Honeysuckle Cultivation Techniques Explained: Growing Flowering Medicinal Herbs (Part 2)

Field management - intertillage and weeding: Carry out intertillage and weeding 3-4 times per year. The first time is in spring when the honeysuckle sprouts and puts out new leaves; the second time is in June; the third time is in July-August; the fourth time is in late autumn and early winter. In the third year after planting honeysuckle, depending on weed growth, appropriately reduce the number of intertillage and weeding operations. After the soil thaws in the spring of the third year, carry out one deep plowing. Deep plowing is done between the honeysuckle rows and between the plants, which both loosens the soil and cuts off the old surface roots. Topdressing: Honeysuckle should be topdressed once each year after sprouting in early spring and after each flower harvest. In spring and summer, apply fully decomposed human and animal manure or nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate or urea in a shallow trench beside the honeysuckle clump, then cover with soil after application; in winter, apply 5-10 kg of fully decomposed barnyard manure or compost, 100 g of ammonium sulfate, and 200 g of superphosphate per clump in a ring-shaped trench around the honeysuckle clump, then cover the fertilizer with soil and earth up. Spraying 0.4%-0.8% monopotassium phosphate at the bud stage gives a good yield increase. Shaping and pruning: Through shaping and pruning, honeysuckle can change from its original twining growth into an umbrella-shaped shrub flower clump with evenly spaced, open branches, good ventilation and light penetration, and a thick, upright main trunk. Since the new shoots of honeysuckle in the current year can develop into flowering branches, pruning can promote the growth of more new branches and the formation of more flower buds, thereby achieving increased yield. Pruning steps: 1. Trunk establishment. In the same year for spring planting or the second year for autumn planting, establish the trunk when the branches grow to about 33 cm. For the main trunk, generally select an upright, thick branch and cut off the upper end at 16-27 cm above the ground. Then select side branches: choose 3-5 thick branches on the main trunk that are evenly distributed and do not shade each other, and cut off 2/3 of their tips. After trunk establishment, apply 50 g of urea and 100 g of superphosphate per clump, and carry out intertillage and weeding frequently. 2. Winter pruning. Carry out one pruning after the onset of winter. This mainly involves cutting off branches growing from the main trunk and retaining a small number of mother branches on the main branches that can flower the following year. Because these are young plants, select 4-5 robust branches on the main branches and cut off the upper ends at 3-7 cm. Winter pruning can only be delayed, not advanced. Apply fertilizer once before the soil freezes and water well with freezing water. 3. Spring pruning. Remove all buds on the main trunk and the middle of the main branches as well as buds emerging from the root crown, leaving only the buds on the mother branches. Because buds will grow again after being removed, repeated bud removal is necessary. 4. Pruning during the flowering period. Retain a certain number of mother branches capable of flowering, so that an appropriate number of flowering branches will be produced in spring; after flowering, promptly cut off the tips. After harvesting the second flush of flowers, pruning and other management should also be carried out. 5. Pruning of mature clumps. Honeysuckle enters the mature stage 4 years after planting and the full flowering stage after 5 years, and can yield 4 flushes of flowers a year. Pruning is key, and fertilizer and water are the guarantee. Pruning of mature honeysuckle clumps is mainly winter pruning. In addition to mastering the essentials of removing the weak and keeping the strong, removing curved branches and keeping straight ones, and thinning out overlapping branches, the number of mother branches should also be determined according to water and fertilizer conditions. When water and fertilizer conditions are good, a somewhat larger number of mother branches can be retained to facilitate flowering in summer and autumn. Pruning is key to increasing honeysuckle yield. The principles of pruning: shape the main trunk, lightly prune vigorous branches, heavily prune weak branches, cut all dead branches, prune every branch, and prune again after flowering. Irrigation and drainage: If the flowering period encounters dry weather or excessive rain, phenomena such as heavy flower drop, flower rotting, and young flower splitting will occur. Therefore, irrigation and drainage work should be done promptly.