Kamchatka honeysuckle - description and best varieties

Honeysuckle is grown everywhere in Russia. However, only the bush variety with blue and gray fruits is considered edible. Other types of honeysuckle are used for decorative purposes, since their bright and beautiful fruits are inedible and sometimes poisonous to humans.

Kamchatka honeysuckle is one of the edible varieties of this crop. It bears fruit with oblong large berries, which contain many useful substances. At the same time, initially the fruits of wild Kamchatka shrubs had a bitter, tart taste, but breeders developed varieties with higher taste characteristics.

And in this article you will learn which varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle are the most popular, and how to properly grow it on your site.

Description of wild Kamchatka honeysuckle

Kamchatka wild honeysuckle is shrub whose height varies within 1-2 m, but does not exceed 1.5 m. It grows in Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Siberia, the Kuril Islands, along the Okhotsk coast. Wild shrub is found in mixed forests and meadows. The plant is frost-resistant and hardy. It tolerates even the coldest winters and is not afraid of windy and dry weather.

The bush blooms in May. During this period, the bushes are covered with small yellow flowers. Fruiting continues from June to July. The berries of Kamchatka honeysuckle are large, elongated cylindrical or ellipsoidal in shape. They are juicy, but tart and bitter in taste.

The fruits of Kamchatka honeysuckle are rich in vitamins B and C, with the highest content of vitamin P. The berries also contain minerals, flavonoids, and tannins.

Northern peoples consume berries fresh and prepare jam from them. After freezing, the bitterness of honeysuckle becomes less pronounced, the fruits become sweeter and more pleasant to taste.

This is interesting! Kamchatka honeysuckle berries are widely used in folk medicine. They have a diuretic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory effect.

The best varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle and their characteristics

Cultivated Kamchatka honeysuckle includes a whole group of varieties. Based on it, various improved plants were bred. They are distinguished by a more pleasant taste of berries, shape and size of fruits, yield and some other characteristics.

Among the many varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle, there are those that are most popular among gardeners. Each culture has its pros and cons.

Kamchadalka

Honeysuckle Kamchadalka was bred by Siberian breeders. This is a frost-resistant early ripening plant.

Description of honeysuckle variety Kamchadalka:

1. Bush. Medium height. The maximum height is 1.5 m. The crown is compact, narrow, and obverse-conical. The branches are thick, knotty, strong, and have a dark green color with a purple tint.
2. Leaves. Elongated, oval. The color is grayish green. The edges are slightly curved towards the center along the vein
3. Fruit. Medium size. Oval shape. The length reaches 2-2.5 cm, the average weight of the fruit is 1.5 g. The berries are smooth, with smooth skin. Dark blue with a bluish waxy coating. The tender pulp without bitterness has a sweet and sour taste and rich aroma.
4. Maturation terms. Early ripening variety.Ripening occurs in the first half of June.
5. Productivity. Average. One bush produces up to 2 kg of fruit.
6. Peculiarities. Winter-hardy and drought-resistant variety.
7. Immunity. There is immunity to diseases and pests.

Siberian

The Siberian was bred in 1972 in the Tomsk region. This variety of honeysuckle has sweet fruits with a rich aroma.

Description of honeysuckle Siberian:

8. Bush. Medium height. The maximum height is 1.6 m. The crown is spreading, oval in shape. The branches are thin, flexible, brown in color.
9. Leaves. Elongated, oval, pointed. The color is bright green.
10. Fruit. Medium size, spindle-shaped. The average weight of each berry is 1.5 g, and the length varies between 1.5 - 2.3 cm. The color is purple. The skin is thin, bumpy. The taste is sweet, with a slight sourness. The aroma is rich.
11. Maturation terms. Early ripening variety. Ripening occurs in the first half of June.
12. Productivity. High. Up to 4 kg of berries are harvested from mature honeysuckle.
13. Peculiarities. Frost-resistant and drought-resistant variety.
14. Immunity. There is immunity to diseases and pests.

Nymph

Honeysuckle nymph was bred in St. Petersburg. Its main feature is sweet fruits, practically without bitterness. But this is not its only positive characteristic:

15. Bush. Medium height. Maximum height – 1.7 m. The crown is rounded. Spreading, prone to thickening. The shoots are thin, flexible and strong, long and straight. They have a green color with a brown tint.
16. Leaves. Dark green color. Medium size. Elongated oval shape.
17. Fruit. The fruits are large, elongated (up to 3 cm in length), curved. Each berry weighs on average 3 g. The shape is spindle-shaped, slightly lumpy. The skin is thin, blue with a bluish coating. The pulp is fibrous and juicy.The taste of the berries is sweet and sour, slightly tart.
18. Maturation terms. Mid-season. Ripening continues from late June to early July.
19. Productivity. Average. 1.5-2 kg are collected from the bush.
20. Peculiarities. It is characterized by high frost resistance. The berries do not fall off from young plants, but from old bushes they fall off when ripe.
21. Immunity. There is resistance to fungal infections.

In order for honeysuckle to produce good yields, it is recommended to plant several bushes of other varieties on the site. The best pollinators for the nymph are: Blue spindle, Viola, Blue Bird, Start.

Bakchar giant

The Bakchar giant is a tall, spreading shrub. This minus is fully compensated by the tasty and large fruits.

Description of the variety:

1. Bush. Tall, reaches 2 m in height. The crown is sparse, but spreading. It reaches 1.2 in width. Oval shape.
2. Leaves. Medium size, rounded-elongated shape. Color grey-green.
3. Fruit. Large, elongated shape. The weight of each berry reaches 2.5 cm, and the length is 5 cm. The shape is oval-elongated, not aligned. The color is blue, there is a waxy coating.
4. Productivity. High. About 3 kg per bush.
5. Peculiarities. High frost resistance.
6. Maturation terms. Mid-season. The berries begin to ripen at the end of June.
7. Immunity. High resistance to viral and fungal diseases.

