When is the latest planting time for honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with a long history. Its creeping growth ability is stronger than its climbing growth ability, making it suitable for ground cover cultivation under forests, at forest edges, on the north side of buildings, and other places. It can also be used as a low green wall, and its twining ability can be used to make flower corridors, flower trellises, flower fences, flower pillars, and for twining around rockery stones, etc. Now let us take a look together at when honeysuckle is planted!
Planting conditions for honeysuckle
Honeysuckle grows in hillside scrub or open woods, rock piles, roadsides at the foot of mountains, and beside village fences, at altitudes up to 1500 m. It is highly adaptable, likes sun, tolerates shade, has strong cold resistance, and also tolerates drought and waterlogging. It is not demanding about soil, but grows best on moist, fertile, deep sandy loam. It sends out shoots twice each year in spring and summer. Its root system is dense and well developed, with strong sprouting ability, and its stems and vines can take root as soon as they touch the ground. It likes sunlight and a mild, moist environment, has strong vitality, wide adaptability, tolerates cold and drought, and grows poorly in shady places.
When is honeysuckle planted?
1. Seed propagation: Honeysuckle seed propagation is usually sown in April. Soak the seeds in warm water at 35-40°C for 24 hours, take them out and mix with 2-3 times their volume of wet sand to promote germination, and sow when about 30% have cracked open. On the seedbed, open furrows and sow at a row spacing of 21-22 cm, cover 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. About 15 kg of seed is used per 1 hectare.
2. Cutting propagation: Honeysuckle cutting propagation is generally carried out in the rainy season. In cloudy and rainy weather in summer and autumn, select robust 1-2 year old branches free of pests and diseases and cut them into 30-35 cm sections, remove the lower leaves as cuttings, and use 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, bury them diagonally in the soil in a scattered form, with about 7-10 cm exposed above ground, then fill and firm the soil.
Planting techniques for honeysuckle
1. Timely pruning: Pruning is carried out from after leaf fall in autumn to before sprouting in spring. Generally, vigorous branches are pruned lightly and weak branches 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 branches 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 promote new branches. Young plants should mainly be trained for plant shape and pruned lightly. For plants grown on mountain and ridge plots, generally leave 4-5 main trunk branches; for plain plots, leave 1-2 main trunk branches. The tops of the main trunks should be cut off to make them thicken and grow upright.
2. Rational shaping: 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 rational, and can noticeably increase flowering and yield. After pruning, the flowering time is relatively concentrated, which facilitates harvesting and processing. Generally, pruning can make the branches upright, and removing thin and weak branches and basal branches is beneficial to the formation of new flowers. After picking flowers, prune again, then apply a quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer and water once to promote early flowering of the next crop. In this way, 4 harvests of flowers can be obtained in one year, with an average yield of 150-200 kg of dried flowers per mu.
3. Earthing up and weeding: Honeysuckle planting requires earthing up and weeding 3-4 times each year. The 1st time is when new leaves appear, the second time is before the second flowering period, and the last time is before frost in late autumn and early winter. The purpose of earthing up is to prevent flower roots from being exposed above ground, and it is recommended to carry it out together with fertilization. Weeding should start from the outer perimeter of the plant, from far to near, and be careful not to damage the root system.
4. Rational topdressing: In the first 1-2 years after planting honeysuckle, during the period when the plant's development and form are being established, apply more fertilizers such as human and livestock manure, plant ash, urea, potassium sulfate, etc. After 2-3 years of planting, apply more livestock miscellaneous manure, barnyard manure, cake fertilizer, superphosphate, etc. each early spring. After the first crop of flowers is harvested, an appropriate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer should be applied to provide sufficient nutrients for the next crop of flowers. Each year after sprouting in early spring and when the first batch of flowers is finished, open ring trenches and apply human excrement and urine, chemical fertilizers, etc. by watering, with 250 grams of each fertilizer applied.
5. Harvesting and processing: The best time to harvest honeysuckle is in the early morning and forenoon. At this time, harvested flower buds are not likely to open, and have sufficient nutrients, strong fragrance, and good color. Harvesting in the afternoon should be finished before the sun sets, because the opening of honeysuckle is restricted by light, and 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, do not pile them into large heaps; spread them out instead, and do not leave them for more than 4 hours.