Reproduction of honeysuckle and care of seedlings
Honeysuckle is very fond of sunny areas, but the bushes do not grow well in higher elevations. Also, the plant does not tolerate stagnant water well. Therefore, you need to plant honeysuckle in a well-prepared planting hole on a flat area. The grown honeysuckle bush should not be transplanted to a new place, as it will be very painful and may not take root. Therefore, the honeysuckle is propagated by the method of green cuttings. Cuttings are harvested in early - mid-summer. Honeysuckle is an early plant, and the sap flow of bushes stops when the temperature drops to +10ABOUTC - (+8ABOUTC), therefore, the harvesting of cuttings cannot be postponed. Read, how to propagate honeysuckle?
Harvesting cuttings
For grafting, you need to choose a strong basal branch. A branch with a large number of annual shoots or one large green shoot will do. Honeysuckle cuttings do not take root well, so it is necessary to harvest green shoots with two or three internodes.
The honeysuckle stalk will take root better if you separate it from the mother bush along with 2 to 3 centimeters of woody branch. Then the cutting will develop a fibrous root system faster.
A place for growing cuttings
Honeysuckle, like other shrubs, needs shading and high humidity during the period of root formation. Therefore, the cuttings are planted in a specially prepared bed with fertile soil, covered with black agrofibre. Arches are installed above the bed and covered with a film. The nutrient soil is prepared by mixing sand, humus and peat in equal proportions. From above, this mixture is covered with a layer of calcined river sand. Green cuttings are planted in such soil. The garden is watered twice a week for several months, thus maintaining constant moisture. If you are planting a large number of cuttings, then this method is the most rational for you, but if there is little honeysuckle, then the cuttings can be grown in plastic bottles.
Growing cuttings in bottles
In order to grow honeysuckle from the cutting, it is placed in a liter plastic bottle, which is pre-cut into two parts. Drainage holes are made in the bottom of the bottle to drain water. The bottom of the bottle is completely filled with a fertile mixture, which is then well moistened. Vertical slots are made at the top of the bottle. Then the cutting is planted in soil and covered with the top of the bottle. It turns out a practically sealed container, in which moisture remains for a long time.
For the formation of a powerful root system, you can use stimulating drugs, for example, root. But it is important to comply with the consumption rates indicated by the manufacturer.