How to propagate honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle is known for its beneficial qualities, it is rich in vitamins and trace elements, so it can often be found on the site. Those who have already appreciated the benefits of this berry often wonder how to properly propagate a shrub, and what methods agricultural technology offers.
Timing
Garden edible honeysuckle breeds in spring and summer. If you use green cuttings, then with the onset of warm days, they quickly take root in the ground and take root in two weeks. Since autumn, lignified seedlings have been prepared, however, long-term storage in a garage or barn significantly worsens the quality of planting material.
At any time, you can plant honeysuckle bushes with taps. Professional gardeners say that this is the easiest and least labor-intensive method, which allows not only to obtain healthy planting material, but also to divide the bush during the entire growing season without harm to the plant.
If a decision is made to carry out breeding in the fall, then it is worth adhering to the deadlines. All work must be completed a month before the expected onset of cold weather. This time will be enough for the root system to develop and the plant to prepare for wintering.
You can cut the cuttings after flowering, when they break when bent, and do not bend. If this is done before the fruit appears, then only 50% of the bushes will take root.This happens because the shoots are not ready for planting, with high humidity they will simply rot in the ground.
Ways
There are several ways to independently plant honeysuckle around the site. Each differs in preparation and process, but as a result, they all give excellent results if you approach the breeding process responsibly.
layering
Vertical and horizontal layering is a great way to propagate honeysuckle at home. Before placing them in the ground, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. The earth is dug up and levelled. The branches located below are bent down where the formation of the root system is planned, the layer is placed in the ground.
It is enough to bury one centimeter, so that soon roots form in this place. From above, you can add another five centimeters of earth, if necessary, the outlet is fixed with a wooden pin.
If this is done at the beginning of summer, then on average, by spring, the branch will take root enough so that the bush can be planted from the mother. The vertical layering method is quite simple, but it is not suitable for plants that are under 5 years old. With the onset of spring, the base is covered with earth by 20 centimeters, all summer they carry out high-quality care, which consists in hilling and regular irrigation.
The root system will appear by spring. The formed hill is dug up, the required number of shoots is cut off and transplanted.
division
If the honeysuckle bush is well developed, you can simply divide it into several parts and plant it. This is best done in the fall, when all the leaves are shed and the crop is harvested. Planting holes are fertilized and irrigated.
Experienced gardeners recommend cutting the shoots by 1/3, since the crown will form no earlier than in a year. Cut off branches can also be successfully planted in the ground and, thus, diluted with new berry bushes. Those who have learned how to propagate a plant during the vegetative period receive high-quality planting material not only for their dacha, but also for sale.
cuttings
It is necessary to cut the plant correctly and it is better to choose for this earlier in the morning when it is cool outside. For this, strong branches of the current year are selected. It is imperative that there are two pairs of nodes on the shoot, from which leaves are then formed. The length of such a process should be up to 12 centimeters, in diameter - 5 millimeters. If there is a small distance between the nodes, then it is better to take a cutting with three nodes.
One and a half centimeters recede from the kidneys and an upper horizontal cut is made, the lower one should be at an angle of 45 degrees. In order for the roots to appear faster on the cutting, its lower end can be treated with a biostimulator. They are sold in a wide variety of stores.
After the planting material is cut, it is not kept in water, but immediately placed in the ground. It is desirable that the soil be loose, so it should contain sand and peat.
The key to success will be the high humidity of the earth and air. It should be warm outside in order to create the necessary conditions for the development of a honeysuckle bush. A temperature of 25 degrees with a plus sign is considered just perfect. It is best to place the cuttings in a greenhouse, where it is possible to create the necessary conditions. A film greenhouse is perfect, where the plants will need to be not only regularly watered, but also sprayed.
If the necessary conditions are maintained, the root system will begin to appear in ten days. It is during this period that it is necessary to harden future honeysuckle bushes. The period between spraying increases, but you can not stop caring for the plants. The gardener must continue to loosen the soil and remove weeds.
If you want to make the plant stronger, then in the first year all the flowers are removed. Thus, vital forces go to the formation of the crown and root system. For a few more years, the cuttings will be grown so that the process proceeds as intended, space is maintained between the bushes. It is possible that it was not respected during planting, but after that it will be necessary to plant the plant, otherwise there will be few berries, and the result will be a hedge.
It is absolutely impossible to transplant from the fall, as the cuttings will die. An excellent time for the procedure is the beginning of spring. If the seedlings are still weak, it is better not to touch them until the third year.
seeds
Breeding honeysuckle with seeds is quite long and laborious, however, this method takes place. You might think that it is much easier to do this with bones, but it is not. It is necessary to prepare for the fact that some of the properties of the plant related to the selection process will be lost, however, if there is no other planting material, then the first bushes can be obtained by this method.
