What is the honeysuckle? Characteristics of edible honeysuckle planting and care of the reproduction
Honeysuckle derived from western China where it forms thickets. It brings together some 200 different species. Coming from a warm climate, plants are subjected to various tests. Breeders have endeavored to bring varieties adapted to different natural and climatic conditions. They were withdrawn released varieties that can withstand frost. In this regard, the vine has become more widespread and now even the people in the North can afford to grow honeysuckle. It develops rapidly, its young shoots grow to 1.5-2 m per season. This property allows the bush to create beautiful landscape compositions, to decorate the gazebo and space near the house.
interesting!Plant name means “goat leaf”, so sometimes honeysuckle also called “goat grapes».
Fragrant, blooming beautifully vines, rise with the support stands to a height of 4-6 m. Elliptically shaped leaves dense, dark-green, bluish-gray below. They retain their color to late autumn, one of the last in the garden.
At first shoots are light green tint, but under the influence of solar heat and light becomes pink. With age, the shoots are covered gray bark. Bark begins to peel off a little with time.
Gentle, mostly two-colored flowers are the main attraction of honeysuckle. Elongated inflorescences collected in bouquets especially decorative. In the middle, each flower lighter (white or cream) and pitch is typically dark red or dark pink. In addition to red and pink, there are also yellow, purple and white flower petals.
Aroma strong all the time, but in the evening it becomes particularly prominent. Stamens extend far beyond the boundaries of inflorescences, which enhances the decorative plants and reminds its tropical origin. Life is the flower lasts for 3-4 days, and the whole flowering takes about three weeks. Due to the constant emergence of new inflorescences, overall decorative effect lasts long.
Orange-red fruit of this plant also have decorative qualities. They ripen in early August, and adorn the bush until late autumn. Against the background of dark green bright green berries look impressive. The fruits of some species are edible honeysuckle; Some, on the contrary, are poisonous, including honeysuckle common, widely common.
Honeysuckle can be used in a garden landscape in different ways: it looks good in group plantings with pine, pink, other vines, ornamental shrubs. With proper cultivation and maintenance, honeysuckle able to admire its beauty and fragrance nearly half a century.
Flowers plants honey, they eagerly visited by bees, so close to the apiary will be very useful.
How to plant edible honeysuckle? soil preparation and planting
This plant is quite undemanding and requires no special care. Successful breeding depends on the execution sequence caring for young plants. Caring for honeysuckle is watering (in the hot season), mulching, fertilizing and crop fertilizers. Weed the ground, when the bush is growing. Fluffy soil receives the heat and oxygen. If no mulch, weed the soil twice a week. 
When honeysuckle planting should be carefully choose the place. To vine bloomed long and abundant, it is necessary to plant it in a sunny location. The eastern part of the garden is an ideal place for this plant.
In the shade it can develop normally, but the sun will look decorative. At the same time it is important to protect plants from wind and drafts. The presence of groundwater in the area should not be superficial. Otherwise honeysuckle roots can rot and the plant dies. To avoid this, make drainage.
The acidity of the soil can vary from very low – to high. However, gardeners have noticed that the plant grows best in soil with a neutral acidity.
Watering
Honeysuckle needs regular moisture of the soil, but does not tolerate severe drought, so the amount of watering in hot weather increase the half. In normal weather, water the honeysuckle is recommended once a week, and in hot weather – twice. Normal humidity will allow the plant to bloom profusely, to extend its period decoration.
Important!Regularly watered especially in the first year, including the winter during periods of dry cold.
Top dressing
After planting in open ground plant fed for three weeks. It is recommended to use mineral complex with nitrogen and potassium. Mature plants are fed once a season during flowering. In the autumn, before winter wood ash are added to the root circle to ensure the vine until the spring fertilizing.
How to plant honeysuckle?
Selected portion fertile and loose soil, avoiding the excessively dry areas. Planted in open ground in early spring or autumn, to have time to take root seedlings before winter. Spring planting – the best choice in this case.
For more information!It is advisable to plant the bushes where it will grow constantly because it is very difficult to transplant.
Liana could normally grow and develop only if it have something to cling to. Each vertical surface suitable as a support for pletistyh branches. Suitable for stand specially made lattice, as well as pergolas, house walls, pergolas and so on. D.
For planting seedling planting hole prepared larger rootball about 0,50×0,50×0,50 m. Lessons from the pit soil was mixed with fertilizer or peat. On the bottom was placed drainage of small pieces of brick or gravel. Before planting honeysuckle remove all weeds and perennials.
