3/29/2018. Fruit on Fridays: Berries and Brambles. General Planting. General Planting. Receiving New Plants. Buying Plants

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1 Berries and Brambles Fruit on Fridays: Berries and Brambles Grant McCarty University of Illinois Extension Local Foods and Small Farms Educator Getting Started Strawberry Blackberry/Raspberry Blueberry Uncommon Fruits Insects and Diseases 2 General Planting Unsure of your soil? Get a soil test Add organic matter (aged manure/compost) prior to planting (usually a month) Most prefer slightly acidic soil (6-6.5); blueberries require acidic soil (ph ) A standard fertilizer should work fine Need to change in later years General Planting Space them right Spacing in row and between varies from plant to plant Trellising Support needed for some brambles Varieties will state if erect/nonerect Mulching Good for almost all Provide straw mulch in fall for strawberries Buying Plants Purchase from reputable home and garden centers, fruit companies Know the variety (and make sure it will grow in our area ) Order with planting date in mind May need more than one May need a male and female Receiving New Plants Plants are normally held in cold storage after digging in fall Soak bare-root plants a couple hours before planting Plant as soon after arrival as possible Water regularly during establishment 1

2 Types of Strawberries Suggested Varieties June Bearing (short day plants) One crop in late spring Everbearing (long day plants) Several flushes of flowers and fruits each season Not as common Day Neutral (form of everbearing) Flower and fruit continuously through growing season (unless too hot) June Bearing Early Earliglow June Bearing Early-mid Honeoye, Cavendish June Bearing Mid Allstar June Bearing Late Jewel, Annapolis, Day Neutrals Seascape, Albion, Ozark Beauty Parts of a Strawberry Plant Planting and Spacing Matted Row Most poplar for June bearing Set plants apart and rows 3-4 apart Spaced Row Similar spacing but daughters are spaced to root no closer than 4 apart All other runners cut off More labor, but higher yields, larger berries, and fewer disease problems Raised Bed Strawberry Patch Provides excellent soil drainage May need irrigation Greater potential for winter and frost injury. Tends to warm up faster in the spring, so the strawberry crop may develop sooner Strawberry Blossoms Remove the first flush of blossoms on 1 st year plants Energy goes towards a strong plant that overwinters better. Diseases like gray mold begin at blossom. Blossoms are sensitive to freezing temperatures. 2

3 Steps in Renovating June Bearing Strawberries Renovate after final harvest (starting year 2) Mow off foliage 1 above crowns Apply fertilizer 1-1½ lbs of per 100 sq. ft. Narrow row width to 6-12 Eliminate weeds hoe or cultivate Brambles: Raspberries & Blackberries Basic Plant Structure Distinguishing primocanes from floricanes Canes live for two years 1 st Year: Primocanes No fruit from them except if it s an everbearing type. 2 nd Year: Floricanes Produce fruit and then die. Floricanes pruned out Raspberry Varieties Raspberry Varieties Red Raspberries Red, Summer bearing (2-3 ft): Varieties: Boyne, Killarney, Lathan, Liberty, and Titan Red, Everbearing (2-3ft): Aka fall bearing/primocane fruiting Produce fruit at tip of primocane Varieties: Heritage, Redwing, Ruby Non-Red Varieties Treat similar to red raspberries Yellow (2-3 ft) Red raspberry without red pigment Varieties: Goldie, Amber, and Fallgold Black and Purple (4 ft) Tend to be a bit more compact Purple Varieties: Brandywine, Royalty Black Varieties: Bristol, Jewel 3

4 Erect Blackberries Erect: Do not need a trellis (helpful in windy areas) Does not look very erect first year Winter hardiness is a limiting factor Arching, spiny canes Erect, Thorny (3 ft) Increased winter hardiness over thornless Large, flavorful fruit Varieties: Choctaw Chickasaw (large fruited), Shawnee (large fruited), Kiowa (trailing 1 st year), Illini Hardy Erect, Thornless (3 ft) Varieties: Apache (large fruited), Arapaho, Ouachita Photo Credit: John Clark, University of Arkansas Everbearing Blackberries Everbearing (3 ft) Two Crops Per season Newest cultivars Prime-Ark Freedom Thornless Relatively shorter shelf life Prime-Ark 45 Thorny Heat-related fruit doubling Prime-Ark Traveler Thornless Semi-erect Blackberries Pruning Erect Blackberries Semi-Erect (3 ft): Usually more tart than other blackberries Less hardy than erect blackberries Require a trellis or support system Thornless: Smooth canes Large fruited Productive late Varieties: Black Satin, Chester, Hull, and Triple Crown Do not produce an erect hedgerow the first season Relatively small, semi-erect plants No pruning first year Top or pinch primocanes back 3 to 4 inches the following year Without support 36 to 48 The following late winter or early spring Remove harvested floricanes Remove weak canes Shorten laterals the following spring between 12 and 16 inches Remove low lying laterals Pruning Black and Purple Raspberries Very similar to erect blackberries Blacks are generally managed as separate plants Purples can be managed as plants or as a hedgerow In the early summer, tip primocanes back 3 to 4 inches Without support between 24 and 30 inches With support between 30 and 40 inches Shorten lateral the following spring Black raspberries 7 to inches Purple raspberries to 12 inches Remove old fruiting canes after harvest Pruning Semi-Erect Blackberries Must be grown on a trellis During the summer, primocanes are clipped 6 to 10 inches above the top wire (6 feet) Initiates lateral development During the early spring, select eight to ten of the strongest canes per plant and tie them to the trellis Remove and weak or diseased wood, or low lying laterals Prune the remaining laterals to 18 to 24 inches in length Remove floricanes after fruiting 4

