Honeysuckle cultivation technology and management

Honeysuckle is widely favored by consumers for its medicinal and ornamental value, and the market demand has surged accordingly. In order to cater to this trend, many growers have begun to turn their attention to the cultivation of honeysuckle. Honeysuckle has a strong adaptability to the growing environment, and its ideal growth temperature range is 15 to 31 degrees Celsius. As long as the temperature is not lower than 5 degrees Celsius and the environment maintains a certain humidity, honeysuckle can grow all year round. Let’s learn an article about honeysuckle cultivation techniques and management.

1. How to plant honeysuckle

1. Sowing and cutting

There are two main ways to plant honeysuckle: sowing and cuttings.

Sowing: The best time for sowing is from the end of March to the beginning of April every year. Soak the seeds in warm water for a day to germinate. Use wet sand for germination, and the amount of sand should be twice the amount of seeds. When about 40% of the seeds have cracks, they can be sown. When sowing, keep the row spacing at 20 cm, sow in furrows, and cover with soil. Spray water every two days and seedlings will emerge in about 15 days. Transplant in autumn or the following spring.

Cuttings: Cuttings are usually carried out in the rainy season, choose summer or autumn. Select seedlings with strong root systems and branches. The stem thickness of one-year-old seedlings must be more than 0.5 cm, with at least two branches; the height of two-year-old seedlings must be more than 45 cm, with a stem thickness of more than 0.7 cm, and at least four branches. Make sure the branches are free of pests and diseases, and remove the lower leaves before cutting. The cutting depth is 15 cm, the row spacing is 25 cm, and the plant spacing is 2 cm. Use sandy soil with good water and air permeability for landfill. Water appropriately, water once every three days before the dry season, and the roots will grow in about 15 days. Transplant in autumn or the following spring.

2. Transplantation

Autumn transplanting: usually done in September.

Spring transplanting: usually done in mid-March. Choose a plot of land that is close to a water source, has good drainage, deep soil, is away from industrial pollution, is fertile, sunny and sheltered from the wind. Avoid low-lying areas and canyon closures. Apply 3 tons of fully decomposed farmyard manure or 1,000 kilograms of organic fertilizer per acre of land. After manually cutting the weeds, turn the soil and rake it finely. The row spacing is 150 cm and the plant spacing is 120 cm. After watering, cover with black mulch to prevent weed growth and keep warm and moist. The ground film is covered with soil every three or four meters to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

2. Field Management

Loosen the soil: Turn the soil 10 centimeters in late March every year, cut off some old roots, and apply fertilizers at the same time, including wood ash and human and animal manure. After 2 to 3 years, apply farmyard manure every spring and apply 30 kilograms of fertilizer per mu of land after each harvest.

Pruning: The crown of the honeysuckle is trimmed every year to form an umbrella shape, and the height is controlled at around 140 cm. For the new shoots that grow in the first year, leave one strong branch at a height of 25 cm and remove all the others. Cultivate 4 main branches by pinching the main trunk. When the main branch grows to 20 cm, pinch it and cultivate 4 side branches on the tissue. In the second year, continue to cultivate flowering branches on the side branches, and continue to shape them in the third year so that the trunk height is about 25 cm, the thickness is 3.5 cm, and the crown height is more than 100 cm.

Pruning: Remove sprouts below 30 cm. Pinch off the reserved main trunk and side branches when they grow to a certain length and number of leaves. Shortening: Cut off 1/2-2/3 of the branches to be removed. Leave 4 internodes when pruning new branches in winter in the first year, and leave 5 internodes when pruning in summer. Cut off weak, overlapping, dry, diseased and insect-infested branches. Cut off the top branches at the fork of the fruiting branches. The branches grown in the first year are not pruned, allowing them to grow thicker and longer to expand the crown.

3. Picking

Choose honeysuckle that is green at the bottom, milky white at the top, and in bud state for harvesting. It is best to do it in a dew-free environment, and pick and place gently. It can be laid flat to dry naturally in the wind and sunshine, or dried artificially. The initial drying temperature is 32 degrees, which is raised to 40 degrees after 2 hours and maintained for 10 hours. The temperature is then raised to 55 degrees until the honeysuckle is crisp and fragrant.

To sum up, in the process of planting honeysuckle, pay attention to its characteristics of liking light, not liking water, and not liking wind, choose a suitable planting area, and pay attention to plant treatment and disease and pest control.