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The method of propagation of honeysuckle by cuttings is considered one of the most popular. Only the method of dividing the bush competes with it, but it has its drawbacks. With this type of reproduction, the entire plant is stressed. If the procedure is performed incorrectly, the berry can die. Propagation by cuttings is completely safe for the mother bush. Cutting branches will not cause the plant to die.
Features of planting honeysuckle cuttings
A popular method of propagation of edible honeysuckle has its own characteristics. They need to be known in order for the process to complete successfully. First of all, it is important to choose cuttings that have the best survival rate. These include segments of branches taken from honeysuckle at the time of the onset of fruiting. Moreover, for breeding they are always chosen by young ones, which are the growth of this year.
The term for harvesting the highest quality materials depends on the climate of the region and the variety of honeysuckle. In late culture, berry ripening begins in early July. Early varieties delight with their harvest in the first decade of June.
The cuttings of the summer collection are called green, since their bark has not yet matured to brown. You can propagate the culture with lignified twigs, but they are collected in late autumn or spring before bud break. There is also a third option. It provides for the cuttings of edible honeysuckle in the summer, but the branches are harvested combined. The shoot is cut so that one part of it is with green bark, and the other is lignified.
Cut green cuttings are immediately rooted.
The popularity of the method of rapid reproduction is also explained by the possibility of saving the variety you like and getting free seedlings. It is enough to ask friends to cut ten cuttings from different honeysuckle bushes and root them immediately in open ground or a box with a substrate.
However, if there is a shortage of material for propagation, it is better to do it in another way. If you managed to get a few branches, then for maximum savings it is better to root them in separate containers. The popularity of the breeding method is explained by the following facts:
- If it gets colder outside, pots with seedlings can be moved inside the room or greenhouse. During the heat, plantings are brought into the shade.
- There is no need to closely monitor soil moisture. In the garden, the soil dries quickly in the hot summer, which is dangerous for the cuttings. Soil in a flower pot holds moisture longer.Advice! Germination of green freshly cut cuttings can be done in water. Then there will be no problems with watering at all.
- A rooted honeysuckle seedling from a separate container is easier to plant in open ground. The plant does not injure the root system, which contributes to better survival.
The method of growing honeysuckle from cuttings is simple for the gardener and does not require any costs. If the first time reproduction did not work, the next season you can still cut the branches, try to root them.
How to propagate honeysuckle cuttings
Having decided on this method of reproduction, the gardener should know that it is easier to do this in the spring. If there was no opportunity, then in the summer and, finally, in the fall. The principle is almost the same, but there are nuances. They are associated with the extraction of cuttings, storage and rooting.
In the video, an example of reproduction technology:
How to propagate honeysuckle cuttings in spring
There are three options for breeding berries in the spring:
- lignified brown cuttings harvested in the fall;
- woody brown cuttings cut from honeysuckle in the spring before the buds swell;
- green fresh shoots cut in late spring or early summer.
The first two options are also suitable for autumn breeding, so they will be discussed later. Now it is worth familiarizing yourself with the rooting of green shoots.
The green tops of the twigs are harvested for propagation after the end of flowering of honeysuckle.
In warm southern regions, early varieties of honeysuckle with green shoots can be propagated from the end of spring. The shrub should already bloom and begin to form berries. Before harvesting cuttings, the vine is checked for maturity. When bent, the green twig should break easily.
For cut green twigs, only the middle part is left. The lower cut is made oblique at an angle of 45 °, and the upper one is straight 1,5 cm higher from the kidney. The lower leaf on the shoot is removed, and the rest are shortened to half.
In this form, planting honeysuckle with a twig immediately in open ground is difficult. First, the cuttings require rooting. Do it in water or soil. When choosing the second option, a substrate is prepared from 3 parts of sand and 1 part of peat. If desired, the soil mixture is bought in the store. Sometimes it is replaced with perlite or vermiculite.
The prepared substrate is loaded into flower pots, moistened abundantly. The bottom part of the cuttings is immersed in the soil, covered with a film, cans or cut PET bottles to create a greenhouse. Throughout the seedlings are kept at a temperature of 20-25 ° C. After about 1,5 weeks, the cuttings should take root. They can be planted immediately or left to grow until next spring in a house or greenhouse.
How to root honeysuckle cuttings in summer
In cold regions, berry breeding is best done in the summer. There are two options here. The first is to cut honeysuckle with green cuttings and try to root, as discussed above. The second option involves preparing combined shoots. In such branches, the upper part is green, and the lower part is lignified. Cut cuttings with one or two side shoots.
The combined cutting may have one or two green side shoots.
The use of combined cuttings has two big advantages. Firstly, according to statistics, the survival rate of such material is 30% higher than that of lignified shoots. Secondly, the green part of the branch contributes to almost 100% rooting of the lignified part under favorable conditions.
