Blackberries

I'm torn on what blueberry to get. Right now I have it narrowed down to Northland Highbush or Bluecrop. Bluecrop seems like it gets very large but I'm not sure if it's that much more productive.

Do any of you have thoughts on either of these varieties?
 
TorontoJoe said:
I'm torn on what blueberry to get. Right now I have it narrowed down to Northland Highbush or Bluecrop. Bluecrop seems like it gets very large but I'm not sure if it's that much more productive.

Do any of you have thoughts on either of these varieties?
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Northland, which i grow, is a half-high or half-bush. Bluecrop is a high-bush. I don't have first-hand experience with their peak yields, but if descriptions are correct, their yields do seem to be similar. Also look at the falvor. Bluecrop is a classic (commercial) bluebery flavor. Northland has more of a wild blueberry flavor, which is mostly why I picked it.
 
Figgin' A said:
Northland, which i grow, is a half-high or half-bush. Bluecrop is a high-bush. I don't have first-hand experience with their peak yields, but if descriptions are correct, their yields do seem to be similar. Also look at the falvor. Bluecrop is a classic (commercial) bluebery flavor. Northland has more of a wild blueberry flavor, which is mostly why I picked it.
Click to expand...

Thanks... Is that to say the Northland is more tart? You've mentioned your a fan of that.

I think either way the Northland is going to make more sense just based on the availability of space. Not to mention I can pick one up at a local nursery. They seem to be everywhere.
 
TorontoJoe said:
Thanks... Is that to say the Northland is more tart? You've mentioned your a fan of that.

I think either way the Northland is going to make more sense just based on the availability of space. Not to mention I can pick one up at a local nursery. They seem to be everywhere.
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I wouldn't call Northland tart, but it has a very nice, balanced flavor with a touch of acidity and good sweetness. Similar to wild blueberries, it has a richer, more intense flavor compared to 'grocery store' blueberries.

By the way, I was browsing the Internet last night and came across a few really good reviews of Draper.... I kinda like it... My Lareault order hasn't shipped, so I asked them to add one for me - https://lareault.com/collections/blueberries/products/draper-blueberry-sold-out
 
Figgin' A said:
I wouldn't call Northland tart, but it has a very nice, balanced flavor with a touch of acidity and good sweetness. Similar to wild blueberries, it has a richer, more intense flavor compared to 'grocery store' blueberries.

By the way, I was browsing the Internet last night and came across a few really good reviews of Draper.... I kinda like it... My Lareault order hasn't shipped, so I asked them to add one for me - https://lareault.com/collections/blueberries/products/draper-blueberry-sold-out
Click to expand...


You just gave me a link to Canada’s largest berry nursery! My goodness man! What have you done!?!? 🤣
 
FigLab said:
Very helpful discussion. This is my first year of getting berries. I also chose Heritage as the first raspberry to try, as well as Prime Ark and Chester blackberries, Gooseberries, Canadian black currants (Whistler and Thasis), and Sea Berries (those have a lot of tartness, @Figgin' A !)

The question i have is about raspberries and blackberries growth habits. I was going to install T-posts with wires for support. But it looks like you are using tomato cages for individual plants. Are those easier to manage and/or better for the bushes?

Also, I received my Heritage plants bare root, and planted them... But only two of them have sprouted leaves and new shoots. The rest of them still look like dead sticks, even though when I make a cut and a scratch, there is nice green cambium and inside the cane looks healthy. Is that a normal thing for some of the heritage plants to not wake up as quickly?... It's been close to two months now.

Thanks!
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do you have erect, semi erect, or trailing blackberries?

i dont grow any trailing types but i grow mostly semi erect. I use this system with tomato cages, i let them get pollenated freestanding, then set berries. eventually the berries will become heavy and it will start to sag close to the ground. at that point i use a modular ttomato cage (use rose gloves if theyre thorny) to put around them and support them to keep berries off the ground so they do not rot. i keep all my berries at around 5 feet tall so one level is usually enough but you could do 2. 1779236008560.png
 
snarfing said:
do you have erect, semi erect, or trailing blackberries?

i dont grow any trailing types but i grow mostly semi erect. I use this system with tomato cages, i let them get pollenated freestanding, then set berries. eventually the berries will become heavy and it will start to sag close to the ground. at that point i use a modular ttomato cage (use rose gloves if theyre thorny) to put around them and support them to keep berries off the ground so they do not rot. i keep all my berries at around 5 feet tall so one level is usually enough but you could do 2. View attachment 23027
Click to expand...

