Honeysuckle berries are known for their rich mineral and vitamin content. The benefits of these blue fruits are in general strengthening of the body, normalizing blood pressure and improving the cardiovascular system. This culture can be attributed to early berry plants, since the first fruits can be harvested at the end of spring.
Honeysuckle is a shrub that grows in many garden plots and requires renewal over the years. If this useful berry is not yet in your garden, then try planting it. This plant propagates in many ways - by seeds, layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. Only the seed propagation method is used in rare cases due to the loss of varietal qualities. All other methods are successfully applied by gardeners in practice.
Honeysuckle propagation by layering
This is the most common method and requires little effort. It is often used to propagate various types of shrubs. First you need to thoroughly loosen the soil near the bush. After that, you need to select a strong and sturdy branch from the bottom of the plant, lower it to the ground close to the ground, pin it with a U-shaped wire bracket and sprinkle it with a small layer of earth (no more than 5 centimeters).
Until the onset of spring, the branches are in this position and gradually take root. When the root system of the daughter branch is formed, it can be separated from the mother plant with a garden pruner and planted separately. New berry bushes will begin to bear fruit in two years.
This method has only one drawback - it is not suitable for all varieties of honeysuckle. Some honeysuckle species have no young lower branches at all. In this case, it is better to use the propagation method by cuttings or dividing the bush.
Propagation of honeysuckle by cuttings
Method 1. Propagation by green cuttings
Green cuttings of the current season are suitable for reproduction. If you cut the cuttings before the shrub blooms, then they most likely will not take root and die. By cutting off the cuttings after picking the berries, there is a high probability that their root system will develop poorly. Therefore, the most favorable time for harvesting cuttings is the period after the appearance of green fruits (approximately in the second half of May).
To harvest cuttings, you need to choose not a hot time of the day or the appropriate weather. It can be early morning or cloudy day. Cuttings must be cut obliquely. Choose only young shoots of the current season. From one such shoot, you can cut 2-3 cuttings from 7 to 12 centimeters long. Each cutting should have at least two buds.
Next, the chopped green cuttings are placed in a container of water for twenty-four hours, after removing all the lower leaves. For a better effect, you can use a biostimulant instead of water for better rooting. After a day, all cuttings must be planted in the soil.
Planting cuttings can be done in three ways.
1. The first method will suit the most hardworking and patient gardeners. First you need to prepare a special bed for cuttings. On the selected plot of land, you need to knock down a box of boards around the perimeter of the garden bed and insulate it from the outside. A drainage layer is poured inside (for example, from medium pieces of broken brick) about 5-7 centimeters, then the main layer (from garden soil, peat and river sand) and the top layer - about three centimeters of sand.
The entire bed is watered abundantly with water. For the convenience of planting cuttings, it is necessary to make holes in advance (for example, using an ordinary wooden stick). The distance between the cuttings should be at least 5 centimeters, and the row spacing should be about 10 centimeters. Cuttings are planted in the ground and watered. Immediately after planting, the entire bed with cuttings must be covered with any covering material.
2. If you do not have a suitable place to build a garden or do not have free time, then the process of planting green cuttings can be simplified. Instead of a garden bed, a small wooden or plastic box (about 50 by 50 centimeters in size) will do. Fill it with a potting mix of 20% sand and 80% garden soil, water it abundantly and plant as in the first method, observing the recommended distances. Then you need to cover the box with plants with foil or linen and put it in a dark place for rooting.
3. The third way is the easiest. Each stalk planted on a vacant plot should be covered with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle.
The rules for caring for planted cuttings are timely watering and regular airing. For these procedures, small holes can be made in the covering material, and cans and bottles sometimes need to be opened slightly.
Rooting cuttings should not be opened completely until the end of the warm season. In winter, it is recommended to cover young plants first with fallen leaves, and later with snow. With the onset of spring, the cuttings can be fully opened. After a few months, the hardened seedlings can be transplanted to the selected area.
With this method of reproduction, after three years it will be possible to feast on the first berries.
Method 2. Propagation by woody cuttings
This breeding method can be used around mid-autumn. Cuttings are cut from annual branches. Each of them should have at least two to three buds. Rough cuttings should be wrapped in paper or damp cloth and buried in sand or fine sawdust. All this should be stored until spring in a cool room.
Around the end of March, cuttings should be planted in moist, loose soil at an angle of 45 degrees. The seedlings will start to root in about 15-20 days.
The survival rate of cuttings of spring and autumn cutting differs significantly. In green cuttings - about 70%, and in woody ones - no more than 20%.
Reproduction of honeysuckle by dividing the bush
This method is one of the easiest. The berry bush (up to five years old) must be carefully dug out so as not to damage the root part, shake off the soil from the roots and divide it into several bushes using garden shears. Then it is recommended to immediately plant each part of the bush in a new area. This transplant procedure is best done in March or September.
This method does not apply to honeysuckle bushes over five years of age.
In order for the berry bush to bring a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to grow several varieties of this crop at once.
