Detailed Explanation of the Key Technical Points for Cultivation and Management of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

1. Intertillage, weeding and earthing up

After the seedling or vegetatively propagated plants of Japanese honeysuckle are planted out, intertillage and weeding should be carried out in a timely manner during the growing season each year. When planting in cold winter regions, before the soil freezes in early winter, soil should be earthed up around the root zone along with loosening the soil, to prevent the root system from freeze damage.

2. Fertilization, drainage and irrigation

In early spring or late autumn, decomposed barnyard manure and superphosphate, etc. are applied in combination. When fertilizing, the ring fertilization method can be used: that is, open a ring-shaped trench around the plant, apply the fertilizer, then cover with soil and level it. In addition, when flower bud differentiation is seen before flowering, foliar supplementary spraying of monoammonium phosphate (NH4H2PO4), etc. can be done. Where conditions permit, if drought occurs in early spring or during the flowering period, appropriate irrigation should be given; when there is excessive rain during the rainy season, drainage should be carried out in a timely manner, to prevent waterlogging from causing flower drop or young buds splitting, etc.

3. Training and pruning

Japanese honeysuckle has strong natural regeneration ability and many branches. Training and pruning help cultivate thick main trunks and main branches, so that the branches grow upright in clumps with good ventilation and light penetration, which helps increase yield and enhance disease resistance. Training is carried out after planting, when the plant is about 30 cm tall, cutting off the top shoot to remove apical dominance and encourage lateral buds to sprout into branches. Among the sprouted lateral buds, select 4-5 thick, strong branches as main branches, and cut off the rest. Thereafter, on the primary lateral branches growing from the main branches, retain 6-7 pairs of buds and cut off the top; then among the secondary lateral branches growing from the primary lateral branches, retain 6-7 pairs of buds and cut off the top. After the above step-by-step training, the Japanese honeysuckle plant can be made upright, with branches in layers and good ventilation and light penetration.

In addition to training, when cultivating Japanese honeysuckle, pruning measures in winter and during the growing season are also needed to adjust the plant. Winter pruning means cutting off diseased branches, weak branches and dead branches after the annual Frost's Descent and before the soil freezes; growing-season pruning is cutting off the top of the branches after flowering, to encourage the flower-bearing mother branches to sprout new branches earlier and bloom a second time. This is because flower bud differentiation in Japanese honeysuckle occurs only on newly sprouted branches; although branches that have already flowered can continue to grow, they cannot flower again, and only new branches sprouted from the original flower-bearing mother branches can form flower buds and bloom.