Honeysuckle, honeysuckle – planting, care and pruning

The evergreen honeysuckle needs a light spot in the penumbra. Too much direct sunlight stunts growth and encourages pest infestation. However, if the location was chosen too dark, this quickly leads to a lower bare honeysuckle. The creeper feels most comfortable in a humus-rich, lime-poor soil.

fertilizing and watering

When it comes to “fertilizing”, the creeper can be forgotten for once. Mix a thick layer of compost under the soil in spring and late fall. This supply of nutrients is completely sufficient for the medium-sized honeysuckle. The situation is different with honeysuckles kept in buckets. Here you should treat the substrate to a small amount of conventional liquid fertilizer at least once a month.

The plant is considered to be very susceptible to waterlogging, but at the same time it does not tolerate great drought. Supply the evergreen plant with water regularly in midsummer and water it moderately the rest of the time. For better water flow, you can use sand or lava grit. This material is mixed directly under the substrate during planting.

plant

Lonicera henryi is a fascinating climbing plant that decoratively greens house walls, trees and pergolas. The evergreen plants can reach a height of up to 8 meters outdoors and therefore need a climbing aid. But the sprawling growth of the honeysuckle, which would push the honeysuckle down with its weight, makes a stable climbing aid essential. You can decide for yourself in which form the forest plant should shine in its evergreen splendor. In addition to taut wire ropes, bamboo sticks and special trellises have also proven themselves as plant supports.

You only have to pay a little attention to the planting itself. In order to optimally promote growth, the planting hole should be twice as wide and deep as the root ball of the honeysuckle. Compost and sand or lava chippings are mixed with the substrate. Around the root area, the evergreen creeper reacts very sensitively to sunlight and extreme temperature fluctuations. Ground cover and other semi-tall plants are well suited for protection here. Large stones have also proven themselves in this task.

Honeysuckles are also suitable for cultivation in pots. Here, too, planting is relatively easy, but you should note the following points:

• Choose a large planter.
• Create drainage at the bottom of the bucket.
• Use a humus-rich substrate.
• Attach climbing aids to a fixed object.

multiply

The evergreen forest plant is propagated by cuttings. The early spring – before the honeysuckle sprout completely – is the best time of year for this process. Choose a slightly woody shoot and shorten it to about 8-10 centimeters. Except for about 4 centimeters, all leaves are completely removed to prevent rot. Without roots, honeysuckle cuttings do not need a humus-rich substrate, a mixture of conventional potting soil and sand is sufficient.

• The planter must be warm and bright.
• The soil should be kept moderately moist at all times.
• Protect from heavy rain showers and windthrow.

When the first new leaves appear after a few weeks, roots have formed. After about 14 days you can cultivate the creeper in the usual way. Cuttings can also be cut in autumn, but then they need warmth for rooting. A bright window seat with a room temperature of around 20 – 23°C is ideal. However, avoid direct contact with radiators and, if necessary, spray the plant with a water sprayer.

Propagation by “lowers” has also proven itself: An elastic shoot is tied downwards and covered with soil over a length of about 10 centimeters. After a few weeks, fine roots will have formed at this point and the shoot can be separated from the mother plant.

Cut the evergreen growth correctly

Honeysuckle grows from the inside out. Shoots that do not receive light in the middle lose their leaves and become bare permanently. For optimal care, the honeysuckle therefore requires regular thinning and pruning. For this action, use pruning shears to be able to remove stronger shoots without any problems.

thinning cut

Only dead branches and annoying side shoots are removed. You can use slightly woody shoots immediately as cuttings without any problems.

• The best time to do this is between January and March.
• Cut away completely dead, leafless branches.
• Also remove thin shoots.
• To encourage main branches, radically prune overlapping tendrils.

Check each shoot before pruning. Because if there are still buds or leaves despite the bare leaves, they will sprout again.

pruning

This cut is made in late autumn or before the first frost.

• Bring the plant into the desired growth form and height.
• Cut back bare spots down to the old wood.

