Honeysuckle in Siberia: how to plant in spring and autumn, the best varieties

Honeysuckle, perhaps, is one of the best berry bushes, the cultivation of which is possible in Siberia. In this territory, as well as in the Far East and Kamchatka, there are natural areas of distribution of this culture. Based on them, breeders managed to obtain new species that not only have excellent taste, but also have high resistance to adverse weather conditions. The sweet varieties of honeysuckle bred for Siberia have become a real gift for gardeners in this region, because growing traditional berries in the Siberian climate is very difficult.

Features of growing honeysuckle in Siberia

The Siberian region has always been and remains a zone of risky farming. Severe frosts in winter, sharp fluctuations in temperature in spring and autumn, early frosts and prolonged droughts – this is not a complete list of adverse factors inherent in the climate of this territory. In order not only to successfully grow edible honeysuckle in Siberia, but also to harvest berries, the crop must meet the following conditions:

1. Withstand prolonged temperature drops down to -40 °C.
2. Have good frost resistance.
3. Be undemanding to care.
4. Have a short growing season.

Honeysuckle can produce a good harvest even in Siberia

To obtain varieties of honeysuckle with the necessary properties, breeders used Altai and Kamchatka types of edible honeysuckle. On their basis, scientists from different countries have developed and are developing various resistant varieties of this crop, suitable for cultivation not only in Siberia, but also in other regions with an unfavorable climate.

What varieties of honeysuckle are best planted in Siberia

Quite a few varieties have been zoned for Siberia, since the breeding of edible honeysuckle suitable for growing in the conditions of this region was carried out at the state level. The reason for the increased interest in this plant was that traditional gardening in this area is faced with a lot of problems due to the harsh climate. But honeysuckle, which has good frost resistance and practically does not get sick, was supposed to be a replacement for more demanding berry bushes in this regard.

Here are a few varieties of sweet edible honeysuckle that have been released for cultivation in Siberia:

1. Berel. This is one of the early Siberian varieties of edible honeysuckle; berries ripen towards the end of June. The average fruit size is 0,4-0,9 g. The berries are barrel-shaped, elongated, dark, blue-violet with a bluish bloom.
   
   

   Honeysuckle bush Berel low, compact, medium sprawling

2. Vilig. Mid-early variety of honeysuckle, ripening of berries occurs at the end of June. The bush is compact, compressed, while its height can reach 1,8 m. The shoots are powerful, straight, hairless. The berries are dark blue with a bluish wax coating, oval-elongated, club-shaped, weighing up to 1,2 g. The yield from 1 bush can reach up to 2,5 kg. The crumbling is weak. Dessert taste, sweet with sourness, without bitterness.
   
   

   The variety of edible honeysuckle Viliga has excellent frost resistance and good drought resistance.

3. Leningrad giant. The variety got its name because of the large, up to 1,7 g in weight, dark blue berries. They are spindle-shaped, with a bumpy surface. The ripening of honeysuckle berries occurs from the beginning of July, it is slightly extended in time. The yield of the Leningrad giant variety depends on care and averages about 3 kg from 1 bush, but with proper agricultural technology it can reach up to 5 kg. Berries are not prone to shedding. The taste is sweet, dessert, with a subtle sourness. The bushes of this variety of edible honeysuckle are wide-round, about 1,5 m high, and can grow even higher. The width of the bush reaches 1,6 m. The shoots are powerful, green, medium pubescent. The variety is partially self-fertile, but without pollinators, a full-fledged crop cannot be obtained. In this capacity, it is recommended to use the honeysuckle varieties Gzhelka, Morena, Blue Bird.
   
   

   Precocity is good, the first berries may appear as early as 2 years after planting

4. Moraine. Bushes of this variety of edible honeysuckle can grow up to 1,6-1,8 m. The crown is oval, medium spreading, dense. Shoots of medium thickness, flexible, green. The berries are pitcher-shaped, purple, with a dense bluish-blue wax coating. Weight 1,5-1,9 g. Berries do not crumble. On each bush, 1,5-2,5 kg of berries can ripen. The taste is sweet and sour, without bitterness.
   
   

   Ripening begins in the second decade of June and is slightly extended in time.

5. Nymph. This variety of honeysuckle is distinguished by the significant size of the bush, its height can reach 2,5 m. The fruits ripen at the end of June. Fruiting is friendly, the berries practically do not crumble. They are purple with a bluish bloom, spindle-shaped, tuberous. The taste is sweet, with a slight bitterness. From 1 adult bush collect 1-2 kg.
   
