Honeysuckle secrets: subtleties of successful winteringBut not for those who are engaged in the cultivation of honeysuckle and have already managed to enjoy all the advantages of this fragrant berries. In the conditions of the arrival of late spring, it ripens in mid-June, when raspberries, strawberries, currants only tie buds. Features of honeysuckle planting in Siberia
Skeptical gardeners for a long time believed that planting honeysuckle in Siberia at country sites was a waste. The vowel is their argument - the cultivated species of this plant will die in conditions of a cold winter and better be content with wild forms that are widespread in Siberian forests. Well, the one who decided to take a chance and planted a honeysuckle from the Siberian series in the garden, can confidently confirm that this shrub can withstand temperatures up to -45-50 degrees and is almost not damaged by repeated frosts.
In order for the plant to successfully develop and bear fruit in a cold Siberian climate, you need to know how to plant honeysuckle correctly so that it will quickly acclimatize:
- Select only zoned varieties that have been developed specifically for the Siberian region.
- Three-year-old bushes in containers, with an open root system, are best suited for planting. They are several times more expensive than annual seedlings, but they are more resistant to climatic conditions, will take root more quickly after transshipment and will delight you with tasty berries in the first year.
Choosing the right, healthy, quality seedling is a real art. Saplings of a strong three-year-old honeysuckle should have from three to four elastic branches up to 40 cm and a well-branched root system with a large presence of small bright roots around the earthen coma. Before buying, it is advisable to dump the plant from the pot and inspect the ground. If there is no unpleasant smell of mold, and the earthy clod is firmly held around the roots, then such a plant is well cared for in the nursery and it will quickly take root.
- It is better to prepare the pits for planting in the spring and fill them with long-lasting mineral fertilizers, once a month to shovel the soil. Planted honeysuckle on a permanent place is recommended a month before the onset of frost. If the plant is with an open root system, it is better to carry out planting in late spring or early summer, provided that it is cool, rainy weather. In this case, the bushes must be regularly watered and prevent the fruit from setting.
- The landing pit must be volumetric and deep( at least 1 meter).Over the summer, it will squeeze a bit and fill with loose compost. In such a land it is convenient to plant the plants, since it is already filled with all nutrients and oxygen( subject to regular soil re-shoveling).Drainage system is better to make of coarse pebbles or cobblestones.
- The bush in the pit must be placed so that the earth spud the lower branches of the plant.
- During planting, it is forbidden to apply fertilizer under the roots.
- The land around the planted plant is watered, well tamped and mulched. As mulch is best suited sawdust, needles, compost, peat, fresh cut grass. In the Siberian forests grows sphagnum moss. It is an ideal mulch for berry bushes. In the summer or autumn, you can also use straw, but in the winter it is better to replace it with pine branches.
- Do not abuse thickened plantings. The distance of one and a half meters wide between the bushes will allow the honeysuckle to fully develop and bear fruit.
- It is better to start top dressing in a year, in small doses, after abundant watering.
Several varieties of honeysuckle on one plot can significantly increase the yield.
After planting, further care for honeysuckle consists of weeding, watering, as the soil dries out and preventive work. It is important not to overdo the fertilization. This can lead to the death of the plant or severe exposure of the lower part of the trunk.
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Honeysuckle secrets: the subtleties of care and successful wintering
Honeysuckle care in Siberia is not much different from a similar process in another region of the country. One year after planting, the bushes should be regularly fed with complex fertilizers. But since the summer in this region is short, it is better to accelerate the flow of nutrients to the roots. To do this, deep holes are made with a crowbar in the barrel wheel of the bush and a solution with trace elements is poured into them. Nitrogen fertilizers are best used only in early spring in minimal quantities, since the plant will not have time to fully absorb them in a short vegetative period. Ammonium nitrate dose should not exceed 35 g per plant. Potassium and superphosphate contribute in the spring and autumn with the calculation of 30 grams per bush.
