Honeysuckle "Blue Spindle" is one of the most popular varieties among our gardeners, suitable for cultivation even in harsh climates.
Material Content:
Description of honeysuckle varieties "Blue spindle"
More than 30 years have passed since the breeding of the culture in question. The birthplace of the bush is Siberia.
Variety Description:
- height up to one and a half meters;
- withstands frosts down to -45 degrees;
- fruiting period - 20 years;
- earlier ripening;
- tasting score - 3.5 points.
The variety forms strong bushes with a rounded crown. The fruits are poured large, up to 3 cm in diameter, similar in shape to a small spindle. The skin of blue-black color has a coating on the surface.
The variety begins to bear fruit from the age of four, but a handful of the first berries can be picked in the first year. The bush blooms early, with the arrival of the first spring heat. Not afraid of big frosts.
The fruits ripen unevenly - the first can be harvested from the beginning of June, but in general, fruiting continues for another three weeks.
Recommended Pollinators
Since this variety is self-infertile, for fruiting it is necessary to have other varieties of honeysuckle that will pollinate it nearby.
They are recommended to be planted next to the "Blue Spindle" in small curtains, preferably on the windward side:
- "Blue bird";
- "Cinderella";
- "Tomichka";
- The Kamchadalka.
You can alternate plants. The main thing is that pollinators grow nearby.
How and when to plant a bush
Basically, the timing depends on the state of the rhizomes of the seedling. If the roots are open, planting a honeysuckle in autumn is recommended. It is advisable to plant bushes a month before the expected onset of cold weather.If you carry out the procedure in the spring, the plant will throw all its strength into the development of leaves and shoots, while the roots will remain underdeveloped. Bushes can die.
Seedlings with closed roots in containers can be planted throughout the season.
In one place, the honeysuckle bush can grow for 20 or even more years. Therefore, it is important to immediately plant the selected specimen in a suitable area. The site is preferably sunny, sheltered from the winds. Groundwater should not be close.
If the land is depleted, then when planting in the hole you need to make fertilizers. You can even add chips that, decaying, provide the plant with nutrients.
Landing step by step:
- Wells mark a minimum at a distance of 2 meters. They should be 50 cm deep and 40 cm wide.
- At the bottom you need to make a drain.
- Compost, ash and potassium sulfate should be added to each well.
- Place the seedling in the prepared pit and fill it with soil, deepen the neck by 5 cm.
- Tamp and shed. When the earth settles, add a little more soil mix and mulch.
The mulch layer should be at least 7 cm. Sawdust, mowed grass, chopped straw can act as material.
Do not refuse mulching, as with its help it will be possible to prevent the germination of weeds and protect the roots from overheating in the sun.
Features of outdoor care
Edible honeysuckle - a very unpretentious berry crop, which requires minimal care.
- Watering. The plant is surprisingly drought tolerant, but with a lack of water, the berries begin to be very bitter. In dry weather and in the south, shrubs need to be watered once a week, spending a bucket of water on the plant.
- Top dressing. In the spring they feed with the beginning of snow melting. It is enough to add half a bucket of compost or ripened humus under the bush, mixing fertilizer with the ground. During the budding period, wood ash is sprayed around the planting. In the fall, they again feed the same way. At the end of the season, superphosphate is added under the bushes.
- Pruning. When the plant reaches the age of three, the apical buds all die off and the lateral branches begin to grow actively, which must be thinned out in time. If the bush becomes very thickened, productivity will decrease. The first three years, pruning is not carried out. Then, from the age of four, the plant is cut in late autumn. During the haircut, all old branches are removed to be replaced by young ones.
- Loosening. It is necessary to carry out regularly, but not deeper than 7 cm, since the roots of honeysuckle grow close to the surface. After, the trunk circle is mulched.
- Preparing for the winter. The plant does not require any special care before the onset of cold weather, as it tolerates even severe frosts.
Propagation of the variety is possible by cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.
Propagation by seeds of this culture will not work, since seedlings almost all die. Those shoots that survive will be wild and will not produce edible fruits.
Berry picking, storage
The ripening period of berries at the “Blue Spindle” is extended for weeks. Not collected in time, they crumble, so they need to be torn in a timely manner. You can spread the fabric under the bush and just shake off the fruits, or pick them off manually.
Harvest can be stored for several days in the refrigerator. Honeysuckle is not transportable and should be consumed or processed as quickly as possible. Many freeze it or make delicious jam.
Diseases, pests and methods of dealing with them
The variety is stable. Sometimes inexperienced gardeners take the cracked bark on the branches as a symptom of a disease. In fact, this is a normal condition of the bush.
Of the diseases, “Spindle” can be affected by spotting, blackening of branches, powdery mildew. Very rarely, a culture suffers from fungal diseases. If necessary, it can be cured with Bordeaux fluid. Helps to cope with many problems and the drug "Skor".
Of the parasitic insects, the plant can be attacked by the fingerworm caterpillars.You can fight pests by spraying shrubs with Decis and Inta-Vir preparations.
Honeysuckle fruit is surprisingly unpretentious and gives consistently high yields of delicious and juicy northern berries. Growing this culture on your site is a very grateful work.
