Harvest variety of honeysuckle “Malvina” with sweet and sour berries without bitterness

Edible varieties of honeysuckle are displacing decorative varieties from summer cottages, since they are practically not inferior to them in their ability to decorate the garden and at the same time delight them with a harvest of delicious berries. In this article we will talk in detail about the Malvina variety, the fruits of which are characterized by universal use, dessert taste and rich chemical composition.

Description of the honeysuckle variety Malvina

Malvina is a medium-ripening variety of edible honeysuckle. In central Russia, the harvest is harvested at the end of June - beginning of July. The average yield is up to 3.2 kg per bush or 48.9 c/ha.

In a refrigerator berries retain quality for 3 weeks, in case of overripening - 3-4 days.

History of origin and distribution

Honeysuckle Malvina was bred in St. Petersburg by breeders of the Pavlovsk experimental station VIR named after. N.I. Vavilova based on the plant of elite form No. 21-5 from the Primorsky Territory and the Leningrad Giant variety. The authors of Malvina are M. N. Plekhanov and A. V. Kondrikov.

The variety was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 2002 with a recommendation for cultivation in all regions.

Characteristics and description of bushes

This honeysuckle is a medium-sized (about 1.5 m high) bushes with a squat oval crown, dark brown skeletal branches and thin, straight, pubescent shoots of light green color.

The leaves are large, 6 cm long and 3 cm wide, dense, elongated oval in shape with a slightly pointed tip, dark green in color, and have barely noticeable pubescence.

During the flowering period, which occurs at the beginning of May, small bell-shaped pale yellow flowers appear at the nodes along the length of the shoots, collected in racemose inflorescences.

Temperature resistance

Malvina is a frost-resistant variety. The bushes can withstand a drop in air temperature to –50°C, provided that the above-ground part is covered with agrofibre. The root system does not freeze at –40°C, flower buds survive recurrent frosts down to –8°C, but die if the temperature drops further.

Honeysuckle tolerates heat, but only with regular watering.

Moisture and drought resistance

The variety cannot be called drought-resistant. Lack of moisture leads to a decrease in yield, crushing of berries and a deterioration in their taste.

Resistance to diseases and pests

Honeysuckle Malvina is resistant to most common diseases and pests. However, under unfavorable weather conditions it can be affected by aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, spider mites, powdery mildew, sooty fungus, tubercular disease and rust.

Characteristics and description of fruits

The berries are large - reach 2.9 cm in length, 1.2 cm in diameter and weigh on average 1-1.1 g. They have an elongated pear-shaped shape, covered with a dense, pubescent, bluish-blue skin with an intense bluish waxy coating .

The pulp is fibrous, sweet and sour dessert taste, without bitterness.

The fruits contain 8% sugars, 1.9% organic acids, 52 mg of ascorbic acid (per 100 g), 14.6% dry matter.

Areas of use

Malvina berries are consumed fresh, frozen or dried.They are also suitable for making preserves, jellies, jams, juices, compotes, jelly and even homemade wine.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Advantages of the variety:

• resistance to frost, diseases and pests characteristic of the crop;
• suitable for production growing technology;
• large fruit;
• poor berry shedding;
• good transportability and long lasting shelf life;
• excellent taste and rich chemical composition of the fruit;
• relatively early maturation;
• good yield.

Malvina has no serious shortcomings. Minor disadvantages include only demanding watering and difficult harvesting, since the berries are poorly separated from the stalks.

Growing technology

The success of growing Malvina depends primarily on how correctly the seedlings are prepared and the location and landing dates.

For planting in open ground, choose two-year-old seedlings 40 cm high with 2-3 above-ground branches and a developed root system. It is important that the shoots are elastic and have large, living buds.

Reference. Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are kept for an hour in a solution of a growth stimulator (Kornevina, Heteroauxin). This improves the survival rate of planting material.

Optimal conditions

Plants are planted in a well-lit place protected from gusty winds and drafts. Lack of light and shading negatively affect the fruiting of bushes.

Malvina prefers moderately moist, nutritious soil with an average or neutral acidity level. The best option is loamy soil. In an acidic environment, the bushes develop poorly, wither, and the leaves become pale.

When choosing a site for planting, avoid ditches and places where groundwater is located close to the soil surface - stagnation of moisture leads to rotting of the root system.