   

   Shoots straight, medium thickness, green, moderately pubescent

   Important! The honeysuckle variety Nymph does not tolerate heat well.
6. A provincial girl. Honeysuckle variety of selection, included in the State Register in 2005. The bush is low, slightly sprawling, up to 1,2-1,4 m high. The shoots are straight, green, hairless. The honeysuckle variety Provincialka is distinguished by large-sized fruits, the average weight of berries is 1,9-2,2 g. Ripening is slightly extended, occurs in the last decade of June.
   
   

   The yield from 1 bush is not very high and averages 2 kg

Of course, this is not a complete list of varieties of edible honeysuckle suitable for growing in Siberia. More detailed information can be found in specialized literature.

A description of several varieties of honeysuckle can be seen in the video:

Planting and caring for honeysuckle in Siberia

Honeysuckle, perhaps like no other berry shrub, is suitable for growing in Siberia. Due to its excellent frost resistance, it can be cultivated in various parts of this region. However, in order to get a good harvest of berries, certain care recommendations must be followed.

When to plant honeysuckle in Siberia

The best time for planting edible honeysuckle seedlings in Siberia is early spring and early autumn. At the beginning of the year, this can be done immediately after the ground thaws. In autumn, you need to focus on local conditions. It is important that after planting the shrub has enough time to take root in a new place.

Seedlings in containers can be planted throughout the season

If the honeysuckle seedling is in a container and its root system is closed, then it can be planted in Siberia not only in spring and autumn, but throughout the season.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

In Siberia, when choosing a place for planting edible honeysuckle on a site, the following rules must be followed:

1. Honeysuckle is a self-fertile plant. It needs pollinators to produce crops. Therefore, honeysuckle seedlings are not planted singly. In order for a good harvest to ripen on the bushes, it is necessary to plant at least 4 copies, placing them at a distance of 1,5-2 m from each other. Based on this, you need to plan the area of ​​​​the land.
2. The area must be well lit. In the shade, honeysuckle grows slowly and bears fruit much worse.
3. It is desirable that the place is located on the south or southeast side of a building, structure or fence that protects the bushes from the north wind.
4. The soil on the site should be loose, well-drained.
5. Groundwater should not rise close to the surface.

The area on the south side of the building is perfect for honeysuckle

An interval of 1,5-2 m should be left between neighboring honeysuckle seedlings, since many varieties form a rather extensive crown. Landing pits should preferably be prepared in advance. Their size depends on the root system of plants. For Siberia, it is better to buy three-year-old seedlings with a closed root system, in this case, the size of the hole should be no less than the size of the container.

Rules for planting honeysuckle

Before planting honeysuckle seedlings, it is necessary to prepare a nutrient substrate that will cover the root system. To do this, the earth taken out of the planting pits is mixed with humus, and phosphorus and potash mineral fertilizers are also added here. It is advisable to add another 1-2 cups of wood ash under each bush. The easiest way to transplant seedlings from containers into open ground. They must be carefully removed along with a clod of earth and placed vertically in the landing pit. The resulting voids are filled with nutrient soil, compacting it.

If the root system of the seedling is open, then a small earthen mound must first be poured into the bottom of the planting pit, along the sides of which the roots are spread. Then the pit is gradually filled with soil, periodically compacting it. It is necessary to ensure that the root collar, after filling the pit, is on the same level as the ground. At the end of earthworks, intensive watering of the root zone is carried out, after which it is desirable to mulch the surface with peat or humus. This will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil.

Watering and feeding

Many varieties of edible honeysuckle are sensitive to lack of moisture. The lack of precipitation, which takes place in some regions of Siberia, adversely affects the harvest, while the issue of irrigation is especially acute during the period of ripening and filling of berries. However, plants should not be flooded. The average watering rate for each honeysuckle bush is 10 liters once a week, in the heat this figure should be doubled. If precipitation occurs regularly and in sufficient quantities, then it is better to refuse additional soil moisture so as not to provoke root rotting.

In summer, it is better to use organic matter to feed honeysuckle.

If fertilizers were applied when planting a honeysuckle seedling in the recommended amount, then the first year after planting, no additional top dressing is required. From the age of 2, the bushes begin to feed annually according to the following scheme:

Trimming

Honeysuckle grows quite quickly, and without pruning, the bush will soon turn into a real jungle of shoots intertwined with each other. To avoid this, it is recommended to periodically delete part of the branches. Here are the main types of edible honeysuckle pruning:

1. Sanitary. Carried out in early spring and autumn, before wintering. During its implementation, broken, damaged and dry shoots are cut out.
2. Formative. They do it if the bushes also perform a decorative function. Shoots are pruned to maintain the plant in the required dimensions and to give a certain shape.
3. Thinning. Usually performed in Siberia in autumn. When it is carried out, incorrectly growing, directed deep into the crown and thickening branches, shoots lying on the ground are removed. Weak unpromising shoots are also removed.
4. Anti-aging. Produce, starting from 7-8 years of plant life. Old shoots begin to give a small increase, on which there is almost no yield. Such branches are cut out, gradually replacing them with younger ones.

