The composition of honeysuckle berries contains useful trace elements, vitamins and biologically valuable substances. The culture is northern, in the southern regions most often shrubs with poisonous fruits grow. And you won't find edible honeysuckle with dark blue or purple berries. Today I will tell you in detail about this plant.
Description of honeysuckle
The plant is cold-resistant, does not tolerate heat well. But Ukrainian breeders have developed varieties that grow well in the southern regions. Honeysuckle has very early ripening of berries and high frost resistance, survives in frosts down to -50 ° C. In the south, due to unexpected winter thaws, it comes out of hibernation ahead of time and is damaged by recurrent frosts. But with the return of short-term frosts in the spring, honeysuckle does not suffer. Peduncles are not afraid of temperatures down to -10 ° C.
The shrub grows to a height of 2-2.5 meters, its root system is well developed. From a lack of moisture in the taste of the fruit, bitterness appears. The plant begins to actively bear fruit from 6 to 25 years, the life span of the bush is up to 50 years. One shrub gives up to 2.5 kg of fruit. Honeysuckle does not pollinate on its own; therefore, 2-3 plants should be planted in the garden.
Care features
Shrubs tolerate transplanting well, grow in illuminated areas, and cannot bear fruit in the shade. In the southern regions, the crop forms a crop only in partial shade.
Prefers to grow on neutral ground. It does not tolerate waterlogging irrigation, but from moderate moisture it gives an increased yield. From insufficient watering, the berries become small, and bitterness appears in the taste.
Honeysuckle can be planted both in spring and autumn, planting holes should be shallow with the addition of humus. During the pre-winter planting, the stems are not shortened, and during the spring planting, they should be cut to strong buds. You can plant vegetables between the bushes.
Honeysuckle requires nitrogen fertilization, even if the soil is fertile, as this is due to slower growth at the beginning of the life cycle. Such feeding should be carried out before June 15, every 14 days, as soon as leaves appear on the plant. The solution is prepared from water (10 l) with the addition of nitrogen fertilizer (30 g). In the future, they are fed twice during the period of blooming and full flowering.
Honeysuckle should be propagated by dividing the bush with layers and cuttings. When propagated by seeds, varietal characteristics are lost.
Shrub formation
The first time I recommend cutting the shrub at the age of five or seven. Crown shaping is best done in the fall after shedding the foliage, and in spring it is necessary to perform sanitary pruning, removing curves, dried, weakened shoots. It is imperative to get rid of the root growth. Up to 4-5 healthy stems should remain on the bush, and excess branches should be cut off.
When shaded inside, some branches dry up and do not grow. Do not forget that the fruits form on the stems. So remove the shoots that drown the bush, not branches of this kind. When the bushes are no more than 10-13 years old, rejuvenating pruning can be done for them.
During the procedure, first of all, cut off the dried branches to living parts, then remove non-growing shoots, leaving 1/3 of the soil surface. A properly pruned shrub should be illuminated from all directions. If the plant is running, you should cut off all the aboveground parts and start forming from scratch.
The culture is highly resistant to frost, moreover, it is immune to disease, it is quite easy to care for it. Add to these advantages the wonderful vitamin fruits - and the perfect berry bush will grow on your site.
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