Planting and cultivation techniques of honeysuckle

Honeysuckle, also known as double flower or honeysuckle, is a plant belonging to the genus Lonicera in the family Caprifoliaceae. This plant uses its unopened buds and vine leaves as its medicinal parts, which have multiple medicinal effects and are a precious traditional Chinese medicinal material . Let’s learn about the planting and cultivation techniques of honeysuckle.

1. Site selection and land preparation

Honeysuckle has a high demand for light, so it should be planted in a sunny and fertile soil. After selecting the land, apply sufficient base fertilizer, then till and harrow the soil.

2. Transplanting of seedlings

Planting seedlings does not require too much land. You can increase the planting density and wait until the second or third year to transplant and determine the seedlings. New planting pattern recommendations: New seedlings are planted at a spacing of 45cm between plants and 90cm between rows. Such high-density planting not only saves land but is also easy to manage. In the second year, remove every other plant and every other row, eventually forming a planting pattern with a plant spacing and row spacing of 180cm to 200cm.

3. Field Management

(1) Intertillage and weeding

After the transplants are established, 3 to 4 tillage and weeding operations are required each year. After three years, as the vines grow luxuriantly, the number of weeding operations can be reduced depending on the weed situation.

(2) Topdressing

In spring and autumn every year, top dressing should be carried out in combination with weeding. You can use farmyard manure or chemical fertilizer, apply 10 to 20 kilograms of urea per mu, and build soil around the plants to protect the root system.

4. Pruning and shaping

1. Pruning period

The pruning of honeysuckle is divided into winter pruning and summer pruning. Winter pruning is usually carried out before winter or in early spring, mainly to remove weak and diseased branches to promote the growth of new branches, and pruning is combined with honeysuckle seedling cultivation. Summer pruning is done during the growing season.

2. Trimming method

Plastic surgery can be divided into conventional plastic surgery and pole-assisted plastic surgery.

(1) Conventional shaping and pruning

It is usually done after budding in the year after transplanting, and pruning is carried out to cultivate it into an umbrella-shaped upright small shrub . The specific method includes cutting off the top of the trunk when the height is 30 to 40 cm to promote the germination and branching of side buds. After sprouting in the spring of the second year, select 4 to 5 thick branches on the upper part of the trunk as the main branches and grow them in two layers. In winter, retain 5 to 6 pairs of buds from the first-level branches growing from the main branches and cut off the upper parts. Later, retain 6 to 7 pairs of buds from the secondary branches growing from the primary branches and cut off the upper parts. Then pick off the hook-shaped young shoots from the flower branches growing on the secondary branches. If there are no such shoots, do not remove them. Generally, the young branches with dense nodes, short nodes and fine leaves that sprout from the secondary branches or the original old flower branches after spring are all flower branches and should be retained.

(2) Pole-assisted shaping

The stems and vines are climbed on a 1.3 to 1.6-meter-high vertical pole. After inserting the pole, all the above-ground parts are cut off, and only 1 to 3 vigorously growing branches are selected from the branches growing from the roots. Wrap them around the vertical pole and let them grow upward on the auxiliary pole to form an upright central pole.

3. Pruning method

(1) Winter pruning

Mainly follow the principle of "light pruning of vigorous branches, heavy pruning of weak branches, complete pruning of dead branches, and pruning all branches". Prune inner branches, overcrowded branches, crossed branches, diseased branches, drooping branches, overgrown branches, thin and weak branches, and branches that creep along the soil, retain strong branches, and shorten all remaining branches to form multiple thick main and lateral trunks. Prune them year by year to form a round-headed plant shape or an umbrella-shaped shrub shape, and promote good ventilation and light transmission, increase yield, and facilitate flower picking. After winter pruning, when the plants sprout and grow in spring, they can concentrate on utilizing the stored nutrients. The new branches and leaves quickly become the growth center, forming a large number of axillary flowers and greatly increasing the yield.

(2) Summer pruning

Summer pruning should be light, focusing on removing dense branches and thin branches, and appropriately performing moderate short pruning on a few strong branches to control the excessive growth of honeysuckle to avoid the formation of thin hook-shaped branches, so as to improve light conditions, delay leaf aging, improve photosynthetic efficiency, and increase nutrient accumulation. Every summer, the branches are pruned several times after flowering. The branches that have bloomed are removed to promote the formation of new branches. The branches close to the roots and the long branches are cut off to reduce nutrient consumption. Pruning during the growing season, mainly "topping", can promote the growth of more new branches, so as to achieve the goal of having more branches and flowers. Specific operation: Leave 1 to 2 nodes on the main trunk growing from the mother plant, and remove any nodes above 2 by hand. Leave 2 to 3 nodes on the first-level branches growing from the main trunk, and remove any nodes above 3. Leave 3 to 4 nodes on the second-level branches growing from the first-level branches, and remove any nodes above 4. In the future, the flower branches growing from the secondary branches are generally no longer topped, and are allowed to grow and develop naturally. Generally, young branches with dense nodes and fine leaves, i.e., flower branches, should be retained. The flowerless and overgrown branches with thick branches, long nodes and large leaves should be removed to reduce nutrient consumption. By topping each plant, it can form a bush, increase the nutritional space, and promote the early formation of large quantities of flower buds.

Through shaping and pruning, the honeysuckle is changed from its original winding growth to an umbrella-shaped shrub-like tree with sparse, evenly distributed branches, good ventilation and light transmission, and a thick, upright trunk. Since honeysuckle has the characteristic that new branches of the same year can develop into flower branches, the above-mentioned pruning measures can promote the growth of more new branches and the formation of more flower buds, thereby achieving the goal of increasing production. Winter pruning should be carried out after the beginning of frost and before freezing every year. Dead and old branches, diseased and insect-infested branches, thin and weak branches, and long branches that cross and disrupt the tree shape should also be pruned away. Concentrate nutrients on growing new branches and forming flower buds. After picking the flowers, summer pruning is also carried out. After each pruning, top dressing should be done once.

5. Disease and Pest Control

The main diseases of honeysuckle are powdery mildew and leaf spot, and the main insect pests are coffee beetle , aphids, sawflies, honeysuckle hardness, etc. According to the specific conditions of different regions, appropriate pesticides can be selected for prevention and control.

1. Powdery mildew

It harms the leaves and tender stems of honeysuckle. In the early stage of the disease, round white velvety mildew spots appear on the leaves, which then continue to expand and connect into pieces, forming white powdery spots of varying sizes. Finally, it causes the flowers and leaves to fall and the branches to dry up. Drugs for prevention and control: colloidal sulfur, trichlorfon, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos, DuPont Easy Protect, etc.

2. Aphids

It usually starts to occur around Qingming Festival, mostly on the back of the leaves. When it is cloudy and foggy around the beginning of summer and there is an easterly wind, the damage is extremely serious, causing the leaves and flower buds to curl up, growth to stop, and resulting in serious yield reduction. Generally, spraying 800 to 1000 times diluted 40% dimethoate emulsion once during Qingming and Grain Rain can control the disease.

In short, honeysuckle can withstand temperatures as low as minus 30°C, so it is also known as honeysuckle. Below 3°C, physiological activity is weak and growth is slow. Buds and branches sprout above 5°C. New shoots grow fast above 16°C, and flower buds grow and develop fast around 20°C. Strong adaptability. It can grow in mountainous areas, plains, clay loam, sandy soil, and slightly acidic or alkaline soil.