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Post by reed on Mar 12, 2015 7:18:03 GMT -5
Does anyone have experience or advice on growing this plant. Sounds like a wonderful thing to get started. Are they as yummy as described by the sellers? I got the three kinds below from a grower on E-bay and trying to decide where to plant them. Blue Moon Sweetberry Edible Honeysuckle - HaskapBlue Velvet Sweetberry Edible Honeysuckle - Haskap Sugar Mountain™ Balaiaika Sweetberry Edible HoneysuckleWill they cross with Japanese Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica? It is extremely common around my place. How about the Japanese, does it have any food qualities or toxicity issues to worry about? We ate tons of its juice as kids and lived so I doubt that's a problem but wondering what seeds I would get if they did cross. [add] just found this www.fruit.usask.ca/haskap.html looks like lots of good info if anyone else is interested in these plants |
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Post by ferdzy on Mar 12, 2015 10:45:16 GMT -5
I've grown them for a couple of years and for me they have been very trouble free. The flavour is pleasant but not spectacular - we detect a note of bitterness even in the better cultivars. However, they are very nice cooked, and the fact that they fruit so early in the year and are so self-sufficient makes them useful.
Once the birds discover them you will probably have to net them, but that seems to be it in terms of difficulities so far. They are attractive landscape plants too, so we have planted them outside of the "edibles" garden in the "ornamental" section where they fit in very nicely.
No idea about crossing; I'm not planning to grow any out.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Mar 12, 2015 15:21:25 GMT -5
been growing them for five or six years. seems like they tend towards sour unless absolutely soft-ripe. not spectacular flavor, but good, and way better dead-ripe. definitely haven't had any issues with pests or disease.
no idea on the cross. don't know much about honeysuckle genetics, but it seems like there are a whole lot of them.
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Post by reed on Mar 15, 2015 5:40:27 GMT -5
The info at the university said they liked or maybe just tolerate wet clay. I have a spot like that so that's where I put them. It also has some afternoon shade so maybe they won't get scalded by the sun as the paper said they might in a warmer climate. The university info also mentioned they can be bitter, I don't mind sour but I hope not bitter. In any event something that grows easily on its own, isn't bothered by deer and makes a nutritious fruit is welcome in my yard.
It sounded like the focus of the breeding is on making them machine harvestable rather than more tasty.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Mar 22, 2015 8:52:46 GMT -5
daffodils are just starting to open around here. the honeyberries have been in full bloom for almost a week and are mostly leafed out.
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Post by reed on Mar 23, 2015 19:32:24 GMT -5
Now I'm worried. Our daffodils are just starting but only one of my honeyberries has started to bud. They were tiny little things in 4" pots so hopefully they will come along.
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Post by raymondo on Mar 24, 2015 20:34:54 GMT -5
I find deciduous plants take a year to settle in. First season they are often late. I like to think they are busy underground building up a root system.
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Post by steev on Mar 24, 2015 23:37:04 GMT -5
My honeyberry is ~8 years old; it's never had any problems, nor has it produced much, perhaps because it's alone. It's tough, never having been irrigated during the past 3 years of drought. My narcissus were mostly gone a month ago.
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Post by reed on Mar 25, 2015 4:56:29 GMT -5
That's what I'm hoping, that they are busy growing roots and will bud out soon. Steev, yes, yours is lonely, all the info I find on them says they definitely need a cross pollinator.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Mar 25, 2015 15:55:36 GMT -5
they are tough little rascals. crossin' fingers for you, reed.
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Post by steev on Mar 25, 2015 18:54:03 GMT -5
I'm cross; how should I pollinate it?
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Post by reed on Mar 25, 2015 21:09:38 GMT -5
Just spend a little quality time, let it know you care.
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Post by steev on Mar 25, 2015 23:46:08 GMT -5
S'pose it wants me to kiss it first?
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Post by reed on Mar 26, 2015 4:34:17 GMT -5
Of course, then a little sweet talking. Something like "hey honey, how about some berries"?
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Post by reed on Apr 2, 2015 3:07:29 GMT -5
Yea, all three of my honeyberries are finally showing signs of life. Two are slowly starting to leaf out. The other one that I thought for sure was dead is now the best of all, instead of leafing out on the existing stems it is getting strong looking new shoots from the base.
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