What All of the Oldies Need

Transcription

1 Sandoval County Master Gardeners Albuquerque Area Master Gardeners Starting with the All Time Favorites - Berries What All of the Oldies Need Small Fruit, Big Taste (Especially Berries!) 2016 Elizabeth Gardner We ll talk about - The oldies straw, rasp, black - The good news a development or two - Some oddballs Deeply modified soil - With lots of organic matter - To a depth of 12 inches or more To be planted dormant - Call now, maybe you can still get some - With virus-free stock

2 I Use Raised Beds for Berries 4 Why I Use Raised Beds for Berries Reason 1 To thwart the!%#$& gophers (bottom lined with ¼ hardware cloth) All other reasons: - Easier to create the deeply modified soil Compost Coir (or Canadian peat) Phosphorus! Native soil, a living soil (I hope) - Easier to contain the berries (they wander) - Easier on the joints 5 Starting with Strawberries the Most Sensitive To Heat - Plant on north or east side - Mulch with pine needles or straw - Don t stress for water; drip irrigate - Light shade cloth, if necessary To Alkaline soil prepare with lots of organic matter To Salt in soil - Leach salts away (deep watering) ~ monthly - Harvest rain water - Infuse a little vinegar To Frost - Raised beds next to house might help, as will - Row cover on freezing nights 6 2

3 Strawberry Types to Choose from: Stealing Berries Musk and Alpine June Bearers Day Neutral / Everbearers Musk and Alpine, the Stealing Berries Small and Extremely Sweet Good if you aren t into production strawberries Heirloom berries Musk - Generate runners to form ground cover - Zone 5-10 Alpine - No runners but may reseed - Mounded plant - Implies they are for higher elevation I Used to Grow Alpine Strawberries (Alpine Mignonette) 7 8 Small and extremely sweet 9 3

4 June Bearer Strawberries Everbearer / Day Neutral Strawberries I Have Grown Tribute A Day Neutral One crop only in June/July Would be good for putting up, when you want lots ready at the same time The Problem They usually bloom in March - If you lose the blossoms to frost, you lose the year s crop - Frost protection may save them Produce berries from ~June until frost! Biggest production usually late summer into fall Thus, you should always get some berries every year Rocky Mountain ancestry Flavorful and Disease Resistant Lighter production all summer with big fall crop Zones 3-10 Other possible varieties TriStar (Day Neutral) Ogallala I m switching to Eversweet (Everbearer)} these in 2016 Seascape (Day neutral)

5 Tribute Strawberry Methods Plant on 12 centers, ~ 1 st of April - Mulch with organic mulch Established plants bloom mid to late March - Cover with row cover on freezing nights - Uncover during day for pollination Keep plants 2-4 years, then take them out - Diseases build up by then - Plant new in another location - Cutting off runners gives larger berries (everbearers) Can also be grown on woven weed mats with drip irrigation under mat With Drip Irrigation and a Weed Mat One Might Need a Fertilizer Infusor Hozon Siphon Mixer EZ-Flo

6 Fertilize Other Strawberry Facts Phosphorus (at roots) in early spring Side dress with light nitrogen after spring growth and in mid-summer Compost cover in winter Spider Mites Occur in hot dry weather Spray with water to dislodge or with Neem or insecticidal soap Harvest when fully ripe (won t ripen in storage) Raspberries Slightly More Tolerant than Strawberries Raspberries still need care: - generous bed prep, with compost and Canadian Peat or coir - must have well-drained soil - can be heat sensitive (everbearers more tolerant of heat) - don t stress for water Planting: - Plant ~mid-march + Make trench 3 deep + Lay out the long roots along trench + Cover with dirt + Shoots emergve within 3 or 4 weeks Last ~15 years June Bearers Are Standard Cane grows first summer, then produces berries in second summer In fall, remove old (second summer) canes, leave new canes, which will produce berries the next summer One heavy crop in June or July, often lost to frost Bloom in March on full-sized canes Full sized canes are hard to protect from frost Need trellising; canes reach