Pruning is one of the mandatory procedures for the care of honeysuckle.

How to prepare honeysuckle for winter in Siberia

As a rule, no special measures are taken to prepare honeysuckle bushes for wintering in Siberian conditions. This plant can easily withstand temperatures down to -35-40 °C. The only exceptions are young seedlings and newly planted bushes, it is still recommended to cover them for the winter with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

Reproduction of honeysuckle

Like most shrubs, honeysuckle in Siberia can be propagated both by seeds and vegetatively. If it is necessary to obtain seedlings with the same characteristics as those of the mother plant, then the seed method is not used. Seedlings obtained from seeds, for the most part, do not retain varietal characteristics. Therefore, this method is used only for scientific purposes, mainly breeders use it when breeding new varieties. Gardeners in Siberia use vegetative methods, which include cuttings, propagation by layering (air or root) and dividing the bush.

Honeysuckle cuttings are cut in summer from annual non-lignified shoots. The best time for cuttings is determined experimentally, depending on the maturation of the growth, it should remain green, but at the same time break well. Approximately this time falls on the second half of June. The stalk is a part of a shoot 12-15 cm long with one internode and a pair of leaves, the lower cut is made oblique, the upper one is straight. Leaves below the knot should be cut off, and those above should be cut in half to reduce moisture evaporation.

You can root cuttings directly in specially prepared moist soil, which includes peat and sand (1: 3). Cuttings are planted at an angle of 45 ° towards the south, deepening is carried out to the middle of the internode. The bed or planting container is covered with glass or film and isolated from direct sunlight. Under such conditions, and while maintaining a constant moisture content of the substrate, the cutting forms its own root system, the formation of which will take from 2 to 3 weeks. Gradually, the shelter is removed, first temporarily, and then completely. The cuttings rooted in the garden bed must be covered in the first winter, and after a year they should be transplanted to a permanent place.

Honeysuckle cuttings can be rooted in water and then planted in the substrate

You can share honeysuckle bushes that have reached the age of 8 years. In this case, the plant is completely dug up and cut into several parts, each of which should contain several healthy shoots with their own roots. In Siberia, this procedure is carried out in the fall, after the end of the growing season. You need to root the delenki immediately.

Dividing a bush is a simple and reliable way to breed the desired variety of honeysuckle

The same is done with honeysuckle root layering. Young shoots are cut off from the mother bush along with part of the root and planted in a new place.

To get honeysuckle air layers, one of the side shoots is bent to the ground and covered with soil. Gradually, the branch will take root and give its own growth. After a year, the shoot can be cut off from the mother bush and transplanted to the right place.

When honeysuckle ripens in Siberia

The earliest varieties of edible honeysuckle in Siberia begin to ripen in the first half of June. These are such varieties as Caramel, Pushkinskaya, Violet. Varieties of medium ripening (Morena, Nymph, Fire Opal, Provincialka) bear fruit from mid-June to the third decade. The latest varieties, such as Yubileinaya, ripen in Siberia in early July.

Diseases and pests

In the vast majority of cases, edible honeysuckle in Siberia is not susceptible to diseases and pest invasions. Diseases most often appear in cases of serious violations in care, as well as due to poor-quality planting material. To avoid infection with fungal diseases, in early spring, edible honeysuckle bushes are treated with Bordeaux liquid. Affected shoots are cut and burned.

Processing the bushes with Bordeaux liquid in early spring will perfectly protect against fungal diseases.

Of insect pests, most often honeysuckle in Siberia attacks aphids. These microscopic sucking insects feed on the juices of young shoots, literally sticking around them. Large colonies of aphids strongly inhibit the plants, they begin to turn yellow, wither prematurely and shed their leaves.

Aphids are the most common garden pest.

It is necessary to process honeysuckle bushes from aphids only after harvesting. To do this, you can use various insecticides, for example, Fufanon, Iskra or Inta-Vir. Infusions of various herbs, such as tansy or celandine, have proven themselves as a means for treating honeysuckle from aphids.

Conclusion

The sweet varieties of honeysuckle bred for Siberia have become a real salvation for many gardeners, because traditional gardening in this region is fraught with significant difficulties. Every year the culture becomes more and more popular, not only in the Siberian region, but also in many others. Foreign countries have also become interested in growing edible honeysuckle, as evidenced by all the new varieties of foreign selection that appear on the market every year.

Reviews of the best varieties of honeysuckle for Siberia