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Honeysuckle is a rare guest of domestic household plots. It is difficult to explain such a modest interest in this culture, because it is distinguished by high decorative and taste qualities. gardeners simply do not have information about this shrub. Description of the variety, photos and reviews of Violet honeysuckle will help you get to know the unique plant better.
Description of honeysuckle Violet Le-Japanese
This variety is both decorative and dessert. A slightly sprawling tree grows up to 1,5 m. The crown is round, dense, the branches fit snugly to the trunk. The shoots are thickened, in the process of growth they do not bend. The color of the bark is gray-green, brown.
The leaves are oblong, large, their color is bright green, the leaf plate is flat. The flowers are not large, do not exceed 2 cm in diameter, are first painted in a pale green hue, later becoming creamy white.
On the peduncle there is a pair of buds, each of which consists of 5 reed petals
The modest color of the shrub, as in the photo, gave florists the idea to name one of the white varieties of violets Japanese honeysuckle.
The flowers are delicate and soft, like the Violet honeysuckle itself.
At the end of May, the first fruits of Violet honeysuckle ripen. They are not large, their weight does not exceed 1,5 g. The color of the berries is dark blue, the surface is bumpy, uneven. The fruit is approximately 3 cm long.
A ripe, ready-to-eat berry is covered with a wax coating
It has a pleasant, delicate aroma, the pulp consists of a large number of fibers, the taste is sweet, with a slight sourness. The taste qualities of fruits are estimated at 4,8 points.
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Violet
The variety is planted in an open, well-lit area. In the shade, honeysuckle Violet does not bear fruit well, the fruits become smaller, become sour.
The soil should be loose, fertile, well ventilated. Swampy areas for planting are best avoided.
Before rooting, ash and sand are added to the hole in equal parts.
Sand and ash are necessary for the seedling to take root as soon as possible.
After rooting, organic fertilizers are used: humus, manure, compost.
Honeysuckle variety Violet is recommended to be planted in autumn. In the spring, the shrub wakes up early, it is difficult to root it before the onset of steadily warm weather. In this case, the tree may not be accepted or hurt for a long time.
A week before the rooting of the Violet honeysuckle seedling, weed the site, carefully dig up the ground.
You can spill the soil with boiling water to destroy all possible pests
Planting holes are dug a little larger than the volume of the rhizome of the Violet honeysuckle seedling. Usually 50x50x50 cm in size. The distance between seedlings should be at least 1,5 m.
Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the hole: expanded clay, broken brick or stone
The earth mixed with humus and sand is poured on top. The hill should take up a little more than half of the hole. A seedling is placed on top of it. Its rhizome should fit freely in the hole.
The root neck should not be underground, only flush with it or 1 cm above the surface
The rhizome is covered with the same fertile mixture on which it is located. Then the earth is rammed, the plant is watered with warm settled water. After watering, the trunk circle is mulched with a thick layer of straw. This coating will help retain moisture.
After planting, Violet honeysuckle is regularly watered. The earth around the trunk is loosened. A few times a month, you need to update the layer of mulch so that the soil under it does not rot. After watering, be sure to loosen the soil so as not to disturb the air exchange. Plant roots need access to oxygen.
Acidified soils are shed with ash (1 liter per 15 liters of water). The procedure is carried out 1 time per season. The first 2 years after planting, Violet honeysuckle is not fed.
Reproduction of honeysuckle fruit Violet
Cuttings are considered the most effective method of propagation of this variety. As soon as the first green fruit ovaries appear on the tree, they begin to prepare the cuttings.
It is better to cut the shoots in damp, cloudy cool weather. For cuttings, strong green branches of the current year are chosen. For subsequent reproduction, the middle part of the shoot is suitable; it must have a pair of leaves on it.
The length of the handle should not exceed 15 cm.
At the top, the branch is cut straight, at the bottom – at an angle of 45 ᵒ, while the kidneys try to save, retreating from them 1 cm
The resulting children are planted in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 3). The air temperature in the room should be 20-22 ᵒС, humidity – 85%. To create such conditions, the container with seedlings is covered with a film, regularly watered.
After 10 days, young plants will have roots
After that, the film is removed, the temperature in the room is reduced by opening the windows.
Also edible honeysuckle lonicera edulis Violet can be propagated by seeds and layering. But these methods are less efficient. They are rarely used in horticulture.
Honeysuckle Pollinators Violet
The variety belongs to self-fertile, cross-pollinated crops. Useful neighbors for shrubs are easy to pick up.
Honeysuckle Violet is pollinated with the following varieties:
- Viola is an ornamental shrub with high taste qualities of fruits.
One of the varieties of the old selection, which has proven itself over time
- Amphora is a large-fruited variety whose berries tolerate transportation well.
Housewives consider this berry the best for conservation
- Blue spindle is a drought-resistant and frost-resistant variety of Siberian selection.
Depending on climatic conditions and care, the fruits become sour, sweet or bitter.
Pollinating varieties are planted near Violet honeysuckle. The distance between the bushes is maintained at least 1,5 m. This is necessary so that the crown grows well and the branches do not break off.
Diseases and pests of honeysuckle edible Violet
The variety is resistant to many pests and diseases of fruit crops. Violation of the rules of agricultural technology, improper care lead to the fact that Violet honeysuckle may die.
If the foliage of the shrub begins to turn yellow, curl and fall off, then the aphid has attacked the culture.
To prevent the appearance of aphids on Violet honeysuckle, in early spring they make sure that there are no anthills nearby.
If the insect has already attacked the bush, it is treated with pesticides. For the best effect, cover with a film on top, leave it overnight.
The leaf roller also destroys the green shoots of Violet honeysuckle. An insect crawls onto a shrub from other fruit trees.
The pest appears in May, during the ripening period of blue honeysuckle berries Violet
If there are few insects, they are collected by hand and destroyed. With a large accumulation of caterpillars, they are fought with pesticides.
If the summer is cold, it often rains heavily, Violet honeysuckle can wilt from fungal diseases. The most common of these is powdery mildew.
The appearance of a whitish coating on the leaves indicates their defeat by the fungus.
Chemical preparations containing copper (Copper vitriol) are used to destroy this pathogen. For preventive purposes in the spring, after the snow has melted, Violet honeysuckle is treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Conclusion
A complete description of the variety, photos and reviews of Violet honeysuckle will help novice breeders of this crop. It is worth planting in every household plot. This plant is not only beautiful, it bears fruit abundantly with tasty, healthy fruits, and can serve as a hedge or ornamental shrub.
Reviews of honeysuckle Violet
Reviews of gardeners about Violet honeysuckle are almost always positive. This is not surprising, it rarely happens that tasters evaluate the taste of berries by almost 5 points.