Silginka honeysuckle is a productive crop that produces fragrant and juicy fruits. Even in unfavorable conditions, the plant produces an excellent harvest. This is due to the crop’s high resistance to frost and low requirements for watering. The collected fruits are suitable for fresh consumption. You can also make various blanks from them. Before choosing a crop, you need to study the description of the Silginka honeysuckle variety, its planting and care.
Botanical description
The Silginka variety was bred by breeders of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Bakcharskoye". At the same time, Gidzyuk, Savinkova and Pavlovskaya are considered to be the authors of the plant.Selection work began in 2004. The Turchaninova and Roxana varieties were used as a basis. In 2011, the plant was officially registered and went on sale.
This is a fairly large culture. The height of its central stem can reach 180 centimeters. The crown has a spherical-oval shape. Moreover, its diameter is more than 120 centimeters. The plant is distinguished by straight and elastic branches of medium density. Young shoots have straight stems of medium thickness. Moreover, its upper leathery layer is green in color.
Silginka honeysuckle is characterized by elongated leaf blades that have a matte structure and a smooth surface. Their distinctive feature is the delamination of the bark in adult plants. The lifespan of honeysuckle of this variety can be more than 30 years.
Pros and cons of the variety
This culture has the following advantages:
- large fruits;
- early onset of fruiting;
- good transportability;
- great taste;
- mass ripening of fruits;
- undemanding to watering;
- high productivity;
- resistance to diseases and parasites;
- low maintenance requirements.
At the same time, culture also has some disadvantages. The main disadvantages include the following:
- falling of overripe berries from the mother crop;
- good yield only in the presence of pollinators.
Description of fruits
Honeysuckle Silginka produces large, elongated berries that have a sharp nose. The weight of the fruit is 1.4-2.2 grams. The length of ripe berries often reaches 4 centimeters, and the thickness of the central part is 10 millimeters. At the stage of technical ripeness, honeysuckle has a rich blue color and a glossy shine. Its berries are characterized by thin and delicate skin.
An important feature of fruits is their chemical composition. The berries contain 9.8% sugars and 1.32% titratable acids. There are 42.3 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit.
The harvested crop has excellent transportability. In addition, it is characterized by a long shelf life.
Taste and its features
Silginka honeysuckle has juicy fruits that are distinguished by a delicate and fleshy structure. This variety stands out in taste among other representatives of this family. In addition, the juicy and sweet fruits of the plant have a pleasant subtle aroma.
How and when does it ripen?
A characteristic feature of the culture is the uniform ripening of fruits. They can be collected manually or mechanically. Thanks to the massive ripening of the berries, they can be collected in one go. This significantly reduces labor costs and makes growing crops more profitable. Mature bushes produce fruit every year.
Growing and care
When growing shrubs, it is important to follow some rules. There should be at least 1.5 meters of free space around the plant. To get a good harvest, you need to plant honeysuckle bushes of a different variety near the crop.
Silginka needs well-lit and drained areas. It requires a lot of sun and no stagnant water. Lack of lighting negatively affects the amount of harvest.When planting honeysuckle in too clayey soil, there is a high probability of developing various pathologies.
For the bush you need to prepare a support. For this purpose, you can use a lattice or trellis. The interval between the bush and the support should be at least 10 centimeters. It is needed for complete air circulation and unhindered pruning of bushes.
To plant a plant, you need to prepare a hole approximately 50 centimeters in size. It is important to focus on the size of the root system. The hole should be 10-15 centimeters larger.
When choosing soil, you need to consider that honeysuckle requires light, well-drained soil. If the soil has a too clayey structure, it is recommended to add wood ash and compost or humus to it.
Planting work is recommended to be carried out in late summer or early autumn. Thanks to this, the shrub will be able to take root before the cold weather arrives and grow roots. With the onset of spring, the crop will begin to grow actively. When planting in autumn, it is possible to obtain a harvest in the second year.
When growing honeysuckle, it is worth considering that it is a moisture-loving crop. Therefore, it is recommended to water the plant systematically. It is better to do this in the evening. It is important to ensure that moisture does not stagnate after watering. Otherwise, there is a high probability of root rotting.
Weeding and loosening the soil are of no small importance. This helps saturate the root system with oxygen. It is important to loosen the soil around the bush without burying the tool. The fact is that honeysuckle is characterized by a superficial location of the root system.
The soil around the bush should be covered with a mulch layer. This will help retain moisture and prevent weed development.It is permissible to use straw, sawdust, wood chips or pine needles as mulch. As they decompose, such materials will saturate the bush with nutrients.
As honeysuckle develops, it forms a regular crown and does not require pruning. Therefore, experienced gardeners remove only dry and damaged branches. It is recommended to feed the shrub in spring and summer. To do this, you need to take 2 buckets of compost and add 50 grams of potassium salt and superphosphate to it. After flowering, it is recommended to add organic matter that contains phosphorus and potassium. This will help the plant gain strength before wintering.
Pest Control
The culture is resistant to pest attacks. However, sometimes aphids appear on its shoots. To get rid of parasites, you can treat the bush with a soap solution. This needs to be done every week.
Honeysuckle can also suffer from scale insects. This leads to slower growth and death of shoots. It is quite difficult to cope with parasites using chemical means. This is due to the fact that the insect’s body is covered with a chitinous shell. Therefore, scale insects should be removed manually.
Silginka honeysuckle is a high-yielding and unpretentious plant that is very popular among gardeners. In order for the crop to bear fruit well, it is necessary to follow simple rules of agricultural technology.
