Honeysuckle Azure

Honeysuckle Azure
The main characteristics of the variety:
  • Authors: Z.P. Zholobova, I.P. Kalinin, Z.I. Archer (NIISS named after M.A.Lisavenko)
  • Growth type: medium-sized
  • Description of the bush: medium spreading
  • Bush height, m: 1,7
  • Escapes: thin, light green, not pubescent, during the period of active growth - pinkish on the sunny side
  • Leaves: large, elongated-oval, slightly pubescent, with a convex base
  • Crown: thick, round
  • Fruit size: large
  • Fruit weight, g: 0,9-1,2
  • Fruit shape: elongated oval-conical, with a characteristic thickening in the middle part and a pointed apex
View all specifications

Honeysuckle Lazurnaya is an interesting, hardy and unpretentious culture, famous for its large, aromatic fruits that give off sweet blueberries in the aftertaste. In addition, it has a number of other advantages that greatly simplify its care.

Breeding history

The mid-season crop was obtained by a group of NIISS employees M. A. Lisavenko (Barnaul) Z. P. Zholobova, I. P. Kalinina and Z. I. Luchnik by selecting seedlings by free pollination of the Start variety honeysuckle growing in Kamchatka. The most productive sowing of seeds was carried out in 1965. In 1983, it was accepted for State tests, but was not included in the list of the State Register, which nevertheless did not affect the significant growth in the popularity of the plant. By its purpose, culture is universal.

Description of the variety

The bushes are medium-sized (up to 1.7 m), medium-spreading, thickened. The crown is of a rounded configuration, inversely conical. Shoots are thin, not pubescent, painted in light green tones. During intensive development, their color from the sunny side acquires pinkish tints. Leaves are large, elongated-oval, slightly pubescent, with a convex base. Stipules are small, located at the top of the shoots.

The main advantages of Lazurnaya include:

  • large-fruited;

  • excellent taste;

  • low level of fruit shedding.

Minuses:

  • low yield parameters in the first years of fruiting.

  • partial self-fertility.

Fruit characteristics

The fruits of the culture are large (0.9-1.2 g), elongated, oval-conical in configuration, with some thickening in the middle part and with pointed tops. The color of the berries is dark blue, with a bluish tinge. The peel is firm, with an intense waxy coating. The peduncles are elongated, not thick. Half-open cups. The berry fastening strength is average. The consistency is delicate, with fibers. The degree of shattering of fruits is small.

By chemical composition, berries include: sugars - up to 3.04%, acids - up to 1.85%, vitamin C - up to 22.7 mg%, vitamin P - up to 1010.0 mg%.

The fruits are used fresh, they are good in jam, compotes, wines and juices.

Taste qualities

By taste, the berries are sweet, without sourness and bitterness, with a magnificent blueberry aroma. Tasting score in points - 4.5.

Ripening and fruiting

The initial fruiting of bushes begins at 3-4 g of growth. Early maturation. The berries ripen synchronously in the second decade of June, with an annual fruiting frequency. During fruiting, the culture takes on a wonderful decorative appearance, richly decorating the site.

Yield

The crop is high-yielding - the harvest of fruits on average from 6-7 year old bushes is up to 2.3 kg per bush (7.0 t / ha), in 14-year-olds - about 13.3 t / ha.

Honeysuckle pleases the owners of the site not only with a beautiful color, but also with fruits with an unusual taste. When planning to plant it on your site, it is important to learn everything about the fruiting of the bush.

Self-fertility and the need for pollinators

The culture is self-fertile in part (up to 27%). As the best pollinating neighbors they use: Cinderella, Blue Spindle, Long-fruited, Gerda, Bluebird.

Growing and care

The main aspect when planting a crop is a slight deepening of its bushes into the soil. Excessively buried bushes will lag behind development, give fewer berries.

The recommended distance between the bushes should also be strictly adhered to. The proper planting scheme is at least 1.5-2 m. A more saturated planting leads to competition between the bushes for water and food, and this negatively affects the level of yield and size of berries.

We advise you to plant the crop near fences and structures used as protection from the cool northerly winds. Groundwater should not be located closer than 1.5 m to the edge of the ground. It does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore, drainage of the planting depressions is mandatory.

