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Among the first hybrids developed by the All-Russian Institute N.I. Vavilov was Lebedushka, the cultivar was entered in the State Register in 1999. In its natural habitat, the culture is distributed mainly in the northern regions and the subarctic zone. On the basis of basic varieties, many cultivars have been created, suitable for cultivation in any climatic zone. A description of the variety, photos and reviews of the Swan honeysuckle will help you get a general idea of the culture and make a choice in its favor.
Berries form only on annual stems
Description of honeysuckle variety Lebedushka
The fruits of the honeysuckle Swan contain a large amount of trace elements and vitamins. Fruiting is early in the crop; the harvest ripens in early June. After winter, the body experiences a lack of nutrients, so an early berry during this period will help to replenish spent reserves.
Sap flow in the berry bush begins in early spring. Honeysuckle is one of the first on the site to gain green mass, this feature has found application in ornamental gardening.
Description of Honeysuckle Swan (pictured):
- The culture grows in the form of a bush, reaching 2 m in height. The crown is dense, the increase in the first 3 years is insignificant. In the subsequent growing season, the bush intensively forms young shoots, during the season up to 50 of them can appear.
- The stems of the current year are smooth, light brown with a greenish tint. The next season, the color of the bark becomes darker. Older branches are characterized by a gray-green color and a rough surface, on which peeling thin strips of bark are visible.
- The foliage is intense, the leaves are lanceolate, with a slightly rounded top, rich green color. Convex or straight shape.
- Honeysuckle blooms in early May, flowers are medium-sized, yellowish. They are located in pairs in the leaf sinuses. The main congestion at the tops of annual shoots.
- Fruits are blue in color with a gray waxy bloom, elongated cylindrical in shape, with a bumpy surface. Average weight - 1.5 g. The pulp is dense, beige with a greenish tint.
- The peduncle is fixed tightly, the separation is difficult. The berry does not crumble. It retains nutritional value for a long time after harvesting, transportability is high.
- Swan honeysuckle bears fruit in the fourth year, the yield is stable - up to 2.5 kg per bush. Berries are eaten fresh, they tolerate freezing well.
The cultivar is based on Kamchatka varieties, therefore, Lebedushka honeysuckle is characterized by high frost resistance, tolerates low temperatures without shelter for the winter. The variety has a high immunity to infections. Drought resistance of the culture is average. Moisture deficiency will not affect the number of fruits, but their size will become smaller, and bitterness will appear in the taste.
Due to the high concentration of vitamin C in the taste of honeysuckle Swan there is acid
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Swan
Honeysuckle Swan is planted on the site only in the autumn period, about 1.5 months before the onset of frost. The terms are individual for each climatic zone.In temperate climates, the best time to plant is mid-September; in the South, early October. The survival rate of the culture is high, within a month the plant will completely root and overwinter without loss. It is not recommended to plant the honeysuckle Swan in the spring, because it reacts poorly to stress and may not have time to adapt before the beginning of the growing season. A shrub planted in spring is sick and stunted.
Place for honeysuckle Swan is suitable open or periodically shaded. Berry culture is afraid of drafts. This feature of the variety is taken into account when choosing a site. The soil must be fertile, well aerated, and lowland wetlands are not suitable for planting. The culture prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil. Honeysuckle Swan does not take root well on sandstones.
For breeding honeysuckle, planting material is purchased in a nursery or grown independently. The requirements for a seedling are standard: it must have a well-developed root system without dry areas. It is desirable to have at least three strong shoots with healthy fruit buds. Pay attention to the bark of the stems; there should be no infectious and mechanical damage on it.
Planting scheme for edible honeysuckle Swan:
- Seedlings with a closed root are placed in a pit immediately after its preparation, if the roots are open, the plant is dipped for 2 hours in a solution of a drug that stimulates growth, then for 40 minutes in a pale pink solution of manganese.
- If honeysuckle is planted in one line, the interval between the holes should be at least 1.8 m. This is necessary for better air circulation and sufficient light intake, since the bush grows up to 2 m in diameter.
- The hole is prepared in advance or just before planting. The depth of the pit should be within 0.5 m, guided by the size of the root system. Width - 40 cm.
- The bottom of the pit is covered with a drainage layer of pebbles or small river stones.
- A nutrient mixture is made from organic matter: 30 g of superphosphate, 100 g of ash per 10 kg of substrate. Poured onto the drainage.
- The seedling is placed in the center and covered with soil so that the root collar remains on the surface, watered. The tops of the shoots are cut to 4-6 fruit buds.
The organic mixture will provide nourishment for the first three years of the honeysuckle, so no additional fertilization is needed.
Honeysuckle seedlings before planting
In the fall, the bushes are fed with potash and phosphorus fertilizers, and organic matter is introduced in the spring.
Watering is necessary in dry weather. Enough 10 liters of water for each hole. Watered at intervals of 15 days. Waterlogging should not be allowed. To prevent moisture from evaporating for a long time, the root circle is mulched with any available material.
For Swan honeysuckle, pruning is a prerequisite for agricultural technology. The procedure is carried out only in the fall. Because of the early sap flow in the spring, haircut is not carried out. After 7-10 years, anti-aging pruning is needed for honeysuckle.
Reproduction of honeysuckle varieties Lebedushka
The culture is easy to breed. Planting material can be obtained in several ways:
- Green cuttings of the current year, they are harvested after fruiting.
- By dividing the bush in the fall.
- Woody stems in autumn.
The method of propagation by layering is often used using the lower perennial branches.
Pollinators Honeysuckle Swan
Honeysuckle Swan, like all hybrid varieties, is self-fertile. Fruiting will be under any conditions, but the yield depends on the availability of pollinator varieties. In this capacity, one or several varieties are planted next to the site, for example, Morena, Kamchadalka or the Blue Spindle.
Kamchadalka is a good pollinator for Swan, increasing productivity by 1.5-2 times
Diseases and pests
Honeysuckle Swan is highly resistant to infections. Most of the fungal, viral or bacterial diseases are not afraid of it. But if agricultural technology is not followed or due to weather conditions, powdery mildew may appear. Eliminate the problem with Topaz.In order to prevent early spring, the bush is poured with hot water (60 0C) and treated with copper sulfate.
Aphid parasitizes pests. Get rid of anthills, and the bush is treated with concentrated soapy water or Aktara. In the spring, a week after treatment with copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid is used.
Conclusion
A description of the variety, photos and reviews of the Swan honeysuckle will allow you to learn more about the variety of culture. You can plant a bush on the site to get berries and design the landscape. Fruiting in the hybrid is early, the fruits are suitable not only for fresh consumption, but also for all processing methods. The variety is unpretentious in care, characterized by high winter hardiness.