I’ve already been doing the tomato cage thing with my prime Ark freedom. It really keeps things tidy
 
snarfing said:
do you have erect, semi erect, or trailing blackberries?

i dont grow any trailing types but i grow mostly semi erect. I use this system with tomato cages, i let them get pollenated freestanding, then set berries. eventually the berries will become heavy and it will start to sag close to the ground. at that point i use a modular ttomato cage (use rose gloves if theyre thorny) to put around them and support them to keep berries off the ground so they do not rot. i keep all my berries at around 5 feet tall so one level is usually enough but you could do 2. View attachment 23027
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing your experience! Prime Ark is semi-erect, and Chester is more trailing... I think tomato cages would work well on the prime ark, but chester may need T-posts and wire trellis.
 
Figgin' A said:
Northland, which i grow, is a half-high or half-bush. Bluecrop is a high-bush. I don't have first-hand experience with their peak yields, but if descriptions are correct, their yields do seem to be similar. Also look at the falvor. Bluecrop is a classic (commercial) bluebery flavor. Northland has more of a wild blueberry flavor, which is mostly why I picked it.
Click to expand...
I also read that Blue Ray is really good in flavor. Im trying Sweetheart this year (northern and southern highbush hybrid), which supposed to have a unique feature of doing two harvests... (Although the later harvest might be a problem, given the SWD around here)

@Figgin' A , i was thinking about growing hascaps. But when I went to the nursery, the guy there said that blueberries are much more productive... That you can get the same amount of fruit from three blueberry bushes did you get from six haskaps. Has this been true for you?
 
FigLab said:
Thank you for sharing your experience! Prime Ark is semi-erect, and Chester is more trailing... I think tomato cages would work well on the prime ark, but chester may need T-posts and wire trellis.
Click to expand...
I had a trailing one for two years and it was so vigorous and literally grew to like 15-20ft long 🤦🏽‍♂️ so much growth I had to wrap it all around my backyard fence but it barely made any crop for me compared to the others. Told myself I’ll never get a trailing plant again 😂 just personal experience and preference though
 
TorontoJoe said:
Except for periodically straying to check messages I haven’t left it. I’m already envisioning how I might reduce my front lawn to fill with berry beds 😆
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Man, berries are so addictive. Most of them are super easy to grow here, unlike figs... and they taste amazing. I keep adding and reducing my backyard LOL... I don't mind... and the fam loves all the goodies I put on the table... everyone's happy.

Just have to remember to do a few things... like ALWAYS COVER YOUR BLUEBERRIES AND HASKAPS when they start to ripen... otherwise waxwings will strip them clean within a day... even hours... ask how I know :LOL:

Gooseberries have gooseberry sawflies that lay eggs on leaves, and the larvae can strip the leaves from the entire plant overnight... ask how I know...:LOL: Need to spray them proactively...
 
FigLab said:
Thank you for sharing your experience! Prime Ark is semi-erect, and Chester is more trailing... I think tomato cages would work well on the prime ark, but chester may need T-posts and wire trellis.
Click to expand...
chester is also considered semi-erect, should be fine with this method.
 
Figgin' A said:
Man, berries are so addictive. Most of them are super easy to grow here, unlike figs... and they taste amazing. I keep adding and reducing my backyard LOL... I don't mind... and the fam loves all the goodies I put on the table... everyone's happy.

Just have to remember to do a few things... like ALWAYS COVER YOUR BLUEBERRIES AND HASKAPS when they start to ripen... otherwise waxwings will strip them clean within a day... even hours... ask how I know :LOL:

Gooseberries have gooseberry sawflies that lay eggs on leaves, and the larvae can strip the leaves from the entire plant overnight... ask how I know...:LOL: Need to spray them proactively...
Click to expand...
What do you spray them with...and how often?
 
