Lonicera Japonica leaves problem

tantdan28v-nTY108

Hello!

I have a Lonicera Japonica in a pot outside and it's bottom leaves are turning yellow, they have some red veins over them and also some black spots (they weren't like this in the summer time).
Can it be from the cold weather as the temperature dropped to almost 1'C? Or a nutrient deficiency?

Thank you!

Ladybird4

Hello tantdan and welcome to the forum. Lonicera japonica is semi evergreen so you can expect some leaf drop during the winter. Sometimes it can lose all its leaves. May I ask how big is the pot you have yours growing in? Did you feed your honeysuckle in Spring?

tantdan28v-nTY108

Thanks for getting back to me!
I've planted this one this spring in the pot, and it's 32 x 30 cm.
Also, I've fed it with all purpose fertilizer once a month from May till now.
My concern was with those red veins on the leaves, if it would be a sign of lacking some nutrient or something.

Ladybird4

Tantdan, you are feeding it too much. The pot is possibly a bit small for the plant. I'm not sure how tall it is from your picture. They only need feeding at the beginning of the growing season.

tantdan28v-nTY108

Ah ok, didn't know that about feeding.
It has grown quite big, maybe like 3m since May. I thought about getting a bigger pot, but it seems that it fills the pot with it's roots regardless of how big the pot is. Should I get a bigger one?

Fairygirl

It needs to be in the ground. You would need a massive container to keep it happy. 
They aren't suited to pot culture unfortunately  

Ladybird4

Oh my goodness tantdan. You have a monster there.  I agree with @Fairygirl, your honeysuckle would be much happier in the ground. You would need a pot in excess of one metre diameter and as deep to keep it for a short while in a pot.

tantdan28v-nTY108

I know it would love to be in the ground but I'm living at an apartment and I just love how the insects are attracted to it.
I'll keep it like this till next year and see how it's doing with that pot. If not I might take cuttings from the old one and grow a new one every year, which might sound a bit weird haha

Fairygirl

It really won't thrive in that tiny pot. 

Ladybird4

I understand your problem living in an apartment. If you intend keeping it in that pot then it might be a good idea to remove a big chunk of the top growth.