The Tomichka variety is a fairly popular variety among all honeysuckle fans. This is due to the pleasant taste and high content of useful elements in the fruits. The plant is also characterized by high resistance to frost and decorative appearance. Before planting, it is important to read the description of the Tomichka honeysuckle variety, its planting and care.
Description of the variety
Honeysuckle Tomichka is the result of the work of Russian breeders. This crop is distinguished by unusual fruits that have a pleasant sweet taste with a slight sourness.
History of selection
Turchaninov's honeysuckle seeds were used to breed this crop. Work on creating the variety began back in 1984. It was led by Archer and Gizyuk. At the same time, the variety was certified and received recognition in 1987 - after the end of tasting tests.
Characteristics
Shrubs of this crop are medium in height. Their size is 180 centimeters. Such plants are characterized by dense branches that fit tightly to the trunk. The shape of the bush is more like a circle. The plant is distinguished by large oval leaves, which become pointed towards the end. There is a small fluff on their surface.
The berries are drop-shaped. They have a flattened top and a wider base. The fruits are purple in color and have a thin skin. Ripe fruits immediately fall to the ground.
Fruiting of this variety of honeysuckle begins at 3-4 years. The ripening of the crop begins quite early - in the first half of June. From 1 bush it is possible to collect 2-3 kilograms of fruit. Full ripeness of the fruits occurs 5-6 days after they turn blue. During this period they need to be collected.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Tomichka variety is characterized by the following advantages:
- high yield and resistance to frost;
- good immunity to pathologies and parasites;
- universal purpose of fruits;
- good transportability;
- decorative properties of shrubs;
- low maintenance requirements;
- no need for constant transplants;
- stable fruiting for 30 years.
At the same time, the variety also has some disadvantages. These include the following:
- low resistance to dry weather;
- need for pollinators;
- fruit falling after ripening.
Landing
To obtain a good harvest and strong immunity, honeysuckle must be planted correctly. A well-lit, draft-free area is suitable for this. It is important that the soil has neutral pH parameters. It should be loose and well drained. The groundwater level should be no closer than 1 meter to the ground surface.
Loamy or sandy loam soil is considered a suitable option for the crop. It is important to consider that honeysuckle needs moist soil. However, there should not be stagnation of moisture in it. Otherwise, there is a high probability of root rot and plant death. Therefore, the planting area should have a slight slope.
Since the growing season ends quite early, honeysuckle can be planted from the end of August to the second ten days of November. To get a strong and healthy plant, seedlings should be purchased from special farms. This will make it possible to obtain the declared variety. For planting, it is recommended to use plants 2 years old and up to 40 centimeters high. The seedling must have at least 2 powerful shoots and a healthy root system.
When planting honeysuckle, you should consider the following features:
- Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a nutrient composition for planting. To do this, it is recommended to mix a bucket of humus or compost with half of the earth dug from the hole, add 100 grams of potassium salt and double superphosphate and 1 tablespoon of wood ash.
- When planting several crops, make depressions measuring 50x50 centimeters at intervals of 1.5 meters.
- Fill the hole halfway with nutrient soil and add water.
- Place the seedling vertically, straighten the root system, sprinkle it with soil, compact it and water it.
- After the soil settles, add more soil. It is important to ensure that the root collar rises above the ground surface by a maximum of 4 centimeters.
- Make a ditch near the trunk and fill it with plenty of water.
- Apply a mulch layer of at least 5 centimeters. It should consist of sawdust, humus and straw.
Aftercare
During the first few years after planting, the plant only requires proper watering and loosening of the soil. You need to start feeding honeysuckle from the third year of cultivation. In early spring it is worth applying organic and nitrogen fertilizers. With the arrival of autumn, you need to switch to potassium products. Wood ash would be a suitable option. It is recommended to use 100 grams of this product per bush.
The shrub needs to be watered quite abundantly. In this case, the soil should be moist, but not too wet. In spring and summer, the amount of moisture needs to be increased, especially in dry weather. If there is sufficient rainfall, watering is not necessary.
There is no need to prune honeysuckle immediately after planting. This provokes a weakening of the culture and causes a slowdown in its growth. The first time pruning is carried out at the end of the growing season. During the sanitary procedure, it is recommended to remove dry, damaged or broken branches.
In the sixth year of honeysuckle, anti-aging pruning is required. In this case, all old shoots must be cut out at ground level. After this, stumps measuring 30-40 centimeters should remain.After pruning, up to 10 productive shoots and young branches should remain on the bush. This will help maintain high yield parameters for many years.
Preparing for winter
At the end of autumn, the bushes need to be pruned. Plant residues after this procedure must be collected and burned. The soil in the tree trunk circle needs to be loosened and a new root circle made.
The plant needs to be watered and mulched again with peat, humus, straw or sawdust. To avoid the development of diseases or pest attacks, the soil around the bush should be sprayed with fungicides and insecticides.
Honeysuckle Tomichka is a popular crop that is grown by many gardeners. For this process to be successful, it is important to take into account a number of features.
