Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for High-Yield Cultivation of Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle has deep roots and lush leaves, can prevent soil erosion, purify the air, and as a garden and potted flower, can beautify the environment and cultivate character. It is an excellent plant that combines ecological, economic, and ornamental value. It generally yields about 100 kg of dried flowers per mu, and about 5 kg to 6 kg of fresh flower buds can be processed into 1 kg of dried product. Calculated at 28 yuan per kg, its income per mu is about 2,800 yuan. Plant once, benefit every year. Honeysuckle has strong adaptability to climate and soil. It prefers a warm and humid climate, with an optimal growth temperature of 15°C to 30°C. Generally, as long as the temperature is not below 5°C and there is a certain degree of humidity, it can grow all year round. It is tolerant of saline-alkali soil, drought, and waterlogging. It can grow on hillsides, field ridges, sandy beaches, and barren hilly land. When planted in loose, fertile soil, its root system is well developed, branches and leaves are luxuriant, silver flowers cluster together, and the yield is relatively high.
Cultivation Techniques
Honeysuckle propagation uses seed propagation or vegetative propagation. To obtain high quality and high yield, both methods must select excellent varieties.
1. Seed propagation, also called sexual propagation, is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and growth is slow. In addition, since honeysuckle is mainly used for its flowers in medicine, most plants are not allowed to set seed. It is mostly not used in production.
2. Vegetative propagation, also called asexual propagation, has three methods: cuttings, layering, and division. Among them, the cutting method is simple and easy, easy to survive, and most used in production. The layering propagation method and division propagation method are mostly not used in production, and will not be described in detail here.
Cutting method. It is divided into direct cuttings and seedling cuttings.
Direct cuttings. Flower farmers in the main production area of Pingyi, during the rainy seasons of summer and autumn, select 1-year to 2-year-old healthy branches free of pests and diseases, cut them into 30 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves, and at a hole spacing of 1.3 m, place 10 to 15 cuttings per hole, with about 10 cm exposed above the ground, fill with soil and press firmly, water, and plant directly on hillsides, field ridges, and other places. Keep the soil moist, and new roots will grow in about half a month.
Cutting seedling raising. It can be carried out all year round except in severe winter. Choose fertile, moist sandy loam with convenient irrigation, use farmyard manure as base fertilizer, plow, level, and harrow fine to make a seedbed. Open furrows at a row spacing of 25 cm to 30 cm, with a furrow depth of 15 cm to 20 cm, arrange the cut cuttings evenly in the furrow, with gaps between cuttings being sufficient. Fill with soil and press firmly, leaving about 5 cm exposed above ground, and immediately water thoroughly. If the temperature is above 20°C, keep the soil moist, and in about half a month, they will root and sprout. Seedlings raised in autumn and winter, because they are in a dormant period, will not root before the year ends, but they must not lack water, otherwise they will dry up and die. Cuttings raised as seedlings should be transplanted after they produce thick adventitious roots.
Transplanting. Honeysuckle transplanting should be chosen in early to mid-March in spring, and from early August to early October in autumn. Choose loose soil, good drainage, and fertile soil near a water source. Apply 3,000 kg of barnyard manure per mu, deep plow more than 30 cm, make flat beds, and dig holes at a row and plant spacing of 1.5 m × 1.5 m. The depth and width of the holes depend on the size of the seedlings. Mix fertilizer and soil at the bottom of the hole. For half-year to 1-year-old seedlings, place 5 to 8 plants per hole dispersed within the hole, planted in a circular pattern. For about 2-year-old large seedlings, place 1 to 3 plants per hole dispersed within the hole, planted in a half-moon pattern. Fill with soil, press firmly, and water. In addition, vacant land beside ditches, on field ridges, wasteland, and in front of and behind houses can all be planted.
Field Management
Pruning. Reasonable pruning is a major measure to increase honeysuckle yield. Pruning in winter and spring is for shaping and increasing the yield of the first crop of flowers. For silver flowers transplanted for 1 to 3 years, the upper part of the branches can be cut off, leaving thicker branches as the main trunk to promote thickening and upright growth. Cut off the upper parts of branches at all levels, retaining only 2 to 4 pairs of buds, to promote the growth of new branches. For flower clumps more than four years old, prune long branches, diseased and weak branches, dead branches, and overly dense branches to reduce nutrient consumption. Gradually make the honeysuckle branches evenly spaced, with the inner and outer layers arranged so that the top is round, the base is clear, and the interior is open. The whole plant forms an upright umbrella-shaped flower clump, facilitating ventilation and light penetration, and producing more flower buds. After each flower harvest, immediately cut off the top of the flowering branches so that the buds on the nodes branch and grow, forming new flowering branches.