Blue spindle

Blue spindle is a variety whose berry taste depends on weather conditions. The disadvantage is that ripe berries fall off the bush.

Characteristics of the Blue Spindle:

1. Bush. Short. The height does not exceed 1 m. The crown is sparse, compact, not spreading. The shoots are flexible, thin, green.
2. Leaves. Elongated oval. The color is dark green.
3. Fruit. Medium size. Spindle-shaped.The length of the berry reaches 2.7 cm, and the weight is 1.5 g. The skin is dark blue in color, there is a bluish waxy coating. The taste is sweet with sourness. With a lack of moisture, the fruits become bitter.
4. Productivity. Average. Varies between 1.5-2 kg per bush.
5. Peculiarities. High frost resistance and drought resistance. In this case, the lack of moisture will negatively affect the taste of the fruit.
6. Maturation terms. Early ripening. The fruits ripen from June 10 to June 23.
7. Immunity. High resistance to viral and fungal diseases.

Landing rules

In order for the honeysuckle harvest to cause pride, the plant not to get sick and to develop properly, it is important to choose a suitable site for it in the garden. A well-lit place protected from the wind is suitable. It is important that groundwater does not lie too close to the soil surface (no closer than 1.5 m).

Note! In place of the uprooted honeysuckle, do not plant a new bush for 4-5 years.

The soil should be loose and nutritious. Loams are considered the best option. Honeysuckle will also grow in sandy soil, but in this case more frequent feeding will be needed.

The selected area of ​​the garden is prepared for landing Kamchatka honeysuckle at least a month in advance. The soil is dug deeply and cleared of weeds. Acidity is measured - if the indicators are not neutral (about 5-6 pH), add dry lime if the acidity is high and high-moor peat if the acidity is low.

When choosing seedlings, pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Age and size. Seedlings that are 2 years old take root best. The height of the planting material should vary between 30-40 cm. There must be 2-3 branches.
2. Root system. The root system should be well developed and have many shoots.It is important to pay attention to the absence of rotting and dry roots. Good roots will be moist when cut.
3. Branches. They should be flexible, not dry; if you scrape off the bark, you will find a green layer underneath. It is important that there is no damage. spots and other signs of disease. Be sure to have live buds on each shoot.

Seedlings are sold with closed and open root systems. Planting material whose roots are in an earthen coma takes root better.

Note! Peeling on the bark and buds of honeysuckle is not a sign of seedling disease. This is a cultural feature for which she is popularly called “shameless.”

Honeysuckle is planted in early spring or after leaf fall. 1-2 weeks before the procedure, prepare the holes:

1. Dig holes with a diameter and depth of 40 cm. The distance between the holes is 1.5-2 m for low-growing varieties and 2-3 m for tall ones.
2. The soil removed from the hole is mixed with 50 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium nitrate, 2-3 kg of manure, 1 kg of ash.
3. The wells are watered with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.

It is better to plant a seedling early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not active. In this case, follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. A layer of drainage (crushed stone, expanded clay, broken ceramics) 5 cm thick is poured into the bottom of the hole. A mound of nutritious soil mixture is formed in the center of the hole.
2. The seedling is placed in the center of the hole. Its roots are evenly distributed over the mound.
3. The hole is filled with the remaining soil and fertilizers, compacted thoroughly.
4. Honeysuckle is watered with 2-3 buckets of water. The soil around it is covered with a layer of mulch.

Care

Kamchatka honeysuckle is an unpretentious and hardy plant. However, basic care he needs it. The basic rules are presented in the list:

1. Watering. If it rains in summer, honeysuckle is watered only 3 times per season.The first time this is done at the end of May, the second - in July, the last - after harvesting. In the dry season, the amount of watering is increased. Use settled water at room temperature. The soil is moistened when the sun is not active - early in the morning or in the evening.
2. Loosening and weeding. After each watering and rainfall, the soil is loosened. This is done to destroy the earthen crust, which contributes to stagnation of moisture and interferes with normal root air exchange. During the loosening process, weeds that are considered carriers are removed infections and pests.
3. Mulch. To reduce the amount of loosening, protect the roots from cold weather, diseases and pests, and slow down the growth of weeds, the soil around the honeysuckle is covered with mulch. Rotted hay and straw, humus, and peat are used.
4. Formation. For the first 3 years, Kamchatka honeysuckle does not need pruning at all. Then cut out all the growth around the bush. Branches located too close to the ground and shoots that thicken the crown.
5. Feeding. They begin to feed honeysuckle from the third year after planting. The first fertilizing is applied in early spring (before the buds open), 15 g of ammonium nitrate diluted in 10 liters of water is poured under the bush. The second time fertilizer is applied after harvesting. They are prepared from 1 kg of rotted manure, 10 liters of water and 30 g of nitrophoska. The last autumn feeding is prepared from 5 kg of rotted manure, 100 g of ash and 50 g of double superphosphate. Fertilizers are simply buried under the bush.
6. Sanitary pruning. Sanitary pruning is carried out every autumn. I remove dry, broken, frostbitten and disease- and pest-damaged branches. The cut areas are treated with garden varnish.

For old plants whose yield has decreased, rejuvenating pruning is carried out, all old branches are removed, leaving young shoots.

Conclusion

Kamchatka honeysuckle is a frost-resistant and hardy shrub with edible fruits. It grows wild in regions with harsh climates. The plant produces large but tart fruits.

Breeders have developed many varieties that are part of the Kamchatka honeysuckle group. They have retained resistance to negative environmental factors, but at the same time have a more pleasant fruit taste and increased yield.