Honeysuckle Delight

Honeysuckle Delight, which appeared on the market not so long ago, is popular with gardeners in many regions. It retained the unique properties of the wild parent. The plant is hardy, winter-hardy, unpretentious in care. The taste and useful qualities of the berry, like other varieties of honeysuckle, are excellent.

Inference history

For more than 80 years, the horticultural enterprise “Bakcharskoye” has been successfully operating in the Tomsk region, breeding new varieties of fruit and berry crops. All plants have a high level of winter hardiness and excellent taste.

Currently, the company specializes in obtaining unique varieties of honeysuckle. Experimental plantations are located on an area of ​​50 hectares. Over the years of horticultural activity, many varieties and hybrid forms with attractive characteristics have appeared. Among them is the honeysuckle variety Delight, here it is in the photo below. Variety testing began in 2012.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The honeysuckle bush of the Vostorg variety, according to the description and reviews of gardeners, stands out among other crops with strong growth and a rounded shape. There are few skeletal branches, the crown is sparse and seems openwork due to dark green leaves. Both the height and width of the plant are within 170 cm.

The fruits are deep purple with a thick wax coating. The mass of spindle-shaped berries is about 2,6 g. Tasters rate the palatability at 4,8 points. The edible honeysuckle berries of the Vostorg variety contain up to 8,9% sugar, so they taste sweet and sour, without bitterness. The fruits are somewhat reminiscent of blueberries and blueberries, fragrant with a pleasant aftertaste.

The fruit ripening period is the second decade of June. Unlike other varieties and hybrids, berries on honeysuckle hold on tighter and do not crumble so much. Fruits with a dense skin are convenient to transport, the presentation is not lost. Purpose of honeysuckle is universal. Compotes, jams are prepared from berries, ground with sugar or frozen fresh.

Pollinators

Almost all varieties of honeysuckle are self-fertile, meaning they require cross-pollination. And it is important to have other varieties of plants. At least three honeysuckle bushes should be planted on the site for pollination at a distance of 1,5-2 meters.

Excellent pollinators of the Delight variety are:

• the South;
• Daughter of the Giant;
• Bakchar Giant;
• Silginka;
• Strezhevchanka.

Features of fruiting

Flowering and fruiting of honeysuckle begins early, at the age of three. In the first year, about 1,3 kg of dark purple fruits are harvested from the bush. At the age of 6-15 years – the maximum yield, up to 5,5 kg.

Berries begin to be harvested in June, they ripen together, which facilitates the harvesting process. The shedding of fruits of the Vostorg variety, according to the description and reviews, is average. You need to start picking fruits when the berries turn dark blue.

Advantages and disadvantages

To decide on the cultivation of any plant, in addition to the description, you need to know the positive and negative sides. The honeysuckle variety Delight has a lot of advantages that prevail over the disadvantages:

• early and friendly maturation;
• large-fruited;
• a planted three-year-old bush is already producing its first crop;
• high productivity with minimal effort;
• winter hardiness, the possibility of growing in many regions of Our Country;
• shedding of berries is minimal;
• ease of cleaning due to the shape of the crown;
• berries are easily removed (it is best to shake them off on a litter);
• the separation is dry, so the fruits do not flow even during long-term transportation and storage;
• Variety Delight is resistant to many diseases and pests.

The disadvantage of honeysuckle Rapture can be called partial shedding (only overripe berries) and damage to flowers and fruits from return spring frosts. But there is no escape from this.

Secrets of cultivation

Hybrid honeysuckle Rapture is subject even to novice gardeners, since growing does not cause any particular difficulties. You just need to take into account some of the nuances.

Terms of planting

Planting honeysuckle can be done in the spring. And you need to start work until the buds have blossomed. Experienced gardeners prefer autumn varieties for propagation – from the end of September to the second half of October.

Site and soil selection

Judging by the description and characteristics, honeysuckle Delight is an unpretentious berry shrub. But she gives a good harvest:

1. In well-lit and wind-sheltered areas.
2. In areas where groundwater approaches the surface no higher than one meter.
3. On neutral or slightly acidic soils.
4. When the root system is in the shade, and the crown is well lit by the sun.

Bush planting

Honeysuckle has its own life cycles, different from other plants:

1. Winter sleep stops in early spring, leaves bloom at the root of March.
2. The state of dormancy begins in the last days of July.

