Honeysuckle Propagation Methods and Key Points of Production Cultivation Techniques

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a perennial semi-evergreen small shrub. The honeysuckle stem is hollow and much branched, with opposite leaves, creeping and clustered growth, flowers borne in pairs in the leaf axils, and a tubular corolla that is white when first opening and later turns golden yellow, fragrant. The full flowering period lasts from 5 to 20 years, with the flowering season from June to August each year, mainly concentrated in the 20 days or so after Xiaoman (Grain Full), and the fruit ripens from August to October. Honeysuckle has strong adaptability and can grow on slightly acidic, somewhat alkaline, and saline soils; it has a well-developed root system and extremely strong drought resistance. In the summer of 2001, in the honeysuckle production area of Linyi City, Shandong, there was no rain for three months, and the summer corn did not set a single grain, yet the dried honeysuckle flower output still exceeded 1.5 million kg. Honeysuckle is suitable for cultivation in the vast majority of regions in China and is distributed across 1200 counties in 27 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions nationwide. Linyi City, Shandong Province, is the main producing area of honeysuckle, and in 1998 the output of dried honeysuckle flowers reached 2 million kg.

Honeysuckle has very strong asexual propagation ability, so cutting propagation can be carried out whenever the average temperature is above 5°C. Select robust 1- to 2-year-old branches as cuttings, cut them into 16 to 18 cm lengths, and insert them at a plant spacing of 2 cm and a row spacing of 20 cm, at a density of 166,000 plants per mu, covering with soil so that just one pair of buds is exposed, then firm the soil and irrigate. One month later, apply topdressing in 2 to 3 applications, with 5 to 7.5 kg of urea per mu each time. Once the new shoots reach 15 to 20 cm, pinch off the tips to promote new branch growth. Pinch in this way 3 to 4 times in succession, and each plant can have 4 to 8 branches, after which it can be lifted from the nursery and transplanted.

At present, the main cultivated varieties include Damaohua, Jizhuahua, Elingtong, Xianhuazi, Zhenhuazi, Duihuazi, Yeliqi, and others. The main planting methods are field ridge planting and open-field planting. When planting honeysuckle in open fields, establishing a dense-planting high-yield orchard makes better use of space and solar energy. A dense-planting high-yield orchard should generally be established on flat terrain with thicker soil and good drainage, preferably sandy soil. First level the land, deep plow 60 to 80 cm, and apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure and 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu. For poor soil plots, planting is suitable at a mound spacing and row spacing of 1 x 1 m, with 3 to 5 plants per mound and 667 mounds per mu; for fertile soil plots, planting is suitable at a density of 0.5 x 0.75 m mound spacing and row spacing, with 1776 mounds per mu. Planting can be done in spring, summer, and autumn each year.

After a spring-planted honeysuckle dense-planting high-yield orchard is established, it generally yields returns in the same year. To obtain high yield, management must be strengthened. Every winter and spring, deep plowing, hole expansion, and mound clearing should be carried out in combination with fertilization; in summer, topdressing should be applied 2 to 3 times, along with watering and drainage. At the same time, attention should be paid to shaping and pruning. In early winter or early spring, cut off senescent branches, overly dense branches, and leggy shoots to help concentrate nutrients in the flowering branches, so that the mound shape gradually forms a natural round or umbrella-shaped high-yield mound.

During the flowering period, management should pay attention to diseases and insect pests. For aphids, 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution can be used for control; for powdery mildew, 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 800 times dilution can be sprayed, and fenarimol can also be used, both with very good results. After carrying out the above management measures, flowers can be harvested three times per year.

The processing and storage of honeysuckle are very simple. Spread the freshly picked flowers evenly by hand on reed mats or on a cleanly swept ground to dry in the sun. It is not advisable to turn them; when they are 80% dry, they can be piled up.

Honeysuckle that has been sun-dried in one go still needs to be dried in the sun another 1 to 3 times after a period of time, so that it contains no moisture, then put into plastic bags with the bag openings tightly tied, and properly stored for sale.