How to care for potted honeysuckle

potted honeysuckle

Within the climbing plants, the honeysuckle is perhaps one of the most beautiful you can find. But sometimes we do not have enough space to be able to put it in the garden and we settle for having honeysuckle in a pot.

Now, Are there changes in the care that should be provided? How do you take care of it so that it develops properly? We tell you everything below.

Characteristics of honeysuckle

honeysuckle leaves and flowers

One of the characteristics of the honeysuckle is its ability to grow very easily, and quickly, which makes it possible to cover an extension in a few months. In addition, it withstands the cold very well, so you should not have a problem for the plant to develop correctly without fearing that winter will kill it.

His scientific name is Lonicera caprifolium and originally from Europe. The most striking thing about it is the perfume of its flowers, which are visually very beautiful. Of course, there are more than 500 described species, and of them only 100 accepted.

It can reach two meters in height, and even in some species it would reach 6 meters.

It has a very robust trunk, as well as the roots. This is woody and reddish. From it come the branches from which the leaves, light green and dark on the underside, measure up to 10 cm.

As for the flowers, these are bell-shaped and have a pink color. It blooms in spring, and they measure about 4-5 cm. After these would come the berries, red and full of seeds.

Potted Honeysuckle Care

honeysuckle flowering time

Next we are going to focus on the care of potted honeysuckle. These do not differ too much from the usual ones in this climber, but it does have more needs than if it were planted in the garden.

Location and temperature

If you want to have a honeysuckle, then the first thing to consider is where to place it. This climbing plant is a sun lover. It loves full sun but can also tolerate partial shade. In case you have it indoors, you can try putting it next to a window so that it receives as much light as possible.

As for the temperature, it is resistant to both heat and cold. In fact, the latter withstands temperatures of up to -15ºC.

Substrate and pot

One of the main points of potted honeysuckle is knowing what soil to use and what pot to put it in.

Let's start with the pot. You have to make sure it's big. Usually, choose one that is at least 40 centimeters in diameter so that it has the necessary space to grow.

The land you will use must be fertilized, that is, it is good mix soil with a fertilized substrate. The proportions are: half the pot with fertilized soil and then the rest with normal soil.

You have to be careful when planting it because it is very delicate and you could easily kill it. Experts usually fill the pot more or less halfway with the fertilized soil and when the plant is placed is when they begin to pour the soil on it.

Of course, it is convenient that you mix this land with some drainage, such as perlite or even larger, such as akadama. In this way you will oxygenate the roots better and you will not suffer from excesses and accumulations of water.

Irrigation

To give you an idea, honeysuckle does not need much watering because it tolerates drought well. But in the case of potted honeysuckle it is not entirely true.

When you have it in a pot, it is convenient to be more aware of its lack of water. It is normally watered when the tops have dried. In summer, it can be watered 2-3 times (if it is in a very hot area it may need more waterings); and in winter with one a week is enough.

If your pot has a saucer, when watering make sure there is no water left on it after 15 minutes. If it has it, you should remove it because that stagnant water can end up rotting the plant.

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If they are provided with fertilizer in the hole or in the pot itself when they are planted, they will also need more fertilizer over the years. And it is that it is a plant that needs to be paid often.

In general, you should use a fertilizer during the growing months. And continue it until the end of the season (that is, after flowering and fruiting).

Of all the fertilizers you can use, organic compost will be the best choice.

Pruning

The pruning of potted honeysuckle must be done in the same period as if it were in the ground, that is, after flowering (in winter). You will have to remove the branches that are dead, weak or diseased, and control those that cross so that the sun not only reaches the outermost branches but also the interior of the plant.

A trick for pruning is to cut the branches that grow in the opposite direction to the shape we want to give it. In this way, you will be "taming" the potted honeysuckle.

honeysuckle flowers

Plagues and diseases

Honeysuckle is not exempt from pest attacks or that, due to poor lighting and/or irrigation, we can make it sick.

Common honeysuckle pests include cottony mealybug, aphids and White fly. In the first case, what you should do is remove the mealybugs one by one and then clean the entire plant with neem oil since it is very effective. You can use this same product to eliminate the other two pests.

Multiplication

If you want to reproduce your plant, you can through seeds or cuttings. The normal thing is cuttings because when you plant it through seeds, flowering takes about two years to occur, while with cuttings it is much faster.

As for the cuttings, they are kept for a couple of weeks in water so that they develop the roots they need. Then they are moved to the ground but be careful, because if you do it in a pot the growth will be much slower than in the ground.

Have the care of the potted honeysuckle been clear to you?


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