pay attention to some features of the presented variety.
Pollinators
The cultivated honeysuckle turned out to be self-sterile. In order for the bush to give birth, pollinators of other varieties are planted nearby. Great for:
- Parabelskaya;
- Cinderella;
- In memory of Gidzyuk;
- X.
The Roxana variety is a good pollinator, as is Tomichka. From the reviews of gardeners, good fruiting in Kamchadalka is observed if the Blue Spindle honeysuckle bush grows nearby.
Important! Breeders use Kamchadalka honeysuckle to develop other new varieties.
Benefits of use in gardening
Honeysuckle Kamchadalka (a description of the variety will be given below) has great advantages for its use in suburban areas. First of all this:
— Abundant harvest of delicious aromatic berries.
— A product rich in vitamins and other useful substances.
— Effective decoration of the backyard landscape.
If you are interested in the design of a roadside area in front of your house or cottage, then the following photos are just for you.
As you can see, in order for honeysuckle to fit harmoniously and effectively into the home interior, you should arrange the hedge in accordance with your wishes, while not forgetting to carefully and scrupulously care for the plants.
Preparing for winter
The variety is adapted to frost and can easily overwinter even at temperatures below -35 degrees. Adult bushes do not need shelter, but young bushes, just planted seedlings, need to be covered with burlap.
The problem may lie in birds that eat buds from honeysuckle bushes in winter. Gardeners recommend using nets to cover the trees in the fall.
In the fall, when the foliage has fallen and pruning has taken place, all debris in the form of branches, grass, leaves and mulch must be removed from the trunks. The fact is that many insect pests take refuge in such a “blanket” near the honeysuckle, and in the spring they begin to attack the bushes.
Kamchadalka, honeysuckle. Description of the bush
This type of suburban flora grows mainly in the form of compact shrubs with a dense, narrow crown.
Honeysuckle Kamchadalka, a description of the appearance of which should interest many gardeners, has thick branches, knotty and straight, and dull green leaves. They are oval in shape and have elongated edges.
How tall is Kamchadalka honeysuckle? The description of the variety, of course, would be incomplete without mentioning this value. The height of the bushes usually reaches one and a half meters, so it is better to plant this type of honeysuckle separately from trees and other bushes.
How not to make a mistake when buying Kamchadalka? It must be remembered that the shoots of this variety are straight, thick and short, light green in color. The buds are large, and the ovaries are bare, small oval in shape.
Features of care
A good harvest is guaranteed only with proper and regular care of the bush.
Watering
In the first year, the plant seedling is watered regularly as the soil dries out. The shrub should get along well and quickly in the ground. Aged honeysuckle is watered once a week. The exception is dry days.
Watering Kamchadalka is carried out only after sunset.
Top dressing
The plant has enough organic elements for full development and fruiting. In the spring, the shrub is fed with 1 bucket of humus. In autumn, wood ash plays a special role.
Nitrogen-containing products are used only in the spring, because they cause a violent reaction in plants. The shrub begins to quickly grow green mass. In summer, nitrogen is harmful, because Kamchadalka will spend all its energy on foliage, and the berries will grow small and tasteless. In the fall, it is also impossible to apply nitrogen-containing products, since during this period the plant should prepare for hibernation, and not go wild and grow.
We recommend reading our article on how to care for honeysuckle in the autumn.
Immediately after the spring waters leave the snow, Kamchadalka is watered with 1 bucket of warm water with 1 tbsp dissolved in it. l. urea. Before the flowering period, use nutritious fertilizers Rastvorin or Aquarin. They are used and diluted strictly according to the instructions.
Trimming
Pruning in the 1st year after planting is prohibited. The first pruning is carried out only with adult plants; it is advisable to begin this procedure from the 6th year of life. Bushes are pruned in late autumn after complete shedding of deciduous mass.
First you need to remove all root growth. Strong shoots with a huge number of flower buds are left on honeysuckle. Only thin, weak and diseased branches should be pruned. A second such procedure may be necessary in the summer, if diseased branches with dark foliage and dry flowers have formed.
