Finally got my berry bushes in the ground!

[Nickelless]

It took me longer than expected to finally get these planted, but yesterday at 3:30 a.m. I finally got three blueberry bushes, two blackberry bushes, a tayberry bush (a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry), a raspberry bush and a Concord grapevine planted!

[inflationhawk]

I'm on year 3 of my blueberry bushes and I've gotten more fruit this year than last (though still not anywhere close to what I want or what I see the blueberry trees at the orchard produce)....expecting at least a couple of more years of improved yields. I enclosed them with netting this year. Rabbits love to chew on the newly formed branches. I pruned last year too and shouldn't have. Been reading that you shouldn't prune at all the first 4 or even 5 years.

[frugi]

the birds do a number on my concord grapes, but they have been planted for 3 years, and this is the first year they are producing fruit. I am so excited. I also have raspberry plants, and a blackberry plant. Both berry plants are self pollinating, and deer resistant varities......this is also the first year they are producing fruit, the raspberry bush has several hundred green berries on it now, and I have harvested about a dozen so far, they are the best I have ever eaten, yum. the blackberries have about 50-60 green berries on it right now, but only 2-3 that are anywhere near being ripe. I love my garden, your plants look good!

[NHsorter]

Nice! I have been adding every year for the past 5 years and my berry crops are getting pretty nice now. Lots of free listings for these pop up on craigslist occasionally when people are thinning theirs out. I have a lot of space so I just keep adding as cheap or free ones become available. Use pine needles for mulch around the blueberries. They love the acid.

[frugi]

. Use pine needles for mulch around the blueberries. They love the acid.

I will try that.....I also have a blueberry plant, but I have had it for 5 years, and it has never gotten any taller than about 5 or 6 inches.........I am starting to despise it, I have tried everything natural, and I dont use any fertilizers, so I have been running out of options. This early spring I dug it up, and put it in a large pot, and put some different types of mulch and wood chips in there, and I mixed in some nails, nuts, screws and bolts. I hoped that would make the soil acidic, I really have no idea what I am doing though ........but I do I have a pine tree in my yard so I will try the needle idea and see what happens. thanks for the tip.

[rsk1963]

Use pine needles for mulch around the blueberries. They love the acid.

Coffee grounds and egg shells as well

[bman]

so when can we come over for some blueberry pie and blackberry cobbler? I'll bring the vanilla ice cream!

[Rodebaugh]

so when can we come over for some blueberry and pie and blackberry cobbler? I'll bring the vanilla ice cream!

+1

[sparechange]

The berries look great! We planted our first this year. We usually pick wild dewberries and grapes, but the drought last year in Tx was a vine stunter(?). Pine needles do work very well as mulch and they really tend to last a long time and keep some bugs at bay. We had our first homemade ice cream last week, and it seems to be at the top of the list for my dietary weaknesses.

[Treetop]

Pine needles are indeed acidic themselves, but wont affect the PH to much. I have 4-500 hundred years old trees in my yard with inches of needles and the soil they built entirely of needles under them, and its only a fraction lower of a PH then the surrounding areas. the best way is to add some sulfur. A quick way is to dilute some vinegar but its short lasting.

[John_doe]

keep them mulched, and your life will be very easy.

[hobo finds]

"...The snozberries taste like snozberries..." "What's a snozberry?" "I'm a trifle deaf in my left ear, next time speak up!"

[Treetop]

Peat moss around your plants will lower PH somewhat also.

[Nickelless]

Well, the blackberry bushes are looking a little puny so far, and I'm not sure why. There is also some yellowing on the leaves on one of the blueberry bushes. Someone on GIM suggested maybe I didn't need to water the blackberry bushes, even though I hadn't been doing that excessively, and that it might just be a little early to make a judgment call on how they're doing. Any thoughts? Here's the thread I just posted on GIM:

http://www.goldismoney2.com/showthread. ... oo-vibrant

[Treetop]

I agree its to early to make a judgement call on how they are doing. It sure isnt a good sign, but lots of trees and bushes will take awhile to get going after being moved.

Its really hard to diagnose such things accurately though. Ive seen this 100 times on various gardening boards, and people always gather around the opinions of the most popular folks. Often when there is follow up we find the assumed answer given by a range of knowledgeable and semi knowledgeable growers wasnt correct.

It can be anything from soil deficiencies, to to much of something (to much nitrogen causes yellow leaves) weak plants or shocked ones from changing from nursery conditions to those in your yard. without more info I couldnt give you much of an opinion about what I think it is. I add many new bushes and trees a year, and about 30-40 percent die in a given year. Im in a pretty harsh spot. I rarely know why a specific plant died. Last year 6 or so died at the graft, which implies a mix of rough climate and or weak grafts.

