Linden honey plant: when it releases nectar and productivity, useful properties

Among all bee products, linden honey is considered the most popular. Flower nectar is characterized by excellent taste, very pleasant aroma, long crystallization period and healing properties, which are actively used in traditional and folk medicine. Linden is a very productive honey plant, but when and in what quantity a flowering tree produces valuable nectar, we will figure it out further.

Description of culture

In their natural environment, linden trees grow in deciduous and mixed forests. The plant purifies polluted air, emits a large amount of oxygen, and is actively planted in parks and squares of large cities.

In addition to valuable nectar, the bark and leaves of the plant are used in folk medicine, and linden wood is used in various industries. The culture is not whimsical to growing conditions, it is common in temperate, subtropical latitudes and regions with a continental climate.

The average lifespan of a plant ranges from 200 to 300 years, sometimes there are 500-year-old and even 1000-year-old specimens. During the flowering period, the tree enters the 20th season of active growth and development. There are many varieties of culture, differing in tree size, shape of leaf plates and flowering time.

In Russia and neighboring countries, the most common is the small-leaved or common variety of linden.

• Mature trees are tall, with a spreading crown of oval or pyramidal contour, often reaching 40 meters in height and 5 meters in width.
• The shape of the leaf plates depends on the variety of plant, but most often there are trees with leaves in the form of hearts with multiple teeth along the edges.
• Rhizomes are powerful, go deep into the soil, which allows the tree to receive the necessary amount of moisture and nutrients.
• The trunk is straight, in young trees it is covered with a smooth protective bark of an olive hue. In adult plants, the bark is dense, with multiple dark brown cracks.
• Culture is characterized by excellent resistance to low and high temperatures, easily tolerates heat, drought and frost down to -45 degrees, easily takes root in Siberia, the Urals and the Far East region.
• During the flowering period, racemose inflorescences with small, yellow or cream flowers appear on the trees, from which bees extract tasty and he althy nectar.

Important! After the end of flowering, fruits appear on the trees in the form of small nuts, in which the seeds are located. The culture is propagated by seed or vegetative method.

Features of cultivation

To grow a he althy, flowering tree, use seeds, cuttings, root shoots or cuttings. The term for planting seedlings in open ground depends on the region where the honey plant is grown. In the southern latitudes, work is carried out in the fall, 3-4 weeks before possible frosts. In temperate and northern climates, planting events are postponed to spring.

For growing a valuable crop, choose flat, well-lit areas. The more sunlight a tree receives, the more nectar its flowers produce.

• The earth is carefully dug up, loosened, organic matter and mineral compounds are introduced into the soil.
• Dig out planting pits on the prepared site, at least 50-60 cm deep and wide.
• A drainage layer of fine stone and sand is laid out at the bottom of the hole, fertile soil is poured on top and moistened abundantly.
• A sapling is placed in each hole, topped with soil, compacted and mulched with organic materials.

To prevent young shoots from being affected by drafts and strong gusts of wind, support pegs are dug in next to the seedlings, to which plants are tied.

Honey trees are planted next to the apiary. If this is not possible, the hive is transferred closer to the plantings for the flowering period. In extreme heat and prolonged drought, seedlings require additional watering, 1 time in 5-7 days. Mature trees independently extract the necessary moisture and nutrients from the soil.

Important! Top dressing is used in the first 2-3 seasons of linden growth and development. Further, the plant does not need them.

Honey and nectar productivity

Linden natural honey is considered the best product of beekeeping. The composition of the nectar includes more than 300 useful and nutritious substances that contribute to the correct and precise functioning of the human body.

Honey productivity directly depends on the weather and climatic features of the region, on the terrain where the tree grows.

Nectar production is negatively affected by daily temperature fluctuations, heavy rainfall, strong, gusty winds. Long rains wash the sweetness out of the flowers, and gusty winds dry it out and make it inaccessible to industrious insects. With a sharp drop in air temperature, flowering linden ceases to produce honey nectar.

Moderate humidity and temperature from +18 to +24 degrees are considered comfortable for abundant flowering and nectar production. From 1 hectare of linden plantations, from 700 to 1000 kg of a valuable, medicinal and tasty beekeeping product are obtained per season. An adult tree produces up to 40 kg of treats during the flowering period.

Fact! In particularly good years, honey productivity can reach up to 1,500 kilograms of nectar from the same number of trees.

The period and duration of flowering

The timing and duration of flowering of linden trees also depend on the weather conditions of the growing region.

If in the Caucasus and in the Crimea the period of active flowering of the culture falls on the middle or end of June, then in regions with a temperate or continental climate, the plant blooms 10-15 days later. The duration of flowering of lime plantings is not long, it lasts from 12 to 16 days, in rare cases, due to weather conditions, it can increase up to 20 days.

Useful properties of linden

Linden nectar contains a large amount of useful sugars, acids, biologically active substances, vitamins and mineral compounds.

The product of beekeeping is used as a prophylactic and curative agent:

• to strengthen immunity;
• for colds and viral diseases to lower body temperature;
• lime nectar has a tonic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties;
• used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system;
• normalizes blood pressure, promotes the proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
• has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

Also, the product of beekeeping is used in cooking for the preparation of desserts, sauces, pastries and drinks. In cosmetology, linden honey is used to make healing and rejuvenating masks and balms for skin and hair.

Important! Linden delicacy is not recommended for people with high blood sugar and a predisposition to allergic reactions.

Where it grows

Linden is unpretentious to growing conditions, therefore it is common both in the southern and northern hemispheres of our planet. The largest plantings of honey plants are found in Russia, the countries of Southeast Asia, Europe and neighboring countries.

Features of pumping honey

The timing of pumping honey also varies depending on the region where the trees grow. Nectar is pumped out of honeycombs sealed by insects, otherwise the beekeeping product will not be ripe and will quickly turn sour. Work is carried out in dry, sunny weather. In the southern latitudes, work on pumping lime nectar begins at the end of July or at the beginning of August, in regions with a temperate climate - 2-3 weeks later.

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