The honeysuckle berries are the first to appear in our gardens. When the trees are just blooming, the bushes of this plant already have fruits. The best varieties of honeysuckle not only have useful healing qualities, but also delight gardeners with an incredibly tasty harvest. Previously, its bushes were used as decorative ornaments in gardens. But soon its amazing beneficial properties were revealed. And today, many species, for example: honeysuckle Blue Bird, Lakomka, Sorceress and many others, have become widely used in folk medicine.
The most common varieties
This plant literally burst into Russian gardens. Twenty years ago, few people thought about growing it. In amateur gardening, culture is common throughout our country, but most often it can be found in the Far East and the Urals, in Eastern Siberia, in Altai. Slightly less demand for it in the southern regions. The fact is that even the best varieties of honeysuckle cannot grow in too hot weather conditions.
The most unpretentious varieties are Viliga, Gzhelka, Cinderella. They have been cultivatedfor cultivation in cold Siberian regions. For example, the Viliga variety can withstand a fifty-degree frost. Gzhelka is considered a universal plant: it makes an excellent hedge, reaching a height of up to two meters, and besides, it produces magnificent sweet berries with a characteristic astringency. From each bush, subject to agrotechnical rules, you can get two and a half kilograms of crop.
Classification
The early varieties include the Blue Bird, whose berries do not have sourness, Morena with very large fruits, Altair, etc. They are grown even in the Moscow region.
Mid-ripening varieties are Amphora, Dolphin, Berel honeysuckle (description of the variety, photos are presented below). Late-ripening species, whose berries ripen in the last days of June, are Kingfisher, Nymph, Ramenskaya.
One of the most high-yielding varieties of this plant, the Leningrad Giant, was bred in the Pavlovsk laboratory.
In general, it is difficult to say which variety of crop is the best. All varieties are good. Most of them please their owners with tasty and he althy berries.
Honeysuckle Berel: variety description, photo
This species was bred as a result of crossing the Blue Spindle, Blue Bird and Azure. Berel is a honeysuckle with tall, erect and slightly spreading bushes and an oval crown. The shoots of this plant are long and rather thick. They have a brownish-green color with anthocyanin coloration. The leaves are flat, medium size, rounded oval. Berries that gives itplant, have a dark blue color with a strong wax coating. They are quite large, wide-fusiform. The mass of the fetus reaches one gram. The taste of berries is sweet-sour with a characteristic bitterness. Berel - honeysuckle, related to the average ripening period. The yield from each of its bushes reaches three kilograms. Features of the variety are low shedding and high winter hardiness. Pollinators for honeysuckle Berel - Kamchatka species and its seedlings. The berries of this variety are used for canning - in compotes and natural juices, as well as for food coloring.
Soil requirements
Berel - self-fertile honeysuckle. Therefore, in order to get a good harvest, it must be planted in one area next to another variety or with its seedlings. Only in this case will the insects ensure the cross-pollination of the bushes. In some regions Berel honeysuckle is considered a very important honey plant. Plant it from spring to autumn, with the exception of May and June. During these months, Berel honeysuckle is at the stage of the most active growth of shoots. Those who are going to plant a crop in the spring should know that this must be done even before bud break. It should also be taken into account that Berel is a honeysuckle that wakes up early enough.
Experts recommend planting this plant in autumn, from the last days of September to mid-October. First you need to choose the most comfortable place on the site, bring the composition of the soil to the required indicators, dig holes and prepare seedlings for planting. Berel - honeysuckle,which is best suited for light, wind-sheltered, low-lying, swampy areas. The plant can be planted near the fence or surrounded by bushes of other varieties. The soil should be fertile - loamy or sandy. Organic matter should be added to poor soil. In cases where the pH of the soil in a given area is shifted towards increased acidity, chalk or dolomite flour should be added to the ground.
