Honeysuckle variety Blue spindle: variety description, planting and care
Blue spindle is one of the most popular varieties of honeysuckle grown in Russia. The plant is valued for its resistance to cold and drought, high yield and ease of care. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste and are suitable for use fresh or prepared.
Description of the honeysuckle variety Blue Spindle
Blue spindle is an early variety with high productivity and large fruits.
History of origin and distribution
The plant was bred in Siberia by free pollination of honeysuckle Start by breeders Z. I. Luchnik, Z. P. Zholobova and I. P. Kalinina. An entry in the State Register about the Blue Spindle appeared in 1989.
Reference. The variety got its name because of the berries that look like an ancient spinning instrument.
Blue spindle is grown throughout Russia, in countries near and far abroad.
Characteristics and description of bushes
The bushes are vigorous, reaching a height of 1 m. The crown is round, the density is average. Green shoots are directed upward at an acute angle.
Large leaves are elongated oval in shape and dark green in color.
Temperature resistance
This variety adapts well to temperature changes and can withstand frosts down to -45°C. The bushes can withstand harsh Siberian winters, which are destructive for most other berry crops.
Honeysuckle does not stop bearing fruit even at +35…+40°C.
Moisture and drought resistance
The variety is drought-resistant, but in dry periods the berries become bitter if there is insufficient watering.Abundant moisture is required only in extreme heat; in normal times, it is enough to water the plant once a week.
Honeysuckle feels good even in wetlands, but damage to the root system is caused by groundwater located close to the surface (at a distance of less than 1 m).
Resistance to diseases and pests
This honeysuckle variety has high immunity to various pests and diseases such as spider mites, aphids, and cercospora.
Characteristics and description of fruits
The berries are large (about 3 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter). The shape is lumpy with a flat bottom and a pointed top. The color of the peel is dark blue, there is a thick waxy coating.
The consistency of the pulp is tender, the taste is sweet and sour. The average yield of the variety is 2 kg per bush.
Important! The taste of the berries varies depending on the region. So, in dry areas the fruits are a little bitter.
The berries contain:
- tannins;
- Sahara;
- organic acids;
- pectins;
- vitamins C, P, B1, B2, B9, beta-carotene;
- magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron.
Areas of use
Berries are consumed fresh, they are used to make fruit drinks and jams. Frozen fruits are used as additives for wines and various tinctures.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the Blue Spindle include:
- early ripening;
- resistance to frost and drought;
- high immunity to pests and diseases;
- size and taste of berries;
- decorative type of bush.
The disadvantages include the high shedding of ripened fruits and the dependence of the crop on pollinators.
Growing technology
It is not difficult to grow this variety of honeysuckle on the site due to its unpretentiousness. The main thing is to study the basic rules of cultivation and follow them.
Optimal conditions
Although Blue Spindle honeysuckle is undemanding to growing conditions, it is best to plant it in a sunny location, protected from drafts. Groundwater should be no closer than 1 m from the surface.
The shrub is not picky about soil, but when planted in depleted soil, it is fertilized with dry branches and wood chips, which, when rotting, will nourish the soil and warm the root system.
Landing dates and rules
Honeysuckle with an open root system is best planted before winter, about a month before the onset of cold weather.
Important! A plant with a closed root system is planted at any time of the year.
Planting technology:
- Dig holes. The size of each is 0.4x0.5 m. The distance between the holes is left at least 1.5 m.
- A mixture is made from the excavated soil by adding 10 kg of compost, 300 g of wood ash, 150 g of superphosphate and about 30 g of potassium salt.
- A drainage layer is placed in the hole, and a nutrient mixture is placed on it.
- A seedling is placed in the middle of the hole, its root system is straightened, and then covered with earth and watered with a bucket of water.
- When the water is absorbed, the hole is filled with earth and compacted.
- Having made a circle around the trunk, water the bush with 1 bucket of water and mulch with sawdust, peat or straw.
Further care
Shrub care comes down to watering, fertilizing and pruning. Moisturize it once a week. For an adult plant, 3-4 buckets of water are enough.
Feed the Blue Spindle 3 times a year. The first time this is done is in the spring, immediately after the snow melts. Mix mulch with 4 kg of peat and spread it under each bush. The following fertilizer is applied during the formation of buds: ash is sprinkled on the ground around the trunk.
Reference. It is useful to feed the plant with ash at the end of summer.
The third feeding is carried out when the plant is at rest.To do this, make a ditch about 0.2 m deep around the bush, at a short distance from the trunk, and add 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate. The hole is filled with earth, leveled and watered.
For the first 3 years after planting, only dry or damaged branches are pruned. Then 2-3 old branches are removed, saving a stump about 8 cm long, on which new shoots will appear next year.
In the spring, preventive pruning is carried out: branches growing downwards or inside the crown, intertwined with each other, are removed.
Possible problems, diseases, pests
This variety is rarely exposed to diseases and pest attacks, but if the plantings are dense or there are other diseased plants nearby, there is a risk of developing:
- various spots;
- powdery mildew;
- blackening of shoots;
- tuberculiosis.
To prevent diseases in spring and autumn, plants and the soil under them are treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture. Affected shrubs are sprayed with systemic fungicides.
The most common pest of this variety is fingerwings. Insecticides are used to prevent and control insects.
Wintering
The blue spindle easily tolerates even severe frosts, so it does not require special preparation or shelter for the winter. In autumn, the bush is pruned and fed.
Reproduction
Honeysuckle is propagated in the following ways:
- By cuttings. Annual shoots are plucked together with the “heel” (a piece of bark with a thin layer of wood) from the mother bush and rooted in a greenhouse.
- By division. Part of the root system with young shoots is separated from the bush and planted.
- By layering. The young branch is buried in soil, waiting for roots to appear on its lower part, and then separating it from the mother bush.
Features of cultivation depending on the region
The variety is suitable for cultivation in any region of Russia and has virtually no differences in planting and care.
The only thing that is important to consider for those who want to grow this honeysuckle: in dry areas it is required Water more often to prevent the berries from becoming bitter.
Pollinator varieties
Blue spindle is a self-sterile variety, so to obtain a harvest, honeysuckle varieties of Kamchatka selection are planted next to it:
- Morena;
- Tomsk;
- Cinderella;
- Blue bird.
Reviews from gardeners
Most gardeners in their reviews of the variety note its high yield and ease of care.
Olga, Vologda region: “I planted Blue Spindle 3 years ago. During this time, the bush has grown quite strongly. It does not require shelter for the winter; it produces a harvest every year. The berries are large, we like to eat them fresh and freeze them for the winter. The only drawback is that the fruits quickly fall off the bush.”
Victoria, Angarsk: “I chose the Blue Spindle honeysuckle for the plot because it practically does not need care, which is very important at my age. The variety pleases with its yield: on average, I collect about 2 kg of berries from 1 bush. I love making jam from them.”
Nikolay, Nizhny Novgorod: “I like this variety because of its yield and the size of its fruits, but the taste is mediocre. That’s why we don’t eat berries fresh—we make jam from them.”
Conclusion
The blue spindle is suitable for those gardeners who love the sweet and sour taste of honeysuckle and do not want to spend a lot of time caring for the bush. To get a good harvest of large sweet and sour berries, it is enough to water the plant once a week, prune it twice a year and feed it three times a season.
The shrub does not need to be covered for the winter; it is rarely subject to diseases and pest attacks.For active fruiting, 3-4 pollinating varieties of Kamchatka selection are planted on the plot.