Key Technical Points for High-Yield Seedling Raising of Honeysuckle from Cuttings

The flower buds, flowers, and leaves of honeysuckle can all be used as medicine, to clear heat and reduce inflammation; the vine is used as medicine to treat rheumatic bone pain; the flowers can be used to extract aromatic oil and to make honeysuckle distillate; it is also a tree species for landscaping and garden cultivation and ornamental use.

1. Honeysuckle cutting propagation Honeysuckle can be propagated by seed, and can also be propagated by cuttings and root division, but seed propagation grows slowly and returns late, while root division has a low propagation coefficient, so at present cutting propagation is used in production, with more propagation material, a high survival rate, and quick returns.

The specific method is further divided into two types: direct cutting and nursery cutting. For direct cutting, mountainous areas use the Damahua variety, which has a well-developed root system and strong shoot sprouting ability. In the rainy season of summer and autumn, select strong, pest-free 1-2 year old branches, cut them into 30-35 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves to make cuttings, and insert them as they are cut, directly into gaps such as mountain slope terraces and field ridges. Dig holes 25-30 cm in diameter according to a plant spacing of 1.3-1.7 m, with a hole depth of 16-18 cm, insert 4-6 cuttings per hole, spread them apart and insert them obliquely into the hole, leaving 5-10 cm exposed above ground, then fill with soil and press firmly. If drought occurs, water appropriately to increase the survival rate. In order to save branches and facilitate management, green seedling cutting is also often used. The method is to select a plot convenient for watering, deep plow and level it, apply an appropriate amount of farmyard manure as base fertilizer, in July-August open furrows at a row spacing of 23-26 cm, about 16 cm deep, place the cuttings obliquely in the furrows at a plant spacing of 2 cm, then fill with soil, cover evenly, and press firmly. Water after planting, and afterward if the weather is dry, water once every 2-3 days to keep the soil moist. After about half a month they can take root and sprout, and in the second year in spring or autumn they can be transplanted.

2. Shaping and pruning honeysuckle is an important measure to increase yield. Naturally growing honeysuckle has very long branches and must be supported with a trellis or shaped and pruned. If left unchecked, the branches creep on the ground and overlap and twine around each other, resulting in few flowers and very low yield. Therefore, installing a trellis and shaping and pruning are the key to increasing honeysuckle yield.

Pruning in particular has a very significant effect on increasing honeysuckle yield. According to a 1983 experiment in Pingyi County, Shandong, after one winter pruning and 3 growing-season prunings, the average total fresh flower yield per clump was 969 grams, while the average yield of unpruned clumps was 685 grams. Pruning increased fresh flowers by 284 grams per clump compared with no pruning, an increase of 42%. Pruning improves the light energy utilization rate of each part of the flower clump, removes ineffective branches and leaves such as weak branches and leggy branches, reduces the consumption of nutrients and water, makes the branches and leaves most rational, improves the growth environment, and makes the plants robust, which is conducive to high honeysuckle yield. The specific method is: for honeysuckle cultivated for one or two years, before the branches sprout in spring, cut off the upper part and leave only about 33 cm as the main trunk. After several consecutive years of pruning, the main trunk becomes thick and strong and can stand upright to form a clump. The lateral branches at all levels on the main trunk form an umbrella-shaped round top, which not only ventilates and lets in light, increasing the number of flowers, but also makes it convenient to pick the flower buds. Honeysuckle has a very strong natural renewal ability and many new branches. Although branches that have already flowered can continue to grow in the same year, they will not flower again. Only new shoots sprouting from the original flowering mother branch can produce flower buds again. Honeysuckle pruning must be specifically determined according to variety, clump age, and branch type. According to experience in the Linyi area of Shandong, for the creeping Damahua, with a crown width of 120-140 cm and long branches on old flower clumps, heavy pruning is required: cut long branches, thin out short branches, and place equal emphasis on cutting and thinning. For strong flower clumps, light pruning is mainly used, with less thinning and more retention. For young flower clumps, cutting is mainly used to promote branching and accelerate crown expansion. For the three-dimensional Jizhuahua, with an obvious main trunk and many branches that do not touch the ground, and a crown width of 80-120 cm, pruning should remove the top, clear the foot cluster, open the inner canopy, and prune overly long branches, diseased and weak branches, dead branches, and downward-extending branches, so that the branches stand upright in clumps, the main trunk is thick and strong, the branches are evenly spaced, and the flower clump forms an umbrella shape with good ventilation and light transmission. In this way there are many new branches and many flower buds. As for pruning time, first is winter pruning, which can be carried out from December to late February of the following year. Second is growing-season pruning, which is carried out after each flower harvest, with the purpose of promoting the formation of multiple flushes of flowers and increasing yield. After the first flush of flowers, the first pruning of spring shoots is carried out in early June; the second is in late July after the second flush of flowers, pruning summer shoots; the third is in early September after the third flush of flowers, pruning autumn shoots. Growing-season pruning should mainly be light pruning.

