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Honeysuckle berries are rich in vitamins and useful minerals. In terms of magnesium content, the fruits of this plant generally surpass all other fruits. If we take into account that honeysuckle ripens before strawberries, then it becomes an indispensable product for an organism weakened by a winter lack of vitamins.
Variety description
Honeysuckle Morena was created by the Pavlovsk Institute of Genetic Resources. Vavilov from the species Kamchatskaya and Turchaninov. In 1995, it was accepted by the State Register and recommended for cultivation in all regions.
TECH SPECS
Morena bush is oval, it can grow up to 1,7 m in height. The shoots are thick, brown-green, with large green leaves, form a loose crown. Moraine during autumn planting and favorable conditions in the first spring can give an increase of 20 cm.
The berries are one-dimensional, blue, due to the wax coating they appear blue. Their shape resembles an elongated jug, and their weight is 1,0-1,2 g. The average yield of the Morena variety is 53 kg / ha, up to 1,9 kg of berries are harvested from a bush.
The tasting score of this honeysuckle is 4,5 points. The taste of Morena berries is sweet and sour, without bitterness, the pulp is tender, with a slight aroma. The variety is considered dessert, not crumbling, and in terms of ripening it belongs to medium early.
Pollinators
Honeysuckle Morena is self-fertile. If there are no other varieties on the site, even after abundant flowering and timely pollination by bees and bumblebees, the bush will give few berries. True, their number will be a little more than that of other honeysuckles under similar conditions, but this cannot be called a crop.
Recommended pollinators for Morena are the Blue Spindle and Viola varieties.
Advantages and disadvantages
Morena finds it difficult to compete with the latest varieties of edible honeysuckle, but is considered reliable and suitable for growing in all regions. The advantages include:
- fruiting stability.
- High winter hardiness.
- Non-shattering and large-fruited.
- Increased resistance of the variety to aphids.
- Low demands on growing conditions.
- Winter hardiness of the Morena variety.
- Good dessert taste without bitterness.
- The Morena variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions.
- High content of nutrients in berries.
The flaws of Morena could include insufficient large-fruitedness and imperfection of taste, but do not forget that the variety is already over 20 years old. At the time, it was a real breakthrough. Variety Morena is self-infertile, but this is also inherent in the rest of the edible honeysuckle.
Accommodation on the site
Morena honeysuckle is remarkable in that it can be grown in all regions. Of course, in the south it will not reach 1,7 m, but it will feel better than other varieties.
Selection of planting material
Morena branches are slightly bent, consider this when buying planting material. The shoots must be elastic, the internodes are the same, and the root system is intact. It is even better to buy seedlings in containers. Do not buy honeysuckle with short shoots.
The condition of the root system of a plant sold in containers can be easily checked. Feel free to ask the seller to take the seedling out of the pot. An earthen ball should be moderately braided with roots, with no signs of rot or mold. The smell from it should come from a fresh, pleasant – even a slight stench serves as a signal of trouble. You should not buy such a plant.
Selecting a suitable site and preparing the ground
First of all, the site for planting Morena should be sunny – in the shade it will bear fruit, but the crop will be reduced several times. Honeysuckle should not be placed in hollows or depressions – cold air collects there, moisture stagnates after rains and watering. It is necessary to protect the plant from cold winds.
Honeysuckle Morena prefers loose, slightly acidic soils well seasoned with organic matter. However, any soil is suitable, only on sandstones the yield will be greatly reduced. Excessively acidic soil must be deoxidized by introducing dolomite flour, ground limestone or fluff into the planting pit.
Biologists and farmers cannot come to a consensus about planting schemes for honeysuckle. The standard is the placement of bushes at a distance of 1,5 m from each other with 2,0 m between the rows. Be sure to take into account the size of an adult bush – some varieties grow up to 10 m by the age of 2,5.
A planting hole for honeysuckle is dug 40x40x40 cm in size, a bucket of organic matter and starting fertilizers – potassium and phosphorus – are added to the soil. For ordinary soils, they take 50 g of top dressing, the poor enrich more or add a jar of ash.
Planting honeysuckle
Already at the end of July, and earlier in the southern regions, the Morena variety begins a dormant period. The beginning of the growing season occurs very early. Therefore, it is better to plant honeysuckle in the fall or at the end of summer, so the bushes will take root with a probability of about 95%. In spring, this figure drops to 80-85%.
The prepared landing pit is filled with water, and when it is absorbed, they start planting. Honeysuckle is installed on an earthen mound poured in the middle and covered with soil. At the same time, the root neck should be deepened by about 5 cm. The seedling is watered abundantly, and the soil around it is mulched. Morena honeysuckle branches should not be shortened before planting – this will worsen the survival rate of the bush.
Cultivation
Honeysuckle is generally an unpretentious crop if it grows in a temperate climate. The Morena variety feels good in all regions, only in the south it does not grow to the declared size, it requires additional watering.
young plant care
Refueling the planting pit with phosphate and potash fertilizers allows you not to feed honeysuckle in the first 2 years in summer or autumn. Only in the spring, preferably even in the snow, shed the bushes with a solution of urea or ammonium nitrate.
Watering after planting should be regular – if the trunk circle dries out, the honeysuckle will hurt. To better provide the root system with oxygen, after moistening, the soil is loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm. Weeds are weeded out as they appear.
Care for an adult plant
Many amateur gardeners feed honeysuckle every few years, and then complain about poor yields and small berries that do not match the varietal description. The plant bears fruit annually, its growing season is short. In addition, cultivars are very different from their wild relatives and need regular feeding. The fertilizer application schedule is shown in the table.
Fertilization time | Nutrients | Purpose of feeding |
The beginning of the growing season, before the snow melts or immediately after its descent | Nitrogen | Provide honeysuckle with the necessary substances for the development of shoots, leaves, flowers |
After harvesting | Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium | Reimbursement of nutrients spent on flowering and ripening of berries |
End of summer – beginning of autumn | Phosphorus, potassium | Laying next year’s harvest, preparing for winter |
Variety Morena needs watering in the absence of rain, loosening the soil, weeding.
Pruning and wintering
Morena’s honeysuckle is not covered for the winter, it, like other varieties, endures severe frosts. The first 15 years of life, pruning consists in removing dry or broken branches, then annually they cut out part of the old growth. When the yield falls (usually this happens after the 20th year of stay on the site), the entire bush is cut, leaving 15-20 cm hemp. Morena honeysuckle quickly recovers and bears fruit for another 5-10 years.
Methods of reproduction
Amateur gardeners of the honeysuckle variety propagate by dividing young bushes and layering. The seed method and cuttings in private farms do not give a satisfactory result. The first – due to the splitting of varietal characteristics of seedlings, the second – due to poor survival of the material for propagation. As a result, as many honeysuckle bushes will grow from dozens of cuttings as from several dug branches.
Growing problems
Honeysuckle variety Morena is resistant to aphid attacks, but leafworm and scale insects can annoy the plant. To neutralize them, insecticides or biological products are used. Treatments should be 2-3, with an interval of 10-14 days. During the ripening of berries and harvesting, it is better to use only biological preparations or folk remedies.
Of the diseases, honeysuckle is most often affected by powdery mildew. This fungus looks like a whitish bloom on the leaves. Fight powdery mildew with fungicides or Fitosporin.
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