Decorative honeysuckle - planting and care

Decorative honeysuckle (Caprifol) is a shrub intended to decorate the site. It has bright large beautiful leaves, during flowering it is covered with many unusual large and bright inflorescences. The plant bears fruit with small bright orange berries, which seem to lie on the leaves. They are not edible, but they look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.

Honeysuckle vine is a climbing plant. They are used to decorate fences, gazebos and building facades. With proper care, the length of the shoots reaches more than 6 m.

Read about planting curly honeysuckle and caring for it in the Moscow region and other regions of the country in the article.

Planting decorative honeysuckle in the open field

Reproduction of honeysuckle Caprifoli is possible in 4 ways. The list provides a description of each of them:

1. Cuttings. These are cut vine shoots that have been rooted at least six months before planting. This is the most common way to grow ornamental honeysuckle.
2. Layers. The shoot is laid on the ground, and its part, located near the bush, is sprinkled with soil. Throughout the summer, the cuttings are abundantly watered and fed. In autumn, the shoot with roots is separated from the mother plant. This method requires a minimum of attention from the gardener.
3. Division. The root system of the vine is dug up. The root is divided into several parts along with the shoots. The resulting bushes are planted separately from each other. Division is considered to be the fastest breeding method for honeysuckle.
4. Seeds. They are collected from the fruit of honeysuckle or bought in a store. The seeds are germinated at home until the plant is old enough. This reproduction option is the longest, but the plants obtained with its help will be the most hardy.

Plant the plant in spring or autumn - during these seasons honeysuckle takes root the fastest. The landing technique is the same in both cases.

For autumn planting, work is carried out in mid-October (in the central regions, Leningrad and Moscow regions) and in mid-November (in the southern regions). Before the onset of frost, the sedimentary material will take root, but the buds will not have time to open. When it gets colder, the plant will go into a dormant state and calmly survive the winter.

In the spring, planting work is carried out before the beginning of the growing season. This is done as soon as the snow melts and the above-zero temperature is established. This occurs in early May for the southern regions and mid-April for the central ones.

Note! With late planting, honeysuckle takes root worse and starts to hurt. In late spring, it is only allowed to plant seedlings with a closed root system.

Site selection and soil preparation

Before planting decorative honeysuckle, it is important to choose the right place for it. Liana feels best in sunny areas of the garden. It is here that the most abundant flowering and fruiting of the plant is observed.

Important. Liana is able to grow in semi-shaded areas. In this case, its flowering will be less abundant.

Place the vine near the support - building facades, fences, gazebos or trellises.

Honeysuckle can grow on any soil, except for waterlogged marshy and dry sandy soils. Otherwise, the plant will do well if the nutrients are added before planting and during growth.

Honeysuckle soil is prepared 2-3 days before planting. To do this, dig a hole with a diameter of 40 cm.The soil taken out of the pit is mixed with 10 kg of humus or rotted manure, 300 g of ash, 100 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate.

The soil mixture is immersed back into the hole, but not compacted. Some of the land will have to be pulled out before planting.

Selection and preparation of a seedling

It is equally important to choose the right planting material. The seedlings must meet the following parameters:

1. Age. Saplings 2-3 years old take root best. They should have 2-3 branches.
2. The size. The optimum height is up to 40 cm. The diameter of the shoots should be at least 0.5 cm.
3. The quality of the shoots. They should not be dry and flexible. On each branch, it is important to have 3 or more live buds. Necessarily the absence of damage, stains, rot and other signs diseases.
4. Root system. Should be well developed, have large and small branches. Seedlings with a closed root system (sold in a pot in a coma of earth) take root best. With timely planting, budget specimens with an open root system will also take root (they are sold without a planting container, the roots are cleared of soil).

Peeling of the bark occurs on some seedlings. You should not be afraid of this sign, since it is considered a cultural feature.

It is important to prepare the planting material. To do this, for 1 hour, the roots of the seedling are soaked for 2 hours in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate or "Fitosporin". Then the roots are immersed for 6-12 hours in a solution of a growth stimulator (Kornevin).

Step-by-step landing instructions

Planting honeysuckle outdoors is not difficult. However, it will take root only if you follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. A nutrient mixture is taken out of the pit. A drainage layer (broken brick, chipped ceramics, fine expanded clay) is poured onto the bottom. A hill of earth is formed in the center of the hole.
2. The seedling is placed in the hole. If the root system is open, then the roots are distributed around the earthen mound.
3. The hole is covered with soil so that the root collar is 5 cm below ground level. After settling, this part of the seedling will open.
4. Immediately after planting, the soil is compacted. Honeysuckle is abundantly watered (5-10 l) with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate at room temperature.

If several honeysuckle seedlings are planted along the fences in one row, then the distance between them should be at least 1 m. Otherwise, the honeysuckle will be in shade and hurt.

