Contents
The healing properties of edible honeysuckle species have long been known, but until the middle of the last century they were rarely planted in gardens because of the bitter-sour taste and small fruits. In addition, the berries ripened unevenly and immediately fell off, which is why most of the crop had to be harvested from the ground. Starting from the 50s of the XX century, Our Country began to actively engage in the breeding of cultivars of honeysuckle.
Variety description
Silginka was created in 2004 by FSUE “Bakcharskoye” by hybridization of Turchaninov’s honeysuckle and Roxana variety. In 2011, it was included in the State Register. Now cultivars are being developed so intensively that Silginka is no longer considered the newest variety.
TECH SPECS
The honeysuckle bush of the Selginka variety is medium tall, not more than 1,5 m high, and about 1,2 m wide. Rigid straight branches form an oval crown of medium density. Mature bark flakes off, which is typical of all edible honeysuckles.
Fruits weighing 1,0-1,4 g are elongated-oval, with a pointed apex, reach a length of 3,5 cm, at the widest point – up to 1,5 cm. For honeysuckle, this is considered a large size, although it does not fit into what a comparison with the varieties Bakcharsky Giant or Daughter of the Giant. The yield of an adult bush is about 2,5 kg, up to 8,2 tons are harvested per hectare, in a particularly favorable year – up to 11,5 tons / ha.
Silginka is considered one of the most delicious and sweet cultivars of honeysuckle – its tasting score is 4,9 points. Dark blue, one-dimensional berries covered with bloom are fragrant, ripe pulp is tender and juicy. Fruit transportability is good.
Silginka is an early crumbling variety (more than 30% of fruits fall off after ripening). The berries are easily detached from the branches and can be harvested by hand by shaking. To do this, a tarpaulin or oilcloth is spread under the honeysuckle and the bush is shaken. Since the harvest ripens together, mechanized harvesting of slightly unripe berries is possible.
Pollinators
Like other cultivated honeysuckles, Silginka is self-infertile. To get berries, several other varieties must be planted nearby, otherwise the abundant flowering will only attract bees to the site. Silginka is picky about the choice of pollinators, but landing next to such honeysuckles as Delight, Daughter of the Giant, Yugana, Bakcharsky Giant will give the best results.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of Silginka honeysuckle is the taste of berries – sweet, fragrant, absolutely devoid of bitterness. Farmers and amateur gardeners are also attracted by:
- early maturation.
- Large-fruited, one-dimensional and convenient placement of berries for harvesting.
- Silginka honeysuckle resistance to frost, heat and drought. This makes the variety suitable for growing in regions with different climates.
- Friendly ripening, one picking of berries is enough.
- Honeysuckle Silginka is suitable for processing and freezing.
- Mature plants produce a crop annually.
- Low honeysuckle requirements for growing conditions.
- Durability – each bush can fully bear fruit for 30 years.
The weak points of the Silginka variety include:
- Strong shedding of berries – more than 30% of honeysuckle fruits fall off after ripening. This makes mechanized harvesting difficult and inconvenient for growing in dachas, where the owners show up from time to time.
- Self-infertility – this drawback is inherent in all edible honeysuckle today and does not make it possible to plant only one variety.
Accommodation on the site
Honeysuckle grows best in temperate climates. There, when properly placed, it almost does not react to adverse factors. The closer to the equator a plant is planted, the more carefully the care should be. The honeysuckle of the Silginka variety showed itself well when grown in the south.
Selection of planting material
It is best to buy seedlings from trusted garden centers or nurseries. Planting time for honeysuckle is late summer or autumn. In the spring, you can only deal with the emergency movement of the bushes to another place with an earthen clod.
The best material for planting – 2-3-year-old plants with several straight branches and the same internodes. Exfoliated bark on lignified areas is not a sign of the disease. Honeysuckle with an open root should be carefully examined – there should not be severe damage, rotting or black areas.
