How to Plant and Cultivate Honeysuckle: Methods and Techniques
The editor will explain the methods and techniques for planting honeysuckle, as well as introduce related information about the propagation and cutting of green plants and flowers. Please see the detailed introduction below.
Honeysuckle, also known as silverflower, twinflower, and doubleflower, is a perennial twining shrub of the Caprifoliaceae family and is a common medicinal material. Honeysuckle is cold in nature, and its leaves, vines, and flowers can all be used as medicine, with the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. It is mainly used to treat warm diseases with fever, wind-heat colds, sore throat, pneumonia, dysentery, carbuncles, ulcers, and other conditions. It is also an important raw material for toothpaste, beverages, tea, and cosmetics. Its planting technology is relatively simple, and with good management, it can generate significant economic benefits. Today, I will introduce the key points of honeysuckle planting technology to help everyone plant honeysuckle better.
Ⅰ. Characteristics
Honeysuckle enjoys light, is adaptable, cold-resistant, salt and alkali tolerant, drought-resistant, and flood-resistant, and can be planted in wasteland, slopes, ditches, and around houses.
Ⅱ. Seedling Raising
Every year from the end of July to the beginning of August, choose healthy, disease-free 1-2 year old branches, cut them into 30 cm lengths for cutting seedlings. Dig trenches with a row spacing of about 35 cm and a depth of 20 cm. Place the branches obliquely in the trench at a spacing of 3-5 cm, with the upper part exposing the buds. After cutting, water promptly and keep the soil moist. Roots and buds will form in about a month, and the following spring, they can be planted in the field.
Ⅲ. Planting
Field planting usually has a row spacing of 2 cm and a plant spacing of 1.5 meters, with 222 plants per mu. It can also be planted with a row spacing of 1 meter and a plant spacing of 75 cm. After the growth is dense, move every other row and plant.
How to Plant and Cultivate Honeysuckle: Methods and Techniques
Ⅳ. Pruning
1. Seedling Pruning Method
For 1-2 year old young trees, the main purpose is shaping. In the spring, after new branches sprout, select a sturdy, upright branch as the main stem. When it grows to 25 cm, pinch the top to promote lateral branching. After the lateral branches sprout, remove the lower suckers promptly. By thinning the lower lateral branches, the main stem can increase in thickness every year. Select 4-5 strong, upright branches on the main stem as main branches, remove the suckers and weak inner branches, and after the picking period is over, cut the other branches to promote flowering branches. This way, the tree can take shape in 2-3 years, generally about 1.5 meters high, convenient for picking.
2. Flowering Pruning Method
After 3 years of planting, the plant enters the full flowering stage, focusing on flower production, with secondary emphasis on training the main stem, main branches, and expanding the canopy. Generally, pruning is done 3 times a year.
① The first pruning: From late autumn to early spring of the following year is the first pruning period. This pruning should "cut every branch, thin out the suckers," and should be light rather than heavy. Cut off 1/3 of the length of the flowering branches, and remove the withered branches, pest and disease branches, and suckers. After the spring sprouting, thin out the lower and inner suckers and buds, and pinch the top before Qingming. The first batch of flowers generally accounts for about 40% of the annual yield.
② The second pruning: Mid-June is the second pruning period. By this time, the picking of the first batch of flowers is basically over. The pruning should "pinch the top, clean the middle, remove the weak, and retain the strong, thin out the shade and retain the sun, ensure ventilation and light." As there is little rain before the wheat harvest, the tree's vigor is weak, so pruning should be appropriately heavier and more thinning should be done. Cut off 1/2 of the old flowering branches, thin out the lower and inner weak branches and overlapping branches to ensure ventilation and light.
③ The third pruning: This is done in late July to mid-August after the second batch of flowers is picked. At this time, it is hot and humid, the most vigorous growth period. Pruning should be careful, cut all flowering branches, retain all new buds, thin out the shady branches, inner weak branches, and suckers. If the tree is tall, thin out the top and retain the bottom; if the tree is short, retain the top and thin out the bottom. For trees with dense canopies, pruning methods such as reducing large branches or thinning them should be adopted to ensure ventilation and light.
Ⅴ. Fertilization
Every autumn, apply base fertilizer in strip trenches or pits. When applying in strip trenches, dig one side of the tree each year, with a trench depth of 30-50 cm and a width of 30 cm. Mix the base fertilizer with the surface soil and apply it to the bottom layer. Depending on the size of the tree, apply 20-30 jin of organic fertilizer and an appropriate amount of superphosphate and potassium sulfate per plant. This can mature the soil, increase the organic matter content, guide the roots to grow downwards, and improve their cold resistance. In early spring and after the flowers are picked, apply nitrogen fertilizer and water promptly after application.
Ⅵ. Pest and Disease Control
The main pests and diseases of honeysuckle are aphids, cotton bollworms, bean pod borers, and anthracnose and powdery mildew. Aphid pests are severe in spring, and cotton bollworms and bean pod borers are severe in autumn. Mainly use low-toxicity pesticides for control, such as abamectin, spraying every 7-10 days for 2-3 times, and stop using the medicine half a month before harvesting. Anthracnose and powdery mildew mostly occur during the rainy season and can be controlled with carbendazim or thiotepa, spraying every 7 days for 3 times.
Ⅶ. Harvesting and Processing
1. Harvesting
The timely harvesting of honeysuckle is an important factor in increasing yield and quality. Harvesting too early results in a low yield, and the quality is poor after the flowers open. The best time to harvest is when the upper part of the flower is swollen and white but not yet open.
2. Processing
① Sun-drying: After picking the flowers, spread them on a drying tray to dry in the sun. When the temperature is too high and there is no wind at noon, stack the drying trays. After 3 pm, continue drying. At night, stack and cover them to prevent moisture absorption.
② Drying: After picking the flowers, spread them on a drying tray and place them in a drying room. Keep the room temperature at 40℃ on the first day, then gradually increase to about 60℃ until dry. The drying room should be ventilated frequently to remove moisture. During sun-drying and drying, do not move the flowers until they are 70-80% dry, otherwise they will turn black and affect the quality.
The above is about how to plant and cultivate honeysuckle and some experience about the propagation and cutting of green plants and flowers, hoping it can help you in life!