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The popularity of honeysuckle is growing every year. This culture is distinguished by early maturation, high frost resistance and resistance to return frost, which allows it to be grown even in the northern regions. One of the new varieties of honeysuckle, developed by the Kamchatka Research Institute of Agriculture - Slastena. The species was submitted for registration in 2014, and entered the State Register in 2013. The description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten's honeysuckle, as well as recommendations on agricultural technology, are presented below.
Description of Slasten's honeysuckle
The Slasten variety is considered undersized. The compact bush is formed by strong, thickened shoots. The tops of the branches have a crimson color, smoothly blurred into a reddish tint along the entire length of the shoot.
Green leaf plates, slightly pubescent. The bushes are densely covered with foliage.
The berries are very sweet, pleasant, hence the name of the variety - Slastena. The color is bluish with a waxy bloom, the shape is cylindrical, the peel is dense, the stalk is short, brownish-green in color. In the southern regions, the culture bears fruit early, in other regions the ripening period is average.
The taste of Slastena honeysuckle berries is rated at 5 points out of 5
According to the description of the variety and reviews, Slasten's honeysuckle has a high yield. You can get 4 kg of berries from a bush.
This variety begins to bear fruit in two years, but on some seedlings, fruit buds appear the next year after planting. Honeysuckle has a long life span. The bushes have been growing for more than five decades and at the same time show a high yield.
Planting and caring for Slasten's honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is recommended to be planted closer to autumn. This can be the end of August or all of September, planting dates depend on the region. In the spring, planting a culture is undesirable, since the buds swell very early, as soon as the sun warms up the air to above-zero temperature.
If the purchased seedling has a closed root system, there are no special requirements for the planting season. It can be planted at any time (from April to September).
The landing site is sunny, but with shade in the afternoon. Honeysuckle is recommended to be planted near an apple tree, the crown of which will create a shade in the afternoon.
The shortened shoots of honeysuckle do not suffer from wind and cold weather, so you can plant bushes in open areas.
Sweet's honeysuckle needs other varieties for pollination, otherwise there will be no harvest. When planning a plot, gardeners recommend adhering to a 2 x1.5 m planting scheme and purchasing 3-5 different varieties at once.
Honeysuckle is unpretentious to the type of soil. It is best if the soil is neutral or slightly acidic. During planting, a nutritious soil mixture is added to clay soils, consisting of the top layer of earth, sand and rotted manure.
Landing Algorithm:
- dig a hole with a diameter of 30 cm, a depth of 30-35 cm;
- fertilizers are applied consisting of wood ash (0.5 kg), superphosphate (0.15 kg) and potassium sulfate (0.06 kg);
- the bush is set in the center of the hole, the roots are straightened;
- fall asleep with earth;
- gently tamp the soil with their hands;
- watered at the rate of 5-7 liters of water for each well;
- the trunk circle is mulched with mown grass, sawdust or peat.
Watering requirements
Honeysuckle does not tolerate drought, so watering is carried out every other day in summer.In addition, the culture needs periodic sprinkling. It is held on hot days, early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. Without sprinkling, the delicate foliage of honeysuckle can burn from the burning sun.
Fertilization
After planting, the plant is fed with an aqueous solution of a mullein (1:10) or rotted grass. To prepare the herbal infusion, the cut grass is poured into a barrel and poured with water (1: 1). After two weeks of infusion in the sun, the mixture is diluted with water (1:10) and used for watering. This fertilizer is applied before flowering and during fruiting.
Fertilizers can be applied from the third year after planting. In the spring they are fed with an aqueous solution of urea, in the summer they use ammonium nitrate (20 g), urea (10 g) and superphosphate (50 g). Superphosphate is introduced into the ground, carefully sealed with a small hoe, the remaining substances are dissolved in water and the bushes are watered. The honeysuckle roots are very close to the surface, so fertilization for digging is not recommended. Potassium-phosphate fertilizers help to increase winter hardiness, therefore they are applied in the autumn period. One bush will require 3 tbsp. l. double superphosphate and 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.
Sweet's Honeysuckle Pollinators
The Slastena variety is not self-pollinated, so there will be no harvest without pollinators. For cross-pollination, choose varieties that bloom at the same time. For Slastena, the best pollinators will be the varieties Amphora and Violet.
Reproduction of honeysuckle varieties Slasten
Various methods are used to reproduce honeysuckle. The most effective cuttings are considered to be green shoots. Cut the cuttings at the time of the appearance of green fruits. The readiness of the shoots is checked by bending. If the branches bend but don't break, the cuttings aren't ready yet. During bending, the branches should break off with a characteristic crunch. Cuttings harvested too early do not take root well. Lignified shoots take root well, but do not have time to prepare for winter, so they may die.
The optimal length of green cuttings is 7-12 cm
They are cut from the middle part of the shoot, while leaving two pairs of leaves and one internode.
You can root cuttings with a heel, broken off from last year's shoots.
Prepared cuttings are planted in a soil mixture consisting of peat and sand (1: 3). The cuttings placement scheme is 10x5 cm. Cuttings need high humidity (85%) and a temperature of 20-25 ° C. Maintain these parameters in the greenhouse. In hot weather, cuttings are additionally sprayed with water. In the fall, rooted cuttings are not recommended to be planted. They can die over the winter. Planting in the ground is carried out in the spring.
If lignified cuttings are used, they are wrapped in burlap and immersed in a box of wet sand. Landing is carried out in the spring.
You can use the method of dividing the bush. To do this, choose sprawling specimens aged 3-5 years. The bush is dug up in spring or autumn, the root system is divided into 2-3 parts with the help of a secateurs. The resulting bushes are planted in prepared holes.
Reproduction by seeds does not guarantee the preservation of the maternal qualities of the culture.
Diseases and pests
The yield of honeysuckle directly depends on the condition of the bushes. If Slasten is attacked by pests or diseases, it will not be possible to get a large harvest.
Honeysuckle pests:
- aphid;
- mite;
- shield;
- leaf-eating pests - leafworm, sawfly caterpillar, speckled moth.
For treatment against insects, drugs are used: Aktara, Confidor, Aktellik, Inta-Vir. During the period of appearance and ripening of fruits, chemical agents are not recommended to be used, since they tend to accumulate in berries.
For Slasten's honeysuckle, fungal diseases (spotting, cercosporosis, ramulariasis, powdery mildew) occurring at high air humidity are dangerous. For the treatment of the fungus, use: Fundazol, Topaz, colloidal sulfur, soda ash, copper-soap solution, wood ash.
Phytoviruses can be recognized by a light green spot on foliage. Correct agricultural technology and healthy planting material are the main methods of phytovirus prevention.
Conclusion
Description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten's honeysuckle will help gardeners choose seedlings and grow them correctly. Sweet's Honeysuckle gives a good harvest of edible berries. The culture is resistant to winter cold, so it can be grown even in regions with unfavorable climates.