7 Primocane Raspberries! Primocanes are everbearers - Bear on new wood, the same season they came up - No frost damage because you cut back all to 1 to 2 after growing season (mulch in winter) - Tolerate our heat better - Ripen August until frost - Generally sweeter, redder If you really want to, you can leave the canes up over the winter, try for an early crop on those 2 nd year canes. Early Spring Salman Raspberry Ranch La Cueva, NM Salman Raspberries in Summer 19 All canes were mowed down the previous fall 20 They jump right back up in summer 21 7

8 Raspberries Grown at Salman s They ensure the season by growing 6 different varieties, all primocanes and Zone 3 Carolina Adapted to warmer weather Autumn Britten Early ripening Autumn Bliss - Early Polana For colder areas Polka, new from Poland My Favorite! Anne Raspberries FABULOUS old-time raspberry flavor Don t ship well; can t get them commercially Good for backyard Late season; will produce well at lower elevations Salman raspberries ready to go

9 Raspberries in a Pot - Brazelberries For pot culture June bearers Same culture as for large standards Easier to protect from frost Other Raspberry Facts Phosphorus in March at roots Side dress Nitrogen in late March and late June on established plants Few insects bother them Core (receptacle) remains on bush Harvest when berry can be pulled off receptacle easily Last 15 yrs; then plant new in different location Raspberries will sucker and come up just about everywhere Can raspberries and blackberries be planted next to one another? Louise Riotte (pictured below) sez, no Brazelberries Raspberry Shortcake

10 Blackberries Even more tolerant than straw and raspberries: - of our soil but still need lots of soil amendment (especially in sandy soil) - of heat - can tolerate shade Still important to: - mulch and water consistently - use chelated iron spray if chlorotic (blackberries often are) Can produce for 15 yrs on perennial root system Classic Blackberries Bear on 2 nd Year Canes Semi-trailing - Productive and relatively cold tolerant - Needs trellis with one 5 high wire - Varieties: Triple Crown, Chester (both thornless and delicious) Χ Uprights (Erect) - Not as cold tolerant (to ~5 ), or as productive (often freeze back at Alcalde Research Station) - Can be grown without trellising, theoretically - Varieties: Quatchita, Natchez Both types are biennials - Produce on 2 nd year canes - Remove old canes at end of season; retain new canes - Pinch back new canes in summer to 1 ft. above 5 ft. wire - In winter, cut laterals back to 15 - Tip layer to propagate new shoots Eureka! Primocane Blackberries A Relatively New Development Primocane blackberries - Bear on same year wood - No freeze threat because the canes are cut down at the end of season Some of the first varieties: - Prime Jim More vigorous but less sweet - Prime Jan Sweeter - Prime Ark 45 2 nd Generation Larger, more flavorful and productive

11 Prime Jan The Earlier Varieties Are Somewhat Thorny - Prime Jan Prickles But hybridizers just gotta hybridize, thank goodness The third generation of primocane blackberries is out and it is thornless! Prime-Ark Freedom A late season blackberry; does better at lower elevations

12 Other Blackberry Facts Plant away from raspberries (Louise sez) Fertilize (phosphorus every spring) Light nitrogen side dress 2 mos. after planting Once established, nitrogen just before bud break and late June Insects only an occasional problem Unlike raspberry, receptacle (core) remains in berry when picked Harvest when shiny black turns dull Like raspberries, the primocanes sucker, but not as profusely Other Blackberry Types or Crosses All are standard, not primocane, and need trellising Raspberry/Blackberry crosses - Boysonberry, Zone 6, large, tart, thorny - Thornless Loganberry, Zone 6, a wild cross - Tayberry, from Scotland, Zone 5, vigorous, heavy bearing, thorny Marionberry The best berry in the world (E. Gardner) - Zone 7 - Superb pies and jellies - Heavy crops, high quality fruit for several weeks, July onward - Thorny All Berries May Display Chlorosis Symptoms - Interveinal yellowing of Leaves Iron Deficiency - Little Leaf + yellow Zinc Deficiency Chelated Iron and Zinc - Soil drench is safest - Foliar is OK, but NOT when flowering Over watering can also cause chlorosis!