So, do you know your soil PH? Did you amend them heavily with nitrogen? Did you amend the planting hole greatly? Do others grow the same things well in the area? Did you pick varieties best for the area? (probably not relevant since it isnt winter yet) Are they getting to much or to little sun? are you watering with tap water and its heavy chlorine??? (if so let the water stand 24-72 hours outside in an open container before watering) Lots of other factors as well, and mixes among them...

Depending on the answers to a few of those and variables I probably forgot to ask Id probably take off all the dead growth, and put compost or manure a few inches deep a bit beyond the drip line for each bush, with some leaves or straw over that, somewhat simulating the forest duff on a forest floor. Most bushes and trees like this alot especially when they are just starting. Id take of the dead parts, and make any amendments in line with what the soil is like (change PH, add other amendments if needed etc) Id give regular DEEP waterings.... oh yeah, how is drainage for your area? Few things like wet feet, most want a soil water drains through well, with regular water.

Id also start looking at the next variety these crops or other types of fruits or berries to plant if these do indeed fail. Perhaps something else is more reliable for you, and likes your area better etc. Blueberries work great where they work, but you will fight them endlessly if your PH isnt right, unless you grow them in pots for instance. Sorry I cant be more help.

[AGCoinHunter]

Get some 10-10-10 all purpose garden fertilizer and put around them. Water it in good and mulch around the base of the bush with wheat straw. Its almost impossible to overwater them if they are in a well drained soil which yours appears to be. If that doesnt help get your soil tested from the local extension office.

[franklin]

Nickelless:
You probably already know this but, after a blackberry cane (major stem) fruits, that particular cane begins to yellow and die. The canes that are growing this year will produce next year's berries and then they too will perish.
I have gotten into the habit of taking a section of root from any transplants I purchase and generating new plants. This year a Rosborough thorny plant had a root wrapped twice around the inside of the plastic pot that I purchased. After snipping a section of it off before planting the bush, I then cut it into nine 1 inch sections and planted each into a small container. There are now 9 plants identical to the mother bush that are about 8 inches tall.

[knibloe]

Very nice. We planted 100 raspberry plant about 4 years ago. It was very dry that year. Between the rabbits and the drought we lost the one patch( my beefer getting in there and trampling them was the final straw). The other patch has come on very nice and we are expecting a good harvest this summer.

We have lived here for 16 years and keep saying that we are going to put in blue berries and haven't yet. The trouble is we have 93 acres and can't decide where to put them.

Good luck. The raspberries are a lot of fun if you have children. They just started coming on here. My son had to stop and pick some on the way to the bus yesterday.

[Hawkeye]

Nickelless:
You probably already know this but, after a blackberry cane (major stem) fruits, that particular cane begins to yellow and die. The canes that are growing this year will produce next year's berries and then they too will perish.
I have gotten into the habit of taking a section of root from any transplants I purchase and generating new plants. This year a Rosborough thorny plant had a root wrapped twice around the inside of the plastic pot that I purchased. After snipping a section of it off before planting the bush, I then cut it into nine 1 inch sections and planted each into a small container. There are now 9 plants identical to the mother bush that are about 8 inches tall.

+1 I'll have to try that. I've taken a lot of transplants off of my blackberry, but I haven't tried that before. I don't like spending 10 bucks for a blackberry, but 10 bucks for 10 blackberries isn't too bad.

[Hawkeye]

I've got about a dozen blueberries I planted a few years ago, and they're doing great. I worked like crazy getting the soil right before I planted and I'm glad I did - haven't had any problems at all so far. Good luck with everything.

[inflationhawk]

I've got about a dozen blueberries I planted a few years ago, and they're doing great. I worked like crazy getting the soil right before I planted and I'm glad I did - haven't had any problems at all so far. Good luck with everything.

Approximately how many blueberries are you harvesting from each bush? I'm in year 3 on mine and I got about 50 blueberries from each bush. I'm ok with that, but am hoping for many more. The bushes I see at the orchard I visit produce incredible yields, but I'm sure they are using commercial grade stuff and giving their bushes the kind of care I just don't have the time to do.

[Hawkeye]

I've got about a dozen blueberries I planted a few years ago, and they're doing great. I worked like crazy getting the soil right before I planted and I'm glad I did - haven't had any problems at all so far. Good luck with everything.

Approximately how many blueberries are you harvesting from each bush? I'm in year 3 on mine and I got about 50 blueberries from each bush. I'm ok with that, but am hoping for many more. The bushes I see at the orchard I visit produce incredible yields, but I'm sure they are using commercial grade stuff and giving their bushes the kind of care I just don't have the time to do.

Mine are in their 3rd year too (I think). I probably had about 50 or so berries per bush last year and the birds got them while I was on vacation. This year, I am prepared with netting and will probably have somewhere around 100 per bush. We will see.

[inflationhawk]

You must have a mid or late year variety. Mine are early season as I have completed my harvested. Yes, netting is a must. Mine are completely enclosed so neither the rabbits nor birds can get to them. The rabbits love to chew off the new branches.