Honeysuckle berries in our gardens appear first. When the trees are still blooming, there are already fruits on the bushes of this plant. The best varieties of honeysuckle not only have useful healing qualities, but also delight gardeners with an incredibly tasty crop. Previously, its bushes were used as a decorative decoration of gardens. But soon its amazing beneficial properties were revealed. And today, many species, for example: honeysuckle Bluebird, Gourmand, Sorceress and many others - have become widely used in folk medicine.
The most common varieties
This plant literally burst into Russian gardens. About twenty years ago, few people thought about growing it. In amateur gardening, culture is widespread throughout our country, but most often it can be found in the Far East and the Urals, in Eastern Siberia, in Altai. A little less demand for it in the southern regions. The fact is that even the best varieties of honeysuckle cannot grow in too hot weather conditions.
The most unpretentious varieties are Wiliga, Gzhelka, Cinderella. They were cultivated for cultivation in the cold Siberian regions. For example, a Wilig variety can withstand fifty degrees of frost. Gzhelka is considered a universal plant: it makes an excellent hedge, reaching a height of up to two meters, in addition, it gives magnificent sweet berries with a characteristic astringency. From each bush, subject to agrotechnical rules, you can get two and a half kilograms of crop.
Classification
The early varieties include the Blue Bird, whose berries do not have sourness, Morena with very large fruits, Altair, etc. They are grown even in the Moscow region.
Amphora, Dolphin, and Berel honeysuckle are considered medium-ripening varieties (description of the variety, photos are presented below). Late-ripe species, the berries of which ripen in the last days of June, are Kingfisher, Nymph, Ramenskaya.
One of the highest-yielding varieties of this plant, the Leningrad Giant, was bred in the Pavlovsk laboratory.
In general, it is difficult to say which variety of culture is the best. All species are good. Most of them delight their owners with delicious and healthy berries.
Honeysuckle Berel: variety description, photo
This species was bred as a result of crossing the Blue Spindle, the Blue Bird and the Cote d'Azur. Berel is a honeysuckle with tall, erect and slightly sprawling bushes and an oval crown. The shoots of this plant are long and rather thick. They have a brownish-green color with anthocyanin color. Leaves are flat, medium in size, rounded oval. The berries that this plant gives are dark blue with a strong waxy coating. They are quite large, widely spindle-shaped. The mass of the fetus reaches one gram. The taste of berries is sweet-sour with a characteristic bitterness. Berel - honeysuckle, related to the average maturity. Productivity from each of its bush reaches three kilograms. The characteristics of the variety are low flaking and high winter hardiness. Pollinators for honeysuckle Berel - Kamchatka species and its own seedlings. Berries of this variety are used for canning - in compotes and natural juices, as well as for food coloring.
Soil requirements
Berel is self-fertile honeysuckle. Therefore, in order to get a good crop, it must be planted on one site next to another variety or with its seedlings. Only in this case, insects will ensure the pollination of the bushes. In some regions, Berel’s honeysuckle is considered a very important honey plant. They plant it from spring to autumn, with the exception of May and June. In these months, Berel’s honeysuckle is at the stage of the most active shoot growth. Those who are going to plant a crop in the spring should know that this must be done before the buds open. It should also be borne in mind that Berel is a honeysuckle that wakes up early enough.
Experts recommend planting this plant in the fall, from the last days of September until mid-October. To begin with, you should choose the most comfortable place on the site, bring the soil to the required levels, dig holes and prepare seedlings for planting. Berel is a honeysuckle, which is best suited for light, sheltered from the wind, lowland, marshy areas. The plant can be planted near the fence or surrounded by bushes of other varieties. The soil should be fertile - loamy or sandy loam. Organic matter should be added to poor soil. In cases where the pH of the soil in this area is shifted towards increased acidity, chalk or dolomite flour should be added to the ground.