Planting time is mid-autumn. Seeds must be properly stored if you want to get plants from them in the future. It is best to use sand as soil. The container should be about six centimeters high and wide for convenience. Before planting, the soil is abundantly moistened, the seeds are evenly distributed and sprinkled.You will need to cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and send it to the refrigerator. Watering with a spray gun is carried out regularly, at least once every two weeks.
With the onset of spring, to breed honeysuckle, a tall box is taken and filled with soil mixture. After watering, sand with seeds is added to it, and fertile soil is again poured on top and the container is covered with a film. Now you need to find a place where the sun will shine for at least six hours. As soon as shoots appear, the film can be removed. You can plant bushes in open ground in early autumn.
How to care?
If you properly care for honeysuckle, then the first harvest can be obtained in the second year. At first there will be little, but every year the number of berries on the bush will only increase. For about thirty years, a plant can bear fruit if the gardener organizes watering, top dressing, loosening the soil and, of course, the prevention of pests and diseases, although the shrub is not predisposed to them.
If we talk about the care of honeysuckle, then this plant is surprisingly picky, therefore, a minimum of attention is required from the gardener. In the fall, it is important to properly prune the bushes, feed them with fertilizers in the spring, nitrogen ones help especially well. It can be watered with ash during the fruiting period.
Under the bush, they must clear the ground of weeds, loosen the soil so that the roots can receive a sufficient amount of oxygen.
Despite the fact that honeysuckle is very rarely sick, it needs to be treated from aphids and borers, since they are the main enemies of the gardener. The preparations are in stores, each contains detailed instructions for use, which the gardener should follow.
Tips
It’s impossible not to make mistakes at all, otherwise how to gain experience in growing and propagating this beautiful berry bush.
Planting seedlings is not an easy process, which is why gardeners face many problems.
- If reproduction is carried out through seeds, then after a year, when it seems that the plant is already strong enough for planting in the ground, you should not change its location yet. The shrub has not yet developed certain properties that allow it to cope with a sharp drop in air temperature, despite the fact that honeysuckle is considered a frost-resistant plant.
- If green cuttings are used for propagation, then the planting material should be slightly larger in size, since too small ones will put all their forces on the ground part, while the root system will suffer. You can not cut the cuttings before frost and plant them in the ground, the bushes will not be able to take root, so the first drop in temperature will lead to the death of honeysuckle.
- If the gardener seeks to plant a shrub on his own, it is enough just to comply with these requirements. Particular attention is paid to the time when planting material is being prepared.
- If you plan to buy a bush, then it is desirable that he be at least two years old. It is imperative that 3 branches be present on it, and he himself should be at least thirty centimeters high. It is necessary to consider in more detail the branches, which must be flexible, not dry and not have any kind of damage. The root system plays an important role, so it must be strong in order to take root well and quickly.
- A slight peeling of the bark does not indicate a disease, this is a feature of honeysuckle. There must be buds on the branches, if they are not, such planting material will not work.
- It is best to purchase a plant of several varieties at once. Honeysuckle is well pollinated, but not all varieties are pollinators, there are also self-fertile ones that require neighbors. The presence of paired varieties will provide you with a good harvest for twenty years, because that is how much an average shrub can grow in one place.
- If the landing is made in the southern region or the summer turned out to be warm, then no additional work will have to be done. In the case when it is cool outside, there can be sharp differences between day and night temperatures, a film greenhouse will be an ideal remedy. Even ordinary plastic bottles can play the role of an excellent protection.
- It is best to plant a cutting under a tree, where there is no bright sun. Pay attention to the soil, which should be sandy and have good breathability. Before planting, the ground is irrigated so that it is sufficiently moist.
- When the buds appear and the cutting takes root, the film is gradually removed. First, several holes are made, but it is not worth moving the edges away, since the draft created by it adversely affects the young bush. Every day, the holes need to be expanded, and only after a week or two can the film be completely removed. As a rule, this happens by the end of summer. The plant still has a few cooler months to take root and prepare for winter.
The berry bush has a number of advantages valuable to humans, so it is becoming more and more popular with gardeners. It is not always possible to find planting material for sale - this is one of the main reasons why people tend to plant honeysuckle on their own. Not only does she sit down beautifully, but the gardener is only required to follow the advice.Cuttings are one of the most popular propagation methods, but not everything can work out if the temperature is not observed. The most favorable conditions for rooting a plant is considered to be a mark of 25 degrees.
If you follow these rules of agricultural technology, then even a novice gardener can easily plant honeysuckle on his site. The final result depends on how responsibly he approaches the solution of the problem.
How to propagate honeysuckle, see the following video.