Honeysuckle Zest

Honeysuckle is considered an amazing berry due to its unique healing properties. This berry, popular in Russia, is grown in many regions, enjoying not only taste, but also benefits. Domestic breeders also paid attention to this fruit crop, breeding new varieties of it.

One of these varieties is Zest Honeysuckle. This is an edible berry, the creation of which Russian experts had a hand in. The culture is unpretentious and not afraid of cold weather. Thanks to these features, the variety can be safely grown in regions with an unstable and harsh climate.

The height of medium-sized fruit bushes is 1.3 meters. The plants are compact and slightly spreading, so an increased number of seedlings can be planted in a small area. The color of the shoots is purple or brown with a purple tint. They are thin and pubescent, curved. The crown takes on a reverse conical shape.

Leaves are medium in size, light green. The surface is covered with fine fibers. The tip is curled and pointed, and the plate itself is concave. The flowers are small, the petals are light, pale. The shape is a bell.

Healthy shrubs are able to withstand even severe frosts down to –50 degrees Celsius, and during flowering the plants can withstand temperatures as low as –8 degrees.

Due to their charming appearance, especially during the flowering period, honeysuckle shrubs are often used as a living decoration.

The mass of one berry is 1.1 grams, some grow up to 1.6 grams. Sizes are medium. The shape is standard, elongated, with small bumps on the surface. The color is deep blue, a bluish bloom is noticeable. The length ranges from 1.8 to 2.7 centimeters.

The skin is smooth, there is no fluff. It is dense enough and reliably protects the pulp from damage. Fibrous pulp is formed inside. Even fully ripe berries remain hanging on the branches and hardly crumble. The fruits are eaten fresh or processed. You can make jam, juice, preserves or jam from them.

The berry taste is noted as sweet with a slight sour aftertaste. Pulp with a fibrous structure. The tasters rated the taste of the fruit at 4.8 points out of 5. The content of acid - 2.2%, sugar - 7.4%.

Only in the third or fourth year of the plant's life does it bear fruit. The berries are harvested in the last spring month. The variety is mid-season. The harvest ripens every year.

Gardeners report good yields. About 27 centners of fruits are harvested from one hectare of the garden, on average. The purpose of the berries is universal.

Any fruit crop, even an undemanding one, needs proper and regular care. Compliance with agricultural practices is a prerequisite for obtaining a stable and high-quality harvest. Before starting to grow a particular variety, you need to find out about its features.

The phase of active growth of honeysuckle shoots has only 10 days and ends in early June. Fruit culture Zest requires especially careful care during the above period. Plants need to be watered periodically throughout the season, until the end of fruiting. If these days the plants lack moisture, then the yield will noticeably decrease, as will the taste.

To maintain the right level of moisture, the ground around the plants is covered with mulch. It will perform several functions at once: protecting the site from pests, maintaining the desired level of moisture, a barrier for weeds.

If a large portion of fertilizers was laid in the planting hole, then there is no need to additionally feed the plants for the next two years. In early spring, nitrogen-based fertilizers are actively used. The most common options are urea and ammonium nitrate. Before adding 30 grams of the substance, dissolve in 10 liters of water. From 1 to 1.5 liters of liquid is poured under one bush.

And also summer residents speak positively about poultry droppings (in a ratio of 1x10) and mullein solution (1x6). It is important to wait a 2 week interval between feeding. In early July, fertilization procedures are stopped.

After picking the berries, the bushes are fed again to recuperate. During this period, a solution of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska is used. Dissolve in a bucket from 25 to 30 grams of the drug. With the onset of autumn, the following mixture is used: 20 grams of wood ash, 40 grams of double superphosphate and 5 kilograms of compost per square meter.

And also when growing berry bushes, pruning is performed. It performs not only a decorative but also a practical function. In the first year, young seedlings are cut by 7-10 centimeters. This procedure is needed to form the basic skeleton of the honeysuckle. During the second and third seasons, the shrubs do not need to be pruned.

In subsequent seasons, the procedure is performed only as needed if the crown is too thick or damaged. It is best to thin out the growth in the fall. Get rid of a few zero shoots that grow straight. And you also need to remove diseased, dry and too short shoots. Excessive density makes it difficult to get to the ground in the area of ​​the near-trunk circle to care for the site.

So that fruit bushes do not get sick, they need to be provided with comfortable conditions. The roots begin to rot with excess moisture. It can be caused by groundwater flowing in the upper layers of the soil, or too active irrigation. But drought should not be allowed, it will have a bad effect on the yield and juiciness of the fruits.

Honeysuckle Zest is not afraid of viral infections, but in the season of unfavorable weather conditions, the risk of infection increases. Plants can be attacked by powdery mildew or mottling. If the climate in the region is changeable, it is advisable to treat the plants with protective compounds.