Cultivation and pruning techniques of Flos Lonicerae

Honeysuckle, also known as Shuanghua, honeysuckle, etc., has a long history of cultivation in Linyi, Shandong Province. Honeysuckle has a wide range of uses, with heat-clearing and detoxification, anti-inflammation and cough and other functions, is widely used in clinical and pharmaceutical industry, is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, in Southeast Asian countries to replace tea to relieve summer heat, the market demand is very large. In recent years, people have found that its branches and leaves are of high medicinal value, and many new products have been developed, especially that honeysuckle has a preventive and inhibitory effect on epidemic and infectious viruses, and the price has soared from 40 yuan per kilogram to 450 yuan per kilogram. The economic income is very considerable.

Honeysuckle not only has high medicinal and economic value, but also ornamental value. The stems and leaves are green and green, and the flowers are fragrant and attractive. It can be used to make bonsai and garden greening. Because of its rapid growth, luxuriant branches and leaves, and developed root system, it forms a root network. Therefore, the effect of embankment and bank protection is very strong, and it has the role of soil and water loss conservation. In addition, honeysuckle is nutritious and is a favorite feed for livestock. Its vines are long and soft and can be used to weave various handicrafts. With the development, utilization and research of resources, the health drinks and daily necessities based on honeysuckle are increasing, such as honeysuckle tea, honeysuckle cola, honeysuckle wine, honeysuckle toothpaste and so on.

1. The adaptability of cultivation and management of honeysuckle is very strong, and the requirements of cultivation and management are not high. It can be planted in saline-alkali land, sandy beaches and other places. Places with watering conditions can be planted throughout the year, and mountains and deserts without irrigated conditions can be planted in the rainy season. When planting, the branches growing for 1 ~ 2 years were cut into 30-35cm length, and the lower leaves were removed and buried in the soil. 1-2 pairs of leaf buds were exposed in the aboveground part, and then sealed and filled. There are 3 to 5 trees per hole planted in the mountain block, and the hole spacing should be determined according to the topography. The general row spacing is 1.5 to 2m, and the row spacing in the plain area is generally 2m. Another cultivation method is cutting seedlings, breeding in the nursery, watering once after planting, new roots can grow after half a month, and transplanting in early spring of the second year, the survival rate can reach more than 95%. Apply a flower-promoting fertilizer in spring, cut off the aging branches in autumn, loosen the soil, apply organic fertilizer or superphosphate around the pier hole, and fertilize the mountain plot after picking the first crop of flowers in time to increase the yield of the next crop of flowers. Due to the long history of honeysuckle cultivation, different varieties have been formed in different places, the growth characteristics and disease resistance of different varieties are different, and there are obvious differences in the quality and yield of medicinal materials. The varieties that perform better under natural conditions are large hairy flower, chicken claw flower, white crown flower and so on, which have the advantages of high yield, strong disease resistance, rich nutrition and good quality of medicinal materials. When planting, appropriate choices should be made according to the actual local conditions.

2. Pruning and pruning are carried out after falling leaves in autumn to before sprouting in spring, usually strong pruning of strong branches, light pruning of strong branches, and pruning of all branches. When pruning, attention should be paid to ventilation and light transmission after new branches grow. The thin and weak branches, withered old branches and basal branches are all cut off, and the pruning of the plots with poor fertilizer and water conditions is heavier, and the old branches are cut off with the aging of the plant to promote the development of new branches. The young plants are mainly cultured plant type, which should be cut lightly. There are generally 4-5 trunk branches in mountain land and 1-2 trunk branches in plain land, and the trunk should be cut off slightly to make it thicker and upright.

Shaping is combined with pruning, in principle, it is based on fertilizer and water management, promote as a whole, make full use of space, increase the amount of branches and leaves, make the plant type more reasonable, and can obviously increase flower and high yield. The flowering time after pruning is relatively concentrated, which is convenient for harvest and processing. Generally, the branches can be upright after pruning, and the removal of thin and weak branches and basal branches is beneficial to the formation of new flowers. After picking the flowers and then cutting them, applying quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer once after cutting and watering once to promote the next crop flowers to grow early, so that the flowers can be harvested four times a year, with an average of dried flowers 150~200kg per 667m2.

3. During the growth period, honeysuckle is mainly harmed by aphids, red spiders, longicorn beetles and brown spot during the growth of honeysuckle. The damage of aphids lasts for a long time and mainly harms the tender leaves, tender points and the back of leaves. Spraying should be uniform and thoughtful, and 20% aphid pine wettable powder 2000-2500 times or 10% insecticidal essential oil 5000-6000 times can be used to control aphids. For the control of red spiders, 73% acetite EC 1500 times or 35% volt phosphorus EC 1000 times can be sprayed every 5 to 6 days, twice in a row. The tiger longicorn beetle is a pest harmful to stem decay, which is difficult to control, so artificial capture combined with chemical control should be adopted to eliminate it. Because the adult activity of tiger longicorn beetle is poor, it can be killed by manual capture. The larvae harmful to stem decay can be smeared with 80% dichlorvos EC, or dipped in dichlorvos with skimmed cotton and stuffed with wire into the hole for fumigation and control. Brown spot disease occurs more seriously in some years, which usually occurs from July to August. At the initial stage of the disease, the disease can be effectively controlled by spraying with 75% Dakening wettable powder 700 × 800 times, or with 1500 times of 25% Remicol and 25% Amisi up to 1000 × 1500 times.

4. Harvest and processing in time, drying in time, generally see flowers in the second year after planting, and start picking in the third year. The picking time begins in late May. When the upper part of the bud begins to protrude and the color is bluish-white or yellow-white, it is best to pick the buds picked in the morning, and the buds picked in the morning should be picked gently. As picking is a busy and meticulous work with strong time, we should concentrate manpower on picking in places with large cultivation area. If the buds are not picked in time, not only the quality is poor, but also the yield is low. It should be dried in time after picking, and the flowers should be spread out on the dry ground on a clean ground. The flowers can be dried in 2 days with a thickness of 1.5 cm. If you encounter cloudy or rainy days, indoor drying and dehydration can be adopted. Generally, the dried flowers are of good quality, and the initial drying temperature is controlled at 40 ℃. After draining most of the moisture from the buds, raise the temperature to 55 ℃, make the buds dry quickly, and then lower the temperature to 35 ℃ to drain the excess water. Drying can increase production by about 3% compared with drying. It is best to use sulfur fumigation when drying, the smoked flowers can maintain more active components, good color and high quality, sulfur 2kg is used for each 100kg bud, and the processed buds are stored in a dry place.