Content
Honeysuckle berries are rich in vitamins and beneficial minerals. In terms of magnesium content, the fruits of this plant generally surpass all other fruits. If we take into account that honeysuckle ripens earlier than strawberries, then it becomes an indispensable product for an organism weakened by a winter lack of vitamins.
Description of the variety
Honeysuckle Morena was created by the Pavlovsk Institute of Genetic Resources named after. Vavilov from the species Kamchatka and Turchaninova. In 1995, it was accepted by the State Register and recommended for cultivation in all regions.
Specifications
The Moraine bush is oval and can grow 1.7 m in height. The shoots are thick, brown-green, with large green leaves, and form a loose crown. When planted in autumn and under favorable conditions, moraine can give an increase of 20 cm in the first spring.
The berries are one-dimensional, blue, and appear blue due to a waxy coating. Their shape resembles an elongated jug, and their weight is 1.0-1.2 g. The average yield of the Morena variety is 53 c/ha, up to 1.9 kg of berries are harvested from a bush.
The tasting rating of this honeysuckle is 4.5 points.The taste of Morena berries is sweet and sour, without bitterness, the pulp is tender, with a slight aroma. The variety is considered dessert, non-shattering, and in terms of ripening it is classified as mid-early.
Pollinators
Honeysuckle Morena is self-sterile. If there are no other varieties on the site, even after abundant flowering and timely pollination by bees and bumblebees, the bush will produce few berries. True, their number will be slightly greater than that of other honeysuckles under similar conditions, but this cannot be called a harvest.
Recommended pollinators for Morena are the Blue Spindle and Viola varieties.
Advantages and disadvantages
Morena has difficulty competing with the newer varieties of edible honeysuckle, but it is considered reliable and suitable for growing in all regions. The advantages include:
- Stability of fruiting.
- High winter hardiness.
- Non-shattering and large-fruited.
- Increased resistance of the variety to aphids.
- Low demands on growing conditions.
- Winter hardiness of the Morena variety.
- Good dessert taste without bitterness.
- The Morena variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions.
- High content of nutrients in berries.
Morena's flaws could include insufficient large fruit and imperfect taste, but do not forget that the variety is already more than 20 years old. At one time he was a real breakthrough. The Morena variety is self-fertile, but this is also characteristic of other edible honeysuckle.
Accommodation on site
Honeysuckle Morena is remarkable because it can be grown in all regions. Of course, in the south it will not reach 1.7 m, but it will feel better than other varieties.
Selection of planting material
Moraine branches bend slightly, take this into account when purchasing planting material.The shoots should be elastic, the internodes should be identical, and the root system intact. It is even better to purchase seedlings in containers. Do not buy honeysuckle with shortened shoots.
The condition of the root system of a plant sold in containers can be easily checked. Do not hesitate to ask the seller to remove the seedling from the pot. The earthen lump should be moderately braided with roots, without signs of rot or mold. The smell from it should be fresh, pleasant - even a slight stench serves as a signal of trouble. You should not buy such a plant.
Selecting a suitable location and preparing the soil
First of all, the area for planting Morena should be sunny - in the shade it will bear fruit, but the yield will be reduced several times. Honeysuckle should not be placed in hollows or depressions - cold air collects there and moisture stagnates after rains and waterings. It is necessary to protect the plant from cold winds.
Honeysuckle Morena prefers loose, slightly acidic soils, well-filled with organic matter. However, any soil will do, but on sandstones the yield will be greatly reduced. Excessively acidic soil must be deacidified by adding dolomite flour, ground limestone or fluff into the planting hole.
Biologists and farmers cannot come to a consensus on honeysuckle planting schemes. The standard is to place bushes at a distance of 1.5 m from each other with 2.0 m between rows. It is imperative to take into account the size of an adult bush - some varieties grow up to 2.5 m by the age of 10 years.
A planting hole for honeysuckle is dug 40x40x40 cm in size, a bucket of organic matter and starting fertilizers - potassium and phosphorus - are added to the soil.For ordinary soils, take 50 g of fertilizer; poor soils are enriched with more or an additional jar of ash is added.
Planting honeysuckle
Already at the end of July, and in the southern regions earlier, the Morena variety begins a dormant period. The beginning of the growing season occurs very early. Therefore, it is better to plant honeysuckle in the fall or at the end of summer, so the bushes will take root with a probability of about 95%. In spring this figure drops to 80-85%.
The prepared planting hole is filled with water, and when it is absorbed, planting begins. The honeysuckle is placed on an earthen mound poured in the middle and covered with soil. In this case, the root collar should be buried by about 5 cm. The seedling is watered abundantly, and the soil around it is mulched. The branches of Morena honeysuckle should not be shortened before planting - this will worsen the survival rate of the bush.
Growing
Honeysuckle is generally an unpretentious crop if it grows in a temperate climate. The Morena variety feels good in all regions, only in the south it does not grow to the declared size and requires additional watering.
Caring for a young plant
Filling the planting pit with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers allows you not to feed honeysuckle in the summer or autumn in the first 2 years. Only in the spring, preferably while there is still snow, water the bushes with a solution of urea or ammonium nitrate.
Watering after planting should be regular - if the circle around the trunk dries out, the honeysuckle will hurt. To better provide the root system with oxygen, after moistening, the soil is loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm. Weeds are weeded out as they appear.
Caring for an adult plant
Many amateur gardeners feed honeysuckle every few years, and then complain about meager yields and small berries that do not correspond to the varietal description. The plant bears fruit annually, its growing season is short. In addition, cultivated varieties are very different from their wild relatives and require regular feeding. The fertilizer application schedule is shown in the table.
Fertilizer application period | Nutrient elements | Purpose of feeding |
Beginning of the growing season, before the snow melts or immediately after it melts | Nitrogen | Provide honeysuckle with the necessary substances for the development of shoots, leaves, flowers |
After harvest | Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium | Reimbursement of nutrients spent on flowering and ripening of berries |
End of summer - beginning of autumn | Phosphorus, potassium | Planting next year's harvest, preparing for winter |
The Morena variety needs watering in the absence of rain, loosening the soil, and weeding.
Pruning and wintering
Honeysuckle Morena is not covered for the winter; it, like other varieties, tolerates severe frosts. During the first 15 years of life, pruning consists of removing dry or broken branches, then annually a portion of the old growth is cut out. When the yield drops (usually this happens after the 20th year of being on the site), the entire bush is cut off, leaving stubs of 15-20 cm. Morena honeysuckle quickly recovers and bears fruit for another 5-10 years.
Reproduction methods
Amateur gardeners propagate honeysuckle varieties by dividing young bushes and layering. The seed method and cuttings in private farms do not give satisfactory results.The first is due to the splitting of varietal characteristics of seedlings, the second is due to the poor survival rate of propagation material. As a result, from dozens of cuttings the same number of honeysuckle bushes will grow as from several buried branches.
Problems during cultivation
Honeysuckle variety Morena is resistant to aphid attacks, but leaf roller butterflies and scale insects can annoy the plant. To neutralize them, insecticides or biological products are used. There should be 2-3 treatments, with an interval of 10-14 days. During the ripening of berries and harvesting, it is better to use only biological preparations or folk remedies.
Of the diseases, honeysuckle is most often affected by powdery mildew. This fungus appears as a whitish coating on the leaves. Fight powdery mildew with fungicides or Fitosporin.
Reviews