These features must be considered when planting honeysuckle. It is best to plant bushes from September to the end of October. In spring, plants will immediately begin their development, will be able to build up the root system and green mass. The distance between bushes should be at least 150 cm. Honeysuckle grows well next to currants.

And now about the landing rules:

1. The pit is prepared in advance, the depth and diameter is 40 cm or more (depending on the size of the root system).
2. Drainage is laid at the bottom. It can be stones, plant branches, bark.
3. Compost (2 buckets), wood ash (1 liter jar) and 3 tablespoons of superphosphate (no more!) are added to the soil.
4. The pit is filled with water, a mound is made in the center, on which, like on a chair, a honeysuckle bush is planted. The roots are gently straightened, topped up with soil and watered again to compact the soil and remove air pockets. After that, a layer of mulch is poured. The root neck should not be buried more than 5-6 cm!

   

5. The branches after planting are not shortened so that the growth of the bush does not slow down.

Care

You can get an excellent harvest from any berry and fruit crops only with proper care.

Watering

Honeysuckle variety Delight is a lover of abundant watering. The lack of moisture negatively affects not only the taste characteristics of the berries, but also leads to a decrease in their size and adds bitterness.

You need to water the bushes throughout the growing season, because after the return of the crop, the plants begin to form the next year’s crop.

Additional fertilizing

In the first two years, if the soil was well seasoned before planting, no special feeding is required. In the third year, organic fertilizers are applied under each bush. The Rapture variety responds well to infusions of chicken manure, mullein, and fermented grass.

Top dressing is carried out in early spring, until the buds begin to swell, during flowering and in autumn after leaf fall. Honeysuckle, unlike many garden plants, is very fond of wood ash. It must be added under the bushes during the formation of the ovaries.

Trimming

Pruning bushes should be given special attention. The fact is that fruit buds are formed on young shoots. They cannot be shortened.

In each adult bush of the Rapture variety, there should be no more than 18 skeletal branches, the excess must be removed in September. As a rule, fruiting decreases after 15 years, and at 20 years the plant is considered old.

Rejuvenating pruning gives the plant new strength for fruiting. To do this, cut off all the growing shoots for a stump in the summer. Young branches will soon appear, on which the crop will ripen next year.

Protection against diseases and pests

Honeysuckle variety Rapture, although resistant to fungal diseases, can suffer from:

• reddish-olive spotting;
• powdery mildew;
• tuberculosis.

Do not wait for the spread of the disease, it is better to prevent it. For prevention, honeysuckle Delight is treated with Bordeaux liquid or Skor.

Insects and birds love to eat fruits. Most often, honeysuckle is attacked by:

• aphid;
• caterpillars of the leafworm and honeysuckle fingerwing;
• willow shield.

For processing, chemicals or Fitosporin are used. Well helps in pest control infusion of wormwood, garlic. With these biological agents, you need to spray the honeysuckle bushes of the Rapture variety. Save plants from pests and diseases of planting calendula and marigolds.

Reproduction

The seed method of propagation of honeysuckle Delight, like other varieties of this crop, is not welcomed by gardeners. The fact is that varietal qualities are not preserved. But by dividing the bush, layering or green cuttings, you can successfully get new seedlings at home:

1. You can divide a honeysuckle bush that is at least eight years old. A part of a bush with three skeletal branches and a root at least 20 cm long is cut down with an ax and immediately planted in a permanent place.
2. A novice gardener will also cope with reproduction by layering of the Rapture variety. It is necessary to bend the shoot of the first year to the ground and sprinkle it with earth. A year later, a small bush is transplanted to a new place.
3. Lignified cuttings from honeysuckle Rapture (at least 17 cm) are cut at the end of March and immediately planted in a nursery at an angle. 2 buds are left above the ground. In a month, the plants will begin to grow.
4. Honeysuckle is propagated by green cuttings after flowering, at the end of June. They choose a green twig, tear it off with a heel. Then the cutting is deepened by 5 cm into the fertile soil in the nursery.

Conclusion

Honeysuckle berries of the Rapture variety are rightfully called the fruits of youth. They contain a substance that improves cardiac activity, cleansing blood vessels. Berries are useful not only for children, but also for adults.

Many dishes are prepared from the fruits, but honeysuckle ground with sugar is considered the most valuable.

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