Honeysuckle Amphora

Amphora is a versatile honeysuckle variety, tenacious, hardy, and the berries meet all the needs of a modern gardener.

The Amphora variety was included in the State Register of Admitted in 1998. Originator - Research Center. IV Vavilova, author of such varieties of honeysuckle as Barballeta, Viola, Vlada, Volkhova, Malvina, Lenarola and many others. Along with the Bakchar stronghold, this originator is the most active supplier of new modern varieties of honeysuckle, which do not have the typical disadvantages of this crop. They have a friendly return of the harvest, the berry is completely devoid of bitterness, does not crumble, has a strong skin that allows the berries to be stored and transported.

A bush of medium height, up to 1.5 meters, with a not very dense, rounded harmonious crown. Shoots are straight, with reddish-brown bark, covered with rather large, light leaves. An adult bush is decorative, able to decorate the site.

The berries are 1.1-1.5 grams in weight, large, can reach up to 3 grams in good conditions, of a characteristic shape - in the form of jugs with a roller at the end. The length of the berries is 2 cm each, they look very large and beautiful. The color is indigo, with a strong bluish waxy bloom. The skin and pulp are firm and firm. Transportability is very good.

Sweet and sour taste, tasting score - 4.6 points. The berries are universal, equally well suited for fresh consumption and preservation. Honeysuckle is added to pies, muffins, mousses, juices, compotes are prepared from it. Jam, jams, marmalade, marshmallow are made from honeysuckle. It is great in spirits: wines or liqueurs. Amphora berries can be dried and frozen.

The variety is mid-season, the berries ripen by the 3rd decade of June. Begins to bear fruit from the 4th year of life.

Average yield - 19.4 kg / ha, 1-2 kg per bush. This is not the highest figure among other honeysuckle varieties. Silginka, known for its excellent taste, is also not the most prolific, but it is capable of producing up to 3 kg per bush. Amphora berries do not crumble for 2 weeks, the return is very friendly, you can harvest in 1 approach.

The variety is self-fertile, without pollinators there will be no harvest. Recommended pollinators are varieties with the same flowering period. In the Leningrad region, you can plant Amphora next to the Violet variety - a very tasty honeysuckle bred at the Pavlovsk experimental station. Also suitable are the varieties Viola, Nymph, Morena, and the Siberian variety Blue Spindle bred in the same place. You can consider Viola, Altair, Bakcharskaya, Lazurnaya, Pavlovskaya.

For planting, it is better to choose 2-year-old seedlings, they will harvest faster.

For Amphora, they choose a bright, sunny, windless place. The plant is unpretentious, and will be able to grow in partial shade, but the yield will be less.

The bush is undemanding to the acidity of the soil, but strongly acidic soils are undesirable. The site is dug up with slaked lime. Planting is best done in late summer or early fall.Spring planting is undesirable for the variety, it wakes up early, and you may simply not be in time. However, in the south, this honeysuckle can also be planted in the spring - until mid-March, when the snow has already melted and the ground has warmed up, but the plant has not yet started to grow.

The size of the planting pit depends on the soil on the site. The minimum size is 40 cm in depth and in width. If the soil on the site is not loose enough, it is better not to be lazy and dig bigger holes - up to 80 cm wide. The pits are prepared in advance, compost is poured onto the bottom, 1 glass of wood ash and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of superphosphate. Thoroughly loosen this mixture and let it sit for at least 2 weeks.

The secret to the success of growing honeysuckle is in loose soil. The soil should not be sticky or too loose. In the first case, the root system of the plant will suffer (when dry, too clayey soil tears the fibrous surface roots of honeysuckle), in the second, it will lack moisture. Experienced gardeners, before planting honeysuckle, sift the soil through a coarse mesh, add a sufficient amount of coarse sand if the soil is too dense.

The variety is very winter-hardy, you do not need to cover for the winter. However, in hot regions, the plant may need shading from the scorching sun.

The rest of the care is no different from caring for other varieties.

1. Watering as needed. Honeysuckle does not like excess moisture, tolerates droughts well, but lack of water can affect the quality and quantity of the crop. For other varieties, it is advisable to stop watering 15 days before harvest, but Amphora has berries with a dense, strong pulp, they do not tend to become watery.

2. Top dressing of any honeysuckle is not very necessary, especially in the first 3 years. The Amphora variety is also characterized by modest needs. Fruiting Amphora will require potassium-phosphorus fertilizers during the growing season and autumn soil preparation (the topsoil is loosened with humus). And also in the fall, after water-charging irrigation, you can spill the soil with a solution of ash and superphosphate.

3. The soil after watering under plants up to 5 years old needs to be loosened, it is better not to touch more mature bushes, honeysuckle grows a lot of roots close to the surface. Fertilizer can be placed in grooves or spread over the soil surface.

4. Pruning Amphora is almost not required, the bush is formed beautifully, but diseased, broken, interfering branches are removed. From 6 years of age, anti-aging pruning may be required.

The Amphora variety, like any honeysuckle, is very hardy, almost not affected by diseases or pests, but it can suffer from aphid attacks. Particular attention should be paid to plantings in damp and cold summers. They get rid of fungal diseases with the help of fungicides, use "Fitosporin" from bacterioses, spraying with "Epin" and "Zircon" is useful.

It is better to take preventive measures in advance against aphids.

1. Make sure that there are no anthills nearby.

2. The bottom of the branches can be wrapped in a cloth soaked in birch tar to keep the ants away.

3. Plant marigolds, parsley or wormwood nearby.

4. Hang feeders for small birds that feed on insects in the garden.

5. Weed weeds.

6. Loosen the soil slightly in the fall so that lumps of earth remain, which will freeze well. The larvae will die.

7. Large branches of Amphora can be whitewashed in autumn.

If the plant has already been damaged, all branches with twisted and dark leaves are cut and burned. The bushes are sprayed with an ash solution.

There are few reviews, but all are positive. Amphora is a solid modern variety without bitterness. The berries are harmonious, sweet and sour, very tasty. If you compare with other varieties, then, of course, there are sweeter ones, for example, the Leningrad giant. But it has a smaller berry. And the clusters of Amphora are impressive, large, abundant. The berry is also very mature and is well suited for sale. You don't have to rush to harvest or resort to tricks like spreading fabric under the bush. The Amphora variety is recommended for cultivation in almost all regions of the Russian Federation, including the northwest and the North Caucasus. For some gardeners, the variety has become a favorite.