Honeysuckle Cultivation Techniques and Planting Management Methods

Honeysuckle has very strong adaptability and is not strict about soil and climate selection; sandy loam with a thicker soil layer is best. Hillsides, terraced fields, field ridges, embankments, and barren hills can all be cultivated. Propagation can be done by sowing seeds, cuttings, root division, and other methods. It buds and flowers on new shoots of the current year. It is not demanding about soil and can grow in acidic and saline-alkali land. Its root system is well developed and its rooting ability is strong, making it a very good plant for soil fixation and water conservation. It can be planted on hillsides, riverbanks, and other places, so the farming proverb says: “Waterlogging kills crops and drought kills grass, freezing kills pomegranates and sunburn damages melons, but none of this will affect honeysuckle.”

Seed propagation

Sow in April. Soak the seeds in warm water at 35-40°C for 24 h, remove them and mix with 2-3 times their volume of wet sand to promote germination. Sow when about 30% have cracked open. On the seedbed, open furrows at a row spacing of 21-22 cm and sow, covering with 1 cm of soil. Spray water once every 2 days, and seedlings can emerge in more than 10 days. Transplant after autumn or in the spring of the 2nd year. Use about 15 kg of seeds per 1 h㎡.

Cuttings propagation

Generally carried out during the rainy season. In cloudy and rainy weather in summer and autumn, select robust 1-2 year old branches free of pests and diseases, cut them into 30-35 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves, and use them as cuttings, using them as soon as they are cut. On the selected land, dig holes at a row spacing of 1.6 m and a plant spacing of 1.5 m, with holes 16-18 cm deep. Place 5-6 cuttings in each hole, inserted obliquely in a scattered arrangement, with 7-10 cm exposed above the ground, then fill with soil and press firmly (sandy soil with good air and water permeability is best).

Before the cuttings have rooted, attention should be paid to shading to avoid direct sunlight causing the cuttings to dry out. Cutting propagation for seedling raising can also be used; during July-August, open furrows at a row spacing of 23-26 cm, about 16 cm deep, with a plant spacing of 2 cm, place the cuttings obliquely in the furrows, fill with soil and press firmly. Use sandy soil with good air and water permeability as the seedling soil; rooting is fastest this way, and the cuttings are less likely to rot from pathogen infection. After planting, spray once with water, and afterward during drought, water once every 2 days. Roots can form in about half a month, and transplanting can be done in spring or autumn of the 2nd year.

Shaping and pruning

Pruning is carried out from after leaf fall in autumn to before bud break in spring. Generally, vigorous branches are pruned lightly, weak branches are pruned heavily, and every branch is pruned. When pruning, pay attention to ensuring that after new branches grow, ventilation and light transmission are favorable. Thin and weak branches, dead and old branches, and basal shoots should all be cut off. For plots with poor fertilizer and water conditions, pruning should be heavier. For aging plants, cut off old branches to stimulate new branch growth. Young plants should focus on developing plant shape and should be pruned lightly. For planting on mountain plots, generally keep 4-5 main trunk branches; for plain plots, keep 1-2 main trunk branches. The tops of the main trunks should be cut off to make them thicker and more upright.

Shaping is carried out in combination with pruning. In principle, it is based on fertilizer and water management, promotes the whole plant, makes full use of space, increases the amount of branches and leaves, makes the plant shape more reasonable, and can significantly increase flowers and yield. After pruning, the flowering time is relatively concentrated, which facilitates harvesting and processing. Generally, after pruning, the branches can be made upright, and removing thin and weak branches and basal shoots is beneficial to the formation of new flowers. After picking flowers, prune again, then apply a topdressing of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer and water once to promote early development of the next flush of flowers. In this way, 4 flower harvests can be obtained in a year, with an average yield of 150-200 kg of dried flowers per 667 sq m.

Field management

Topdressing: In the first 1-2 years after planting, which is the period when the honeysuckle plant's development and form become established, apply more fertilizers such as human and livestock manure, plant ash, urea, and potassium sulfate. After 2-3 years of planting, in early spring each year, apply more fertilizers such as livestock and poultry manure, barnyard manure, cake fertilizer, and superphosphate. After the first flush of flowers is harvested, an appropriate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer should be applied to provide sufficient nutrients for the next flush of flowers. Each year after sprouting in early spring and when the first batch of flowers has been harvested, open ring-shaped furrows and apply human feces and urine, chemical fertilizers, and so on. Each fertilizer is applied at 250 g. The order of the promoting effect of fertilization treatments on the vegetative growth of honeysuckle is: urea + ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, urea, ammonium bicarbonate. Among these, urea + ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, and urea can significantly increase honeysuckle yield. Considering vegetative growth and reproductive growth conditions as well as fertilization cost, topdressing with urea + ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (150 g + 100 g) or 250 g of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer is preferable.

