How to Cultivate Honeysuckle to Make It More Vigorous
Are you wondering how to grow honeysuckle to make it more vigorous and the small gardening knowledge of honeysuckle tree maintenance and management? Let's follow the editor to find out!
Honeysuckle has strong adaptability to growth, with developed root systems, cold resistance, drought resistance, and thin soil resistance. It is an ideal ecological species for windbreak and sand fixation, soil and water conservation, garden greening, and barren mountain slope afforestation in arid and semi-arid areas, with broad development prospects.
1 Nursery Selection
Choose fields with convenient irrigation and good drainage conditions. Before seedling raising, deeply plow the land, apply a certain amount of decomposed organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium as the base fertilizer, and clear the field of grass roots and stones, then level and rake the land to form beds 1 to 1.5 m wide for sowing.
2 Seedling Raising Methods
Honeysuckle has two seedling raising methods: seed propagation and cutting propagation. To improve the germination rate of seeds, soak the seeds in warm water for 2 hours before sowing, then soak them in 30℃ water for 20 hours, drain and then sow, with a row spacing of 20 cm. It is also possible to use seedling trays, which can be 12 cm high and 8 cm in diameter. After sowing, cover the bed surface with a 1 cm thick layer of straw and then water sufficiently.
Cutting propagation is carried out every spring and autumn, selecting healthy branches 1 to 2 years old as cutting materials. The length of cuttings is usually 25 to 30 cm, reserving 2 to 3 nodes. Generally, choose to raise seedlings in early August, selecting high-quality, strong-growing one-year-old branches. Before cutting, soak the cuttings in root powder for 15 to 20 minutes and then dry in the shade. Plant vertically or obliquely with a row spacing of 25 cm × 3 cm, 20 cm deep, and 8 to 10 cm above the ground. According to the actual conditions of the cuttings, carry out shading and irrigation management, and water every 48 hours during dry periods to promote root growth after 15 days.
3 Field Transplanting
In the Longzhong region of Gansu, spring transplanting is generally chosen. To improve the survival rate of transplanting, follow the basic principle of "transplanting immediately after digging seedlings." Choosing continuous cloudy or sunny afternoons can effectively improve the survival rate. Before transplanting, determine the plant spacing and row spacing, and plant 1 strong seedling per hole. After transplanting, firm the soil, water sufficiently, and then cover with plastic film to prevent weed growth and improve soil moisture retention. 7 to 10 days later, water and replenish water according to the soil moisture content.
How to Cultivate Honeysuckle to Make It More Vigorous
4 Field Management
4.1 Scientific Fertilization: Fertilize scientifically according to its growth period and growth势. In November every year, apply a base fertilizer of mainly farm manure, 3 to 5 kg per flower墩; at the same time, do a good job of topdressing management according to different growth stages, mainly using decomposed animal and human waste, wood ash, etc.; after 3 years, apply a certain amount of soil mixed fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer; after the first season of honeysuckle harvest, topdress again with compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
4.2 Irrigation and Drainage: Although honeysuckle is a relatively drought-resistant plant, its growth will also be adversely affected if there is no rainfall for a long time. Planting areas with conditions can take measures such as淋灌, spray irrigation, or even flooding to supplement water, to avoid irreversible drought withering and death of honeysuckle seedlings. Moreover, honeysuckle is not tolerant to waterlogging, and timely drainage should be carried out when there is excessive rainfall in summer.
4.3 Regular Weeding: Generally, 3 times of tillage and weeding are carried out, once during the germination period of honeysuckle, once in July to August every year, and once in late autumn or winter. During tillage and weeding, it is necessary to strengthen the effective protection of the plants to prevent the honeysuckle roots from leaving the soil. After each weeding, clear the weeds clean and take them out of the field.
4.4 Pruning: For young honeysuckle plants 1 to 2 years after planting, mainly focus on shaping, selecting a strong, upright branch as the main stem for cultivation, and timely pinching when it grows to 25 cm to promote lateral branch growth. After the lateral branches sprout, remove the lower part of the vigorous branches and do a good job of pruning. Retain 3 to 4 strong, upright branches on the main stem and thin out weak branches growing inward. Pruning during the full flowering period mainly involves pruning withered and diseased branches, mainly shortening the branches of medium length to ensure an 8 to 10 cm spacing between branches.
4.5 Disease and Pest Control: The main diseases are powdery mildew and rust. In the early stage of the disease, spray 20% triadimecron emulsion 400 to 500 times, once every 7 to 10 days, for a total of 2 to 3 times.
Pests mainly include the clearwing moth and aphids. In the non-flowering period, you can spray 50% omethoate 1000 to 1500 times or 25% decis emulsion 2500 times.
5 Harvesting and Processing
The timing of honeysuckle harvesting is one of the most important measures to ensure its quality. When the flower buds turn from green to white, the upper part swells but has not yet opened, this is the most suitable time for harvesting, with "two white flowers" and "big white needles" being the best commercial characteristics of honeysuckle. In addition, the ideal time for harvesting honeysuckle is in the morning, after harvesting, dry it in a dryer, or dry it in the sun or wind. When drying, the temperature should be appropriate; if the temperature is too low, the drying effect is poor; if the temperature is too high, it is easy to turn black and lose its medicinal value and efficacy.
The above introduction of how to grow honeysuckle to make it more vigorous and the maintenance and management of honeysuckle trees brought by the Green Plant Enthusiast website, hope to bring some floral knowledge to green plant enthusiasts.