13 Blueberries, Not for NM, but if you just gotta Must have soil ph of Ours is ~7.6 Therefore, must do a near replacement of native soil Need lots of water Ours is also high ph To lower water ph + Inject sulfuric acid (not organic) + Inject vinegar (organic) + Harvest and use rainwater Grow in protected shady area Some catalogs have compact blueberries that can be pot grown in designer soil 37 BrazelBerries Peach Sorbet Blueberries One of three container blueberries from BrazelBerry 38 I m Trying Reputed Blueberry Alternative - Honeyberries Honeyberry or Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea edulis) - Zones Will need afternoon shade here - ~4 tall bush - Blueberry-like with high ascorbic acid and flavoroides - Late blooming varieties (need two for pollination): Blue Velvet Blue Moon Blue Pacific - Big question will it avoid late frosts? Supposedly blooms in March YIKES! 39 13

14 The Curious Case of Huckleberries Some Other Small Fruits for NM Other Small Fruits cont d What are they? - Wild species in Pacific northwest Huckleberries - Eastern species Blueberries An edible landscape plant closely related to blueberries - A 3-6 foot shrub depending upon variety - Fruit often described as tangy - Will require shade Given its native habitat, I m dubious it will succeed here Currants; more of a bush than tree 4-6 ft. at maturity; dense and beautiful Red, black, even white and pink varieties Generally self-fertile Zones 3-8 Needs a protected, partially shaded spot and even moisture For cooking jams, jellies, sauces See NMSU Extension Publication Guide H-326 for more info Elderberries Zones 4 or 5 Beautiful shrubby tree Needs moderate water; partial shade Needs pollinizer Culture and uses similar to those for currants See Extension Guide H-326 for more info Mulberries (Tree) Prohibited

15 Serviceberry (Saskatoon), Amelanchier alinfolia An All-American Possibilities Out of Eastern Europe and Asia Goji Berry I grow this! Hardy to Zone 2, self-fertile Native to NW, W Canada Prefers neutral or slightly acid soil, but tolerates other Partial or afternoon shade here Small blueberry-like fruit Small tree (10-12 ) or hedges Thiessen few suckers, large fruit Smokey adaptable to moist or dry soils (drought resistant) I planted one last year the gophers loved it! Goumis (Eleagnus multiflora) - Ukraine, Zones 6-9, pleasingly tart - Nitrogen fixer - Tolerant of wide range of soils - Bush ~6 tall Goji Berry (Lyceum barbarum) aka Wolfberry and Matrimony Vine! - From China - Zones 5-9, Bush to ~4-6 - Sweet, eaten fresh or dried - High in everything (protein, antioxidants, carotene, minerals, etc.) - Drought resistant and self-fertile! - Prefers warm summer days, cool nights! neutral or slightly alkaline soil!

16 My Gojis, Grown in the Village of Placitas It produced with minimal care! Non-Fuzzy Kiwis Could We Grow Them?? Arguta Kiwis (Actinida arguta) Grapes - Hardy to -25, ~Zone 5 - Sweet, smooth skin, size of large grapes - Vigorous vine, needs support (can spread to 30 ) - May be susceptible to late frosts - Needs a male pollinizer A. kolomikta I m not an expert but I REALLY like them. Why? Because they have impressively deep roots - Zone Only height or spread - Varigated leaves (turn white and pink) - Needs a male and female - Likes partial shade 46 Raintree has good info

17 Table Grapes Deeply rooted to: ~20 30 in medium to heavy soils ~36 48 in sandy soils Makes them more tolerant of drought Grapes need: Good drainage (no caliche within 5 depth!) Nitrogen only, winter or early spring ( < June 30) Chelated iron/zinc if chlorosis or little leaf From NMSU Extension Publication Guide H-303 } here (But Rex Franklin says, eliminate this lower tier in our area) Last but not least, prickly pear Makes nice jelly. Bring your tongs. American and American Hybrids do best here (cold hardy) Himrod; white, hardy to -15 Reliance; red, hardy to -25 Jupiter; blue, Zone 5 Venus; blue/black, Zone

18 Questions? Thanks for Listening! 52 18