Content
The healing properties of edible honeysuckle species have been known for a long time, but until the middle of the last century they were rarely planted in gardens because of the sour-bitter taste and small fruits. In addition, the berries ripened unevenly and immediately fell off, which is why most of the harvest had to be harvested from the ground. Since the 50s of the XX century, Russia has been actively engaged in the breeding of cultivated varieties of honeysuckle.
Description of the variety
Silginka was created in 2004 by FSUE Bakcharskoe by hybridization of Turchaninov's honeysuckle and Roksana 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.
Specifications
The honeysuckle bush of the Selginka variety is medium-sized, no more than 1.5 m in height, and about 1.2 m in width. Rigid straight branches form an oval crown of medium density. The mature bark flakes off, which is typical of all edible honeysuckles.
Fruits weighing 1.0-1.4 g are elongated-oval, with a pointed tip, 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 go into what is the 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 per hectare are harvested, in a particularly favorable year - up to 11.5 tons / ha.
Silginka is considered one of the most delicious and sweet cultivated varieties of honeysuckle - its tasting score is 4.9 points. The dark blue, bloom-coated one-dimensional berries are fragrant, the 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 separated from the branches, they can be harvested by hand by shaking them off. To do this, a tarp 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 cultural honeysuckles, Silginka is self-fertile. To obtain berries, several other varieties must be planted nearby, otherwise the abundant flowering will only attract bees to the site. Silginka is not picky about the choice of pollinators, but planting next to such honeysuckles as Delight, Daughter of the Giant, Yugan, Bakchar Giant will give the best results.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of Silginka honeysuckle is the taste of berries - sweet, aromatic, absolutely devoid of bitterness. Farmers and amateur gardeners are also attracted by:
- Early ripening.
- Large-fruited, one-dimensional and easy-to-harvest berry placement.
- Resistance of Silginka honeysuckle to frost, heat and drought. This makes the variety suitable for growing in regions with different climates.
- Amicable ripening, one berry collection is enough.
- Silgink's honeysuckle is suitable for processing and freezing.
- Mature plants produce crops annually.
- Low requirements of honeysuckle to 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 complicates mechanized harvesting and is inconvenient for growing in dachas, where the owners are shown from time to time.
- Self-infertility - this disadvantage 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, if properly placed, it almost does not react to adverse factors. The closer the plant is planted to the equator, the more careful the care should be. The honeysuckle of the Silginka variety has shown itself well when grown in the south.
The choice of planting material
It is best to buy seedlings from proven garden centers or nurseries. Planting time for honeysuckle is late summer or fall. In the spring, you can only deal with the emergency movement of bushes to another place with an earthen lump.
The best planting material is 2-3 year old plants with several straight branches and the same internodes. The exfoliated bark in lignified areas is not a sign of the disease. Honeysuckle with an open root should be carefully examined - there should be no severe damage, rotting or black areas.
Choosing a suitable location and preparing the ground
For successful cultivation of honeysuckle, you need a sunny area protected from strong winds. 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 late summer or early autumn, when growth processes freeze, but do not stop altogether. 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 start bearing fruit a year earlier.
There is no consensus about the planting scheme for honeysuckle, the standard is the observance of a distance of 1.5 m between bushes and 2 m - in the aisles. During mechanized harvesting, the plants are placed closer to each other, and the passage is made large so that the technique can pass freely without breaking off fragile branches.
Pits are dug 40x40x40 cm in size, the soil for planting honeysuckle is prepared depending on its fertility. How many additives need to be added can be seen from the table.
The soil | Organic (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 | — |
Clayey 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 the roots of honeysuckle are carefully spread, the neck is buried by 3-5 cm.The earth is carefully rammed, the bush is watered abundantly, the trunk circle is mulched.
Growing 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
After planting, young honeysuckle primarily 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 hardly grows green mass - first, the root system develops. The near-trunk circle must be mulched and prevent the occurrence weeds... In the fall, dry and broken branches are cut off.
If, during planting, organic matter and a sufficient amount of fertilizers were introduced into the ground, the 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.
Adult plant care
Adult honeysuckle is watered as needed, the trunk circle is loosened. In spring, planting is fed with nitrogen, after fruiting - with a full mineral complex. In the fall, it is useful to add a bucket of organic matter and a can 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 sheared at a height of 15-20 cm. In the spring it is completely renewed and gives berries up to 10 years.
Silgink's honeysuckle was bred in the Tomsk region and easily tolerates frosts at 50 degrees, the flowers do not crumble at minus 7.
Reproduction methods
Honeysuckle reproduces easily. This is one of its advantages - planting material is not cheap. Amateur gardeners can divide a young overgrown bush or dig in a layer. This method of reproduction, like seed, is of interest exclusively to breeders - cross-pollination does not allow young plants to inherit varietal traits. 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 hassle-free berry bushes. She rarely gets sick and is attacked by pests. Plantings can be annoyed by:
- aphids;
- leaf rollers;
- willow scale insects.
They fight them with insecticidal preparations or biological agents, such as Agrovertin or Fitoverm.
In rainy summer or evening watering in cold weather, powdery mildew can appear on the leaves. The bushes are treated with a fungicide; Fitosporin is used from biological products.
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