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A photo and description of the Lazurnaya honeysuckle variety will help novice gardeners decide whether this variety is suitable for them. One of the main advantages of the shrub is its high resistance to fruit shedding, which formed the basis of its popularity. In addition, it differs from many related varieties in excellent immunity and immunity to fungal diseases.
Description of Honeysuckle variety Lazurnaya
Honeysuckle Lazurnaya is a medium-ripening variety, bred by Siberian breeders of the Barnaul Research Institute of Information Technologies and Communications. The first berries appear on the bush only on June 20-24. Fruiting lasts about a month, but if the year is warm, it can bloom a second time. If this happens, there may be no harvest next year.
The Lazurnaya variety is one of the medium-sized - the bush grows on average up to 1.5-1.7 m in height. The crown of the shrub is inversely conical, with thin, non-pubescent shoots of a light green color. If the summer is sunny, they can take on a pinkish tint.
The leaves of the Lazurnaya variety honeysuckle are large, oval in shape, as seen in the photo below. The berries are slightly elongated, with a thickening in the middle. The weight of the fruit can reach 1.5 g. The skin of the berries is dark blue, there is a bluish bloom on the surface. The pulp is tender, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste and blueberry aroma.
Unlike most varieties, Azure Honeysuckle berries do not fall off immediately after ripening, which makes them much easier to harvest.
Planting and caring for Azure honeysuckle
The most important thing when planting honeysuckle is that the seedling should never be buried too deep in the ground. Such a bush will grow slowly and bear little fruit.
It is equally important to observe the distance between adjacent bushes. The recommended planting scheme for the Lazurnaya variety is 1.5-2 m, no less. A more concentrated planting will lead to the fact that the plants will compete for water and nutritional resources, which will negatively affect the fruiting of seedlings.
How to choose a landing site
This variety is not particularly picky about the composition of the soil, but the plant prefers light, slightly acidic soil. Places with slightly podzolized and loamy soil are also suitable.
As for the level of illumination, here preference should be given to open areas. In the sun, the berries are large and tasty, while in the shade, the fruits become smaller and then very sour.
Watering
Water the plantings regularly, but in moderation. It is impossible to fill in the plants, so as not to provoke rotting of the roots. The optimal frequency of watering is 1-2 times a week, and no more than 1 bucket of water is consumed for each bush. You can moisten the soil both in the morning and in the evening.
Stagnant water is detrimental to the root system of honeysuckle, therefore, if the groundwater is too high on the site, a drainage layer must be laid out at the planting site.
Top dressing
The Lazurnaya variety is fertilized usually in spring and autumn.First, organic and mineral mixtures with a high content of nitrogen and potassium (humus, horse humus, superphosphate, potassium salt) are used as top dressing. In the autumn months, wood ash is added to the soil.
Pruning
From time to time, Azure Honeysuckle must be pruned to increase the yield of the bush and the size of the fruit. For the first time, the shoots are shortened before planting the seedling so that it branches better. Annual pruning is usually done in the spring when the buds begin to bloom, but you can also form a shrub in the fall.
Pruning of branches is carried out so that stumps with a length of about 30-40 cm remain. All weak, dry or broken shoots are subject to processing. Branches growing inside the bush are also removed to avoid thickening.
In the spring, it is necessary to inspect the bush and cut off all frozen branches.
Preparing for winter
Despite the fact that the Lazurnaya honeysuckle variety belongs to winter-hardy varieties, it will not be superfluous to cover young bushes for the winter. To do this, it is enough to mulch the trunk circle with horse humus. Young bushes can be additionally sprinkled with straw and spruce branches - they will protect the honeysuckle root system from severe frosts in a snowless winter.
Pollinators of Azure Honeysuckle
All honeysuckle varieties require cross-pollination and Lazurnaya is no exception to this rule. Despite the fact that the shrub is partially self-fertile, several more bushes must be planted nearby to obtain a good harvest. The following types are well combined with Lazurnaya honeysuckle:
- Gerda;
- Cinderella;
- Blue bird;
- Blue spindle;
- Long-fruited.
Reproduction of edible azure honeysuckle
The most effective breeding method for Lazurnaya honeysuckle is green cuttings. The whole process can be broken down into the following steps:
- As soon as the bush fades, cuttings are cut from the honeysuckle together with the base (heel). You can also start harvesting cuttings during the formation of fruit ovaries. As a result, at least 4 buds should be present on each shoot.
- The next step - the resulting blanks are soaked in a solution of a root formation stimulator. It is enough to keep the cuttings in it for a couple of hours.
- Then they begin to prepare the soil for the planting material. For this, peat is mixed with soil in a ratio of 1: 3. For prevention purposes, it is recommended to treat the soil with any industrial fungicide.
- When the soil is ready, the cuttings are buried in individual containers with a slope of 30-40 °.
- After that, the soil is abundantly moistened and the workpieces are covered with glass.
- Throughout the entire growth, the planting material of Lazurnaya honeysuckle must be carefully looked after - to ventilate the seedlings from time to time, water moderately. After 2 weeks, the cuttings will begin to form their own root system.
- By August, the honeysuckle seedlings should have developed sufficiently developed roots. After that, they are placed in a school for growing.
On this, the breeding process of the Lazurnaya honeysuckle variety can be considered complete. Young bushes are regularly watered and mulched with peat. With the onset of the first frost, the plantings are covered with spruce branches and straw. In August next year, Azure Honeysuckle can be transplanted into open ground.
For more information on how to propagate honeysuckle, see the video below:
Diseases and pests of Lazurnaya honeysuckle
Like many varieties of honeysuckle, this species rarely gets sick. The plant is highly resistant to pathogens of various diseases, while harmful insects also bypass planting. Only aphids and honeysuckle are a certain danger to Lazurnaya honeysuckle, but any industrial insecticide can easily cope with them.
Conclusion
A photo and description of the Lazurnaya honeysuckle variety will help you decide whether this variety is worthy of placement in the garden. The shrub differs from many other species in its high frost resistance, excellent immunity to most diseases and is practically not affected by pests. Relative unpretentiousness makes this variety extremely attractive for beginners.