Landing
Bushes of this variety of honeysuckle should be carefully inspected before being placed in the ground and remove broken roots and shoots. Landing is carried out in pits with a depth of up to forty centimeters. The distance between them should be from one to two meters. Well-rotted manure or humus, a little double superphosphate, wood ash and potassium sulfate should be added to the pits. Fertilizers should be thoroughly mixed with the topsoil. At the bottom of the pits, mounds should be formed and honeysuckle bushes should be installed on them. Then you need to straighten the roots and fill them with loose soil. You need to be careful that after planting the root neck is at a depth of three to five centimeters. Then, having compacted the soil around the seedlings, you should make bumpers around them and water the site with a bucket of water. After the moisture is absorbed, the soil around the bush is mulched with peat, humus or dry earth.
Berel, honeysuckle: cultivation features
The goal of any gardener who grows this crop on his plot is a rich harvest. Subject to all necessary conditions:regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil around the bushes, timely fertilization, pruning and protection from pests - the plant will definitely please with its delicious berries. It should be borne in mind: the better the Berel honeysuckle is cared for, the more elegant its bushes look and the richer the harvest.
Facilitates the process of growing the fact that during the first three years after planting, the bushes only need to be hilled high in the spring, of course, watered and loosened the soil, removing weeds. Pruning is not required for young plants. Berel honeysuckle should be watered moderately. Only in dry weather should moisture be supplied plentifully, since the lack of water begins to make the berries bitter, and their quality is threatened. Pruning honeysuckle in the spring is carried out more for sanitary purposes. In regions with mild weather and regular rains, the plant should be watered three or four times per season. The amount of water for each bush at a time should be ten liters.
Cutting
The first two or three years after planting, the plant does not need it. And after that, if the shoots grow normally and the bush does not look too thick, you can take your time with it. At best, sanitary pruning of honeysuckle is carried out in the spring.
There are frequent cases when the process of thinning a bush is carried out only in the seventh or eighth year after planting. Although some agronomists recommend cutting the shoots on seedlings immediately after planting, shortening them to seven to eight centimeters. And after that, wait for the bush to growits green mass. Pruning honeysuckle is best done in the fall, after harvest.
If the bush has become very thick, you can cut a few zero branches growing directly from the ground. Dry, broken or too short branches must be removed. Fruits are formed only on strong annual shoots. Therefore, they should not be shortened. It is better to cut off the ends of shoots with weak growth, and do not touch the middle and base.
How to propagate honeysuckle
There are three ways, and each requires certain knowledge and labor. Honeysuckle Berel is propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. Each of these methods has its pros and cons. For example, seed propagation is not difficult, but honeysuckle is a cross-pollinated plant, so the properties of the parents are not preserved in their offspring. Therefore, the new generation is inferior in quality. Because of this, this method is mainly used by breeders for experiments. The most effective methods of reproduction can be considered cuttings and layering.
Fertilizers
During the first two years of life, honeysuckle does not need to be fed. Then only fertilizers are applied. It is better to give preference to organic. In late autumn, the bushes are fed with compost, ash and double superphosphate. In the spring, before the opening of the kidneys, every year ammonium nitrate should be applied to the soil at the rate of fifteen grams per square meter of land or a solution of urea (one tablespoon per bucket of water).
Reviews of gardeners
A wonderful berry crop, one might say, hassle-free - this is exactly what our gardeners say about many varieties of this plant. Berel honeysuckle is no exception. Reviews about it testify to the great popularity of the variety in the central regions of the country. Many people like the fact that the maintenance of the shrub requires minimal. This is especially true for those who get out to the site only on weekends. In fact, today honeysuckle is the first ripening berry in the garden. It gives a harvest even earlier than strawberries. The berries are incredibly delicious. Many domestic gardeners boast of compote made from them. Another plus, according to gardeners, is that honeysuckle practically does not get sick and tolerates frost well. It can grow in one area for more than fifty years and still not lose its fruitfulness. The main thing is to choose the right neighboring varieties for good pollination. You need to buy at least two, otherwise there will be no berries. Berel stands out among other varieties in taste and size of berries, so many people choose this species for planting in their plots.