Topdressing. As early winter begins, open a ring-shaped furrow about 15 cm deep around the flower clump and apply human feces and urine into it. After the first crop of flowers, mainly apply urea or compound fertilizer as topdressing. For strong clumps more than four years old, apply about 10 kg of human and livestock manure and urine per clump, or apply about 100 g of ammonium sulfate and 200 g of superphosphate, scatter the fertilizer into the furrow beside the flower clump, and cover well with soil. After each topdressing, water to promote the growth of new flowering branches and produce more flower buds.
Loosening soil and weeding. After planting, weed and loosen the soil frequently so that no weeds grow around the flower clumps. After the clumps are formed, branches and leaves spread over the ground, making intercultivation inconvenient, so it is sufficient to carry out one time each in spring when sprouting and in winter when leaves fall. It should be shallow around the root zone of the flower clump and slightly deeper farther away.
Flowering period management. Spring drought and summer waterlogging easily cause large amounts of flower drop and flower rotting. Adapt measures to local conditions and do a good job of irrigation or drainage.
Pest and Disease Control
Brown spot disease. The disease is severe from July to August. Leaves show round lesions, yellow-brown, and when moist, gray mold-like growth appears on the back. In severe cases, leaves wither, yellow, and fall off.
Control method: In winter, remove diseased branches and leaves to reduce sources of pathogens; in the early stage of the disease, spray with Bordeaux mixture at 1:1.5:200, once every 7 to 10 days, spraying 2 to 3 times continuously.
Aphids. They begin to occur around Qingming. The affected leaves and flower buds curl and stop growing.
Control method: Before Qingming, spray once with 40% dimethoate emulsion at 2,000 times dilution or 10% imidacloprid at 3,000 times dilution for control.
Honeysuckle looper. Damage is generally severe when the first crop of flowers is completely harvested. The larvae can eat all the leaves within a few days. Young larvae damage the underside of leaves, feeding on the lower epidermis and mesophyll tissue, leaving the upper epidermis, causing the leaf surface to show white transparent spots. In severe cases, they can eat all the leaves of entire patches of flower clumps.
Control method: In winter, prune branches and clear clumps to destroy the overwintering environment of the pests and reduce pest sources; in the early stage of occurrence, spray with 90% crystalline trichlorfon at 1,000 times dilution, or spray with 40% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate at 1,000 to 1,500 times dilution.
Leopard moth. The larvae mostly bore into the stem from branch forks or leaf axils of tender shoots and feed inside, causing new shoots to wither and causing plant death.
Control method: In mid-to-late July, during the peak period of larval hatching, evenly spray 50% fenitrothion at 1,000 times dilution onto the branches, to the extent that they are wet but not dripping.
Coffee longhorn beetle. It is an important stem-boring pest. It first damages beneath the epidermis and gradually bores into the xylem layer, causing affected branches to wither and the entire flower clump to gradually die.
Control method: In winter, prune branches, peel off the old bark of old branches, and promptly remove dead branches to destroy conditions for adult oviposition; in late June, before newly hatched larvae have bored into the xylem, spray with 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1,500 times dilution.
Willow carpenter moth. It is a trunk-boring pest. Adults lay eggs in the middle and lower parts of old stems. After hatching, the larvae migrate downward along the phloem, enter the xylem to feed, causing the base trunk to become hollow, and in severe cases to die.
Control method: In winter, prune and remove dead branches together with roots, and burn them in a centralized manner; from July to September, dig a pit 10 cm to 15 cm deep at the root crown of the flower clump, pour in 20 ml of 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate diluted 2 times, then cover with soil and press firmly.
Harvesting and Processing
In production, harvesting should be done when the upper part of the flower bud swells, the base is greenish, and the color is bright and glossy. At this time, the accumulation of chlorogenic acid in the flower is highest. Generally, the first crop of flowers is picked in mid-to-late May, and afterwards the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th crops are harvested at intervals of about 1 month. Place the picked flower buds on reed mats. When sunlight is strong, spread them thicker; when sunlight is weak, spread them thinner, so that they can be dried in the same day. During the initial drying, they must not be turned arbitrarily, to avoid the flower color turning black. After drying, store them sealed tightly in a dry place, but the flower center is not yet completely dry. After a few days, they will absorb moisture again, so dry them again until completely dry.
Storage and Preservation
Honeysuckle should be stored in a dry, cool place, protected from moisture and light, and prevented from discoloration, mold, and insects. Flower farmers in the main production areas mostly fully dry it and then put it into plastic film, tie the opening tightly, and store it.
Honeysuckle commodity grades can be divided into four levels according to external indicators such as shape and size, degree of opening, color, impurities, and insect damage and mold, among which those that are dry, with large unopened flower buds, yellow-white in color, mild in taste, delicately fragrant, and free of mold, insect damage, and branches and leaves are considered best.