FigLab said:
I also read that Blue Ray is really good in flavor. Im trying Sweetheart this year (northern and southern highbush hybrid), which supposed to have a unique feature of doing two harvests... (Although the later harvest might be a problem, given the SWD around here)

@Figgin' A , i was thinking about growing hascaps. But when I went to the nursery, the guy there said that blueberries are much more productive... That you can get the same amount of fruit from three blueberry bushes did you get from six haskaps. Has this been true for you?
Click to expand...
I am sorry, but the guy at the nursery gave you an astonishingly ignorant, moronic answer. It's like saying that rather than buying a BMW X5M get yourself six Honda HRVs. The difference in flavor intensity and richness between the two is similar to the flavor difference between Florea and WM#1. Beluga caviar and salmon roe.

I culled several blueberry plants down to one now after we experienced haskaps. My wife and kids asked to grow more haskaps and less blueberries.

Productivity-wise... I suppose it depends on how you grow them and the variety. Blueberry bushes can produce up to 15-20 lbs... Haskaps - 8-12 lbs. It's more like 1:2, not 1:6. In real life, you'll be getting less, especially before and after they reach their peak productivity. My haskaps are a lot hardier than my blueberry plant and haven never shown any winter damage. My blueberry was slow to take off and suffered some tip damage last winter, so my haskaps of similar age are quite bigger and actually have more berries on them compared to my blueberry plant.
 
Figgin' A said:
I am sorry, but the guy at the nursery gave you an astonishingly ignorant, moronic answer. It's like saying that rather than buying a BMW X5M get yourself six Honda HRVs. The difference in flavor intensity and richness between the two is similar to the flavor difference between Florea and WM#1. Beluga caviar and salmon roe.

I culled several blueberry plants down to one now after we experienced haskaps. My wife and kids asked to grow more haskaps and less blueberries.

Productivity-wise... I suppose it depends on how you grow them and the variety. Blueberry bushes can produce up to 15-20 lbs... Haskaps - 8-12 lbs. It's more like 1:2, not 1:6. In real life, you'll be getting less, especially before and after they reach their peak productivity. My haskaps are a lot hardier than my blueberry plant and haven never shown any winter damage. My blueberry was slow to take off and suffered some tip damage last winter, so my haskaps of similar age are quite bigger and actually have more berries on them compared to my blueberry plant.
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Well, his advice then is almost as bad as the one I got in a NC nyrsery about fig trees not growing in PA.

I heard of haskaps long ago, while we were still in Russia, so i'm quite curious about them. It might be too late for this spring, perhaps I can try them next year.
Thanks!
 
FigLab said:
What do you spray them with...and how often?
Click to expand...
When I saw the devastation, I sprayed them with pyrethrin, and they all croaked nearly immediately, within minutes. This year I sprayed with insecticidal soap and just keep an eye on them, checking daily... as soon as I see any larvae, I will nuke them with pyrethrin. But hopefully the soap will take care of the eggs and young larvae.
 
Figgin' A said:
Man, berries are so addictive. Most of them are super easy to grow here, unlike figs... and they taste amazing. I keep adding and reducing my backyard LOL... I don't mind... and the fam loves all the goodies I put on the table... everyone's happy.

Just have to remember to do a few things... like ALWAYS COVER YOUR BLUEBERRIES AND HASKAPS when they start to ripen... otherwise waxwings will strip them clean within a day... even hours... ask how I know :LOL:

Gooseberries have gooseberry sawflies that lay eggs on leaves, and the larvae can strip the leaves from the entire plant overnight... ask how I know...:LOL: Need to spray them proactively...
Click to expand...

I don't know that I've ever noticed waxwings around but it stands to reason they're here. I'll trust you on that and cover up. The blue jays and cardinals get all the attention it seems. I'll invest in some bird netting early....

Figgin' A said:
When I saw the devastation, I sprayed them with pyrethrin, and they all croaked nearly immediately, within minutes. This year I sprayed with insecticidal soap and just keep an eye on them, checking daily... as soon as I see any larvae, I will nuke them with pyrethrin. But hopefully the soap will take care of the eggs and young larvae.
Click to expand...

Do you think something like the Surround WP could help with this? I'm itching to try this stuff on my cuc's... maybe It might work on the berries.... For larva anyways.... I doubt it would put the birds off.
 
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