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Honeysuckle is a simple and easy-to-care plant. It quickly takes root on the site and gladly gives its fruits to people. Experienced gardeners have long found an approach to this plant and learned the secrets of honeysuckle, which will facilitate the care of the bushes and help increase the yield:
- Learn how to water the honeysuckle. This plant does not tolerate waterlogging, but loves to drink in the heat. It is important not to miss watering in two periods of the growing season of the bush: during flowering and at the beginning of mass ripening. If at this time the plant is experiencing a lack of moisture, it can lose 50% of the crop. To water an adult bush, three large buckets of water will suffice. It should be neatly and evenly distributed over the area of the circle of the trunk. When irrigation can not use wells for fertilizer. In this case, the upper soil ball and lobe root system will remain dry, and they are most affected by lack of moisture.
- Honeysuckle - a poor-growing plant and how many used fertilizers and growth stimulants were not added under it; there will be no greater escape growth of 5-6 cm per year in the Siberian climate. The plant responds well to organic fertilizers and, if possible, it is better to use them. Infusion of mullein( to make only in the spring) or chicken manure has a beneficial effect on the growth of young shoots, crop quality.
- July-October is a time when honeysuckle can be transplanted to a new place without stress for the plant. Before transplanting, the land around the bush is watered, waiting for moisture to absorb and only then begin to dig the plant. It is necessary to capture as much as possible a clod of earth around the roots. This will allow honeysuckle to resume growth faster.
- It is necessary to control the formation of honeysuckle crown. Thinning the bush and removing old shoots must begin in the third year after planting. Thickened plants dramatically lose their yield and decorative appearance. In order to achieve better fruiting, it is worth shortening the branches of the plant to 20 cm. It is important that the lower part of the shoot be as lit as possible, since there is a greater number of flowers.
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A few simple tips can, at times, better than any fertilizer and stimulants, increase fruiting and honeysuckle growth. If you do not have skills in the formation of a bush and pruning plants, then watching a video about planting and caring for honeysuckle will help to cope with the task.
Preparation of honeysuckle for winter in the conditions of Siberia has its own characteristics. It is very important for a successful wintering:
- to cut off all young, underexposed shoots on the crown and remove old, diseased branches that will serve as sources of infection;
- mumble the stem of a bush with spruce or pine branches; coniferous branches are the best protection against rodents and good organic feeding;
- lower shoots should spud earth.
On the question of how to prepare honeysuckle for winter, there is one simple and effective answer: timely prevention of diseases, proper care strengthens the immunity of honeysuckle and helps it to winter without loss and stress.
Honeysuckle in Siberia: the best varieties of
If you choose the right zoned honeysuckle varieties for Siberia, then summer will always begin with a tasty and fragrant berry. The choice should be guided by such criteria as:
- high yields;
- good winter hardiness;
- early fruiting.
Altai and Chinese honeysuckles meet these requirements and are close relatives of many valuable varieties zoned in the Siberian region.
Altai honeysuckle lives throughout Russia, is widely distributed in the forests of the Far East, Siberia, the Urals and Altai. The plant grows well in bright places, open slopes. Fruiting shrubs begins in early June and ends in September. For berries characteristic blue color and bitter taste. On the basis of Altai honeysuckle created such varieties as "Berel", "Fire Opal", "Tick, Selena", "Sirius".
Kamchatka Honeysuckle is distinguished by precocity and good, sweet taste of fruits that are prone to shedding during ripening. The slow growth of the bush and the late entry into the fruiting phase is the main drawback of the plant, but the high winter hardiness has allowed scientists to derive such popular varieties as “Blue Spindle”, “Cinderella”, “Blue Bird”, and “Iliyad”.
Today, beneficial breeding work is being done in this direction and the main goal of scientists is to create honeysuckle varieties with a low level of fruit shedding, high yield and resistance to natural conditions.
Honeysuckle Video