5 Pruning Summer Bearing Raspberries Pruning Everbearing Raspberries Options Prune during the dormant season Remove fruited floricanes at the soil surface Thin to 3 to 4 canes per square foot Keep the hedgerow 18 to 24 inches wide Option 1 Cut all canes down in dormant season close to the ground with a mower or with loppers (photo at side) Option 2 If you want a small summer crop Remove harvested tips and thin canes 3 or 4 per foot of row in the dormant season (raspberry) Harvest summer crop and remove floricanes Blueberries Primarily northern highbush (3-5 ft between) Know your soil acidity Acidic conditions at planting Containers possible Jelly Bean, Top Hat, Bushel and Berry Varieties: Suggested varieties: Collins, Patriot, Bluegold, Bluecrop, Bluejay, Blueray, Nelson, Herbert, Lateblue Planting Make a small mound in the bottom of the hole, draping the roots of the plant over that mound Fill planting hole with the soil and peatmoss, firming alone the way (50:50). After final firming, form a basin around the plant to hold water Approximately two gallons will be required to thoroughly water in each plant 5

6 Cranberries Commercial production in WI since 1860 (leading producer) Like sandy, acidic soils with organic matter No bog required but raised bed recommended Can take 4 years to produce Flower late june/july with berries color from green to white to red Mulch in winter for protection Pilgrim, American High Bush Currants and Gooseberries Hardy and easy to grow. Needs well-drained soil and partial shade or full sun. Plant in rows 9 to 12-ft apart. Currants (2-4ft) and gooseberries (4 to 5-ft) Prune 3 yr old canes out each year Currant: 'Red Lake,' 'Jonkeer Van Tets,' 'Rovada' and 'Cherry' (both red), 'Consort,' Crusader,' 'Ben Sarek' and 'Crandall' (both black) Gooseberry: 'Pixwell,' 'Poorman,' 'Welcome,' 'Hinnomaki Red' and 'Captivator'. Saskatoons Also known as Juneberry and Serviceberry Best eaten fresh Tolerate very cold winter conditions (- 40) Wide range of soil ph and planting zones (to zone 2), full sun recommended Can be hard to find varieties Seaberry Also called sea buckthorn (different then buckthorn) Thrive in full sun in dry, sandy locations 8-10 ft tall maturity Can improve soil with nitrogen fixation Holds on to bush characteristic into winter Needs male plant for every 6-8 female Leikora and others 6

7 Wolfberry Aronia Also known as Goji Berry High in antioxidants Needs trellising to keep plants off ground Cold hardy and heat tolerant Ripens starting in July Raised bed recommended Vermillion Sunset, Big Lifeberry, Crimson Star, Sweet Lifeberry Also known as Chokeberry Two Types: Black and Red Prefer full sun to partial shade, tolerate both wet and dry sites, and prefer acid soil. Has a suckering habit, similar to raspberries Grow 6-10 ft and 3-5 f wide. Autumn Magic (Black), Viking, (Black), Nero, (Black) Haskaps Also known as Honeyberry Attractive shrubs that tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. A type of honeysuckle Needs full sun, tolerate poor soil Need more than one cultivar Flower in May, fruit ripe in July/August Blue Moon, Blue Velvet, Tundra Elderberry Flattened clusters of tiny creamcolored flowers in summer with dark purple berries Need full sun, well drained soils, tolerate alkaline soils 6-10 ft height Adams, York are American cultivars with heavy fruit production Albo-variegate, Gerda, Madonna are European, similar growth but taller tree Hardy Kiwi Much smaller fruit (size of grapes), skin is hairless (can eat skin) Vining characteristic (10 ft tall) and thus needs trellising Well drained, acidic soil Very little pruning needed May need to provide winter protection Need male and female for pollination Actinidia Kolomikata, Arctic Beauty, Strawberry-Anthracnose Spread: moves by water, humid weather most active Symptoms: red, brown leaf blade, scorch on tips, spore mass, infection of roots, black runners Control: mulch between plants/rows, remove infected fruit during harvest Fungicides: Copper, Captan, Bascillus subtilis 7

