Honeysuckle Sweetheart

The Slasten variety appeared quite recently, but has already earned the recognition of gardeners. It is considered unpretentious and one of the sweetest among all domestic types of honeysuckle. Dessert berries are used for preservation, jams, preserves, dried, frozen. The bush can be planted as a curb plant for landscaping the site.

Another name is Sweet Tooth.

The variety was obtained on the basis of the Kamchatka Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture by breeders T. A. Solovieva, E. N. Petrusha, N. N. Stepanova, N. N. Vinokurova. Included in the State Register in 2013.

The bush is weak, up to 1 m high, the crown is very compact, round and dense. The branches are thickened, strong, straight, with brown-crimson bark. The leaves are medium-sized, oval, pointed, concave, pubescent, especially from the bottom, bright green. Pale pink flowers appear in May-June. They can withstand short-term frosts down to -8 degrees.

The shrub bears fruit for about 30 years, with proper care - up to 40 or more. The plant is propagated by cuttings, dividing the bush or layering.

The berries are large, weighing up to 1.5 g. Oval-shaped, with tubercles on the surface, blue-violet in color. The skin is thick, covered with a thick waxy coating, the pulp is dense with a strong aroma. Not damaged during transportation, stored in a cool place for no more than 3 days.

The taste is sweet and sour, delicate and refreshing. Sugar content - 13%, acid - 1, 8%, ascorbic acid - 44 mg per 100 g. Tasting score 5 points.

Honeysuckle bears the first harvest in the 2nd year after planting, then bears fruit every year. The variety is considered mid-season in terms of ripening, the berries can be removed already in June, in different regions the ripening times do not coincide. In the south, the fruits ripen faster. The fruits begin to take off after they become soft.

On average, about 4 kg are removed from one adult bush.

The variety is suitable for cultivation throughout Russia. Its compact size allows it to be planted even in northern regions.

A self-fertile variety, for a good harvest, varieties are planted nearby: Amphora, Nymph. Violet. The sweet tooth can be an excellent pollinator for other species.

Young plants are planted in September. If the root system is closed, you can plant in April-May. Dig a hole for a seedling 3 days before the event, make it 40 cm deep.A nutritious mixture of humus is poured into the pit - 10 kg, mineral fertilizers (double superphosphate - 100 g, potassium sulfate - 30 g) and ash - 300 g. Between the seedlings make an interval of 1.5 m, between rows 3 m. It is recommended to add sand to clay soil.

Honeysuckle is a moisture-loving shrub, it produces a good harvest only with regular watering.The plant is watered as the soil dries up throughout the season: from late April to early October. In a drought, to get a good harvest, they are watered every other day. On hot days, before sunrise and after sunset, sprinkling is recommended: about 5-7 minutes, this will protect the honeysuckle leaves from drying out. It is imperative to remove weeds and mulch the trunk circle with hay or grass.

The first years after planting, the bushes are watered in spring and summer with an infusion of decayed grass. They begin to feed with other fertilizers only in the 3rd year after planting on the site. During the melting of the snow, fertilize with a solution of urea - 1 tbsp. l. 10 liters of water, at the end of April, watered with humus, diluted in 10 liters of water. All summer, every month, the soil around the tree is spilled with a solution of ash - 1 glass per 10 liters of water; for the prevention of diseases and pest attacks, the crown can also be treated. In September, you can add superphosphate and potassium salt, 15 g per bush. The roots of the shrub are located very close to the surface, so fertilizers are dissolved in water or scattered over the soil surface, but not buried.

You can prune honeysuckle in the spring or fall. Usually, dry and broken branches are removed, as well as shoots that grow incorrectly or have filled the crown. In the spring, the procedure is carried out when the air temperature rises to +6 degrees. Rejuvenating pruning is done at the age of 15-18, then repeated after 8-10 years.

Sweetheart has a good immunity to fungal diseases. It is slightly damaged by aphids and mealybugs. A false scale or leaf beetle caterpillars can attack, they are treated with the drug "Actellik" or "Rogor". In the wet season, fungal diseases can manifest themselves more intensely; wood ash, colloidal sulfur, soda ash, copper-soap solution are used for treatment.

The shrub is frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures down to -45 degrees. It is considered a drought-resistant and heat-tolerant variety, tolerant of dry air and lack of moisture. With severe droughts, the yield and taste of berries decrease.

For the shrub, sunny areas with little shading in the afternoon are chosen. The plant prefers neutral or slightly acidic substrates, the most diverse in composition. The best option is loamy, soddy-podzolic soils or chernozem with the location of groundwater no closer than 1.5 m from the earth's surface. The culture gets along well with the apple tree.

Gardeners speak very positively about the Slastena variety: the seedling quickly adapts and begins to bear fruit. The harvest is good, the berries are delicious, jam is made from them, and they are also dried and added in dried form to tea - an aromatic and healthy drink is obtained.