How to Grow Honeysuckle? A Complete Guide to Methods and Techniques

I. Cultivation Methods

(1) Seed propagation. Seeds collected in autumn can be sown immediately or stored until early April of the following year. Both broadcasting and drilling are acceptable. Apply 750-1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer. Before sowing, soak the seeds in 25°C warm water for 24 hours to promote germination, and sow after the seeds show white sprouts. When the seedlings are about 6 cm tall, combine intertillage weeding and thinning with 1 topdressing of 10% urea solution. When the seedlings are 10 cm tall, spray 1 application of 200-fold Bordeaux mixture; they can be lifted from the nursery and transplanted in 30-36 days.

(2) Division and transplanting. Select robust plants with even growth, large root diameter, dark green stems and leaves, free of pests and diseases, and 2-3 year old perennial roots, and divide them directly for use as planting stock. Transplant from the Start of Winter to before the plants sprout at Awakening of Insects the following year. After the seedlings survive, apply 10% urea solution as a spot dressing. One week before lifting from the nursery, apply 250 g urea plus 10% urine water as a "send-off" fertilizer.

(3) Cutting propagation. Select robust plants with emerald green leaves, free of pests and diseases, and use the semi-lignified upper portions of branches 3 years old or older as cuttings. Insert cuttings in spring and autumn; both vertical and slanting insertion are acceptable. Bury the branch to a depth that leaves 1-2 axillary buds exposed above the bed surface, with an insertion depth of 6-10 cm. Three to five days before lifting from the nursery, spray 100-150 kg per mu of 0.3%-0.5% urea or diluted human excrement and urine as a "send-off" fertilizer.

II. Field Planting

Field planting is generally carried out in spring and autumn. Use hole planting. For block planting, first prepare beds 1.7-2 m wide with ditches 20-26 cm wide. Plant 2-3 plants per hole, with a plant spacing of 10-15 cm and a row spacing of 30-35 cm. After planting, cover with soil and firm it; apply 100 kg of human excrement and urine per mu, add 500 kg of water, and spot-apply to settle the seedlings. After the seedlings survive, apply some clear-water fertilizer as a topdressing, and thereafter apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as appropriate depending on seedling growth.

III. Management

In the second year after transplanting, honeysuckle should be given a trellis or moved to a fence. In early spring, thin out dense branches and old branches once to encourage new shoots. In early to mid-March of the following year, fertilize together with intertillage weeding, applying 500-750 kg of human excrement and urine or 2.5-3 kg of urea per mu; thereafter, after each flower harvest, apply quick-acting fertilizer as appropriate depending on seedling growth. If there is a long drought without rain and irrigation is urgently needed, use furrow irrigation or watering to keep the soil moist.

IV. Pest and Disease Control

The main pests of honeysuckle include leaf rollers, flower borers, and wood borers, which can be controlled fairly well by spraying 40% dimethoate or 80% dichlorvos at 1500-fold dilution. Pests can also be captured manually. The main disease is damping-off, and when it occurs, 200-fold Bordeaux mixture can be used for control.