Loch is a silvery melliferous plant of the spring period, giving off a lot of nectar. Provides supportive bribes in early summer. It is a small tree or shrub plant from the loch family.
The content of the article
- 1 Significance for agriculture
- 1.1 Narrow-leaved
- 1.2 Oriental
- 1.3 Silver
- 2 Agrotechnics
- 3 Honey productivity
- 4 Useful Properties
Significance for agriculture
The narrow-leaved variety of sucker, popularly known as the wild olive, is widespread in the European part of our continent. It is found in parks, gardens. In the wild, it can be found along rivers and stagnant bodies of water.
The narrow-leaved honey plant is cultivated as a green plantation, a protective strip for fields. Some varieties are used as fruit trees.
Varieties that are important for apiaries:
- narrow-leaved (wild olive) – this variety has the best collection of nectar;
- oriental and silvery are both important for a sustaining summer bribe.
Narrow-leaved
The narrow-leaved oak tree is a tree up to ten meters high, covered with thorns and having silvery-white shoots characteristic in color. Widely distributed in the Caucasus.
The foliage of the tree is linear-lanceolate, dirty green above, whitish below with a silvery sheen.
The flowers are small enough, grouped in the axils of the leaves of 2-3 pieces. Inside are orange. The perianth in staminate flowers is bell-shaped, and in bisexual flowers it is stretched into a tube. The tree begins to bloom in May-June at the age of 4 years. The flowering period takes up to two weeks.
This is the most melliferous variety!
Oriental
The eastern variety of Loha is also known as Russian olive or dzhida. Found in the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central and Asia Minor, Eastern Europe, Siberia, Altai. Cultivated as a fruit plant.
In appearance, the Oriental Loch is a small tree with a dense crown dotted with oblong foliage, resistant to droughts and high summer temperatures.
The first fragrant flowers appear on it at the age of 5-6 years in late May, early June – flowering shoots develop only on the lateral branches of the crown of the fourth and subsequent order. In each axil of leaves there is one small, elongated flower. The perianth is yellow inside.
Fruits are yellow-brown with a mealy, sweet-tasting pulp. They can be dried using in winter for compotes. It can be stored dry for years!
Silver
The silvery honey plant looks like a shrub, less often a woody plant, capable of forming dense thickets. Its branches are covered with thorns and silvery scales. Lanceolate leaves, arranged alternately, have short petioles. Homeland North America.
The honey plant grows well on our loams, rocky soils, sandstones. Freely withstands frosts down to -40 degrees.
This variety is not used for hedges due to the abundance of root growth.
The shrub blooms for the first time at the age of 7-10 years. Flowers can be either bisexual or unisexual. They are located in the axils of the leaves, 1-2 pieces. Outside, the petals are colored silver, inside are yellowish.
Inflorescences bloom later than other varieties of sucker – from about June to July, depending on the climate. Occasionally, flowering is repeated in August.
Fruits are dark brown or black, taste like lingonberry. They are rarely eaten because of too large a bone with a small amount of pulp.
Agrotechnics
It is most convenient to propagate shrubs and trees of the sucker with cuttings grown from stratified seeds.
For this, sandy, well-fertilized soils are selected. Planting material should be up to 30 centimeters long. Plants cuttings before bud break with a slight slope (two buds are left above the surface).
In the first year, plants require moderate, regular watering. After one strong shoot appears, the rest must be removed.
The crop is sensitive to trunk and branch damage! Trimming the crown during its formation is carried out “on the ring”. The cut must be painted over with oil paint.
Honey productivity
The most nectar-producing variety of sucker is the wild olive (narrow-leaved variety). Honey harvest falls on the period of increasing the strength of bee colonies before the main summer harvest.
Depending on the strength of the nest, bees bring from 4 to 13 kilograms of honey. Productivity per hectare – 100 kg.
When pumping out, this sort of honey is mixed with herbs. It is amber in color. The aroma is pronounced, herbaceous.
Useful Properties
The whole plant as a whole is highly prized in folk medicine.
Inflorescences, pollen, nectar, and, accordingly, honey from the sucker are recommended:
- with bronchitis and colds;
- with heart disease;
- with colitis and other disorders of the digestive tract;
- with ulcers, abscesses and wounds on the skin;
- as part of home cosmetics.
Having planted the sucker near the apiary, you can get not only high-quality supporting bribes, but also provide beautiful decorative plantings on the site, giving tasty, healthy fruits.