8 Angular Leaf Spot Gray Mold Spread: dead leaves from previous season, water Symptoms: on leaf veins, water soaked lesions on lower leaf, bacterial ooze on underside of leaf Can overwinter in crowns Some cultivars highly susceptible (Annapolis, Honeoye, Cavendish) Control: watch your irrigation, avoid wet conditions, use mulch Fungicides: very few fungicides recommended Overwinters on dead strawberry leaves, infected straw, mummified fruit and occasionally on weeds. Love cool, wet conditions Even pollinators can move it Control: weed control, sunny and dry conditions, renovate every year, avoid wounding plants Fungicides: apply during blossom to prevent. Captan or copper fungicides Powdery Mildew Warm weather and high humidity, rainy conditions can slow progress Control: renovate beds every year, good airflow, rake/remove old leaves Fungicides: products with active ingredients of myclobutanil, sulfur, potassium bicarbonate, or horticultural oil Blueberry-Twig Blights/Canker/Stem Blights Symptoms: dieback of twigs, branches, stems, and spreads to larger discoloration on stem Common in plants less than 5 years old Overwinters in dead, decaying material Control: reduce winter injury, prune out infected/damaged in spring (2-4 in below infection) Fungicides: none recommended Bramble Diseases Control: improve air flow, spacing, remove floricanes after produced a crop, cutting dead and infected canes Mow whole raspberry patch down in late winter or early spring Fungicides: early summer before wet spell with the active ingredients copper sulfate, copper sulfur or myclobutanil. All fungicides should be aimed at the primocanes. Raspberry Diseases Spur Blight Can look like winter injury Spreads from leaves to canes Spread by wind and splashing water Does not effect blackberry 8

9 Bramble Diseases Cane Blight Start in wound sites of the primocanes. Spreads through the cane from the wound and causes cankers to form. Cankers caused by the cane blight fungus start out as reddish- brown streaks under the bark. If the infection girdles the stem, the entire cane may wilt and die. Raspberry/Blackberry Cane Blight Raspberry Spur Blight Bramble Diseases Anthracnose Little round, sunken pits in the bark of the cane. Spots are white to pale tan, while the margins sometimes are a purplish red. Smaller spots than other blights Very common on black raspberries but it can also occur on susceptible red raspberry varieties. Insects Strawberries Tarnished Plant Bug Strawberry Bud Weevil Solutions: Removal of leaf litter, remove weeds, renovate patch Insects Blueberry Leafrollers Japanese Beetles Solutions: Effective pruning and weeding (leafrollers); weed control, some pesticides (Surround for Organic) Insects Sap Beetles Overwinter as adults and lay their eggs in debris. Occasionally, they will also lay eggs in overripe fruit such as strawberries. Adults emerge in July and starting feeding Solutions: pick berries early, avoid creating debris areas, insecticides not recommended 9

10 Insects SWD identification Raspberries/Blackberries Cane Borer Crown Borer Picnic Beetle MALE M. Hauser, UC FEMALE two rows of serrations on ovipositor Solutions: prune/destroy infected canes to the crown, remove wilted canes, sanitation (picnic beetles) dark spot on each wing no dark spots on wings M. Hauser, UC two dark bands on each foreleg Next Steps Bev Gerdeman Monitoring Containers 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast: 4 Tbsp. sugar: 12 oz water Will not trap the insects but tell you when they are there (usually mid- June to fall frost) Tolerate but remediate Freeze berries Pick bad berries and throw away Other Pests Birds Netting Chemical repellants Grape Kool-Aid Deterrent (sugar free) Sugar water Scare devices Combination Mammals Fencing Chemical repellants Resources U of I Extension: Small Fruit Crops for the Backyard (extension.illinois.edu/fruit) Michigan State Blueberries (blueberries.msu.edu) Managing Pests in Home Fruit Plantings (Purdue) Univ of WI/MN Pest Mgt Bye, Bye, Birdie: Bird Management in Home Garden-Cornell Minnesota Yard and Garden: Raspberries for the Home Garden Cornell Fruit ( Wisconsin SWD ( ) 10

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