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The popularity of honeysuckle is growing every year. This crop is characterized by early ripening, high frost resistance and resistance to return frosts, which allows it to be grown even in the northern regions. One of the new varieties of honeysuckle, bred by the Kamchatka Research Institute of Agriculture – Slastena. The species was submitted for registration in 2014, and entered into the State Register in 2013. A description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten’s honeysuckle, as well as recommendations on agricultural technology are presented below.
Description of honeysuckle varieties Slastena
Variety Slastena is considered undersized. The compact bush is formed by strong, thickened shoots. The tops of the branches have a crimson color, smoothly blurred into a reddish tint along the entire length of the shoot.
Leaf plates are green, slightly pubescent. The bushes are densely covered with leaves.
The berries are very sweet, pleasant, hence the name of the variety – Slastena. The color is bluish with a waxy coating, the shape is cylindrical, the peel is dense, the peduncle is short, brownish-green in color. In the southern regions, the culture bears fruit early, in other areas the ripening time is average.
The taste of honeysuckle berries of the Slastena variety is rated 5 points out of 5
According to the description of the variety and reviews, Slasten’s honeysuckle has a high yield. From the bush you can get 4 kg of berries.
This variety begins to bear fruit in two years, but on some seedlings, fruit buds appear the very next year after planting. The life expectancy of honeysuckle is high. Bushes have been growing for more than five decades and at the same time show high yields.
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Slasten
Honeysuckle is recommended to be planted closer to autumn. It can be the end of August or the whole of September, the timing of planting depends on the region. It is undesirable to plant a crop in the spring, because the buds swell very early, as soon as the sun warms the air to a positive temperature.
If the acquired seedling has a closed root system, there are no special requirements for the planting season. It can be planted at any time (from April to September).
The landing site is chosen sunny, but with shading in the afternoon. Honeysuckle is recommended to be planted near an apple tree, the crown of which will create a shadow in the afternoon.
The shortened shoots of honeysuckle do not suffer from wind and cold, so bushes can be planted in open areas.
Honeysuckle Slastena needs other varieties for cross-pollination, otherwise there will be no harvest. When planning a site, gardeners recommend adhering to the planting pattern of bushes 2 x 1,5 m and purchasing 3-5 different varieties at once.
Honeysuckle is unpretentious to the type of soil. It is best if the earth is neutral or slightly acidic. When planting, a nutrient soil mixture is added to clay soils, consisting of the top layer of earth, sand and rotted manure.
Landing algorithm:
- dig a hole with a diameter of 30 cm, a depth of 30-35 cm;
- fertilizers are applied, consisting of wood ash (0,5 kg), superphosphate (0,15 kg) and potassium sulfate (0,06 kg);
- the bush is set in the center of the hole, the roots are straightened;
- fall asleep with earth;
- gently tamp the soil with your hands;
- watered at the rate of 5-7 liters of water per well;
- the trunk circle is mulched with mowed grass, sawdust or peat.
Watering requirements
Honeysuckle does not tolerate drought, so watering in the summer is carried out every other day. In addition, the culture needs periodic sprinkling. It is carried out on hot days early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. Without sprinkling, the tender foliage of honeysuckle can burn out from the burning sun.
Application of fertilizers
After planting, the plant is fed with an aqueous solution of mullein (1:10) or rotted grass. To prepare an herbal infusion, mowed grass is placed in a barrel and filled with water (1: 1). After two weeks of infusion in the sun, the mixture is diluted with water (1:10) and used for irrigation. This fertilizer is used before flowering and during fruiting.
From the third year after planting, fertilizers can be applied. In the spring they are fed with an aqueous solution of urea, in the summer they use ammonium nitrate (20 g), urea (10 g) and superphosphate (50 g). Superphosphate is brought into the ground, carefully sealed with a small chopper, the rest of the substances are dissolved in water and the bushes are watered. Honeysuckle roots are located very close to the surface, so fertilizing for digging is not recommended. Potassium phosphate fertilizers help to increase winter hardiness, so they are applied in the autumn. One bush will require 3 tbsp. l. double superphosphate and 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.
Honeysuckle Pollinators Slastena
The Slastena variety is not self-pollinating, so there will be no harvest without planting pollinators. For cross-pollination choose varieties that bloom at the same time. For Slastena, the best pollinators will be the varieties Amphora and Violet.
Reproduction of honeysuckle variety Slastena
Various methods are used to propagate honeysuckle. Cuttings with green shoots are considered the most effective. Cuttings are cut during the appearance of green fruits. The readiness of the shoots is checked by bending. If the branches bend but do not break, the cuttings are not yet ready. During bending, the branches should break off with a characteristic crunch. Cuttings harvested too early do not take root well. Lignified shoots take root well, but do not have time to prepare for winter, so they may die.
The optimal length of green cuttings is 7-12 cm
They are cut out from the middle part of the shoot, while two pairs of leaves and one internode should remain.
You can root cuttings with a heel, broken off from last year’s shoots.
Prepared cuttings are planted in a soil mixture consisting of peat and sand (1: 3). The layout of the cuttings is 10×5 cm. The cuttings need high humidity (85%) and a temperature of 20-25 ° C. Maintain these parameters in the greenhouse. In hot weather, the cuttings are additionally sprayed with water. In autumn, rooted cuttings are not recommended to be planted. They may die during the winter. Landing in the ground is carried out in the spring.
If lignified cuttings are used, they are wrapped in burlap and immersed in a box of wet sand. Landing is carried out in the spring.
You can use the method of dividing the hive. To do this, choose sprawling specimens at the age of 3-5 years. The bush is dug up in spring or autumn, the root system is divided into 2-3 parts with a pruner. The resulting bushes are planted in prepared holes.
Reproduction by seeds does not guarantee the safety of the maternal qualities of the culture.
Diseases and pests
The yield of honeysuckle directly depends on the condition of the bushes. If Sweetener is attacked by pests or diseases, it will not be possible to get a big harvest.
Pests appearing on honeysuckle:
- aphid;
- mite;
- shield;
- leaf-eating pests – leafworm, sawfly caterpillar, moth moth.
For insect treatment, drugs are used: Aktara, Confidor, Aktellik, Inta-Vir. During the period of appearance and ripening of fruits, chemical agents are not recommended, because they tend to accumulate in berries.
For honeysuckle Slasten, fungal diseases (spotting, cercosporosis, ramulariasis, powdery mildew) that occur with high humidity are dangerous. For the treatment of the fungus, they use: Fundazol, Topaz, colloidal sulfur, soda ash, copper-soap solution, wood ash.
Phytoviruses can be recognized by light green spots on the foliage. Proper agricultural practices and healthy planting material are the main methods for the prevention of phytoviruses.
Conclusion
Description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten’s honeysuckle will help gardeners choose seedlings and grow them correctly. Honeysuckle Slastena gives a good harvest of edible berries. The culture is resistant to winter cold, so it can be grown even in regions with an unfavorable climate.