However, avoid a radical pruning and the removal of all important central shoots.

hibernate

Lonicera henryi is extremely hardy and does not require any special protection from cold and snow when cultivated outdoors. You can often see honeysuckle leaves curling up in winter. This process is by no means due to a deficiency or to a care error. Rather, it serves to protect the honeysuckle itself in order to reduce water loss to a minimum in winter. Losing leaves is also not uncommon, but the plant will reliably grow new ones next spring.

If “Jelängerjelieber” – as the honeysuckle is also popularly known – is cultivated in tubs, you should take a few precautions for the cold season. Unlike in normal soil, the roots in the pot cannot adequately protect themselves from frost. Damage and even the complete death of the honeysuckle can be the result. In pots it is possible for the plants to reach a height of up to 4 meters. Therefore, moving to a frost-free room is almost impossible. Instead, wrap the planter generously in burlap or use a special fleece directly.

toxicity

Immediately after flowering in August, the honeysuckle develops small, blue-black berries. These fruits are particularly popular with birds and serve as a rich and tasty source of food even in the cold season. The berries are inedible to humans and are considered slightly poisonous. Consumption can cause nausea and cramps, so keep small children away from the tempting fruit.

maintenance

The evergreen honeysuckle is well suited to achieve a fascinating greenery or leafy edging of house walls and pavilions. With its luxuriant climbing growth, it offers an interesting alternative to ivy. Except for the right location, a moderately moist substrate and regular pruning, the plant does not make any further demands on the gardener.

diseases and pests

Honeysuckle is not a hardy plant. In addition to the bare trunk and shoots in the absence of light, defective insects and fungal diseases can sometimes be found on the evergreen creepers. You do not have to resort to chemical insecticides to combat them. Conventional home remedies are often just as effective as products from specialist retailers.

mildew

Both types of mildew do not stop at the honeysuckle. The “powdery mildew” – also known as fair weather fungus – attacks the plant particularly during a longer dry period in summer. A sure sign of an infestation with powdery mildew is a wipeable, white coating on the upper side of the leaf. As this layer slowly turns brown, the leaves dry up and fall off.
The “downy mildew”, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. This fungus loves moisture, wet and cold weather and the wrong type of watering also promote infestation. If you notice a gray to grey-purple layer on the underside of some leaves, this indicates an infection with this fungal disease.

• Do not water directly over the leaves and shoots.
• Keep the substrate moderately moist in midsummer.
• Avoid waterlogging.
• Mixture of milk and water works against powdery mildew.

Cut away affected parts of the plant generously and dispose of them in the compost. The fungi need living plants to survive, so that the spores cannot spread further after the cut.

aphids

These insects are among the most common plant pests. The sucking pests multiply rapidly and leave a sticky substance on the underside of the leaf. The leaves and shoots quickly appear crippled by the withdrawal of cell sap, curl up and wither. Another problem is that the honeydew – the excretion of the aphids – attracts ants. Through their participation, the population of the pests continues to grow. For this reason, it is inevitable that you not only fight the aphids but also the ants. Only then can you use useful predators such as lacewings and ladybugs.

• Too much sun exposure promotes the infestation.
• Brush shoots with neem oil.
• Spray down completely with soapy water.
• Use a stinging nettle broth.

Prevent aphid infestation on honeysuckle by choosing a location without full sun. Too much direct sunlight weakens the honeysuckle and the pests have an easy time.

root rot

Like many plants, honeysuckle is susceptible to the fungus Phytophtora. Infection with the harmful fungus is favored by too much waterlogging and a compacted substrate. In the advanced stage, the roots of the honeysuckle rot and the above-ground part also shows signs of deficiency. Premature wilting of leaves and shoots begins. If a musty, rotting smell comes from the soil in the immediate vicinity of the vine, this is an indication of root rot. Fighting the fungus is almost impossible. With smaller honeysuckles, you can transfer the plant to dry substrate so that it can regenerate itself in the best case. However, there are no effective insecticides or home remedies to combat root rot.

Conclusion
Whether as a visual demarcation in your own garden or to beautify house and barn walls: the evergreen honeysuckle offers numerous possible uses and delights the viewer with its green foliage even in winter. Even if some care points and requirements have to be met, the climbing plant is very robust and easy to cultivate.