Landing
Bushes of this sort of honeysuckle should be carefully inspected and removed broken roots and shoots before being placed in the ground. Landing is carried out in holes with a depth of up to forty centimeters. The distance between them should be from one to two meters. Well-rotted manure or humus, a little double superphosphate, wood ash and potassium sulfate should be introduced into the pits. Fertilizers should be mixed thoroughly with the topsoil. Mounds should be formed at the bottom of the dimples and honeysuckle bushes should be installed on them. Then you need to spread the roots and fill them with loose soil. You need to be careful that after planting the root neck is at a depth of three to five centimeters. Then, having compacted the soil around the seedlings, you should make sides around them and pour a bucket of water around the site. After the moisture is absorbed, mulching of the soil around the bush with peat, humus or dry soil is done.
Berel, honeysuckle: features of cultivation
The goal of any gardener who grows this crop on his plot is a rich harvest. Subject to all the necessary conditions: regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil around the bushes, timely fertilizing, pruning and protection from pests - the plant will delight with its delicious berries. It should be borne in mind: the better care is given for Honeysuckle honeysuckle, the more elegant its bushes look and the richer the harvest.
The cultivation process is facilitated by the fact that during the first three years after planting, bushes only need to be high up in the spring, of course, watering and loosening the soil, removing weeds. Pruning is not required for young plants. Watering the honeysuckle Berel should be moderate. Only in dry weather should moisture be supplied abundantly, because the berries begin to bite from a lack of water, and their quality is at risk. Pruning honeysuckle in the spring is carried out more for sanitary purposes. In regions with mild weather and with regular rains, you need to water the plant three or four times per season. The amount of water for each bush at a time should be ten liters.
Pruning
For the first two or three years after planting, the plant does not need it. And after, if the shoots grow normally and the bush does not look too thickened, you can not rush with it. In the best case, sanitary pruning of honeysuckle is carried out in the spring.
There are frequent cases when the process of thinning the bush is carried out only in the seventh-eighth year after planting. Although some agronomists recommend cutting the shoots on the seedlings immediately after planting, shortening them to seven to eight centimeters. And after that, wait for the bush to grow its green mass. Honeysuckle pruning is best done in the fall, after harvesting.
If the bush has become very thick, you can cut several zero branches growing directly from the ground. Dry, broken or too short branches must be removed. Fruits are formed only on strong annual shoots. Therefore, they should not be shortened. It is better to trim the ends of shoots that have a weak growth, and do not touch the middle and base.
How to propagate honeysuckle
There are three ways, each of which requires specific knowledge and labor. Honeysuckle Berel propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. Each of this method has its pros and cons. For example, reproduction by seeds is not difficult, but honeysuckle is a cross-pollinated plant, therefore the properties of parents in their offspring are not preserved. Therefore, the new generation is inferior in quality. Because of this, this method is mainly used by breeders for experiments. The most effective methods can be considered propagation by cuttings and layering.
Fertilizers
During the first two years of life, honeysuckle does not need to be fed. Then only fertilizer is applied. Preference is best given to organics. In late autumn, the bushes are fed with compost, ash and double superphosphate. In the spring, before opening the kidneys, ammonium nitrate should be added to the soil every year at the rate of fifteen grams for each square meter of land or with urea solution (one tablespoon per bucket of water).
Gardeners reviews
Wonderful berry culture, it can be said, problem-free - this is how our gardeners speak about many varieties of this plant. Honeysuckle Berel is no exception. Reviews about it indicate the great popularity of the variety in the central regions of the country. Many people like the fact that shrub care is minimal. This is especially true for those who choose to the site only on weekends. In fact, today, honeysuckle is the first ripe berry in the garden. It gives a crop even before strawberries. The berries are incredibly delicious. Many domestic gardeners boast of stewed fruit made from them. Another plus, according to gardeners, is that the honeysuckle practically does not get sick and perfectly tolerates frosts. It can grow on one site for more than fifty years and still not lose its fruitfulness. The main thing is to choose the right varieties for good pollination. You need to buy at least two, otherwise there will be no berries. Berel stands out among the other varieties by the taste and size of berries, so many choose this species for planting on their sites.