2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Alpine honeysuckle (lat. Lonicera alpigena) - a representative of the genus Honeysuckle of the Honeysuckle family. It occurs naturally in Central and Southern Europe. It grows mainly in mountain forests. It is currently cultivated as an ornamental crop.
Characteristics of culture
Alpine honeysuckle is a deciduous shrub up to 3 m high with a dense compact crown of an oval or round shape and erect branches covered with gray bark. Young shoots are pubescent, tetrahedral, greenish-yellowish in color. Leaves are entire, dark green, glossy, obovate or elliptical, pointed, petiolate, up to 12 cm long.
The flowers are light yellow, often with a reddish tint, paired, odorless, sitting on thin pedicels that form in the leaf axils. Corolla zygomorphic, equipped with a short and thin tube. The bend of the corolla is two-lipped, the lobes of the bend are prostrate, narrow, oblong. Fruits are spherical, red, shiny, not edible. Alpine honeysuckle blooms in May-June and lasts about 2-3 weeks, the fruits ripen in August-September.
The considered type of honeysuckle does not differ in rapid growth, but it is frost-resistant, shade-tolerant and easily tolerates pruning and shearing. The culture enters fruiting in 4-5 years, sometimes later. Seed germination - 60-80%, rooting rate of cuttings - 30-50% (when processing cuttings with growth stimulants, the percentage of rooting rate increases).
Reproduction
Like all representatives of the genus, alpine honeysuckle is easily propagated by seeds, cuttings (green and semi-lignified), layering and dividing the bush. Among gardeners, the most common method of propagation is green cuttings. Cuttings are harvested in the summer immediately after flowering. Before cutting, it is important to check the readiness of the shoots for propagation by cuttings, they should not bend when bent and emit a sonorous crunch when fractured. Cuttings are cut in the morning; in the heat, this procedure is not recommended.
For grafting, use well-sharpened and disinfected gardening tools such as scissors, pruning shears or a garden knife. Cuttings are cut from the middle part of the shoot, each should have two internodes and two pairs of leaves. The lower cut of the cutting is made oblique, and the upper one is horizontal. Before planting in the nutrient mixture, the cuttings are treated with growth stimulants, for example, indobutyric acid or phyton. Cuttings are planted under a film or in a greenhouse according to a 10 * 5 cm scheme. Cuttings are transplanted to a permanent place next spring.
The seed method is not particularly popular with gardeners, since the specimens obtained in this way do not retain the characteristics of the parent plant. Seeds are best used freshly harvested. To do this, the berries are placed in cheesecloth, crushed, squeezed out the juice and washed, removing the pulp. The washed seeds are spread on a piece of cloth and dried at room temperature for 24 hours. Alpine honeysuckle seeds remain viable for up to 2 years, they should be stored in paper bags in a dry and well-ventilated room.
When sowing with fresh seeds, seedbed preparation is not required. The stored seeds are subjected to cold stratification (temperature 0C, duration 1 month). Seeds are sown in seedling containers or in open ground. The first way is preferable. The optimal substrate is light fertile soil, peat, humus and river sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1: 1. The seeding depth is 0.5 cm. Amicable shoots can be obtained only if the growing conditions are observed. As a rule, seedlings appear on the 12-15th day.
Pest control
Alpine honeysuckle, with improper care or adverse conditions, is often affected by pests. Among them, the most dangerous are honeysuckle mites, honeysuckle aphids, scale insects and some leaf-eating insects. If pests are found, the bushes are treated with infusions of garlic and tobacco, or with the preparations "Aktelik", "Aktara", "Eleksar" or "Confidor".
Usage
The fruits of alpine honeysuckle are not poisonous, but, even in spite of this, they are not used for food. Plants are widely used in ornamental gardening. Shrubs with a beautiful crown are ideal for single and group plantings, as well as in hedges. Low-growing forms of alpine honeysuckle look harmoniously in rock gardens and other rocky flower beds.
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