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The popularity of honeysuckle is growing every year. This crop is characterized by early ripening, high frost resistance and resistance to return frosts, which allows it to be grown even in northern regions. One of the new honeysuckle varieties bred by the Kamchatka Research Institute of Agriculture is Slastena. The species was submitted for registration in 2014, and entered into the State Register in 2013. A description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten’s honeysuckle, as well as recommendations on agricultural technology are presented below.
Description of honeysuckle variety Slastena
The Slastena variety is considered low-growing. The compact bush is formed by strong, thickened shoots. The tops of the branches have a crimson color, smoothly blurred into a reddish tint along the entire length of the shoot.
The leaf blades are green, slightly pubescent. The bushes are densely covered with foliage.
The berries are very sweet and pleasant, hence the name of the variety - Slastena. The color is bluish with a waxy coating, the shape is cylindrical, the peel is dense, the stalk is short, brownish-green. In the southern regions the crop bears fruit early, in other regions the ripening time is average.
The taste of honeysuckle berries of the Slastena variety is rated 5 points out of 5
According to the description of the variety and reviews, Slasten's honeysuckle is characterized by high productivity. You can get 4 kg of berries from a bush.
This variety begins to bear fruit after two years, but on some seedlings fruit buds appear the very next year after planting. Honeysuckle has a long life expectancy. The bushes have been growing for more than five decades and at the same time show high productivity.
Planting and caring for honeysuckle Slastena
It is recommended to plant honeysuckle closer to autumn. This could be the end of August or all of September; planting dates depend on the region. It is not advisable to plant the crop in the spring, because the buds swell very early, as soon as the sun warms the air to above-zero temperatures.
If the purchased seedling has a closed root system, there are no special requirements for the planting season. It can be planted at any time (from April to September).
The planting location is chosen to be sunny, but with shade in the afternoon. It is recommended to plant honeysuckle near an apple tree, the crown of which will create shade in the afternoon.
Short shoots of honeysuckle do not suffer from wind and cold, so the bushes can be planted in open areas.
Honeysuckle Slasten needs other varieties for cross-pollination, otherwise there will be no harvest. When planning a plot, gardeners recommend sticking to a 2 x 1.5 m bush planting pattern and purchasing 3-5 different varieties at once.
Honeysuckle is unpretentious to the type of soil. It is best if the soil is neutral or slightly acidic. When planting, a nutritious soil mixture consisting of the top layer of soil, sand and rotted manure is added to clay soils.
Landing algorithm:
- dig a hole with a diameter of 30 cm and a depth of 30-35 cm;
- apply fertilizers consisting of wood ash (0.5 kg), superphosphate (0.15 kg) and potassium sulfate (0.06 kg);
- The bush is placed in the center of the hole, the roots are straightened;
- covered with earth;
- carefully compact the soil with your hands;
- water at the rate of 5-7 liters of water per hole;
- the trunk circle is mulched with mowed grass, sawdust or peat.
Watering requirements
Honeysuckle does not tolerate drought, so watering is carried out every other day in the summer. In addition, the crop needs periodic sprinkling. It is carried out on hot days early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. Without sprinkling, the tender foliage of honeysuckle can burn from the burning sun.
Fertilizer application
After planting, the plant is fed with an aqueous solution of mullein (1:10) or rotted grass. To prepare an herbal infusion, put the cut grass in a barrel and fill it with water (1:1). After two weeks of infusion in the sun, the mixture is diluted with water (1:10) and used for irrigation. This fertilizer is used before flowering and during fruiting.
Starting from the third year after planting, fertilizers can be applied. In the spring they feed with an aqueous solution of urea, in the summer they use ammonium nitrate (20 g), urea (10 g) and superphosphate (50 g). Superphosphate is added to the ground, carefully covered with a small hoe, the remaining substances are dissolved in water and the bushes are watered. The roots of honeysuckle are located very close to the surface, so applying fertilizers before digging is not recommended. Potassium phosphate fertilizers help increase winter hardiness, so they are applied in the autumn. One bush will require 3 tbsp. l. double superphosphate and 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.
Pollinators of honeysuckle Slasten
The Slastena variety is not self-pollinating, so without planting pollinators there will be no harvest. For cross-pollination, select varieties that bloom at the same time. For Slastena, the best pollinators will be the Amphora and Violet varieties.
Reproduction of honeysuckle variety Slastena
Various methods are used to propagate honeysuckle. Cuttings from green shoots are considered the most effective. Cuttings are taken when green fruits appear. The readiness of the shoots is checked by bending. If the branches bend but do not break, the cuttings are not yet ready. During bending, the branches should break off with a characteristic crunch. Cuttings taken too early do not take root well. Lignified shoots take root well, but do not have time to prepare for winter, so they may die.
The optimal length of green cuttings is 7-12 cm
They are cut out from the middle part of the shoot, leaving two pairs of leaves and one internode.
You can root cuttings with a heel, broken off from last year's shoots.
The prepared cuttings are planted in a soil mixture consisting of peat and sand (1:3). The layout of the cuttings is 10x5 cm. The cuttings require high humidity (85%) and a temperature of 20-25 °C. These parameters are maintained in the greenhouse. In hot weather, the cuttings are additionally sprayed with water. It is not recommended to plant rooted cuttings in the fall. They may die over the winter. Planting in the ground is carried out in the spring.
If lignified cuttings are used, they are wrapped in burlap and immersed in a box of wet sand. Planting is carried out in the spring.
You can use the method of dividing the bush. For this purpose, spreading specimens aged 3-5 years are selected. The bush is dug up in spring or autumn, and the root system is divided into 2-3 parts using pruners.The resulting bushes are planted in prepared holes.
Reproduction by seeds does not guarantee the preservation of the maternal qualities of the crop.
Diseases and pests
The yield of honeysuckle directly depends on the condition of the bushes. If Slastena is attacked by pests or diseases, it will not be possible to get a large harvest.
Pests appearing on honeysuckle:
- aphid;
- mite;
- scale insect;
- leaf-eating pests – leaf roller, sawfly caterpillar, moth.
For treatment against insects, the following drugs are used: Aktara, Confidor, Actellik, Inta-Vir. During the period of fruit appearance and ripening, the use of chemicals is not recommended, since they tend to accumulate in the berries.
For Slasten's honeysuckle, fungal diseases (spot, cercospora blight, ramularia, powdery mildew) that occur at high air humidity are dangerous. To treat fungus use: Fundazol, Topaz, colloidal sulfur, soda ash, copper-soap solution, wood ash.
Phytoviruses can be recognized by light green spots on the foliage. Proper agricultural technology and healthy planting material are the main methods of preventing phytoviruses.
Conclusion
Description of the variety, photos and reviews of Slasten's honeysuckle will help gardeners choose seedlings and grow them correctly. Slasten's honeysuckle produces a good harvest of edible berries. The crop is resistant to winter cold, so it can be grown even in regions with an unfavorable climate.