Landing dates and rules

The optimal time for planting Malvina is from August to November. Spring planting is not recommended due to the early growing season. Planting plants in spring is only permissible in the southern regions using the transshipment method.

Landing rules:

1. 10-15 days before planting the seedlings, dig up the area and clear it of plant debris and weeds.
2. Dig planting holes measuring 40x40x40 cm.
3. Fill the bottom with a drainage layer of expanded clay, pebbles or broken bricks, and top with a nutritious soil mixture (dug up soil, 2 buckets of humus, 2 tablespoons of superphosphate and 0.5 kg of wood ash).
4. Form an earthen mound in the center of the planting hole, place a seedling on it and spread its roots along the surface of the embankment.
5. Cover the rhizome with soil so that it is evenly distributed between the individual roots, and the root collar is deepened by a maximum of 3 cm.
6. Compact the soil in the tree trunk area and water the seedling generously.
7. Mulch the surface with peat, sawdust or bark.

The distance between bushes should be 2 m, between rows - 2.5 m.

Further care

Young bushes are watered 2-3 times a month, adults - 5-6 times a season with settled water heated in the sun. Approximate water consumption is 15 liters per plant. If there is hot, dry weather during fruit filling, water consumption is increased to 3 buckets per bush. Water is applied into the irrigation furrows around the bush and from a hose with a sprayer.

Important! You cannot use the sprinkling method during flowering due to the risk of washing off pollen from the flowers.

To maintain moisture in the soil and stop the growth of weeds, the soil is mulched with hay, straw or compost.

In the third year, the plants begin to be fed with organic fertilizers according to the following scheme:

• after the snow melts - 10 kg of humus per bush;
• during budding and formation of ovaries - ash solution (1 liter of ash per 10 liters of water);
• end of autumn - a mixture of 5 kg of compost, 100 g of ash and 40 g of superphosphate per 1 m².

Once every 3 years in the fall, honeysuckle is fed with potassium fertilizers at the rate of 15 g per 1 m². This increases the resistance of the bushes to diseases.

When the plants reach three years of age, they begin prune. Every year, at the beginning of spring or at the end of autumn, all diseased, broken, dry and improperly growing branches are removed from the bushes. Cutting areas, especially large ones, are treated with garden varnish.

Possible problems, diseases, pests

Diseases and pests that threaten Malvina honeysuckle:

Chemical treatment of bushes is permissible only before the ovaries appear or after harvesting.

Wintering

Malvina bushes do not need in winter shelter. The only exceptions are extremely low temperatures (about –50°C). In this case, the plants are covered with agrofibre.

Otherwise, preparing Malvina for winter consists of abundant (at least 30 liters for each bush) watering 15 days before the expected frost and mulching the tree trunk area with compost.

Reference. In case of slight freezing, the tops of young shoots are cut back to healthy tissue in the spring.

Reproduction

Since the seed method is labor-intensive and most often ends in failure, Malvina is propagated by green cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.

After flowering, cuttings of a maximum length of 12 cm are cut from young shoots, which are placed in a fertile substrate, watered, greenhouse conditions are created for them and kept at a temperature of +25°C, ventilating and moistening daily. Planting material is obtained in the fall; it is planted in open ground in the second ten days of October.

Reproduction by layering is the easiest way. To do this, at the end of June, bend the top of the shoot to the ground, cover it with a 5 cm thick layer of soil, secure it with a metal clip and water it abundantly all summer.In the fall, when the shoot’s own roots appear, it is separated from the mother bush and planted on the site.

When dividing a bush, the plant is dug up, divided into several parts so that each has its own root system, and planted as independent plants.

Features of growing varieties depending on the region

The agrotechnical requirements imposed by Malvina honeysuckle do not depend on its region growing.

One should only take into account the possible need for insulation and shelter in northern regions where winters are harsh, as well as the need for more frequent and abundant watering in southern regions with arid climates.

Pollinator varieties

Honeysuckle Malvina is a self-sterile and cross-pollinated variety, and therefore needs pollinating varieties. The most suitable options:

• Blue spindle;
• Blue bird;
• Moraine;
• Start;
• In memory of Kuminov;
• Kamchadalka.

Conclusion

Malvina is a high-yielding variety of edible honeysuckle, which is characterized by frost resistance, unpretentiousness, large fruit and relatively early ripening. Malvina does not have any special requirements for soil composition and climatic conditions, so it is successfully cultivated in all regions.