Reproduction
Any variety of honeysuckle is propagated by seedlings. It is better to purchase the plant in a trusted store; at the market, sellers can replace the branch with another variety of honeysuckle. Preference should be given to plants of the 2nd year of life. It can be recognized by its appearance: the crown height should be 35 cm, and it must have 3 branches.
The young plant is distinguished by the flexibility of its branches. Pay special attention to the shoots of the plant, they should not be dry, the bark may peel off, there is no need to worry about this.
A feature of any honeysuckle variety is the specific peeling of the shrub bark.
The branches must have living buds; a healthy plant always has well-developed roots. If there are already mature shrubs in the garden, the plant can reproduce independently by layering.
To do this, the gardener needs to sprinkle part of the branch with damp soil and make a small cut in the bark. When the cuttings begin to take root, they are cut off from the mother bush and a new seedling is planted. Don’t forget – you should maintain a distance of 1.5-2 m between plants.
Protection from diseases and pests
Honeysuckle Kamchadalka is resistant to many diseases. The main dangers are aphids and honeysuckle flies. Tobacco infusions help against aphids - this is as a preventive measure. Insects can be controlled by thoroughly spraying with special substances. Fungal infections do not affect honeysuckle, but dark spots on the leaves can indicate their presence.
It is better to use any chemicals before the period of formation and harvesting of berries.
Birds are especially dangerous. Honeysuckle fruits are blue in color and attract birds as food. The crop can be protected only with special shelters in the form of a mesh.
Description of fruits
How does Kamchadalka honeysuckle bloom? The inflorescences of the shrub consist of two small yellow flowers.
The berries, on the contrary, have a blue-blue color and are quite large in size (length - up to 2.7 cm, diameter - 1 cm). The shape resembles an elongated oval, pointed upward. The weight of each fruit reaches approximately one gram.
Any Kamchadalka berry has a smooth surface and a dense but thin skin covered with a waxy coating.
The fruit pulp is tender and has a fibrous consistency.
What taste will Kamchadalka please its owner with? Honeysuckle has an unusual, pleasant taste. This variety is distinguished by a delicate, sweet and sour aftertaste, as well as a special rich aroma.
The taste properties of this species were tasted by the State Evaluation Service and received a decent mark from 3.8 to 4.6 points, depending on the geographical location of growth.
Berry composition
The chemical composition of each Kamchadalka honeysuckle fruit consists of biologically active substances of P-active action (anthocyanins, cahetins, leukoanthocyanins, in general approximately 200-1800 mg/%), ascorbic acid (60-80 mg/%), vitamin B1 (30-40 mg/%), vitamin B, pectins, a combination of sugars, organic acids, as well as tannins and dyes.
In accordance with such a rich mineral composition, Kamchadalka berries are used for medical purposes for high blood pressure (as a vascular tonic) and for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (as a diuretic and tonic).
Maturing conditions
Honeysuckle Kamchadalka is considered a frost-resistant and drought-resistant plant, but it does not like sharp contrasts in air temperature and bears fruit well in temperate climatic conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to plant Kamchadalka in open sunny places.
According to the State Register, this variety of honeysuckle is best planted in the West Siberian region (Kemerovo region, Omsk region, Novosibirsk region).
Without damage to the harvest, the plant can withstand forty degrees minus, and when it blooms and ovaries, it can easily tolerate a drop in temperature to minus eight degrees. (These values are indicated in accordance with the Celsius table).
Kamchadalka honeysuckle is immune to various diseases and all kinds of pests, so growing it is very easy and pleasant.
It should also be mentioned that this plant is self-sterile. How then does honeysuckle (Kamchadalka variety) produce? The pollinator (or rather pollinators) of this species is honeysuckle of the varieties Cinderella, Roxana, Iksa, Blue Spindle, Pamyati Gidzyuk and others. Therefore, we advise you to plant these species nearby so that they, pollinating each other, bring a bountiful and tasty harvest.
Secrets of cultivation
Planting and growing Kamchadalka honeysuckle is no more difficult than raspberries, but the characteristics of the plant must be taken into account.
Landing dates
The plant can be planted in early spring or mid-autumn. But honeysuckle is characterized by too rapid and active bud bloom.
The best time for planting shrubs is autumn; during this period, honeysuckle is in a period of calm.
