8 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a beautiful flower with a very sweet fragrance. It is a garden decoration due to its yellowish and red shiny flowers.
It is also widely used as a landscape. Its other name is Lonecera spp. and it comes from the family of shrubs and has an amazing 180 different species and varieties. This plant is a very easy and useful type of flower to grow due to its strong resistance and abundance.
The flowers of this species show good results when grown on barbed fences, wire and wire mesh etc. Especially in the summer season, its flower buds which are blue in appearance and then turn pink give off a very sweet fragrance.
As mentioned earlier, this species needs support such as trees, wire, barbed fences etc. to grow. Once it grows, it grows very quickly and flowers all summer long, it is a perennial plant, so special care should be taken in this regard, and in addition, it produces beautiful flowers even during the winter season. And for some days in autumn, it also produces green plants.
Talking about the color of the flowers, its fragrant flowers are white. Along with this, a touch of pink is also seen, and it is not surprising if you find it in yellow during the same period, but this flower has always been a favorite plant of people due to its intense sweet fragrance and very long flowering season.
It is worth mentioning that it is very easily grown in a shady place or very dry soil. In addition, this species produces a berry as a fruit, which contains seeds.
Climber species:
This species is suitable for full sunlight or partial shade, besides, care should also be taken regarding the soil and soil with good organic fertilizer and water management is necessary.
If you want to grow it as a solitary plant, it can be easily climbed on a wire, fence or wire mesh as a support. After all, it is a climber species plant. But if you want to grow it as a landscape in the garden, then one seedling has to be planted for every square yard. Apart from this, it can also be planted in a plant pot indoors.
Choosing the right place:
As mentioned above, honeysuckle is a climbing species plant, which means it can always be easily climbed on wire, wall, barbed fence, mesh, wire etc. and can grow quickly.
Apart from this, honeysuckle also likes to bloom facing the sun or facing the sun like a sunflower, so choose a place for honeysuckle where it gets at least 6 to 7 hours of sunlight a day.
Although the need for fertilizer is generally not necessary for honeysuckle, natural fertilizers such as dry leaves of trees, kitchen vegetable waste, and cow dung can give the best results if it is placed in a plant pot or container.
Finally, it is essential that the soil is cool, especially during the summer months, as the soil stays cool, the number of flowers will increase and the honeysuckle will grow rapidly.
How to grow from seeds?
If we talk about the natural growth of plants, then it is indirectly initiated by birds, such as the red berries on these plants, which contain seeds, these fruits are eaten by birds and spread and grow through their feces, but the process starts the next year. You can also sow the same seeds at home in a plant pot or other container.
For this, you have to dig a 2-inch deep hole in the ground and plant the seeds, then place some object around it as a marker and constantly monitor whether the germination process in the seeds occurs naturally at the right time or is delayed.
The best time to grow is in autumn, but if you decide to grow, you can also grow it in spring.
If you are thinking of growing in the fall, keep in mind that it should be protected from excessive heat so that the seeds do not get damaged or that they are not destroyed by excessive watering during spring growing. When it comes to watering, keep in mind that the possibility of “frost” can be removed before sowing.
Once the site is selected, the right time is also selected, then the seedlings should be selected from the right nursery. For this, keep in mind that
- Remove the cover around the seedlings brought from the nursery very slowly so that their delicate roots do not get damaged in any way.
- Dig a hole in the ground as deep as the soil or root part of the plant and turn your hand up and down inside that hole so that the soil etc. is removed and the roots are not damaged in any way.
- Then fill the hole with natural fertilizers such as dry leaves, cow dung and other soil.
- Then give plenty of water and press it gently.
- Water should be given regularly and evenly during the first year.
Growing honeysuckle by cutting leaves and their eyes:
In modern times, growing honeysuckle is not a difficult task. If you have a little knowledge, you can also grow honeysuckle successfully in this way.
In this method, a leaf is selected in which one or two eyes along with the leaf are also grown on the branch, after which the eyes along with the leaf are gently cut with a sharp knife or a 3-4 inch part of the branch on which it is grown is cut and planted in the ground or soil, for this a small earthen plant pot or other container will be suitable for the successful growth of honeysuckle.
For this, it is necessary to add soil mixed with natural fertilizers in the plant pot so that the roots of the honeysuckle can grow well from the leaf or branch and get the right amount of nutrition.
Apart from this, proper water management should also be maintained and for the healthy growth of honeysuckle, unnecessary water should also be drained out through the holes in the bottom of the container and finally, plenty of sunlight and water should be provided.
Here, if there is a possibility of snowfall in your surrounding climate, then you should take precautionary measures for that.
After that, you can easily plant the honeysuckle with newly grown roots in the ground or in another large plant pot. Since this plant or species is a climbing species, it will be a very easy method to re-grow it through this method.
While growing honeysuckle in this way, some things should be taken into consideration.
- The leaves and branches used for this should be at least 1 year old.
Water:
It is true that honeysuckle does not need much water even though it is adapted to a cool climate. However, it grows well even in dry soil for several days, but it should be watered regularly in a certain amount. It will be a better option than completely dry plant pot soil or soil.
It should be noted that the plant has recently been brought from the nursery and its delicate roots have been replanted, so it needs special water. Therefore, if there is not enough water, the plant is at risk of drying out, so regular watering is necessary.
The best way to check is to press the soil with your finger and if at least 1 inch of soil feels wet, it means that the soil is well-drained the roots are getting the necessary water and the growth process is normal.
Characteristics of Fragrance:
Honeysuckle is a plant that ranks first in the fragrant flower category in the world of flowers. Usually, honeysuckle starts blooming in late winter and continues until the early days of spring.
This species really enhances the beauty of the entire garden with its enchanting fragrance, besides, honeysuckle is also a useful flower to keep in a vase as a decorative flower in the house.
In short, the following precautions are necessary.
Honeysuckle plants and flowers usually get automatic protection against pests and diseases, so honeysuckle is not damaged by most diseases and pests.
If you want to replant, you should remove the old branches and leaves that are unnecessary and hinder the growth of honeysuckle.
At least 6 hours of direct sunlight will be enough for honeysuckle.
Honeysuckle also does not like the soil to be dry, so it needs adequate water, but muddy water or soil will inactivate its roots.
Pruning:
Although honeysuckle is a climbing plant, there is no need to prune it, but if you want to give a specific slope to the honeysuckle plant or if you want to give a specific shape to the plant, it can be done. For this purpose, according to the opinion of experienced people, it would be appropriate to prune the plants of honeysuckle which are 8 feet high and have the same diameter.
In addition, the time frame for pruning can also be estimated from the leaves of the honeysuckle, such as if the height and size of the leaves mentioned above have developed to 1 to 3, then it is necessary to prune it.
Also, while pruning, keep in mind that this process should be done only after the flowering season is over. It does not have any other harmful effects on the plant.
The best time to carry out this process is the early days of winter because by then the flowering season is also over so that the plant can achieve its maximum height and strong growth and can grow to its full potential by the month of March. The right time for this is the last days of winter.
Diseases and pests:
- Powdery mildew: When gray or white spots are found on the leaves of honeysuckle, then understand that it is the symptoms of powdery mildew, to remove it, neem oil and other insecticides should be sprayed on the leaves of honeysuckle plants with a pump.
- Aphids: If green or purple spots appear on the honeysuckle plants and the leaves are twisted or destroyed in large quantities, then these are the symptoms of Aphids. For this also, spray the liquid insecticide mentioned above.
