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Growing edible honeysuckle in recent years has become a very popular activity among gardeners not only in Russia, but also in the world. Moreover, varieties have appeared that can be cultivated industrially using mechanization. One of them is Berel honeysuckle.
Description of honeysuckle variety Berel
In Russia, the cultivation of edible honeysuckle on an industrial scale began seriously in the middle of the last century. Unpretentiousness, productivity, beneficial properties of berries - all these qualities have become the reason for increased interest in this crop. It was then that breeders began to develop new varieties suitable for cultivation in a variety of climatic zones. In those days, honeysuckle was seriously considered as an alternative to traditional berry bushes, the cultivation of which in many regions of Russia was fraught with certain difficulties due to the unfavorable climate.
Honeysuckle Berel - a product of domestic selection
Breeders from the Siberian Research Institute of Horticulture named after M.A.Lisavenko completed work on the edible honeysuckle variety Berel in 1980, and in 1996, after variety testing, it was included in the State Register. For breeding, we used genetic material from the honeysuckle varieties Altayskaya 12-19 (Sirius), Goluboe Vereteno, Lazurnaya, and Blue Bird.
Next, a description of Berel honeysuckle will be given, photos will be shown, and reviews from gardeners will be given. The main parameters of the variety are presented in the table:
Parameter | Meaning |
Plant type | Perennial deciduous shrub |
Crown | Compact, medium spreading, up to 2 m high and up to 1.5 m in diameter |
Escapes | Smooth, powerful, without pubescence. Young shoots are green, later light brown, pinkish on the sunny side in the upper part of the bush, becoming reddish-brown with age. |
Leaves | Large, oval-elongated, with a rounded tip and wedge-shaped base. Petioles are short. The leaf blade is bright green, slightly pubescent on the reverse side, and usually boat-shaped in the upper part of the bush. |
Roots | Tree-like, with a large number of small roots. |
Flowers | Large, white with a pinkish tint. Flowering occurs in May. |
Self-fertility | Self-sterile variety, requires pollinators. |
Fruit | The berries are oval-elongated, dark blue, with a bluish coating reminiscent of wax. Weight usually ranges from 0.4-1 g. |
Taste | Sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness, pleasant. |
Purpose | Universal. |
Keeping quality of fruits, transportability | High. |
Productivity | Up to 4 kg from 1 adult bush. |
Ripening period | End of June and beginning of July. |
Planting and caring for honeysuckle
Honeysuckle Berel is an unpretentious shrub with good winter hardiness and good immunity to diseases and pests. With the right choice of location and proper care, the lifespan of this plant can reach up to 50 years, half of which it will bear fruit abundantly.
Landing dates
Berel belongs to the early varieties of edible honeysuckle. The growing season of this shrub begins in early spring, and this creates certain difficulties in meeting planting deadlines during this fleeting period. Autumn planting is more correct and justified. Berel honeysuckle is planted in the second half of September or early October. When choosing the best time, you need to focus on the climatic features of the region and calculate the planting date so that after the work there is at least 1 month left before the onset of frost.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
In order for Berel honeysuckle to grow well and actively bear fruit for many years, it is necessary to plant it correctly on the site.
Proper planting is the key to successful growth of Berel honeysuckle
Here are the basic requirements for the place where the shrub should grow:
- The southern, southeastern side of a building or structure, a fence that shelters plantings from the north wind.
- Open space or light partial shade. In shady areas, honeysuckle grows worse and the fruits are more sour.
- Fertile, loamy or sandy loam soil with good air permeability.
- The groundwater level is no closer than 1 m to the surface.
Planting holes with a depth of at least 0.5 m must be prepared in advance.The removed soil is mixed with humus in a 1:1 ratio, additionally adding a few tablespoons of superphosphate and potassium salt for enrichment. It is also advisable to add at least 1 cup of wood ash.
The size of the planting hole must correspond to the volume of the root system of the seedling
Landing rules
The procedure for planting Berel honeysuckle is simple. This is especially easy to do if the seedling is in a container with a closed root system. In this case, it is removed along with a lump of earth on the roots and placed in a planting hole, held strictly vertically. The root collar is not buried; it should remain flush with the soil surface. The remaining voids are filled with soil substrate and compacted well.
If the Berel honeysuckle seedling has an open root system, then a small mound of earth must first be poured onto the bottom of the planting hole. The roots are spread along its slopes and then covered with nutritious soil, periodically compacting it. In this case, you also need to monitor the level at which the root collar of the Berel honeysuckle seedling will be after planting. There is no need to deepen it.
It is preferable to use seedlings with a closed root system for planting.
Having completed the excavation work, the root zone of the seedling is generously shed with water, and then mulched with fallen leaves or humus.
Watering and fertilizing
Honeysuckle Berel loves moisture, but does not tolerate its excess. Watering should be regular, but very dosed.Lack of moisture, especially during the period of ripening and filling of berries, negatively affects the taste; a noticeable bitterness appears in them. Severe water deficiency can lead to premature fruit falling, leaf curling and other unpleasant consequences. To avoid this, if there is a lack of atmospheric moisture, Berel honeysuckle is watered approximately once a week, pouring at least 10 liters of water under the root. In case of drought, watering rates can be doubled, especially during the fruiting period.
Watering Berel honeysuckle should be moderate but regular.
