Blueberry Growth & Development

Growing Brambles in Kentucky • Things to consider before you commit • Growing them • Varieties Chris Smigell, John Strang University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture Consider…. • Am I willing to use pesticides? –Fungicides occasionally required –Insecticides occasionally required –Herbicides usually required SWD Fruit Fly (Spotted-winged Drosophila) • Imported from Asia • Fist found in KY in 2012 • Cuts into fruit to lay eggs • Start to be trapped Mid June Site Selection Considerations • Previous Crops –herbicide carryover –Orchard/Wooded area – root diseases • Water source • Wildlife • Perennial weed problems • Spray drift –schools, subdivisions, farms Site Selection Considerations • Slope – less than 10 degrees That’s “fuh”. • East to North facing • Soil Drainage • Soil Depth • Soil pH - 6-7 • Soil Fertility Elevation Higher elevation essential – Less disease – Less freeze injury – Less frost injury Frost Pocket Improving Soil Drainage • Raised beds • Drain tiles • Increase organic matter • Sub-soiling Subsoiling • when soil is dry & it shatters – August • 2-3’ deep • At least below the depth of compaction Photos courtesy: Edwin Ritchey • Beds 8” high or more Laurel Fork Soil Fertility & pH • Native trees large and vigorous • Weeds growing well on site • Indicator plants Broom sedge – Sorel Water Source Filter, lines, pump…..~$600 City water, garden hose are OK for 200 or so plants Trickle Irrigation Essential • Fruit plants need 1 inch of water per week • 1 inch X 1 acre X 1 week = 9,000 gallons Purchasing Plants Purchase from reputable nurseries that do virus testing Plants come as rooted cuttings Make your own • Cane tips that touched ground and rooted • Cut close to ground, dig up root ball Planting • If planting is delayed – Store at 35° F…..not with fruit! – Heel in • Keep roots moist • Early spring planting allows better growth and survival Heeled in trees Planting • Soil not too wet • Soak roots overnight • Large hole • Do not put fertilizer in the hole! Planting • Cut off broken roots • Spread roots out well • Pack soil around roots • Water in well to settle soil around roots immediately after planting • Cover roots, not trunk Blueberries planted too deep Holes • If an auger is used scrape sides of hole to remove glazing Bramble canes have a 2-year cycle Next set of primocanes 2015 2016 Primocanes emerge…………….…….next year they and grow Ist year are called Floricanes - have flowers and fruit Blackberries vs. Raspberries • More common in • More common in South North • Not as hardy as • Reds/Yellows very hardy most rasps. • Hollow • Receptacle stays on • No trellis usually • Most need trellis • Better prices • Better yields • Seeds not problem • Larger seeds • More fall varieties Blackberry vs. Raspberry • Receptacle remains in blackberry fruit • and is left on the plant with raspberries Photo courtesy: http://fruit-crops.com/rubus.html drupelets receptacle Relative Hardiness • Red raspberry (-25 F) • Yellow raspberry (-25 F) • Purple raspberry • Thorny blackberry (-17 F) • Black raspberry (-10 F) • Thornless blackberry (-10 F) Erect Thorny Blackberry • Trellis not required • Hardiest - winter injured at about -17 F • First variety to be harvested • Sweet • Relatively small seeds • Thorns are painful Blackberry Pruning/Trellising Thorny Blackberries Chickasaw Kiowa Erect Thornless Blackberry • Trellis recommended • Hardy to about -10 F • Second in sequence to be harvested • As sweet or better than thorny varieties • Seeds are larger than thorny erect varieties. • Generally the lowest producer of the blackberry types ‘Apache’ & Cal Blake Natchez Thornless Erect • Very new • Large elongated berry (8-9g) • Very good flavor, but variable • Fruit quality slightly lower than Ouachita • Vigorous plant • Few white drupelets • No common diseases noted, but slight anthracnose Ouachita Thornless Erect • Attractive 6-7g berry • Excellent flavor, 10+% soluble solids • Excellent yields, 4,919 lb/A avg. (02-03) • Good post harvest handling • Vigorous plant • Resistant to rosette, no orange rust reported Semi-erect Thornless Blackberry • Trellis required • Winter killed at about - 10 F • Third in the harvest sequence • Fruit are generally tart until very ripe • Berries and seeds are large • Most productive ‘Triple Crown’ Reed Valley Orchard varieties Triple Crown Thornless Semi-erect • Attractive, largest thornless semi-erect berry, 7.8 g • Very good sweet aromatic flavor with pleasant aftertaste, 10.7% SS • Lower yields than Chester • Berries firm, but do not hold up as well as Chester • Resistant to rosette, orange rust, and root rot Chester Thornless Semi-erect • Latest semi-erect thornless to ripen, • Attractive, second largest semi-erect thornless berry • Berries tart, large seeds, 6g • Highest yields • Berries firm, and hold up fairly well • Resistant to rosette and orange rust,, susceptible to root rot Primocane-Fruiting Thorny Blackberry • Light trellis recommended • Hardiness ? – Have withstood temp. of 10° F • Produce two crops – Primocane Mid Aug.- Oct. – Floricane Mid Jun.- Mid Jul. • Performance variable due to location – Temperatures of 85° F + in Aug. and early Sept. reduce yield, fruit size and quality Bramble canes have a 2-year cycle Next set of primocanes 2015 2016 Primocanes emerge…………….…….next year they and grow Ist year are called Floricanes - have flowers and fruit Primocane crops only 2015 2016 • Only let Primocanes produce fruit • Late summer = SWD infestation Primocane-Fruiting Blackberry • Thorny –Prime Ark 45 • Thorness –Stark’s Black Gem –Prime Ark Traveller Prime-Ark® 45 • Thorny • Great for Fall market Pictures John Clark, U. Arkansas Harvest Times June July August Sept. Natchez Oachita Osage Chester Triple Crown Primocane varieties Blackberry Plant Spacing and Trellises Spacing Spacing Blackberry in between Type row (ft) rows (ft) Plants/A Trellis Thorny 2 10-12 2,178- erect 1,815 No trellis Thornless 3 10-12 1,452- None or erect 1,210 Low trellis Thornless 6-8 12-13 605- High trellis semi- erect 418 Primocane 2-3 10-12 2,178- No trellis fruiting 1210 Raspberries –Erect –Thorny –Summer and fall types Summer Raspberry Cultivars • Black • Red – Bristol – Prelude – Jewel – Boyne – Mac Black – Lauren – Reville (Heirloom) • Purple – Taylor (Heirloom) – Royalty Black - Jewel Blackberry Pruning/Trellising Raspberry Pruning/Trellis Raspberry Purple - Royalty Fall Raspberry Cultivars • Also called Primocane Bearing – Joan J thornless (R) – Autumn Britten (R) – Caroline (R) – Heritage (R) – Josephine (R) – Autumn Bliss (R) – Anne (Y) Fall Yellow Raspberries Anne Fall Red Raspberries Caroline Raspberry Plant Spacing and Trellises Spacing Spacing in between Type row (ft) rows (ft) Plants/A Trellis Red & 2 8-12 2,722-1,815 Yellow no trellis or low trellis Black 3 8-10 1,815-1,452 No trellis or low trellis Purple 6-8 10-12 726- 453 Low trellis Matted Row Strawberries – 8,000-10,000 lb/A Yields Blueberries – 6,000-8,000 lb/A Blackberries – 5,000 lb/A Thorny – 5,000 lb/A Thornless erect (1.4lb=1qt) – 8,000 lb/A Thornless semi-erect Raspberries – 2,700 lb/A Black – 4,000 lb./A Red Ever bearing More Information • http://www.uky.edu/hort/ • [email protected] • Crop Profiles & Budgets http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops /intro.html.

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