Correct pruning of an adult honeysuckle bush

Honeysuckle sets fruit buds on annual shoots when it reaches 3-4 years of age. A young honeysuckle bush grows up to 1.5 m in height.

During the period of preparation of the bush for fruiting (the first 4 years after planting, if a two-year-old seedling is planted in the spring), the honeysuckle bush is not even subjected to sanitary pruning. This is due to the peculiarity of honeysuckle. This plant forms vegetative buds several times during its life, from which new shoots develop. If you cut off the branches of honeysuckle during the period of such formation, then the bush will not form new buds, and you will have to remove all skeletal branches at the root. The first such period is 4 years after planting the shrub in open ground. At that time honeysuckle gains green mass and strength for further fruiting.

The first pruning of honeysuckle is carried out in the fall, when the bush has already dropped its leaves.

Pruning during incomplete fruiting

The period of incomplete fruiting of honeysuckle begins after 4 years from the moment of planting the bush. It can last up to 20 years.

Branches growing vertically upward or into the bush are removed. Crossed, broken and diseased branches are also removed. A young honeysuckle bush cannot provide nutrients for a large number of basal shoots, so only 4-6 strong skeletal branches need to be left. As the bush grows, the number of skeletal branches increases to 14 - 16 by the age of 20.

A feature of honeysuckle is that this culture is practically not susceptible to viral and fungal diseases. Also, honeysuckle tolerates cold well, so there are practically no sick or frozen branches on honeysuckle.

Pruning during full fruiting

During the period of full fruiting (depending on the variety of honeysuckle, the age of the bush is from 20 to 70 years), only sanitary pruning is carried out. Broken branches are removed. From the age of 20, honeysuckle is thinned out. Old shoots are removed, and young shoots are normalized. Also, branches are removed from the middle of the bush, providing access to sunlight to all skeletal branches.

During the period of fruiting decline (from 70 to 150 years), honeysuckle is cut at intervals of 2-3 years. During this period, the plant should be given time to form new shoots and fruit buds, since the growth processes slow down.

The peculiarity of honeysuckle is a cycle of peaks and troughs of fruiting. Approximately every 10-12 years, depending on the variety, fruiting slows down. Because of this, many gardeners carry out additional spring pruning, removing strong skeletal shoots, but this should not be done. They are removed only when the skeletal branches are completely dry.