Features of growing honeysuckle in Crimea

Edible honeysuckle is a relatively new crop for Crimea, but every year it becomes more and more popular. The taste of the berries, early ripening of the crop, attractive appearance of the plant, high resistance to diseases and pests make this crop attractive to gardeners.

Growing honeysuckle in Crimea has its own characteristics associated with the climatic conditions of the region. Let's tell you more about them.

Does honeysuckle grow in Crimea?

The climate in Crimea is characterized:

• mild winters: average temperature – +4°C, sometimes when a thaw occurs it rises to +15°C;
• a small amount of snow - mostly precipitation in the winter in the form of rain;
• strong winds.

These conditions negatively affect most honeysuckle varieties, as:

• the plant requires a period of rest in winter;
• during a thaw, untimely flowering may occur;
• High humidity in winter can have a detrimental effect on the root system - honeysuckle does not like waterlogging.

Hot dry summers and mild wet winters dictate the selection of zoned varieties, adapted to these conditions and having the following characteristics:

• frost resistance;
• the ability to remain at rest during the onset of winter thaws;
• resistance to high summer temperatures and drought;
• lack of repeated autumn and winter flowering.

The best varieties for Crimea

For cultivation in Crimea, the Donetsk Botanical Garden offers varieties bred for the steppe and forest-steppe zones: Skifskaya, Ukrainka, Stepnaya, Donchanka.

Among the varieties of Russian selection for cultivation in Crimea, Fire Opal and Bogdana stand out.

Fire opal

The variety was bred at the Siberian Research Institute named after. Lisavenko and registered in the State Register in 2000.

The bush is compact, 1.5 m in diameter, back-cone-shaped. Has all the characteristic features of the species:

• frost-resistant;
• easily tolerates high summer temperatures;
• high-yielding - produces up to 6 kg of berries per bush;
• easy to care for;
• resistant to diseases and pests;
• There is practically no fruit shedding.

The taste of the berries is sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness. This honeysuckle requires pollinators, so two more varieties of honeysuckle are planted nearby for cross-pollination.

Read also:

Frost-resistant early ripening honeysuckle variety “Lakomka”

Frost-resistant variety of honeysuckle “Pavlovskaya”

High-yielding, frost-resistant variety Tomichka

Scythian

Variety selected by the Donetsk Botanical Garden.

Characteristics:

• high drought resistance;
• compact bush - 1 m in diameter;
• the yield is low - 1 kg of berries per bush;
• crumbling average – up to 15%;
• does not come out of dormancy in the autumn-winter period and does not bloom again.

The berries have a sweet and sour taste without bitterness.

Reference. Honeysuckle berries contain a lot of vitamin P, which strengthens the walls of capillaries.

Bogdana

The variety was created at the Pavlovsk station of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Growing and was tested at the experimental station in the village of Krasny Kut, Kharkov region.

A bush 1.5 m in diameter has the following characteristics:

• drought-resistant;
• yield 2-2.5 kg of berries per bush;
• low fruit shedding;
• is considered the best pollinator of the Leningrad selection.

The berries are sweet and sour, with a weak aroma.

Growing honeysuckle in Crimea

For growing honeysuckle in Crimea choose a zoned variety and plant two varieties of pollinators to it.

Choosing a location and seedling

It is better to purchase planting material in containers – this way the root system is not injured during transportation. The seedling should have 3-4 strong shoots.

Choose a place for planting that is illuminated – honeysuckle loves the sun, and its deficiency negatively affects the taste of the fruit and the yield of the bush.

Plant planted in a place protected from the wind in drained soil, since honeysuckle does not tolerate stagnant water.

Landing algorithm

Best period for planting honeysuckle – September and October, since by this time the plant finishes its growing season. In spring, sap flow begins early, and if the bush is disturbed during this period, it may bloom when the soil has not yet warmed up.

How to plant honeysuckle:

1. Dig a planting hole measuring 40-60 cm.
2. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the hole - expanded clay, broken bricks, pieces of wood.
3. Pour a bucket of humus or rotted manure over the drainage, add a glass of ash.
4. Fill the hole with heaped soil.
5. Place the seedling in the hole so that the root collar is 3 cm below the soil level.
6. Spread the roots and cover with soil.
7. Compact the soil in the tree trunk circle.
8. Water the seedling generously with settled water and mulch the tree trunk circle with dry grass or tree bark.

Seedlings are placed taking into account the size of an adult bush, at a distance of 2.5-3 m from each other.

Reference. Honeysuckle grows and bears fruit in one place for 25-30 years.

Care

Caring for honeysuckle is simple and consists of: watering the plant if the summer is dry, periodically fertilizing and pruning.

Watering and fertilizing

In dry summers, the bushes are watered weekly, 10 liters per bush, with settled and soft water. If there is enough rain, the plantings are not watered, but make sure that the soil in the tree trunk circle is slightly moist. At the same time, water stagnation is not allowed.

If fertilizers have been added to the pit, the plants do not need to be fed for the first two years after planting; they will use up reserves. Then feed three times per season:

• in spring - complex mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content;
• in the summer after harvest - double superphosphate;
• for the winter - manure or humus.

Mineral fertilizers are applied to a depth of 20-30 cm, manure or humus is placed in the tree trunk circle.

Trimming

As a rule, up to 6 years old bushes do not require radical pruning.. For 3-4 years trim off unnecessary branches inside the crown of the bush. After 6 years, sanitary pruning is carried out, during which the lower branches lying on the ground and blocking access to the tree trunk are removed. Old dry branches are cut out so that 5-7 strong trunks remain.

For old bushes, pruning to a stump is possible at a height of 40 cm.

Important! Do not cut off the tops of the shoots - this is where most of the flower buds are located.

Conclusion

Thanks to the creation of new varieties in recent decades, honeysuckle has moved beyond its natural range and ended up in the south. Growing the crop in Crimea will be successful if zoned varieties of honeysuckle that can withstand hot, dry summers and warm winters are selected for planting.