How to plant honeysuckle? Planting methods and key technical points

I. Planting method: Use sunny barren slopes, sandy land, terrace edges, and riverside sites to plant honeysuckle. Apply 2000-3000 kg of organic fertilizer per mu. Layering can be done in both spring and autumn; in autumn, late August to mid-October is best. Choose strong 1-2 year old branches for layering, 50-80 cm long; after covering with soil, tread it firm, leaving 2/5 of the layer exposed above the soil surface, and water promptly in case of severe drought. Honeysuckle begins to root in 15 days, and is then transplanted for field planting in the following spring or autumn.

II. Field management

(1) Cultivation and weeding. Cultivate and weed 3-4 times each year. Carry out the first weeding when new leaves emerge, weed once each in July and August, and do the last one in late autumn or early winter before frost. Weeding should start from the outer edge of the plant, working from far to near and from deep to shallow; never damage the root system.

(2) Topdressing. In the 1-2 years after planting, apply more fertilizers such as human and livestock manure, plant ash, urea, and potassium sulfate. After two years of planting, each year before winter or in early spring, apply more fertilizers such as livestock manure, barnyard manure, cake fertilizer, and superphosphate. After each flush of flowers is harvested, apply an appropriate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer to provide sufficient nutrients for the next flush of flowers. Each year after buds break in early spring and when the first batch of flowers is finished, open ring furrows and water on human excrement and chemical fertilizers, etc. At the last weeding before winter, apply decomposed organic fertilizer or compost (cake fertilizer) at the base of the plant, then mound soil around it to help the honeysuckle plants overwinter safely.

(3) Pruning. In the first two years after planting, train the honeysuckle plants to grow into an umbrella shape. After that, each year in autumn and winter, prune away old branches, weak branches, and leggy branches so that the inner and outer layers of the honeysuckle plant are distinct, with good ventilation and light penetration, to help increase yield. Each year before bud break in early spring, cut off the tips of the branches to encourage the lower part of the branches to gradually thicken and grow upright. Larger plants should have old dead branches and ineffective inner branches removed; vigorously growing plants should be pruned lightly, while weak, old plants should be pruned heavily to encourage more flowering branches.