Content
Description of the variety, photos and reviews of honeysuckle Zest are of great importance today. Considering that the crop was recently developed, it has already become widely known, since it has established itself as a good choice for a gardener. Zest is distinguished by its excellent tolerance to cold and heat, ease of care, as well as high resistance to diseases and pests.
Description of edible honeysuckle Zest
Judging by the photo and description, the honeysuckle variety Izyuminka has the following characteristics:
- It bears fruit quite early, in mid-May.
- The bushes grow to almost 1.5 m with dense foliage.
- The leaves of honeysuckle Izinka are oval, “close” a little, and become pointed at the tip.
- The shoots are slightly curved, brown with a purple or lilac tint.
- It blooms with white “bells”, and during this period honeysuckle looks impressive, for which it is often used for decorative purposes.
- Fruits with long berries up to 3 cm, gray in color.
- To the touch, the skin is lumpy, dense, but not hard, and has a pale coating.
- The weight of one berry of the Izyuminka variety reaches 1.5 g.
- About 1-2 kg of berries are harvested from one bush.
The fruits taste sweet and sour, slightly spicy, the pulp has a fibrous consistency. They are often used in preparations for the winter - jam, marmalade, etc. Honeysuckle berries are also consumed fresh; in addition, they have pronounced beneficial properties and have a beneficial effect on stabilizing blood pressure.
Honeysuckle is well adapted to winter. She is not afraid of sudden repeated colds, when, like other plants, they can slow down in flowering. It is noteworthy that new seedlings produce the first berries after 3 years; after 6 years, fruiting is even more abundant.
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Zest
When choosing new honeysuckle seedlings of the Izyuminka variety, you should pay attention to the shoots - they must be healthy and without damage. It is worth giving preference to specimens with closed roots, i.e. those that are in pots or containers. It is believed that such seedlings quickly adapt and take root in the new land. If you had to purchase plants with bare roots, they must be soaked in a solution that promotes growth.
Honeysuckle Zizinka does not like excess moisture and does not like acidic soil. The planting site should be as bright as possible, not shady. If the soil on the site is highly acidic, the place for the seedlings is mixed with ash or dolomite flour. If groundwater is available, a drainage system will have to be created.
Honeysuckle bushes are planted in the fall. Spring planting is not recommended, since during this period the plant begins to actively grow and the seedlings will not have time to get comfortable.In August, the Kamchatka honeysuckle Izyuminka goes into a dormant state, so there will be enough time for adaptation. The soil is prepared in advance by mixing organic fertilizers - humus, wood ash, superphosphate. Minerals are undesirable.
Pollinators of honeysuckle variety Izyuminka
Honeysuckle variety Izyuminka has an interesting feature - it needs pollinators in the form of other varieties of the same crop. Moreover, the group should contain 3 different instances of bushes. It is important to observe a couple of conditions:
- You need to purchase varieties that bloom at the same time;
- You should not take those bushes that bear fruit in similar periods.
Thus, for honeysuckle Izyuminka the following varieties are considered ideal:
- Variety Altair It is a medium-sized bush with a dense spherical crown. The berries are medium-sized, sweet with juicy pulp. Fruits well and does not fall off.
- Variety Viola good because it does not get sick and does not attract pests. A round, dense bush with large oval fruits, narrowed at the top.
- Variety Sorceress medium-growing, with straight strong branches. The fruits are large, long, oval with thin skin. They taste sweet.
Reproduction
The best option for propagating honeysuckle Zest is cuttings. Preparations are made around the end of May, during the formation of fruit ovaries. Suitable branches are checked by bending: soft, unbreakable stems are not suitable, they still have little strength, they will not survive; a twig that breaks with a crunch is ideal.
The cutting should be up to 12 cm long with several internodes - with a bud and a leaf. The lower leaves are removed, the rest are cut in half. The stem itself is cut from below at an angle of 45 °. The top is cut off at a right angle so that the length of the bud remains about 1.5 cm.
Then the stem is dipped into water, preferably with the addition of a mixture that promotes root growth; it is bought at a flower shop. When the roots are down, the cuttings are transferred to the ground - purchased soil or mixed independently: peat (1) and sand (3).
They create greenhouse conditions with high humidity and air temperature + 20-25 °C. In the same year or next spring, a small seedling is transferred to the main planting site.
They also resort to dividing the bush. To do this, dig up one whole plant, shake off the soil from the roots, and separate several branches. Then a part of the root with branches is cut off with a disinfected pruner or garden saw. Sprinkle the sections with wood ash.
The bush is transplanted to a new place, which is regularly watered, the soil is loosened, and fertilized as necessary.
Diseases and pests
Like most plants, honeysuckle is susceptible to some diseases and pests. Its main enemy is aphids, the signs of which are reflected in the appearance of the bush. The foliage turns yellow, curls, and becomes spotted. The parasite sucks out the juices of the plant, it noticeably weakens, and fruiting naturally suffers.
There are various ways of fighting:
- Mechanical – pruning of individual most damaged branches, which are then treated with clay, garden pitch and other mixtures.
- People's - the most common option, for which laundry soap is dissolved in water, then the foliage and stems are sprayed. But it is suitable in the early stages of infection or as a preventive measure.
- Chemical - a dangerous, although the most effective way to combat diseases and pests of honeysuckle. But they have limitations - processing is carried out in early spring before the buds begin to bloom, or after harvesting.
Conclusion
Description of the variety, photos and reviews of honeysuckle Zest - common among gardeners. The plant is very popular among gardeners due to its unpretentiousness, productivity and even decorative properties. The berries are sweet and sour, large, and have a medicinal effect on the human body. The bushes themselves are beautiful and are often used in landscape design. The culture is one of the most unpretentious, resistant to cold and disease.