When to Plant Honeysuckle? The Importance of Fertilizing Explained

Honeysuckle is a commonly used herb in traditional Chinese medicine, with the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. Many people like to brew a cup of honeysuckle tea when they have a sore throat or are suffering from internal heat, and the effect is remarkable. Because of the large amount used, growing honeysuckle has become a profitable industry, and quite a few farmer friends grow it. Honeysuckle has strong adaptability to soil and environment. When is honeysuckle generally planted? Why is fertilizing so important?

1. When is honeysuckle generally planted?

The period from late March to mid-May each year, the transition between spring and summer, is the best time to plant potted honeysuckle, that is, the late spring and early summer period each year, because during this period the seeds germinate more easily, which also increases the success rate of planting.

The timing for trunk-form four-season honeysuckle is different. In cold northern regions, the period from September each year until before the ground freezes is the best time to plant honeysuckle. Of course, it can also be planted at other times, but planting at other times will lead to a series of problems such as prolonged seedling recovery, a shortened flowering period, relatively slow growth, and a certain rate of mortality.

2. Why is fertilizing so important when growing honeysuckle?

Honeysuckle, as a medicinal herb, is in great demand on the market, while the wild supply is seriously insufficient, so it is mostly cultivated artificially. To boost yields, fertilizing is one of the most important methods for increasing production. Of course, heavy fertilizing on the one hand greatly promotes the growth and development of honeysuckle, but at the same time it also has a great impact on the soil; and the soil being affected in turn affects the growth of honeysuckle.

Fertilizing promotes or inhibits the secondary metabolism within honeysuckle by changing the soil environmental conditions, which can increase the content of active ingredients in the medicinal herb; at the same time, fertilizing can increase the resistance of honeysuckle and can prevent pest and disease damage. Honeysuckle can be harvested every year, but in the early growth stage a balanced application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is required to promote flowering and fruiting and improve product quality. In spring, more nitrogen fertilizer can be used, while in summer, more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be used, and in autumn and winter, farmyard manure can be used.

The role of nitrogen fertilizer is to promote growth and make the leaves greener, while all three fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, can promote flower bud differentiation, with nitrogen fertilizer having the best effect, phosphorus fertilizer next, and potassium fertilizer the worst. These three fertilizers, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are essential for plant growth and are among those needed in larger amounts, so when growing honeysuckle, these three fertilizers must be supplied in sufficient quantities.

Nitrogen fertilizer can effectively promote the growth of leaves, seedlings, roots and flowers, thereby effectively increasing the yield of cultivated honeysuckle, but applying too much nitrogen fertilizer or an inappropriate mixing ratio will have an obvious adverse effect on the growth of honeysuckle, reducing the chlorogenic acid content in honeysuckle;

Phosphorus fertilizer can not only effectively promote better root growth of honeysuckle, but also increase the nutritional range of the applied fertilizer, and can also improve the drought tolerance of honeysuckle and increase the chlorogenic acid content.