Plant care

In order for the liana to bloom profusely and beautifully, give bright fruits and not get sick, it is important to properly care for it, Basic rules cultivation cultures are listed:

1. Watering. The first time the honeysuckle is watered when it takes root (2 weeks after planting). The plant is then watered once a week. In hot and dry weather, the soil is moistened every 3 days. Up to 2 buckets of settled water at room temperature are consumed per plant. Water the honeysuckle in the morning or evening when the sun is not active. Otherwise, burns will occur.
2. Weeding and loosening... After each watering, the soil is loosened to destroy the earthen crust, which prevents full air exchange, causes stagnation of moisture and the development of root diseases. In the process of loosening, weeds that spread the disease are necessarily removed.
3. Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied at the root 3-4 times a year. In the summer, foliar feeding is used.
4. Mulching. Mulch protects honeysuckle from diseases, cold snaps and pests, slows down the growth of weeds, prevents the formation of an earth crust, slows down the evaporation of moisture, acts as an additional fertilizer. As mulch, the soil is covered with sawdust, crushed bark, rotted hay or straw, burlap.
5. Support. Liana needs support. This can be any vertical surface located on the site, or artificially created trellises and decorative installations. As the shoots grow, they are twisted around the support counterclockwise.

Now let's take a closer look at the most important stages of leaving.

Top dressing

Correct feeding is the key to active growth of decorative honeysuckle. For this plant, use the following scheme:

1. The first time fertilizers are applied when the snow melts and the soil is frozen. Under each vine, add 20 ammonium nitrate or watered with a solution of urea (1 tbsp. L urea per 10 l of water).
2. The second top dressing is done in early May. To prepare fertilizer, 1 kg of chicken manure or rotted manure is diluted in a 10 liter bucket of water. The mixture is allowed to brew for 3 days, after which it is poured under the vines.
3. The third feeding is in June. Slurry or 30 g of nitroammofoska diluted in a 10 liter bucket of water is used as fertilizer.
4. The last time fertilizer is applied before wintering. The nutritional composition is prepared from 5 kg of compost, 1 tbsp. ash and 35 g of superphosphate.

In July, honeysuckle is sprayed with a solution of trace elements.

Important! Fertilizers are applied when the sun is not active (in the morning or at sunset). Before fertilizing, be sure to water the plants.

Pruning

Pruning is the key to healthy and beautiful honeysuckle. This procedure gives the plant shape, stimulates vegetation and flowering. Also, this procedure is one of the main conditions for the prevention of diseases. There are 4 types of trimming.

Each of them has its own nuances:

1. Stimulating. I cut off the top of the main stem of the vine when it reaches the top point of support. It is powdered with ash. This procedure stimulates the formation of new shoots.
2. Formative. When the side shoots reach the desired length, the growth points are cut off. The branches are directed to the support. The cut site is also treated with ash. Lianas cannot be given a fantasy shape.
3. Anti-aging. After planting, the seedling is cut to a height of 30 cm. If the honeysuckle has begun to give few shoots and has poor flowering, it is cut at a height of half a meter from the ground. This will stimulate the formation of young strong shoots.
4. Sanitary. All parts of the plant with signs of disease and insect damage, shoots with unopened buds, dry and weak branches are removed.

Pruning is carried out in the spring or autumn. This is done when the sun is not active. It is important to disinfect the pruning shears before using, and dust the cut points with ash.

note! Healthy cut shoots are often used as cuttings.

Wintering

Honeysuckle is a cold-resistant plant. It can withstand cold snaps down to -40 ° C. However, it is also important to properly prepare it for winter.

One-year-old honeysuckle is completely covered with dry leaves and spruce branches. Film can be used. An adult plant is removed from the support and laid out on a leaf support. From above it is covered with spruce branches. It is recommended to shovel snow onto the vine during the winter.

In the spring, after the snow grows, the vine is opened (cleared of spruce branches). The loan is again attached to the support.

Diseases and pests

Several dangerous diseases that can affect honeysuckle are common. Most often, there are three of them:

1. Tuberculariosis. On the branches and shoots of the creeper, red lumpy formations appear. Leaves and shoots dry out and then die off.
2. Rumulariasis. Symptoms of the disease are brown spots in the center and grayish along the edges on the leaf plates. The disease leads to the death of leaves and shoots.
3. Cercosporosis. Leaves and shoots are covered with reddish-brown dots. The disease leads to impaired photosynthesis and premature fall of leaves.

The causative agents of the described diseases are fungi. To cure any of the diseases, the affected parts of the plant are removed and burned. If shoots have been removed, then the places of the cut are powdered with ash or smeared with garden pitch.

Infected plants are sprayed with preparations containing copper. Fungicides are also effective. They are used at any time of the year, since the fruits of decorative honeysuckle are inedible.

Most often, honeysuckle is attacked by a pest such as aphids. The insect feeds on plant sap, leading to drying out of leaves and young shoots.To get rid of the pest, the liana is sprayed with soapy water or a decoction of bitter herbs.

To prevent honeysuckle from getting sick, it is important to follow the rules of prevention. They are listed:

• preventive spring treatment with copper sulfate;
• weed removal;
• sanitary pruning;
• processing of planting material, garden tools and soil with disinfectants;
• compliance with watering rules;
• soil mulching;
• timely pest control;
• applying a sufficient amount of fertilizer.

Note! It is not recommended to plant honeysuckle and juniper in the same area. Such a neighborhood contributes to the infection of vines. rust.

Conclusion

Decorative honeysuckle can become the main decoration of the garden. Its large inflorescences, collected from many bright flowers, immediately attract attention. The plant looks no less interesting during the fruiting period, when small orange berries appear on round large bright green leaves.

Growing decorative honeysuckle is a task that even a novice gardener can handle without problems. The plant is unpretentious and easily tolerates negative environmental factors. The success of growing creepers depends on the correct planting, pruning, regular watering and top dressing.