Small Fruits, Master Gardeners Jody Fetzer

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Juliana Mitchell
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org Small fruits reward us with delicious flavor; they attract

1 Small Fruits for Small Spaces: Challenges & Rewards Jody Fetzer, Green Management Coordinator, Montgomery Parks Small fruits reward us with delicious flavor; they attract pollinators, birds and children Strawberry Raspberry Blueberry but they also have challenges! 1

2 Prepare the planting beds for healthy Small Fruits Improve the soil & remove weeds shallow till add compost Strawberry Growing Semi shade best! Well-drained site NOT ph sensitive Strawberry culture techniques Sanitation is essential for healthy plants! In spring, rip off brown leaves and leaves with spots If plants look crowded, dig some out and give them away Weed frequently 2

3 Add chopped straw or pine needles after spring clean-up This creates a dry surface & barrier for soil pathogens Bumblebees are important pollinators for strawberry blossoms 3

Challenges to your strawberry harvest Animals Birds Fungi Insects Mites Birds, squirrels, & rabbits like strawberries! Decide if you have enough to share.

4 Challenges to your strawberry harvest Animals Birds Fungi Insects Mites Birds, squirrels, & rabbits like strawberries! Decide if you have enough to share. You can net the plot early in the season and remove it later after peak harvest. Fungal diseases on Strawberry Leafspot Resistant cultivars Fall & spring sanitation Don t touch when wet leaves Mycosphaerella fragariae Curtis Swift, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org 4

5 Good sanitation & mulch reduces disease problems! Thinning in spring is also important Fungal diseases on Strawberry Fruit problems Gray mold Botrytis cinerea Remove ASAP University of Georgia Plant Pathology Bugwood.org Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Fungal diseases on Strawberry Fruit problems Anthracnose Jonas Janner Hamann, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Bugwood.org Gerald Holmes, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org 5

Tarnished Plant Bug damage looks like frost damage Commercial growers monitor for TPB when strawberries

6 Sunscald This abiotic problem symptom may look similar to anthracnose or early Botrytis infection Edward Sikora, Auburn University, Bugwood.org Strawberry Insect Problems! Tarnished Plant Bug damage looks like frost damage Commercial growers monitor for TPB when strawberries are in flower and control the insects at that time Home gardeners do nothing for TPB! You will have some damaged strawberries but they taste fine 6

and frequent rain Adequate moisture Beneficial mite release Use hose to wash

7 Spider Mites on Strawberries Stippling Webbing Dry weather related Spider Mite Solutions Mites are not typically a problem here due to high humidity and frequent rain Adequate moisture Beneficial mite release Use hose to wash foliage Broad mite feeding damage Serious issue! Dig & dispose of infested plants 7

8 Broad mite heat solutions Dig the plant, clean soil off roots Remove most leaves because they will be killed anyway Dip in a hot water bath 121 F Leave in hot water +/-6 minutes Put in a cool water bath IMMEDIATELY plant--either in a pot or in the ground HOT WATER! Strawberry Variety Selection Strawberry plants are a beautiful groundcover for shade instead of Pachysandra Dogwood Taxus Japanese Maple & Pachysandra Hakone grass Iris & Tulips in this sunny corner 8

9 5 years is the maximum life of a strawberry garden. Remove plants and rest the garden for 1-2 seasons before re-planting. Raspberry Growing! Raspberry site selection and culture techniques 6 hours of sun Not ph sensitive Narrow spaces next to a fence or building work well Support raspberry plants 9

10 Support minimizes cane breakage and facilitates harvest Raspberry growing is easy if you have a good site Some challenges Birds Deer Rabbits Virus Fungi Insects Mites Virus problems on Raspberry Inspect plants before purchasing Chlorotic patterns and crinkled leaves No cure, dig & destroy if not performing well ArabisMosaic Virus Raspberry Ringspot Virus ( Central Science Laboratory, Harpenden, British Crown, Bugwood.org SCRI-Dundee, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Bugwood.org 10

