Detailed Guide to Sowing and Raising Honeysuckle Seedlings (Part Two)

(4) Warm water seed soaking: If for some reason you forgot the sand storage but the sowing period is already near, this method can be used. In early March, soak the seeds in warm water at 35-40°C for 24 hours, remove them and mix with 2-3 times their volume of wet sand, cover with plastic film, and place in a warm spot to germinate. When the seed cracking rate reaches 50%, they can be sown. This method has a 20%-30% lower germination rate than sand storage, and the seedlings emerge unevenly.

(5) Land preparation: The nursery plot should be deeply plowed in late autumn or early spring, and sufficient base fertilizer applied. Generally, deep plowing is 50 cm, and per mu apply 6000-7500 kg of base fertilizer and 40-50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, then rake fine and level, and remove residual roots and weeds. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, it can also be applied when making the beds in spring.

To control underground pests, per mu you can broadcast 1.5-2 kg of Jiadi powder, or 0.15-0.25 kg of phoxim emulsion. If it is an old nursery plot, an appropriate amount of zinc sulfate and ferrous sulfate can be applied to prevent seedling-stage diseases. Use flat-bed seedling raising, with a bed surface width of 1 m, a ridge width of 0.2 m, and a length of 1.5 m.

(6) Sowing: Winter sowing should be done before the soil freezes, and spring sowing is generally in mid-March. Winter sowing germinates early, roots deeply, has strong drought resistance, and the seedlings grow vigorously. However, because the seeds are small and the soil covering is shallow, they are susceptible to bird damage, and the seedlings often emerge unevenly, so bird prevention measures should be strengthened.

Use full-bed broadcasting, with a seeding rate of 1.0-1.2 kg per mu. First level the bed surface, then water with flood irrigation. After the water seeps down, mix the stored sand seeds with an equal volume of sand, evenly broadcast them into the bed, cover with fine sandy soil 0.5-0.7 cm, and then cover with straw curtains to prevent the bed surface from crusting and cracking.

(7) Management after sowing: Because honeysuckle seeds are very small, before the seedlings emerge, strict precautions must be taken against soil crusting and cracking. This period coincides with the windy and dry spring season, so water once every morning or evening with a watering can. When about 30% of the seedlings have emerged, remove the straw curtain covering, and only after the seedlings have all emerged can the entire bed be irrigated. Keep 150,000-160,000 seedlings per mu. Afterward, frequently carry out management such as weeding, loosening the soil, and watering.

During the seedling growth period, apply urea 2-3 times as a top dressing according to seedling condition, with 7.5-10 kg per mu each time. When the seedlings are 15-20 cm tall, pinch off the growing tips to promote new branches, and then repeat this 2-3 times continuously. By July, each plant can have 4-8 branches, and when the rainy season arrives, they can be lifted from the nursery for planting.