How to Grow Japanese Honeysuckle? Detailed Guide to Field Management Techniques for a Common Medicinal Herb

Japanese honeysuckle is commonly used to prevent colds, clear heat and reduce internal fire, and so on. It is grown throughout our country, with Hunan, Shandong, Guizhou and other places being the main producing areas of Japanese honeysuckle. The cultivation method of Japanese honeysuckle is also quite simple. Below is an introduction to the field management techniques for the common medicinal herb Japanese honeysuckle.

1. Hilling soil and weeding

After Japanese honeysuckle has been planted and survived, it basically needs hilling soil and weeding three to four times each year. For Japanese honeysuckle planted in the first year, the first hilling and weeding should be carried out when the seedlings grow to about 20cm, and later hilling can be done appropriately according to the growth of the Japanese honeysuckle. Starting from the second year, the first hilling and weeding is done when new leaves emerge, the second is done before flowering, the third is done after the first batch of flowers is harvested, and the last is done before Frost's Descent.

2. Fertilizing and topdressing

In field management, topdressing is the most critical step, as it directly affects the yield and quality of Japanese honeysuckle. Within two years after planting, more manure, plant ash, and fertilizers such as urea and potassium fertilizer should generally be applied. After two years, fertilization should be done scientifically according to the different growth stages of Japanese honeysuckle. Generally, during spring growth of branches and leaves, soil miscellaneous fertilizer and barnyard manure are mainly used, while pre-flowering fertilizer is mainly potassium fertilizer. After the first batch of flowers is harvested, a reasonable topdressing of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ternary compound fertilizer is needed. After the last batch of flowers is harvested, urea and manure urine water should be applied.

3. Reasonable pruning

Pruning Japanese honeysuckle requires a great deal of patience. The usual pruning time is after leaf fall in autumn or before branches and leaves sprout in early spring. We should follow the principles of light pruning for vigorous branches, heavy pruning for weak branches, and pruning every branch. This differs from the pruning methods of other plants. Each branch needs to have some part cut off to some extent, which helps new branches sprout and also helps ventilation and light penetration. Thin and weak branches or diseased and dead branches should all be cut off completely, leaving none. At the same time, remember to maintain the plant shape and also make harvesting and management convenient.

4. Timely branch training

Branch training of Japanese honeysuckle mainly refers to its branch and leaf growth period. Because the branches of Japanese honeysuckle do not grow in a regular pattern and their growth directions are also inconsistent, they look rather messy, which is inconvenient for harvesting, difficult to manage, and poor in permeability, making it easy to reduce yield. Therefore, during its growth period, we should adjust the growth direction of the branches and maintain the plant shape and ventilation and light penetration.

5. Pest and disease control

Japanese honeysuckle is quite attractive to insect pests, and if poorly managed, diseases can also be quite serious. The most common diseases are brown spot disease and powdery mildew. For brown spot disease, first cut off the diseased branches, then use Bordeaux mixture or a 500-fold diluted solution of zineb for control, spraying once every week, about two to three times in total. For powdery mildew, timely garden cleaning is needed, then spray with a 1000-fold solution of thiophanate-methyl. The main pests include aphids, inchworms, longhorn beetles, and so on, which can be killed by spraying trichlorfon.

The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to the field management techniques for Japanese honeysuckle. Japanese honeysuckle is a common medicinal herb, and market demand is also relatively large. During cultivation, field management is also quite critical.