Methods and Precautions for Planting Honeysuckle
Sharing knowledge about honeysuckle with everyone, here is a detailed introduction.
Regular flower enthusiasts know that the most commonly cultivated flower is the Chinese rose. When they bloom together in spring, the colorful flowers are quite stunning. Besides, I also raise two honeysuckle plants. After the Chinese roses fade, it's the season for honeysuckle to bloom. Pruning and weeding in the courtyard, the air is filled with the fragrance of honeysuckle. The scent of honeysuckle is very comfortable and intoxicating. If you also like fragrant flowers, I highly recommend you to raise a honeysuckle plant.
Honeysuckle Introduction
Honeysuckle is a plant of the Lonicera japonica Thunb. plants, which are relatively cold-resistant, so honeysuckle is also very cold-resistant. Honeysuckle is not only cold-resistant but also drought-resistant and thin-soil tolerant. Due to its vigorous vitality and rapid growth, it is also a traditional climbing plant.
Remember when I was still celebrating Children's Day, in early summer mornings, my mom would often pick a lot of honeysuckle and tie them up with string to hang around her neck. In those days, wearing a string of honeysuckle or gardenia on the front of your clothes was very popular, like natural perfume. Now, even when I smell honeysuckle, the fragrance is still strong, but I'm no longer young.
Methods and Precautions for Planting Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is really super easy to plant, with strong vines. It grows fast when cultivated as a climber and blooms a lot. Honeysuckle can also be used as a potted plant on the balcony, which is also very easy to make it bloom. The specific maintenance methods are as follows.
I. Growing as a Climbing Plant
Honeysuckle as a climbing plant can grow very large and quickly take up a lot of space. It can be used for climbing walls, arches, etc., or climbing on shelves to create a棒棒糖 shape. In short, the more branches honeysuckle has, the more flowers it blooms, and the further the fragrance spreads.
When growing as a climber, it's best to plant it in the ground in a sunny location with good lighting. Honeysuckle grows more vigorously with at least 3 hours of direct sunlight a day. Ground planting requires minimal care, with an appropriate trim every winter. If ground planting is not possible, you can also use a large pot or planting box, such as a pot with a diameter of 40 cm.
II. Potting Honeysuckle Planting Techniques
For balcony gardeners or those with only a terrace, if you want to plant honeysuckle, you can only do so in a pot. Actually, potting honeysuckle can also be done well, and the maintenance is also very simple. I suggest you focus on this point.
- Choose a Strong Seedling
- Relatively Loose and Breathable Soil
- Ensure Sufficient Light
- Fertilization and Water Management
- Appropriate Pruning
For potting honeysuckle to thrive, choosing a strong seedling is relatively important. If the seedling is small and has no main stem, it will be difficult to manage in pot culture because honeysuckle will keep producing creeping branches and it's hard to shape it. It will not shape up in a short time unless you use a shelf. Therefore, it is recommended that when you choose a seedling, choose a strong one, which is more conducive to shaping.
Honeysuckle is not picky about soil and can even survive with just a little soil. However, since we want our potted honeysuckle to bloom more, it is recommended that the potting soil should be loose and breathable to prevent compaction. Compact soil can make maintenance more difficult.
When planting honeysuckle, you can use 2 parts garden soil mixed with 1 part general-purpose nutrient soil, mixed evenly. It's even better to add some fermented organic fertilizer to increase the soil fertility.
Honeysuckle is a plant that loves the sun and can even be in full sun in summer without worrying about sunburn or summering problems. Honeysuckle is not afraid of heat or cold, having a tough body. Even if you are a beginner, there's no need to worry at all. As long as you maintain sufficient light, honeysuckle can live well, thick-skinned as it is.
If there is a serious lack of light, honeysuckle can easily get powdery mildew, so the requirement for light is at least 3 hours of direct sunlight a day, preferably full sun.
Honeysuckle planted in the ground does not need fertilizing or watering, but potted ones still need some care. At least in the spring when the plants sprout, apply 1-2 times of general-purpose growth fertilizer, and when the flower buds are long, apply 2-3 times of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, so that honeysuckle will bloom more.
After the blooming period, you can apply some fermented organic fertilizer, and in the winter dormant period or early spring before sprouting, you can repot and add base fertilizer.
For potted plants, watering doesn't need to be too frequent. When the top 2 cm of the potting soil is dry, then water. Honeysuckle is very drought-resistant, and too much water can easily cause leggy growth. Slightly drying the potted honeysuckle can suppress its growth.
Honeysuckle has strong vines, and pruning is essential for potted plants. Generally, half of the branches are pruned after flowering to reduce the crown width of honeysuckle. With sufficient fertilization and watering, honeysuckle can bloom again in autumn, and it will defoliate and enter dormancy in winter. It can be pruned heavily during dormancy.
Honeysuckle is very tolerant to pruning, so in winter or early spring before sprouting, you can cut off all the weak branches, leaving only the strong main branches, which will result in stronger new buds. In early spring, you can also remove some weak buds.
In spring, honeysuckle grows very fast, and if there is sufficient fertilization and watering, the new branches of honeysuckle tend to grow leggy. Timely topping can suppress the leggy growth and promote early flowering of honeysuckle.
Honeysuckle is very easy to care for, classic, and a very值得 raising aromatic flower. Not only does it smell good but can also be eaten. Honeysuckle has the function of clearing heat. Generally, the upper part of the swollen white flower buds are picked in the morning, dried, and used to brew tea for drinking.
The above sharing of honeysuckle introduction and comprehensive introduction of honeysuckle planting methods and precautions, hope to bring some knowledge of green plants to green plant enthusiasts.