Learn to propagate honeysuckle on your own using different methods
If you are one of those who have already evaluated all the beneficial properties of the honeysuckle plant, then, probably, the question of breeding honeysuckle is very relevant for you. Unfortunately, even the best bushes bear fruit for only a few years, and then age, gradually losing yield. But these berries, which appear one of the first in the season, are so tasty and healthy that no one wants to deprive themselves of the pleasure of eating them. Consequently, sooner or later there will be a need to replace the bushes. It is unlikely that you will be able to just go to the market and purchase them, so those who are thinking about updating their plantings will find the following information useful. Read also: honeysuckle planting and care in the open field!
Seed propagation of honeysuckle
When trying to propagate honeysuckle by seeds, you should be prepared for the fact that all its breeding properties will be lost!
However, if you only have seeds, a few simple steps will allow you to get your first bushes of this delicious berry:
- Seed planting time is October. Until then, care should be taken to keep well-dried fruits in a dry place.
- It is necessary to sow honeysuckle seeds in the sand; it is best for this purpose a wide container with sides about 6 centimeters high is suitable.
- The first layer of sand, about two centimeters thick, should be well moistened, then evenly spread the seeds over the tamped surface and sprinkle with sand, again moistened.
- The container with sand must be covered with a plastic lid or cling film. It should be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
- Every two weeks, the container with seeds must be removed and moistened from the spray bottle.
- In spring, pour about 10 cm of soil mixture into a box with high sides, moisten it well and distribute sand and seeds over the surface. Pour another two centimeters of the mixture on top, moisten everything and cover with foil.
- Choose a place to store the box so that it is in the sun for about 6 hours and in the shade the rest of the time.
- After the emergence of seedlings, the film should be removed from the box, the bushes should be carefully watered as they dry, and in September they should be planted in priming.
Honeysuckle propagation by cuttings
If you have at least one honeysuckle bush at your disposal, you can resort to propagation of honeysuckle by cuttings. In this case, you will keep the variety that you have chosen for yourself once.
For the successful growth and fruiting of honeysuckle, at least three varieties of this berry must grow on your site! The bushes can be propagated with both green and woody cuttings. In the first case, the cuttings are harvested during the period of the appearance of the first green berries, while paying attention that it is not shorter than 7 and not longer than 12 centimeters, and at the same time 2-3 buds should be present on it.
Cuttings should be placed in a container of water for a day, and then planted in the ground. Watering periodically, the cuttings are left in place until spring, and then planted in a place prepared for honeysuckle.However, if you did not have time to cut green cuttings, pay attention to the way in which honeysuckle reproduces from dry shoots - this is done in mid-autumn.
Cuttings with at least 4 buds are cut from annual branches, wrapped in wet paper and covered with sand. They must be stored in a cellar or other cool room, and in early spring the cuttings are planted in the soil so that only one bud remains above the ground. As a rule, the survival rate in this case does not exceed 20 (for comparison, when planting green cuttings, the survival rate reaches 70%).
How does honeysuckle reproduce by dividing a bush?
One of the easiest ways honeysuckle reproduces is by dividing the bush. To do this, either in March or in September, the bush should be dug up and divided into 2-3 parts with the help of a secateurs (along with the roots). Each resulting bush is planted separately.
There is no point in separating bushes over five years old!
Choose large bushes with a strong root system for dividing - this will ensure that each bush will have approximately the same chances to take up and grow successfully, thanks to the strong root. A big plus of this reproduction method is speed: as a rule, the planted bushes bear fruit the next year after planting.
If you have several varieties of honeysuckle, plant them at about the same time.
It is possible to propagate honeysuckle in all the above ways. But the seed method is the longest, it will take 4 years until it becomes clear which bush is. The plant is cross-pollinated, the seeds do not inherit varietal characteristics. Therefore, you can resort to it if there is absolutely nowhere to take a twig for grafting. But breeders can get a new variety in this way, fix the properties and a gift is ready for gardeners.
Most of all I liked the way of dividing the bush. If you keep the roots well, divide correctly, then three will turn out from one bush and you can exchange varieties with a neighbor for better fruiting. At each site you need to have 2-3 bushes of different varieties, then you won't have to run into the forest with a basket. By the way, the garden berry is sweet, and there is much more in the wild bitterness.