Development of plants depends on healthy seedlings. It is recommended to choose their two years of age, with 2-3 branches and up to 30 cm. Before buying seedlings it is necessary to examine, and if there is no visible defects, they are bought and planted in the country.
Note!In order to form a hedge of honeysuckle planting produce in trench planting several seedlings.
Turn-based landing procedure:
- lightly pruned roots;
- seedling put vertically into a hole on the bottom of the pit was disintegrating roots;
- watered and then covered with soil;
- is attached to the support, if necessary
- after falling asleep land held much water;
- the ground around the trunk mulch peat or humus.
Honeysuckle bushes like fertilizers, especially natural: suitable humus, compost or manure. In autumn it is recommended to pour ashes on the roots.
Forming bush
Pruning honeysuckle helps to improve its development, and to enhance flowering. The procedure is performed in the fall and spring. All frozen and dry branches or with traces of disease are removed. The sun penetrated into the bush in the middle of some branches are also deleted.
The first procedure pruning is carried out in the first year after landing a permanent place in the bush. At a young age all the immature shoots are removed, leaving only the strongest, about 3-4 pieces. Stems shortened by one-third of their length. All subsequent trimming is conducted every 5 years. In the spring before the leaves is impossible to distinguish the living from the dead shoots. Therefore, you must remove the frozen sprouts as buds appeared.
To stimulate the emergence of new shoots after reaching the desired height, the top of the main stem is cut. For the main rejuvenation crown used quite strong trimming at which removes all that is located more than 0.5 meters from the ground.
Shrubs begin to bear fruit after 2 or 3 years after planting. The richest color on old wood. It is important that the bush was not too thickened, poorly lit inside, because then the flowers and fruits are formed only on the perimeter. At three years old and the perennial branches little fruit, or not at all.
Reproduction honeysuckle
Honeysuckle edible multiplies in four ways, each of them has its own characteristics:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- slips;
- the division of the bush.
Seed propagation is the most labor intensive and time consuming process, so it is selected relatively infrequently. The seeds are collected in the fall of the fruits of honeysuckle in the second year of life plants. Their spring sown in trays filled with soil mixed with sand. Under the film seeds germinate, grow up strong seedlings, and in autumn are planted in open ground.
You can achieve a good success in the reproduction of rooted cuttings in June and July, about 10 cm long, with 2-3 internodes. Cuttings – a popular method gives practically guaranteed a successful result. Cuttings cut summer – strong sample taken. They spend the winter in a mixture of peat, sand and soil, and in spring planted in open ground. As a rule, honeysuckle blooms next summer.
Layered reproduction honeysuckle is quite simple. To do this, take the branch of the adult plant, tilted her to the ground and sprinkled. When it takes root, it is transplanted.
bush division method is also popular. The plant produces a great number of laterals, so the problems with the choice of planting material will arise. This method is also good because it allows you to plant a new plant immediately. In order to separate part of the bush, you need to dig a little base of the roots, then cut the process, which has roots. The shoots are shortened by about a third and are planted in the new place.
Winter hardiness
In general hardiness of plants is quite high: very tolerant of cold and practically does not need shelter. It is desirable to hide the young vine in winter with fallen leaves or peat, focusing on the root zone so that it can withstand the cold. This should be done only for the first two years until the plant will not become stronger.
Diseases and pests
Although honeysuckle is not very tender plant, but may be affected by pests and diseases. It is most often confronted with fungal diseases. Spots on the leaves is a symptom of this.
The foliage is sensitive to powdery mildew when wet spring. The leaves are covered with gray bloom and fade.
In particular, aphids can affect the plant. Therefore, the garden honeysuckle should be checked regularly for the presence of aphids.
The diseased sprouts to be removed immediately, and the rest plant treated with a solution of copper sulfate or preparation “fundazol”. If the rescue measures have not yielded positive results, the bush has to be dug out and burned.
Useful properties of honeysuckle
All types of honeysuckle, has healing properties. Tincture of the leaves and flowers of the plant are used to treat various diseases. The aroma of the plants able to cope with nervousness and stress.
Honeysuckle flower contains essential oil and many other useful substances that are responsible for the healing properties.
used by:
- When inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and digestive tract;
- for the treatment of skin infections (abscesses);
- asthma;
- for the treatment of diseases of the urinary system;
- when coughing.
Japanese cultivar is more widely used for medicinal purposes. It has an antibacterial effect. European type contains salicylic acid.
Honeysuckle – creeping, beautifully flowering plant combines well with plantings of roses, conifers and deciduous shrubs. Regularly grooming curly bushes, you can create a beautiful seating area on the site, enjoying the fragrance of flowers in the pleasant coolness.
