Use the bruise honey plant for your successful beekeeping
Experienced beekeepers set up beehives near lush blooming lands in order to harvest a rich honey harvest later. Since it is not always convenient to transfer your apiary to such "hot spots", many decide to grow a bruise honey plant on their own. For garden crops, the blue flower (popular name) is a poisonous weed that is not even suitable for feeding livestock. However, this representative of the Burachnikov family is able to provide bees with an abundant bribe, while for a fairly long period.
Bruise honey plant in detail
The structure of the flower is quite unique:
- dimensions: 15-17 mm;
- funnel-shaped gramophone;
- five-lobed fused petals;
- contrasting (scarlet) stamens of different lengths protruding from the corolla;
- double perianth.
Often, the bruise flower grows in the steppe, forest-steppe and foothill regions. Excellent resistance to hot climates, as well as waterlogged soil.
The flowering period is 40-50 days. It starts in June and ends in September. The blooming of buds (pinkish) occurs gradually: some ripen, others dry up. The flowering period of each of them varies from 35 to 48 hours. Over the entire period, up to 1500 bluish-purple phonographs are formed on one stem. A distinctive feature of the blue runnik is the ability to survive even on rocky ground.
The root system is well developed. The roots penetrate deep into the soil (regardless of the type of soil), feeding on minerals and moisture.
Beekeepers' view
Up to 500-800 kg of honey or 6-8 kg / day per family are harvested from one hectare of a flowering plantation. Therefore, the grass honey plant bruise boldly competes with phony... To treat an area of 1 hectare, you will need up to 5 bee colonies. Usually, up to 30 striped insects work on 1 m², the intensity of which is 12-13 hours. However, the herbaceous culture produces unlimited amounts of valuable nectar, regardless of weather conditions and time of day.
The beekeeping product turns out to be quite peculiar:
- rich amber shade;
- moderate aroma;
- thick consistency;
- excellent taste characteristics.
Over time, honey crystallizes and acquires a fine-grained structure. Pure nectar contains up to 30-40% sugars. It also contains a high percentage of vitamin C, saponins and alkaloids. Many beekeepers love another feature of the blue runnik. During the period of drought / dry winds (at + 30˚C), the plant continues to secrete flower sap in large quantities, which makes it different from all other melliferous plants. This is possible due to the deep bedding of the root system.However, it is worth remembering that when choosing a nectar source, bees always choose hare beets (another name), and not other crops, which can be a serious problem for some beekeepers.
Blue flowers increase the fertility of dry land due to organic matter. The alkaloids contained in it are particularly toxic, therefore, they contribute to the etching of the area from pathogens and parasites.
Agricultural technology for cultivation in an apiary
It was previously noted that the bruise melliferous plant is not demanding on the choice of soil, as well as climatic conditions. Therefore, any part of the backyard is suitable for growing it. Together with him on the garden bed, phacelia, rapeseed and mustard... Thanks to these crops, the starting year of cultivation of the blue rannik will not pass into empty space, because about 200-300 kg of honey are harvested from 1 hectare of phacelia plantation.
The optimal time for sowing the honey plant of the common bruise is early spring (after the snow melts). Thus, before the start of frost, young sprouts will get stronger enough, and will be able to safely endure the cold snap. Still, some people practice planting a plant in the winter (October-November), just before the frosts. But there is a danger that when the temperature drops dramatically, the sprouted sprouts may die. Others are planning an event for the summer. However, in this case, there is a risk of developing defective and weak seedlings.
For sowing, rainy weather is often chosen. In moist and loose soil, seeds germinate faster and undergo full acclimatization. In such cases, nutritious, organic fertilized soil is ideal.
Agricultural technology for growing a bruise includes 4 simple rules:
- the consumption of planting material is 4-6 kg / ha or 50 g / weave;
- embedment depth - up to 1 cm;
- distance between rows (if this method is used): 25-30 cm;
- post-sowing soil consolidation.
Before starting garden work, the field must be prepared: plowed or plowed. Seeds are covered with drags or brooms, because without covering the grains freeze. When the air warms up to + 10˚C, friendly shoots are expected. At the same time, too dense plantations are thinned out. But the process of development of the blue runny and its budding occurs at + 20 ... + 28˚С. Over the next 3 years, the culture grows very quickly. Self-seeding of a perennial leads to the fact that the grass occupies a large area of the summer cottage.
Despite the whimsical nature of the "hare beet", the culture does not react well to peatlands and swampy soils. It also grows rather poorly in shady areas.
Note to residents of the northern regions
Planting a bruise in a cool climate is carried out using a special cultivation technique. An additional cover crop is sown on the site to protect the blue flower from freezing. Oats are widely used as such a “companion,” which is then used for feeding livestock. However, it is often replaced with mustard or rapeseed. Covering plants are mowed in early July or 1.5 months after planting (stubble height - 12 cm). This procedure helps the common bruise to acquire a good herbage (height and density). Due to the density obtained, the blue runnik successfully overwinters.
In some cases, the grass is sown in several stages to obtain:
- early flowering period;
- late budding;
- an additional bloom strip for the next year.
During the July mowing period of the cover plants, the bruise is already beginning to bloom. However, do not worry, because its budding will resume at the end of summer. For honey bees, the autumn nectar collection period is considered the most productive, especially on the eve of winter.
Therefore, in order to provide your apiary with a highly productive honey base and a high-quality bribe for several years, you need to grow a bruise honey plant on your site.In addition, this flowering herb has a positive effect on the health of the bees themselves.