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Post by raymondo on Feb 19, 2013 5:29:07 GMT -5
No Richard. I'll hang on and sow the remaining seeds early this coming spring. They're in the freezer until then.
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Post by raymondo on Apr 5, 2013 16:11:14 GMT -5
Looking good Richard.
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Post by craig on Jul 1, 2013 5:07:47 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Fascinated by what you are doing here. Would love to assist by growing some Haskap seeds if someone could help me out. While a bit rusty I have a science background and understand selection and breeding methods quite well. I desperately wanted to grow Huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) but cannot find any source of germ in New Zealand so am looking at alternatives. Saskatoons are also an option but not sure if they are present here either? My mother in law was today extolling the virtues of the Haskap. They are in Northern Alberta so can't nip over for a feed and a few seeds  |
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Post by MikeH on Jul 1, 2013 7:31:09 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Fascinated by what you are doing here. Would love to assist by growing some Haskap seeds if someone could help me out. While a bit rusty I have a science background and understand selection and breeding methods quite well. I desperately wanted to grow Huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) but cannot find any source of germ in New Zealand so am looking at alternatives. Saskatoons are also an option but not sure if they are present here either? My mother in law was today extolling the virtues of the Haskap. They are in Northern Alberta so can't nip over for a feed and a few seeds I can send you haskap seeds and Saskatoons which are just coming into season now. My email address is in my profile. Mike |
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Post by MikeH on Jul 7, 2013 15:29:05 GMT -5
Hi Craig,the only thing wrong with the new layout on this forum is it doesn't show which country each member is from,so i take it you are a Kiwi? I still have Haskap seed of Mikes if you want it, after all ive got all the plants i need to start off my orchard.Huckleberries i havnt heard if anyone in NZ has it growing and as for Saskatoon i know someone who has it growing,not sure if he would want it known to others that he has. Where in NZ are you Mike - do Haskaps go through winter with buds that look half open,mind you we've just gone through a week of 17-20Cdeg days so that might just confuse them a bit. It would seem that Saskatoons are on the white list - www.venturesouthland.co.nz/Economic-Development/Regional-Projects/Agriculture-and-Food/Crops-for-Southland/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/192/Saskatoon-Berry-Amelanchier-alnifolia17-20°C?  Have you had freezing temps before that??? Those kinds of warm temps will cause them to break dormancy. The return of freezing temps could kill them. When did the half opened buds develop? |
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Post by craig on Jul 8, 2013 2:21:48 GMT -5
Hi Craig,the only thing wrong with the new layout on this forum is it doesn't show which country each member is from,so i take it you are a Kiwi? I still have Haskap seed of Mikes if you want it, after all ive got all the plants i need to start off my orchard.Huckleberries i havnt heard if anyone in NZ has it growing and as for Saskatoon i know someone who has it growing,not sure if he would want it known to others that he has. Where in NZ are you Mike - do Haskaps go through winter with buds that look half open,mind you we've just gone through a week of 17-20Cdeg days so that might just confuse them a bit. Looks like we are pretty close. My email will be in my profile, once I add it  . If yours is in there I'll flick you and off line email. Saskatoon's I'm definitely after as I only seem to be able to find canadanesis in all the regular haunts. Would that person be averse to a few small cuttings?? I have another woman south of me trying to find some too. |
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Post by synergy on Jul 9, 2013 10:31:29 GMT -5
Question, how do the flavours of these haskap varieties compare to blueberries ? I have only two haskap and cannot remember what variety but I have not particularly enjoyed the fruit which I found the flavour disappointing to blueberries . I am wondering who others are finding the fruit flavour ? Maybe I am doing something wrong or need to try other varieties?
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Post by raymondo on Jul 27, 2013 17:20:48 GMT -5
They look very much like the local bush honeysuckle which is always out and flowering this time of year. The bees love it. I sowed some haskap seeds the other day. I put them in a shade house at a local nursery where they'll be watered regularly. Fingers crossed!
Richard, given they're all seed grown, it won't matter much what they came from. I've read that taste can vary from excellent (a cross between blueberry and raspberry) to terrible (flavour not unlike quinine). You'll be selecting your own varieties from among these. Like other fruiting plants, the good ones are best propagated vegetatively.
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Post by richardw on Jul 27, 2013 17:50:17 GMT -5
Thats right,it will be a matter of pulling out the ones that dont taste good and keep replacing them from seed taken from the best.
Have you noticed any of the weeping willows changing colour over there Ray
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Post by MikeH on Jul 27, 2013 18:01:50 GMT -5
Nice looking plants, Richard. Well done.
When we mark out tags (cut up venetian blinds that we get at the thrift store) with a pen marker, we mark top and bottom. The bottom labelling is below the soil and never fades because it's never exposed to the sun. I've got some tags that I think are 4 or five years old and the writing on the bottom is still clear.
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Post by richardw on Jul 27, 2013 20:01:11 GMT -5
Now thats a great idea.
At what stage of the year do yours come out into leaf Mike
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Post by raymondo on Jul 28, 2013 2:17:20 GMT -5
Thats right,it will be a matter of pulling out the ones that dont taste good and keep replacing them from seed taken from the best. Have you noticed any of the weeping willows changing colour over there Ray Haven't noticed the willows. I'll be down by the creeklands tomorrow and will check them out. All the usual early wattles are in full bloom. Mine are just about to burst into flower. The pardalotes (a small bird) are already looking around for crevices to nest in. They always find gaps and cracks in the house I didn't know I had. |
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Post by MikeH on Jul 28, 2013 4:14:52 GMT -5
Question, how do the flavours of these haskap varieties compare to blueberries ? I have only two haskap and cannot remember what variety but I have not particularly enjoyed the fruit which I found the flavour disappointing to blueberries . I am wondering who others are finding the fruit flavour ? Maybe I am doing something wrong or need to try other varieties? Lisa, How long have you had your varieties? Do you remember when you got them? Compared to blueberries, I'd say that haskap have a zip to them. They are not what I would call sweet but rather sweet-tart. They definitely have to be ripe. The birds will tell you when that is, especially cedar waxwings and robins. We had a flock of about 2 dozen cedar waxwings stay with us for haskap picking season. After we had what we wanted, they cleaned out the rest. We net the bushes we want to harvest with sheer curtains that we get from the thrift stores. After removing the hooks and pleats, they work very well. |
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Post by MikeH on Jul 28, 2013 4:32:18 GMT -5
Now thats a great idea. At what stage of the year do yours come out into leaf Mike This year flower buds emerged around April 17. Last year with the warm March we had, they emerged around March 13. Bud break is about two weeks before that. It's interesting that two flowers fuse together to produce one fruit. Sometimes, the fusion is incomplete and the fruit is deformed. I suspect poor pollination is the cause. Very few fruit are affected this way and the fruit tastes fine although it looks a bit strange.  |
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Post by synergy on Aug 1, 2013 20:35:16 GMT -5
I use the sheers from the thrift shop as well, but on my blueberries . My honeyberries are about 3 years old, did not produce this year, maybe too damp and cool during pollination time as some things flourished this year like the grapes , kiwi and apples and others like the cherries did nothing .
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. If yours is in there I'll flick you and off line email.