Selecting a suitable site and preparing the ground
For successful cultivation of honeysuckle, a sunny area protected from strong winds is needed. Moisture and cold air will accumulate in the ravines, and the plant does not like this. Any honeysuckle soil is suitable, except for sandstone – it is impossible to get a decent harvest there.
The best planting time is the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, when growth processes freeze, but do not stop at all. Then, before the onset of cold weather, the honeysuckle will have time to take root, and in the spring it will start to grow – this will allow it to bear fruit a year earlier.
There is no consensus regarding the planting scheme for honeysuckle; the standard is to maintain a distance of 1,5 m between the bushes and 2 m between the rows. With mechanized harvesting, plants are placed closer to each other, and the passage is made large so that equipment can pass freely without breaking off fragile branches.
They dig holes measuring 40x40x40 cm, the soil for planting honeysuckle is prepared depending on its fertility. What amounts of additives need to be made can be seen from the table.
soil | Organics (compost, humus) | Superphosphate, g | Potassium salt, g | Additional additives |
Chernozems | Up to 1 bucket | 50 | 50 | — |
poor land | 2 buckets | 150 | 50 | — |
acidic soils | 1 bucket | 50 | 50 | lime or dolomite flour 0,5 l |
Sandstone | 2 buckets | 50 | 50 | — |
Clay areas | 2 buckets | 50 | 50 | — |
On the eve of planting, the pit is filled with water. In the center, a mound of fertile soil is poured, around which honeysuckle roots are carefully straightened, the neck is deepened by 3-5 cm.
Cultivation of honeysuckle
The plant does not need special care. In a well-chosen place, with proper planting, only young bushes need close attention.
young plant care
Young honeysuckle after planting first of all needs sufficient watering. The soil should not dry out, but stagnation of water at the roots should not be allowed. The next day after moistening, the soil is loosened to a depth of about 5 cm – this will increase the flow of oxygen.
In the first years, honeysuckle almost does not increase its green mass – the root system develops first. The trunk circle needs to be mulched and weeds should not be allowed to appear. In autumn, dry and broken branches are pruned.
If, when planting, organic matter and a sufficient amount of fertilizers were introduced into the soil, honeysuckle is not fed for 2 years in summer and autumn. In early spring, a bucket of water with urea or ammonium nitrate, diluted according to the instructions, is poured under each bush.
Care for an adult plant
Adult honeysuckle is watered as needed, the trunk circle is loosened. In the spring, plantings are fed with nitrogen, after fruiting – with a complete mineral complex. In autumn, it is useful to add a bucket of organic matter and a jar of ash under each plant.
All work must be done carefully so as not to break fragile branches.
Pruning and wintering
Until the age of 15, only sanitary pruning is carried out on honeysuckle – dry, broken and thickening shoots are removed. Then the old skeletal branches are removed, and at 20, if the yield has fallen, the entire bush is cut at a height of 15-20 cm. In the spring, it is completely renewed and produces berries for up to 10 years.
Honeysuckle Silginka was bred in the Tomsk region and easily tolerates frosts of 50 degrees, the flowers do not crumble at minus 7.
Methods of reproduction
Honeysuckle propagates easily. This is one of its advantages – planting material is not cheap. Amateur gardeners can divide a young overgrown bush or dig a layer. This method of reproduction, like seed, is of interest exclusively to breeders – cross-pollination does not allow young plants to inherit varietal characteristics. From green and lignified cuttings, amateurs survive at best 20-30%, and then with proper care.
Growing problems
Honeysuckle is considered one of the most problem-free berry bushes. She rarely gets sick and is attacked by pests. Plantings can be annoyed by:
- aphids;
- leaflets;
- willow shields.
Fight them with insecticidal preparations or biological agents, such as Agrovertin or Fitoverm.
In rainy summers or when watering in the evening in cold weather, powdery mildew may appear on the leaves. The bushes are treated with a fungicide, Fitosporin is used from biological products.
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