Harvesting and processing

The best time to harvest honeysuckle is early morning and forenoon. At this time, harvested flower buds do not open easily,

Morphology of honeysuckle

and they have sufficient nutrients, strong aroma, and good color. Harvesting in the afternoon should be finished before the sun sets, because the opening of honeysuckle is restricted by light; after the sun sets, mature flower buds will open, affecting quality. Do not include young buds or leaves. After picking, place them in wicker or bamboo baskets. When gathering them together, do not pile them into a large heap; spread them out instead, and do not leave them for more than 4 hours.

For honeysuckle as a commercial product, flower buds are best; those mixed with opened flowers or stem and leaf impurities are inferior in quality. Flower buds that are plump, greenish-white, and clean when held are best. Harvest in May and June, choosing a clear morning when the dew has just dried to pick the flower buds, place them on reed mats, stone platforms, or on the ground spread out to dry in the sun or dry in a ventilated shaded place. Drying within 1-2 days is best. When drying flowers, do not turn them, otherwise the flower color will turn black and reduce quality. When 90% dry, pick out branches, leaves, and impurities. Avoid exposure under the scorching sun. On cloudy days, they can be dried over a low fire, but the flower color will be darker, so sun-drying or shade-drying is better.

Pest and disease control

Brown spot disease

A common leaf disease that causes weakened plant growth.

Introduction to honeysuckle brown spot disease

It mostly occurs in the later growth stage, with August-September as the peak period, and it is severe under rainy and humid conditions. In the early stage of the disease, small brown spots form on the leaves, then expand into brown round lesions or irregular lesions. Gray-black mold-like material grows on the underside of the lesions. When the disease is severe, it can cause leaves to fall off. Control methods: cut off diseased leaves, then spray with Bordeaux mixture at a ratio of 1:1.5:200, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times; or use a 500-fold dilution of 65% zineb or a 1000-1500-fold dilution of thiophanate-methyl, spraying once every 7 days for 2-3 consecutive times.

Powdery mildew

It is severe under warm and dry conditions or when plants are shaded; excessive nitrogen application and dense plants also make it severe. In the early stage of the disease, small white spots appear on the leaves, then gradually expand into white powdery patches, continue to spread and cover the whole leaf, causing leaves to turn yellow, shrink, and become deformed, and finally causing flower drop, leaf drop, and branch dieback. Control methods: clean the garden and dispose of diseased remains; during the occurrence period, spray with a 1000-fold solution of 50% thiophanate-methyl or BO-10 biological preparation.

Aphids

They damage leaves and tender branches, causing leaves and flower buds to curl, growth to stop, and yield to drop sharply. The pest situation is heavier from April to June. Around “Lixia”, especially on rainy days, it spreads faster. Control methods: spray with a 1000-1500-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate or a 1000-1500-fold dilution of menazon (mieyaling) to kill them, repeatedly until they are eliminated.

Geometrid larvae

After the flower flush, the larvae eat the leaves, causing reduced yield. Control methods: after spring begins, dig the soil within 1 m around the plants to destroy pupae. In the early stage of larval occurrence, spray with a 400-600-fold solution of 2.5% rotenone emulsifiable concentrate; or use dichlorvos, trichlorfon, and so on for spraying and killing, but stop spraying during the flowering period.

Anthracnose

Leaf lesions are nearly round, and when humid, orange-red dotted sticky material forms on the leaves. Control methods: remove remaining plants and diseased leaves and burn them centrally; before transplanting, soak seeds in 1:1:150-200 Bordeaux mixture for 5-10 minutes; during the disease period, spray with a 500-fold solution of 65% zineb or an 800-1000-fold solution of 50% thiram.

Longhorn beetles

After being damaged, plants gradually age, wither, and even die. Control methods: when adults emerge from the soil, pour a 1000-fold solution of 80% trichlorfon into the flower clumps. During the peak egg-laying period, spray once every 7-10 days with an 800-1000-fold solution of 90% trichlorfon crystals; when infested branches are found, cut them off and burn them; if there are insect holes, insert medicinal cotton soaked in undiluted 80% dichlorvos, seal it with mud, and poison the larvae.