It is recommended to buy planting materials at specialized retail outlets. Pick up trees with healthy roots, no more than 1.5 m in height. Root necks of plants should be clean, without spots and any growths. The culture is planted both in the spring (mid-April) and in the fall (September-October).

Planting recesses are prepared with dimensions of 0.4x0.4x0.4 m and a distance between them of 1.5-2 m, and between rows - 2-3 m. The planting mixture includes humus, phosphate, wood ash and potassium sulfate. During planting, the root collars are deepened no more than 5 cm. Post-planting watering is carried out in a volume of 8-10 liters of water. Mulching is performed with humus, peat or soil.

Irrigation is required systematic, but moderate. Excessive irrigation leads to root rot. The optimal frequency of irrigation is 1-2 times every 7 days, at a rate of one bucket of water per bush.

Nutritional supplements for honeysuckle bushes are carried out both in the spring and in the fall. Initially, organic matter and mineral fertilizers containing nitrogenous and potassium compounds - humus, horse humus, superphosphate, potassium salt - are used in top dressing. In the fall, a certain amount of wood ash is added to the soil. In this case, the use of nitrogenous additives is permissible only before the beginning of fruiting. After setting the fruits, the necessary changes are made to the composition of the feeding.

Periodically, the crop needs to be pruned to increase the yield of the bushes and increase the size of the fruits. Initially, the shoots are shortened before planting the bushes so that they branch better. Annual pruning is carried out in the spring, during the budding period. Bushes can be formed in the fall.

Pruning the bushes is also necessary before the first frost appears.

The pruning procedure is performed in such a way that processes of 30-40 cm in length remain. Weakened, drying out or deformed shoots are subjected to pruning. Branches growing inside the bushes are also removed, so as not to bring the bushes to thickening.

You can plant honeysuckle in open ground in spring, summer and autumn. Best of all, honeysuckle grows in an illuminated low-lying swampy place, while the site must be reliably protected from the wind. It is desirable that the soil is loamy or sandy loam. If the soil is poor, then it will first need to be fertilized.
In order for honeysuckle to bloom and bear fruit well, it needs to be properly cared for. One of the main procedures that affects the appearance and yield of this plant is shoot pruning. Without timely care, bushes prone to thickening rapidly turn into wild thickets with diseased and stunted plants, the number of young shoots decreases, the quantity and quality of berries decreases.

Disease and pest resistance

Like most types of honeysuckle, this culture is very rare. It is characterized by a high degree of resistance to pathogens of various diseases. Malicious representatives of insects also do not greatly favor the plant with their attention. Aphids and honeysuckle are a certain danger to culture.However, they are relatively easy to deal with with typical industrial insecticides. The procedure for spraying the bushes is carried out after picking the fruits, since they can absorb substances that are clearly not useful for the human body.

Timely fight against diseases and pests of honeysuckle allows you to grow a healthy crop, used both for decorative purposes and for harvesting fragrant berries. When growing honeysuckle, it is necessary to know the main diseases of the crop, common pests, as well as effective measures to combat them.

Winter hardiness and the need for shelter

Although the culture has a high level of winter hardiness, young bushes should be covered before the onset of winter cold weather. For this purpose, the peri-stem space is mulched with the help of horse humus. Young bushes are additionally covered with straw and coniferous spruce branches, which protects the roots from severe frosts in snowless winters.

Location and soil requirements

The culture is not very demanding on the soil composition, giving preference to illuminated places. Nevertheless, it grows more productively on light and slightly acidic soils. Low podzolic and loamy soils are also suitable. In shaded areas, the flavoring properties of berries deteriorate, they become sour.