Cuttings are done after flowering. The twig is cut so that the lignified part remains about 2 cm long at the bottom of the green shoot. The blanks are immersed in the prepared substrate to a depth of 3-5 cm, a greenhouse is equipped. The soil is constantly kept moist. Rooting will occur in about 15 days. Strong honeysuckle seedlings from summer combined cuttings cannot be grown. Until the spring of next year, they are grown indoors.
How to propagate honeysuckle cuttings in autumn
With the onset of autumn, gardeners stock up on lignified twigs for further propagation of the berry. It is important to set the right timing here. It is unreasonable to carry out cuttings of honeysuckle in the summer after the berries, since the lignified material has not yet matured. They do this in late autumn, when the bushes shed their leaves.
In autumn, lignified cuttings do not germinate, but root with the onset of spring
Cut off in the fall an annual lignified growth with a thickness of 1 cm. The cuttings are cut 20 cm long, so that each has 5 internodes. For storage, the prepared material is sent to the cellar, wrapped in burlap or covered with sand, sawdust. Be sure to remember to treat with a fungicide to prevent the development of the fungus.
Reproduction begins only in the spring. The prepared substrate is moistened, treated with fungicides from rot. The blanks are immersed in the ground at an angle of 45 °, keeping a distance of about 12 cm. In the south, you can plant them immediately on the street. For cold regions, it is optimal to use nurseries.
After deepening the lignified twig above the ground, one kidney should remain. Above the plantations equip a greenhouse. Rooting will occur around the third week. Honeysuckle seedlings growing on the street are freed from the greenhouse. If a nursery was used, then the plants are hardened before planting in open ground.
How to cut honeysuckle cuttings
Cutting the planting material is carried out with a sharp pruner. If reproduction occurs in the summer, green twigs can be cut with a sharp knife. In any case, the tool must be disinfected before work.
Green branches are easier to cut with a knife
Green shoots are cut in the early morning or in the afternoon if the weather is cloudy. The length of the workpiece is from 7 to 12 cm. There must be at least three internodes with full-fledged buds and leaves. From below, the leaf is cut off, and the rest is cut off with scissors by 50%. The lower oblique cut of the twigs is immersed for a day in a solution with any drug to stimulate root growth.
Lignified branches of honeysuckle are cut with secateurs
To stock up on lignified cuttings, if desired, is available in the spring before the buds swell or in the fall after the foliage is shed. In the second option, this is the period from September to October, which depends on the weather conditions of the region. Twigs use mature, current year. Each blank should have 3 to 5 internodes.
For spring harvesting, it is enough to cut short cuttings up to 12 cm long with three internodes. The upper cut is performed 5 mm higher from the kidney at a right angle. The lower section is oblique at a distance of 15 mm from the kidney. Autumn cuttings are cut according to a similar principle, only their length is up to 20 cm, and there are five internodes.
How to root cuttings of honeysuckle
For propagation of the berry, two methods of rooting blanks are used. The easiest way is to germinate honeysuckle cuttings in water before planting them in the ground.
When germinating in water, you can see which branch has taken root, and which will not work
Immediately after cutting green blanks with a lower oblique cut, they are placed in any container, for example, a jar. Pour in some water. To stimulate root growth, you can add Kornevin. As the liquid evaporates and absorbs, a little water is added to the branches. When roots about 2 cm long appear, the blanks are transplanted into the ground.
Germination in the substrate allows you to immediately get a ready-made seedling
The second rooting method is based on immersing the blanks directly into the substrate. You can plant green shoots in this way, but most often it is used for lignified blanks. Oblique sections of the cuttings are treated with “Kornevin”, immersed in the ground in the garden bed or in the nursery. Set up a greenhouse. The soil is constantly kept moist. Droplets of condensate on the shelter testify to a good microclimate. After the appearance of sprouts, honeysuckle seedlings begin to harden, slightly opening the shelter for a short time. Over time, the greenhouse is removed, and the amount of watering is reduced.
Useful Tips
Honeysuckle is considered an unpretentious berry crop. Even with its reproduction, the gardener should not have problems. In order for the process to be successful, the berry bear fruit well, it is important to heed a few recommendations:
Honeysuckle does not cause much trouble to the gardener
- With this method of reproduction, it is necessary to make blanks from shrubs of various varieties. At least 3 types are preferred. Without proximity to edible varieties, honeysuckle does not bear fruit.
- For planting rooted seedlings choose a sunny place.
- It is better to plant seedlings not in rows, but in curtains. Such a scheme attracts pollinators better.
- For cuttings, healthy honeysuckle bushes are used without visible signs of disease and pest damage.
And another thing that is desirable to do is a good hardening of seedlings before planting in a permanent place.
Conclusion
The method of propagation of honeysuckle by cuttings is chosen by the gardener for himself the one that he likes best and is suitable for the climatic conditions of the region. The best survival rate of material harvested in spring or summer is observed. Part of the autumn branches may disappear during the winter if the storage technology is violated.