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Honeysuckle is not only a beautiful, but also a useful shrub. Due to the large number of varieties and hybrids, you can choose the plant you like best, which will be suitable for the growing region. Description of the variety, photos and reviews of honeysuckle Sorceress will help you make the right choice and purchase a large-fruited, winter-hardy shrub that will not only bring a stable harvest, but will also become an ornament to your backyard.
Description of honeysuckle Sorceress
Honeysuckle Sorceress was bred by scientists relatively recently. The plant was obtained by crossing the Kamchatka honeysuckle, thanks to which the variety turned out to be cold-resistant and resistant to diseases.
Despite its young age, the variety has gained great popularity among gardeners. The plant forms a slightly sprawling shrub or small tree, up to one and a half meters high. In spring, dark olive, oblong leaves appear on thick, red-brown shoots, with a matte surface.
In April, the bush is covered with wax flowers. After that, large, oblong berries of a dark blue color appear on the plant. The weight of each reaches up to 1,5 g. Thin, dense skin covers the juicy, tender pulp of sweet and sour taste.
An overripe berry from a bush does not crumble and does not sour in the sun
In addition to high palatability, the variety is hardy, undemanding in care, immune to diseases, high-yielding and well transported over long distances.
Honeysuckle Sorceress is a cold-resistant variety. An adult shrub can withstand frosts down to -40 ° C, but flower buds freeze out at a temperature of – 5 ° C.
The plant is unpretentious and develops well with a lack of moisture. For this reason, the fairy honeysuckle grows well and develops in regions with dry summers. But when growing in the south of the country, it is important to remember that the taste and presentation of the crop depend on irrigation.
Honeysuckle Sorceress is a productive variety, subject to agricultural technology, up to 3 kg of berries can be removed from an adult bush. In terms of fruiting, the plant is considered medium-early, it all depends on the place and region of growth. In central Our Country, when grown in a sunny place, biological ripeness occurs in late June or mid-July.
The berry has a good taste and useful properties.
In folk medicine, not only berries are used, the entire aerial part is used to prepare infusions and decoctions. In cooking, the harvested crop is valued fresh, compotes, jams and jams are prepared from it. Also, the berry can be frozen and dried.
Honeysuckle Sorceress, like any garden plant, has positive and negative sides.
The pluses include:
- large-fruited;
- good taste and presentation;
- high keeping quality and good transportability;
- compact size;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- high frost resistance and immunity to diseases.
The disadvantages of the variety, many gardeners include:
- infertility;
- low resistance to insect pests;
- with a lack of moisture, the pulp acquires a bitter taste.
The pulp contains vitamins and microelements that increase immunity, strengthen blood vessels and improve cerebral circulation.
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Sorceress
To get the maximum yield from the bush, you need to choose the right planting material, know the place, planting time and care rules. It is also important to study the varietal characteristics of the tree, its advantages and disadvantages, view photos and videos about the edible honeysuckle Sorceress.
It is better to purchase a seedling in a specialized store at the age of two years. A healthy plant should have strong shoots, with brightly colored bark. The root system should be free of mechanical damage and signs of rot. The optimal height of the seedling is 40-50 cm.
Planting honeysuckle Sorceress is done in spring and autumn. Autumn rooting is carried out a month before the onset of frost. Spring – after warming up the soil and the end of spring frosts.
Honeysuckle Sorceress grows well and bears fruit in a sunny place with fertile, well-drained soil, neutral acidity. In the shade, the plant will develop well, but the yield will be minimal, and the taste is not up to par.
Shrubs are best planted along a fence or other buildings, as drafts and gusty winds can damage a young seedling.
Landing rules:
- At the selected site, they dig a hole measuring 40×40 cm.
- A layer of drainage and nutrient soil is laid at the bottom.
- At the seedling, the roots are straightened and set in the center of the hole.
- The void is filled with soil.
- The top layer is compacted, spilled and mulched.
- After the soil settles, the root neck should be located above the soil surface or it should be buried by 3 cm.
The growth and development of the shrub depends on care. Honeysuckle for full fruiting requires regular watering, timely top dressing and pruning.
In cold weather, the bush is irrigated 3-4 times a season: during the period of active growth, at the time of flowering and fruit formation, in the fall – a month before the onset of cold weather. Watering should be plentiful, for each adult plant spend at least a bucket of settled water. Irrigation is carried out strictly under the root, since when moisture gets on the foliage, fungal diseases appear.
Watering should be plentiful and regular.
After each watering, the near-stem circle is loosened and mulched, and weed grass is removed, as it is a carrier of diseases and pests.
The first dressing is applied 3 years after planting. Fertilization scheme for each plant:
- in the growing season – urea;
- in the phase of the formation of flowers and fruits – double superphosphate and potassium sulfate;
- in the summer, after removing the berries, – nitrophoska;
- autumn – compost.
In spring and autumn, sanitary and anti-aging pruning is carried out. During the procedure, old, damaged branches are removed, as well as shoots and root shoots that interfere with each other. To stimulate growth, adult skeletal parts are shortened, leaving branches of 30-40 cm.
Honeysuckle Sorceress is a winter-hardy culture, so it does not need shelter for the winter. But, despite the cold resistance, it is better to prepare the bush for future cold weather:
- The plant is abundantly shed with settled water. Waterlogged soil does not freeze so much, so the root system will not suffer even from severe frosts.
- After irrigation, shallow loosening is carried out, and the trunk circle is sprinkled with wood ash.
- To increase immunity, the aerial part is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.
Honeysuckle Pollinators Sorceress
Blue honeysuckle Sorceress is a self-fertile variety. To obtain the maximum yield, varieties are planted next to the bush that bear fruit at the same time. As pollinators for honeysuckle Sorceress are suitable:
- Long-fruited;
- Chelyabinka;
- Zest;
- Cineglass.
Reproduction of edible honeysuckle Sorceress
Honeysuckle Sorceress reproduces by branching and dividing the bush.
To root the branches, the strongest shoot is chosen, laid in a trench, leaving the top above the ground. The branch is sprinkled with nutrient soil, shed and mulched. A year after rooting, the young plant is separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
By dividing the bush, honeysuckle is propagated during transplantation. The plant is dug up and divided into the required number of divisions. Each part must have healthy shoots and a strong root system. For better rooting, before planting in a permanent place, delenki are kept in a growth stimulator.
By dividing the bush, the plant is propagated exclusively in autumn.
Diseases and pests
Honeysuckle Kamchatka Sorceress has strong immunity to many diseases. But in order for the plant to grow and develop safely, it is necessary to take preventive measures in a timely manner. For this:
- In the phase of bud swelling, the bush is sprayed with urea, Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate.
- During the flowering period, the plant is treated with the preparation “Biotlin”, “Calypso”.
- After flowering, honeysuckle cannot be treated with chemicals, so the bush is sprayed with biopreparations “Gaupsin”, “Fitosporin”.
Conclusion
The description of the variety, photos and reviews of the fairy honeysuckle show how attractive the plant is and how it is suitable for growing in the backyard. Subject to agricultural technology, the shrub will please not only with a decorative look, but will also bring a good harvest of tasty and healthy berries. Harvested fruits can be used fresh or canned.