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Honeysuckle, of course, beautifully decorates the site and brings us many benefits.
Why do we love honeysuckle so much?
1. Berries are very tasty and healthy. You can make jam, juice, pastila and other delicious desserts from them.
2. Honeysuckle "wakes up" quite early: it is one of the first to start turning green and blooming. Accordingly, the harvest is early and so long-awaited.
3. Honeysuckle attracts bees and bumblebees to the site, whose help is so needed at the end of spring.
4. It is believed that the smell of honeysuckle has a calming effect. And that's why bouquets can be laid out in the bedroom. And cockroaches do not tolerate its smell, so cut twigs can be used as a deterrent for these uninvited guests.
What is also important to know is that it is a rather undemanding culture and takes root well almost everywhere. But still, there are a number of conditions that honeysuckle does not like. Today we will talk about them.
What doesn't love honeysuckle
1. Loneliness
Honeysuckle is strictly cross-pollinated. And this means that if you want to collect a large harvest of honeysuckle berries, there should be several bushes of different varieties on the site. Ideally 3-4 pieces. Lonely honeysuckle will not give you a harvest. If you planted it just to decorate the garden, it can grow alone. But if you want to have a harvest, take care of the right neighbor. Consider two things. First, see that the variety is a suitable pollinator. And secondly, do not plant bushes very close to each other. They grow quite strongly and should not interfere with each other in the future. The optimal distance between plants is 1,5-2 m.
2. Acidic soil
Honeysuckle does not like acidic soil: it absorbs nutrients worse and withers. First of all, this is manifested in yellowing of leaves and shedding of berries. If you do not want to lose the beauty of honeysuckle and its harvest, be sure to deacidify the soil. Every year at the end of summer or autumn, apply 1 liter of ash under each bush. It will deacidify the soil and nourish the plant.
3. High groundwater
Honeysuckle should not be planted where groundwater is too close to the surface of the earth. Yes, honeysuckle naturally loves water and does not tolerate drought, but it will not be happy with stagnant moisture at the root either. High groundwater provokes rotting of the root system and a decrease in yield.
Honeysuckle has an almost superficial root system, so there is no need to be afraid of high groundwater. This point can be interpreted in the following way: do not plant honeysuckle in a lowland.
4. Sandy soils (lack of moisture)
Honeysuckle grows poorly and bears fruit on sandy soils. It does not retain moisture at all, nutrients are quickly washed out of it. Honeysuckle will be more comfortable even in clay soil than in sandy soil. If you have sandy soil in your area, during the planting process of honeysuckle, be sure to add compost - up to 3 buckets for one plant. Add humus annually and don't forget to water the plant regularly.
5. Roots in the shade, green mass in the sun
Honeysuckle does not like dry soil, that's why. The roots of the plant are not deep, they are two. So that the plant has enough moisture and the roots do not overheat, it is better to mulch the plant and not leave the roots in the sun. At the same time, honeysuckle itself is light-loving and bears fruit better in well-lit areas. Therefore, it is better to plant the shrub in the sun, but cover the roots. Young seedlings planted this year definitely need mulching for the winter. In principle, honeysuckle is a frost-resistant plant, and therefore it is not necessary to cover it in the fall in the future.