3. Common stem-boring pests of honeysuckle and their control 1. Coffee tiger longhorn beetle In the old honeysuckle production areas of Pingyi and Fei County in Shandong, the damage rate of flower clumps over ten years old reaches 80%. After damage, vigor declines, and if damaged for several consecutive years, the entire plant dies.

In Shandong it has one generation a year. Newly hatched larvae first feed on the surface of the xylem. When the larvae reach 3 mm, they bore longitudinally into the xylem, forming winding and turning galleries. The bore holes are filled with wood shavings and insect feces, very hard, and there are no frass expulsion holes on the surface of the branches and trunk, so it is difficult to detect, and at this time chemical control is also ineffective. Control methods: ① From April to May, during the adult occurrence period and the early larval hatching period, spray 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution to control adults and newly hatched larvae, with a certain effect. ② In July-August, on sunny days when the temperature is above 25°C, release longhorn beetle bethylid wasps in the field, which has a good control effect.

2. Leopard moth In Shandong it has one generation a year. After the larvae hatch, they bore in from branch forks or new shoots. After 3-5 days the damaged new shoots wither. After the larvae grow to 3-5 mm, they expel insect feces from the entry hole, making them easy to find, and they have the habit of transferring to other plants to cause damage.

The larvae bite a ring between the xylem and phloem, making the branches easy to break in the wind. On one side of the damaged branch there are often several frass expulsion holes. The insect feces are long cylindrical and pale yellow. In September-October dead branches appear on the flower clumps. Control methods: ① Clean up the flower clumps in time. After harvesting the second flush of flowers, be sure to combine pruning in late July to early August and cut off infested branches. If pruning is too late, and the larvae have bored into the lower thick branches before the branches are cut, this will affect the growth vigor of the flower clump. ② Mid-to-late July is the peak hatching period of the larvae and the suitable period for chemical control. Use 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1500 times dilution, adding 0.3%-0.5% kerosene to promote penetration of the pesticide solution into the stems, which can achieve a good control effect.

3. Willow wood borer In the main production areas of Shandong it has one generation every two years, spanning three years.

After hatching, the larvae first live in groups under the old bark of honeysuckle and cause damage. After growing to 10-15 mm, they gradually spread out. Often several larvae bore in from the middle and lower part of the main trunk and the root collar into the phloem and shallow xylem to cause damage, forming broad galleries and expelling large amounts of insect feces and wood shavings, seriously destroying the physiological functions of the plant, hindering the transport of nutrients and water in the plant, causing honeysuckle leaves to turn yellow and fall off, and in August-September the flowering branches dry up. Control methods: ① Strengthen field management. Willow wood borer larvae prefer to damage weak flower clumps, and most larvae bore in from old holes. Therefore, strengthen tending and management, apply fertilizer and water at the right time, and promote robust growth of honeysuckle to improve insect resistance. ② Chemical control: in July, the peak hatching period of the larvae, use 40% omethoate at 1000 times plus 0.5% kerosene and spray on the branches and trunk, or use 40% omethoate or fenitrothion mixed with water at a pesticide:water ratio of 1:1 to make a medicinal solution and pour it at the roots, that is, first dig a hole around the flower clump 10-15 cm deep, pour about 20 ml per clump, appropriately increased or decreased according to the size of the flower clump, then cover with soil and press firmly. Because the medicinal solution concentration is high, pay attention to safety during use.