A Detailed Explanation of Honeysuckle Planting Methods and Key Techniques
Honeysuckle, whose proper name is Japanese honeysuckle (scientific name: Lonicera japonica Thunb.). The name "honeysuckle" comes from the Compendium of Materia Medica ; because the flowers of Japanese honeysuckle first open white and later turn yellow, it is called honeysuckle (jin yin hua, "gold-silver flower"). The medicinal material honeysuckle consists of the dried flower buds or just-opening flowers of the Caprifoliaceae family, Lonicera genus plant Japanese honeysuckle and plants of the same genus.
Propagation Methods
Seed propagation: Sow in April; soak the seeds in warm water at 35-40°C for 24h, take them out and mix with 2-3 times their volume of wet sand to promote germination, and sow when about 30% have cracked open. On the seedbed, open furrows at a row spacing of 21-22cm and sow, cover with 1cm of soil, spray water once every 2d, and seedlings will emerge in a little over 10 days; transplant after autumn or in the spring of the 2nd year, using about 15kg of seed per 1hm2.
Cutting propagation: Honeysuckle cutting propagation is generally carried out during the rainy season. In cloudy and rainy weather in summer and autumn, select robust 1-2 year old branches free of pests and diseases, cut them into 30-35cm lengths, remove the lower leaves to make cuttings, and use them as soon as they are cut. On the selected land, dig holes at a row spacing of 1.6m and a plant spacing of 1.5m, with holes 16-18cm deep; place 5-6 cuttings in each hole, spread out and inserted slanting upright in the soil, with about 7-10cm exposed above ground, then fill with soil and press firm.
Cutting seedling raising: During July-August, open furrows at a row spacing of 23-26cm, about 16cm deep, with a plant spacing of 2cm; place the cuttings slanting upright in the furrows, fill with soil and press firm, spray once with water after planting, and thereafter in dry periods water once every 2d; they can take root in about half a month, and are transplanted in spring or autumn of the 2nd year.
Field management of honeysuckle:
1. Timely planting out
Planting out honeysuckle
Planting out can be done in either of the two seasons each year, spring from February to June and autumn from September to December. Before planting out honeysuckle, dig holes at a plant spacing of 1m and a row spacing of 1.5m, with holes 30-50cm deep and 30cm in diameter; spread a layer of base fertilizer in the hole and then cover with a layer of fine soil, plant 1 plant per hole, cover with soil and press appropriately firm, and water thoroughly. If the weather is dry with little rain, water several more times until new shoots appear.
2. Regular topdressing
Every year in early spring and early winter, along with loosening the soil and weeding, open ring-shaped furrows around the honeysuckle clumps, apply 5kg of farmyard manure and 125g of compound fertilizer per clump, then cover with soil. In August, apply nitrogen fertilizer once more, using 15kg of urea per 1/15 hectare, opening shallow furrows and scattering it beside the plants, then covering with soil. When weeds are abundant in summer, take care to remove them.
3. Shaping and pruning
During winter pruning, select and keep 4-5 thick, strong branches on the main trunk as main branches, and shorten the rest as flowering branches; take care to cut out overly dense branches and dead, old, thin, weak, diseased and pest-damaged branches so that the branches are evenly distributed. During the vigorous summer growth period, take care to pinch tips or prune to control vigorous growth and promote flowering.
4. Pest and disease control
The main insect pests of honeysuckle are aphids, honeysuckle looper, longhorn beetles, etc.; when they occur, they can be controlled with highly effective low-toxicity pesticides such as Dagonchen, Aifuding, trichlorfon, etc. The main diseases are powdery mildew, anthracnose, etc., which can be controlled with 70% thiophanate-methyl, triadimefon, etc.