Content
Edible honeysuckle has a number of advantages over other berry bushes. It ripens first, bears fruit annually, and is rich in nutrients. What is significant is that the plant does not require special care and can withstand severe frosts, so it can be grown almost throughout Russia.
Description of the variety
Honeysuckle Nymph was created by free pollination of the Leningradsky Velikan variety by the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Growing named after. Vavilov in 1992. The State Register accepted the cultivar in 1998 after testing and recommended for cultivation in all regions.
Specifications
The Nymph variety forms a tall, slightly spreading bush with thick straight branches. The leaves are large, dark green, covered with light hard down. Young shoots are light green and slightly fleecy.
The berries of Nymph honeysuckle are medium in size - from 0.8 g to 1.1 g. They are colored blue, but due to a waxy coating they look blue. The skin of long spindle-shaped fruits is medium dense, lumpy. The maximum yield of an adult bush is 2 kg, the average is 1.3 kg. With industrial cultivation, you can collect 37 c/ha.
Tasting rating of honeysuckle Nymph - 4.7 points. The taste is sweet, with a spicy bitterness. The berries are aromatic, universally used, mid-early ripening, and fall slightly.
Pollinators
The Nymph variety is self-sterile. Any cultivars can be used as pollinators; Morena, Amphora, Viola, and Blue Spindle are good choices. There is no need to specially attract bees and bumblebees to the site - honeysuckle is a good honey plant.
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety is not the newest; it is already 20 years old. Even though the Nymph is not as large-fruited as the Giant’s Daughter, and its yield is significantly lower than that of the Bakcharsky Giant, all the qualities of this honeysuckle are time-tested. Its advantages include:
- High nutritional and medicinal value of berries.
- Possibility to grow the variety throughout Russia.
- Stability of fruiting.
- Low susceptibility of Nymphs to aphids.
- High winter hardiness.
- When ripe, the berries almost never fall off.
- Taste qualities – 4.7 points.
- Easy to care for.
- The high decorativeness of the bush allows you to use the Nymph to decorate the area.
- The productive period is up to 30 years.
Among the disadvantages of honeysuckle variety Nymph, in addition to self-sterility, are:
- Insufficient yield.
- Light weight of berries.
- Instability to re-blooming, especially in the southern regions.
But let's not forget that the variety was created at the end of the last century. The fact that it is inferior to the latest cultivars speaks not of its shortcomings, but of a high level of selection.
Accommodation on site
Honeysuckle Nymph grows well throughout the Russian Federation. It can be called a variety for those who do not like surprises.
Selection of planting material
In order for honeysuckle to take root better, you need to select seedlings at the age of 2-3 years.It should have several well-developed strong branches with equal internodes. Buy container plants whenever possible. If the seedling has an open root system, pay attention to it - there should be no severe damage, black spots or signs of rot.
Selecting a suitable location and preparing the soil
It is important to choose a sunny area protected from strong cold winds for planting edible honeysuckle. All kinds of depressions, lowlands or depressions are not suitable due to possible stagnation of water and accumulation of cold air.
The Nymph variety will grow on any soil, but will produce the best yields on loose, fertile, slightly acidic soils. Sandstones do not contribute to setting a large number of large berries. Acidic soils need liming - adding 200-400 g of fluff into the planting hole.
Honeysuckle Nymph can be planted according to the standard pattern - 1.5 m between plants, rows - at a distance of 2 m from each other. The variety looks very beautiful; the bushes can be placed around the perimeter of the site to cover less attractive low-growing crops.
Planting honeysuckle
Planting holes for honeysuckle are dug 40x40x40 cm in size. Then a bucket of humus or compost is mixed with the top fertile layer of soil, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (50 g each). Then:
- Fill the planting hole with water.
- When it is absorbed, pour a slide of the nutrient mixture in the middle.
- A seedling is placed on top.
- The roots are straightened around the mound.
- Fill the hole with soil so as to deepen the neck by 5 cm.
- Carefully compact the earth.
- Water the honeysuckle, spending at least 10 liters of water per bush.
- Mulch the tree trunk circle with peat, humus or dry soil.
Growing honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is easy to care for, it is not capricious and rarely gets sick. The main thing is to choose the right place and plant the plant.
Caring for a young plant
Only young honeysuckle requires close attention in the year of planting. It needs to be watered regularly so that the root does not dry out. When the top layer of soil dries a little, the soil is loosened to a depth of 5-8 cm. Weeds are removed from the tree trunk circle.
If fertilizers have been added to the planting hole, the first 2 years are limited to spring nitrogen fertilizing. It is better to do it on snow that has not yet melted - add ammonium nitrate or urea to a bucket of water according to the instructions and water the honeysuckle.
Caring for an adult plant
Adult bushes are watered as needed, the soil is loosened and weeded out. weeds. The tree trunk circle is mulched with organic matter. The annual spring feeding after fruiting of honeysuckle is given a full mineral complex, and in early autumn - phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Pruning and wintering
Regular pruning of young honeysuckle is not necessary. How and when to delete branches is indicated in the table.
Age | Trimming type | Trimming method | Target |
up to 15 years | Sanitary | Remove all broken, dry shoots that thicken the crown and lying on the ground | Prevent the development of diseases, increase the yield of the bush |
15-20 years | Thinning | The oldest skeletal branches are gradually cut out | Removing unproductive shoots |
20 years | Rejuvenating | The bush is cut completely at a height of 15-20 cm | Extend the fruiting of honeysuckle for 5-10 years |
There is no need to cover the Nymph variety for the winter - it will withstand the harshest winter perfectly.
Reproduction methods
Fresh honeysuckle seeds have good germination, but seedlings do not inherit varietal characteristics. This method of propagation is interesting for breeders, but amateur gardeners simply do not need it. It is difficult to root green and lignified cuttings on your own - no more than 20-30% of seedlings will survive, and only when using greenhouses, greenhouses, growth and rooting hormones.
In private farms, honeysuckle is propagated by dividing young bushes and layering.
Problems during cultivation
Honeysuckle Nymph is rarely affected by aphids. When attacked by scale insects or leaf roller caterpillars, you need to use insecticides or biological preparations, such as Agrovertin, Iskra-bio, Fitoverm.
Among the diseases, you should pay attention to powdery mildew. This fungus appears on honeysuckle in cold rainy weather or during evening overhead watering. It needs to be combated with fungicides, and if the disease appears during the ripening of the berries, with the biological preparation Fitosporin or folk remedies.
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