In order to increase the amount of honeysuckle in your area, it is not necessary to purchase planting material, it is quite possible to multiply the varieties you like yourself. There are several ways to breed honeysuckle: cuttings, layering, root shoots, dividing the bush, and also sowing seeds.
Main characteristics
Authors
Z.P. Zholobova, I.P. Kalinin, Z.I. Archer (NIISS named after M.A.Lisavenko)
Yield
high
Average yield
6-7-year-old plants 2.3 kg per bush (7.0 t / ha), 14-year-old plants - 13.3 t / ha
Appointment
universal
Bush
Growth type
medium-sized
Description of the bush
medium spreading
Crown
thick, rounded
Bush height, m
1,7
Escapes
thin, light green, not pubescent, during the period of active growth - pinkish on the sunny side
Leaves
large, elongated-oval, slightly pubescent, with a convex base
Fruit
Fruit size
large
Fruit weight, g
0,9-1,2
Fruit shape
elongated oval-conical, with a characteristic thickening in the middle part and a pointed apex
Fruit color
dark blue with blue patina
Skin
medium density, with a strong waxy bloom
Pulp (consistency)
delicate, fibrous
Taste
sweet and sour
Scent
blueberry
Crumbling
weak
Fruit attachment strength
average
Fruit composition
sugars - up to 3.04%, acids - up to 1.85%, vitamin C - up to 22.7 mg%, vitamin P - up to 1010.0 mg%
Tasting assessment
4.5 points
Growing
Self-fertility
partially self-fertile
Pollinator varieties
Blue Bird, Cinderella, Blue Spindle
Winter hardiness
high
The soil
not picky
Watering
once a week
Location
no drafts and no dark places
Disease and pest resistance
steady
Maturation
Early maturity
begins to bear fruit at 3-4 years of the life of the seedling
Ripening terms
early
Fruiting period
in mid-June
Frequency of fruiting
annually
Reviews
There are no reviews.
Popular varieties of honeysuckle
Honeysuckle Aurora Aurora Honeysuckle Amphora Amphora Honeysuckle Bakchar giant Bakchar giant Honeysuckle Berel Berel Honeysuckle Boreal Blizzard Boreal Blizzard Honeysuckle Volkhov Volkhova Honeysuckle Delight Delight Honeysuckle Gerd Gerda Honeysuckle Blue Spindle Blue spindle Honeysuckle Pride Bakchar Bakchar's pride Long-fruited honeysuckle Long-fruited Honeysuckle Giant's Daughter Daughter of a giant Honeysuckle Cinderella Cinderella Honeysuckle Indigo Jam Indigo Jam Honeysuckle Kamchadalka Kamchadalka Honeysuckle Azure Azure Honeysuckle Gourmet Gourmet Honeysuckle Leningrad giant Leningrad giant Honeysuckle Malvin Malvina Honeysuckle Morena Moraine Honeysuckle nymph Nymph Honeysuckle Pavlovskaya Pavlovskaya Roxanne's honeysuckle Roxanne Honeysuckle Sibiryachka Siberian Silgink's honeysuckle Silginka Honeysuckle Bluebird Blue bird Honeysuckle Sweetheart Sweetheart Honeysuckle Strezhevchanka Strezhevchanka Honeysuckle Violet Violet Yugan's honeysuckle Yugan
All varieties of honeysuckle - 62 pcs.
Other cultures
Apricot varieties Apricot varieties Cherry plum varieties Cherry plum varieties Eggplant varieties Eggplant varieties Grape varieties Grape varieties Cherry varieties Cherry varieties Blueberry varieties Blueberry varieties Pea varieties Pea varieties Pear varieties Pear varieties Blackberry varieties Blackberry varieties Honeysuckle varieties Honeysuckle varieties Strawberry (strawberry) varieties Strawberry (strawberry) varieties Zucchini varieties Zucchini varieties Cabbage varieties Cabbage varieties Potato varieties Potato varieties Gooseberry varieties Gooseberry varieties Onion varieties Onion varieties Raspberry varieties Raspberry varieties Carrot varieties Carrot varieties Cucumber varieties Cucumber varieties Peach varieties Peach varieties Pepper varieties Pepper varieties Parsley varieties Parsley varieties Radish varieties Radish varieties Rose varieties Rose varieties Beet varieties Beet varieties Plum varieties Plum varieties Currant varieties Currant varieties Tomato varieties Tomato varieties Pumpkin varieties Pumpkin varieties Dill varieties Dill varieties Cauliflower varieties Cauliflower varieties Cherry varieties Cherry varieties Garlic varieties Garlic varieties Apple varieties Apple varieties

Kitchen

Bedroom

Furniture