In the south, the plant is planted at the end of September or at the beginning of October, but gardeners themselves must choose the time for planting Kamchadalka. It is necessary to plant the seedling 3-4 weeks before the onset of the first frosts and strong winds.
Selection of location and soil
Kamchadalka has a negative attitude towards temperature changes. The bushes should be planted in a sunny area, it is advisable to first protect it from drafts. You can use a fence or surround the bush with other crops.
High elevations with dry soil are not suitable for growing seedlings. The shrub will not be able to bear fruit; it will regularly grow additional shoots and leaves. Lowlands are ideal for full plant growth, but the height of soil water should not be higher than a meter from the soil surface.
This variety of honeysuckle loves nutritious black soil and does not thrive on sandstones.
The normal acidity of the earth is from 5.5 to 6.5. If the soil is too acidic, then a month before planting the plant it is necessary to add 200 g of chalk or lime per 1 square meter. m.
Planting a bush: step-by-step diagram
Planting honeysuckle plants is carried out in the following order:
- Dig a hole 5 days before planting the plant. One bush will not bear fruit, so plant at least three seedlings (pollinating honeysuckle varieties) on the site.
- Make a 2 m span between the holes. The depth of one recess is 45 cm.
- Cover the bottom of the holes with stone drainage.
- Fill part of the hole with black soil and compost (in equal parts). Also add 1 kg of wood ash. 50 g of superphosphate is used as mineral fertilizers.
- If the soil is sandy, dig larger holes. A mixture of 2 buckets of black soil and 3 buckets of compost should fit into one hole. When digging the ground for planting honeysuckle, add 5 kg of clay.
- Fill the filled pit with water.
- At the bottom of the hole, make a hill of soil. Carefully place the seedling on it, straighten the roots, and cover with soil. Do not bury the root collar. After planting the plants, water them with water.
- After the soil has settled a little, top up, water and cover the root soil with mulch. Find out more about soil mulching here.
Kamchadalka seedlings are not pruned immediately; the plant may slow down in growth and development. Only damaged branches can be eliminated.
Honeysuckle. Variety Kamchadalka. Reviews
Recently, the plant has gained universal love among gardeners and gardeners. It is valued for its unpretentiousness and disease resistance, taste and medicinal properties.
Very soon, Kamchadalka honeysuckle (reviews of which can be read below) will take its rightful place in every Siberian yard and front garden. However, when planting, it is worth considering not only its advantages, but also its disadvantages.
Here's what reviews say about Kamchadalka:
- Kamchadalka blooms in autumn. It has tasty and aromatic fruits.
- Ripe berries do not fall off. And this is a big plus. But it is very difficult to monitor the pollination of Kamchadalka honeysuckle. It should be noted that this happens best with the Iksa variety.
- The berries are quite large, the yields are good. True, this variety also has some drawbacks - the berries are very difficult to pick, often with the stem missing. At the same time, they are well stored. But the pulp is very juicy, and its juice is difficult to remove from tissue surfaces. Honeysuckle is an ideal raw material for delicious and healthy jam.
Pollination and pruning technology
Edible honeysuckle “Kamchadalka” is a self-sterile variety, that is, if it grows on a site in a single copy or with bushes of the same variety, it will not bear fruit. In order for the bushes to produce a harvest, pollinators need to be planted next to them, and the following varieties of honeysuckle are excellent:
- "Blue Spindle";
- "X";
- "Parabelskaya";
- “In memory of Gidzyuk”;
- "Cinderella".
Pruning of honeysuckle shoots is mandatory; not only the aesthetic appearance, but also the yield depends on it. Pollinating insects do not penetrate into the thickened crown, and the color crumbles. Even if a bumblebee or bee pollinates the flowers inside the crown, the berries will be small and sour from lack of sun. Pruning is done in spring and autumn, but only for adult bushes over 5 years old. From young specimens, only diseased and frozen shoots can be removed.
Let's tell you more about the process:
- Spring pruning is sanitary and involves removing diseased, weak and frozen branches.
- In autumn, a thorough haircut is performed. One-year-old healthy shoots should be left as much as possible, and old and diseased shoots should be removed. The root shoots, branches that thicken the crown, and those that grow inward are cut off.