For the first 2 years after planting, Berel honeysuckle is not fed. For this period, the fertilizers applied during planting are sufficient. From the third year, the shrub usually begins to bear fruit, and it will absorb nutrients from the soil much more intensively. From this time on, you need to start feeding him periodically. An approximate table of the fertilizers used and the timing of their application for Berel honeysuckle is given below:
Terms of work | Feeding method | Fertilizers and dosage |
Early spring, before the growing season begins | Root | Ammonium nitrate, 15 g per 1 sq. m of tree trunk circle. |
Foliar | Urea (carbamide), 20 g per 10 liters of water. | |
At the end of flowering | Root | Organics (rotted manure, humus), 10 kg per bush. |
Autumn, after fruiting | Root | Superphosphate (20-30 g) + potassium sulfate (1-20 g) per 1 sq. m. root zone. |
Trimming
There are several types of pruning of edible honeysuckle, which includes the Berel variety:
- Sanitary. They are carried out annually in spring and autumn, as well as at any time of the year if necessary. It consists of removing dry, diseased, damaged shoots.
- Thinning. This type of pruning is carried out to remove shoots that are growing incorrectly, lying on the ground or thickening the bush, as well as to eliminate excess root growth. The procedure is carried out in the fall after the end of the growing season, but before the onset of frost.
- Rejuvenating. With age, the annual growth of the shrub becomes smaller, and accordingly, fruiting decreases. During rejuvenating pruning, part of the old perennial wood is removed, and new, young shoots are grown in its place. This type of pruning is done at the same time as thinning.
- Formative. Allows you to get not only a healthy, but also a beautiful Berel honeysuckle bush. This type of pruning is carried out in the fall, after fruiting. During work, weak shoots are removed, the direction of incorrectly growing branches is trimmed or corrected, and the skeleton of the shrub is formed.
Dry branches can be removed at any time
Wintering
Honeysuckle Berel has excellent winter hardiness. No measures are usually taken to prepare shrubs for winter. However, in the northern regions it would not be a bad idea to insulate the root zone by covering it with a thick layer of peat or humus.
Pollinators of Berel honeysuckle
Any species of Kamchatka or Altai honeysuckle are suitable as pollinators for Berel honeysuckle. The Kamchadalka variety is considered the best pollinator.
Reproduction
Honeysuckle Berel can be propagated both by seed and vegetative methods.It is not difficult to grow seedlings from seeds, but the parental characteristics of such plants are often lost, so their quality will vary greatly for the worse. To preserve all the positive properties of Berel honeysuckle in full, vegetative propagation methods are used, such as cuttings, layering and dividing the bush.
Cuttings are an excellent way to propagate Berel honeysuckle. The highest percentage of rooting (up to 60%) is given by green cuttings taken from the bush at the very beginning of fruiting. For this purpose, annual shoots 15-40 cm long are used, and they are not cut off, but torn off from the mother branch “with a heel”. Berel honeysuckle cuttings prepared in this way are kept for 12-15 hours in a solution of a root formation stimulator, and then planted in special beds.
Beds for germinating cuttings must meet the following requirements:
- Good lighting in the morning, shade at lunchtime.
- Loose prepared soil from a mixture of sand, peat and turf soil.
Berel honeysuckle cuttings are planted obliquely, at an angle of 45 °, facing south. The soil should always be moderately moist. For the first time, it is better to cover the planting material with film from direct sunlight. The formation of its own root system in cuttings usually occurs within 3 weeks. In the first winter, young plants should be covered with spruce branches.
More details about honeysuckle cuttings are described in the video at the link:
Another fairly simple way to propagate Berel honeysuckle is to divide the bush.Plants older than 10 years can be divided. In this case, the bush is dug out of the ground and several parts are separated from it, each of which contains at least 3 shoots with its own root system. The deprived parts are immediately planted in new places as independent seedlings.
Dividing a bush is an easy way to propagate Berel honeysuckle
Air layering from the Berel honeysuckle bush can be obtained by digging one of the side shoots. During the summer, a new root system will form in the internodes, and the cuttings will produce their own shoots. For the winter it is left with the mother shoot, and in the spring it is cut off and planted in a new place.
Diseases and pests
According to the information of the originator (Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia named after M. A. Lisavenko), the honeysuckle variety Berel is not affected by diseases. Among the pests, aphids are a danger to the plant - a microscopic insect that feeds on the juices of leaves and young shoots. The rapid reproduction of aphids leads to the formation of numerous colonies of insects, as a result of which the honeysuckle is suppressed, the leaves and shoots dry out from lack of nutrition, and the fruits fall off prematurely.
Aphids - a nasty garden pest
To combat aphids, various folk remedies are used, such as infusions of tansy, celandine, chamomile, and tobacco. At the initial stage, this is quite enough. If the aphid colonies have reached a significant size, then you will have to use insecticides, for example, Fufanon, Iskra or Inta-Vir.
Conclusion
Honeysuckle Berel is one of many edible varieties suitable for cultivation in various regions of Russia. It has good resistance to a variety of adverse factors and does not require extensive care.At the same time, the variety demonstrates good yield, and the slight bitterness in taste, which is considered a disadvantage, which is inherent specifically in Berel honeysuckle, completely disappears after heat treatment.