Fungi cause lesions on raspberry canes Prune out diseased canes (late season) Anthracnose (Elsinoe veneta) Spur blight (Didymella applanata) Charles Drake, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State

11 Fungi cause lesions on raspberry canes Prune out diseased canes (late season) Anthracnose (Elsinoe veneta) Spur blight (Didymella applanata) Charles Drake, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org Mary Ann Hansen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org Insect problems on Raspberry Sawfly larvae Large Raspberry Aphids Ants Soil dwelling pests Black vine weevil Strawberry root weevil White grubs photos by David Handley 11

edu/highmoor/ blog/tag/strawberry/page/2/ Wash

12 Spider mites Stippling Bronzing Webbing blog/tag/strawberry/page/2/ Wash foliage with water blast from hose Anne 12

produced on the lower part of the same canes 2.

13 Raspberry cultivar production differences 1. Bear twice a season Fall-bearing or primocane fruiting Produce fruit at the tips of the primocanes Second year, a summer crop is produced on the lower part of the same canes 2. Bear on second year canes Summer-bearing Floricane fruiting Raspberry Pruning 2) Summer-bearing (floricane fruiting) raspberry Cut canes back to four to five feet tall before growth begins Extension publications detail cultural techniques for raspberry growing 13

Proper pruning is essential for good production! 1) Fall-bearing (primocane fruiting) raspberry If only a fall crop is desired, cut all canes off at the base before growth begins in spring.

14 Proper pruning is essential for good production! 1) Fall-bearing (primocane fruiting) raspberry If only a fall crop is desired, cut all canes off at the base before growth begins in spring. Fruit will be produced on primocanes in late summer or fall To get both fall and summer crops Do not remove the primocanes that produced the fall crop (they will give a spring crop) Prune these now 2 nd year canes--back in the spring to the last visible node that had fruit; cut off dead tips Blueberry Growing! Site selection & culture techniques Full sun Select species/cultivars suited to this area Plant more than one cultivar for best fruit set Best at lower soil ph Iron chlorosis if ph is too high (add sulfur) Blueberry cultivars for the Southeast Rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum) Grows on poorer soils Southern highbush crosses between the highbush blueberry (northern type) and native southern blueberry Northern highbush Vaccinium corymbosum Northern & southern highbush blueberries prefer soil with peat and high organic matter Farther north where much colder: Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) 14

Southern Highbush Blueberry Blueberry Challenges Deer

Bluebirds Thrush Bunting Cardinal Grosbeak Catbird

Sparrow Junco Tit Nuthatch Towhee Waxwing http://www.

15 Southern Highbush Blueberry Blueberry Challenges Deer Birds Rabbits Insects Blueberry growing is for the Birds! Bluebirds Thrush Bunting Cardinal Grosbeak Catbird Thrasher Finch Siskin Jay Mockingbird Oriole Tanager Robin Sparrow Junco Tit Nuthatch Towhee Waxwing 15

16 Decide to Share or Defend your Blueberries! If you want any blueberries, the ripening berries MUST be protected! Tulip bulb bags can be tied around berry clusters on the branch ends Bird netting can go over the entire shrub Secure the bag and netting tightly so birds do not get trapped inside! Net or bag blueberries! Bag the end clusters Insect pests on blueberry leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus spp.) blueberry maggot (Rhagoletis mendax) European fruit lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni) Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org 16

17 Pruning blueberry Podcast and handout Blueberry in the landscape for fall color Container Growing Too! 17

Small Fruits in Georgia. Grapes. Grapes. Grape Strawberry Blueberry Brambles Misc

Small Fruits in Georgia. Grapes. Grapes. Grape Strawberry Blueberry Brambles Misc Small Fruits in Georgia Grape Strawberry Blueberry Brambles Misc Grapes European or wine grape Vitis vinifera American or Concord grape V. labrusca Muscadine grape V. rotundifolia Training and pruning: