Author Topic: Haskap  (Read 6662 times)

Tropicdude

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Haskap
« on: April 12, 2013, 04:57:25 PM »
Haskap Lonicera caerulea has anyone grown these in Florida / Hawaii ?  do they require cold period (chill hours ) like Blueberries ?

The only information I could find for climate, is how cold hardy they are, but have seen a few post by people in N. Fla and Texas that have grown them.  and one article mentions that they may make their way to Florida someday.  one recommendation is that in hot areas they be grown in partial to full shade.  plus it seems they like humidity over dry. 





William
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Jackfruitwhisperer69

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2013, 06:15:24 PM »
Hi William,
A friend in Austria is growing and producing them very well in her temperate climate 8). I reckon they won't produce in a lowland situation.
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fruitlovers

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2013, 01:55:24 AM »
Steven is right. The haskap is not going to produce in lowland tropics. At very high elevation you may be able to get a good crop out of them.
Oscar

Tropicdude

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2013, 03:25:13 AM »
I guess I'll wait till new varieties are released, there is a heavy breeding program for these going on as i write, a new hybrid will be released this year. seems this fruit has promise.

commercial berry growers are really interested in it because it fills a gap in the season. 

anyway I found some additional info here:
 http://www.fruit.usask.ca/haskap.html

And a US source here with info on the varieties,  in case some of the other members in cooler zones are interested.
http://honeyberryusa.com/honeyberry-plants-1.html
William
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TriangleJohn

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2013, 09:34:24 AM »
I grow a few varieties here in Raleigh NC. They need shade and regular watering during our hot summer. The bushes never get as big here as they do up north. The fruit is nothing special, kinda sour. Blueberries are easier and produce more in my climate and ripen about the same time.

Tropicdude

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2013, 01:24:01 PM »
I grow a few varieties here in Raleigh NC. They need shade and regular watering during our hot summer. The bushes never get as big here as they do up north. The fruit is nothing special, kinda sour. Blueberries are easier and produce more in my climate and ripen about the same time.

So many berries you can grow up there, I am berry starved down here in the tropics though, with no chill hours available, not many berry choices for me  :-\  I guess i will try strawberries. 

I remember picking wild blueberries in the 100 mile wilderness of Maine , very small pea sized berries but were delicious.   also when I was a kid, you could find wild blackberries growing just about everywhere on thorny vines.    I like my tropical fruits, but miss the berries too.
William
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fruitlovers

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2013, 06:04:55 PM »
I grow a few varieties here in Raleigh NC. They need shade and regular watering during our hot summer. The bushes never get as big here as they do up north. The fruit is nothing special, kinda sour. Blueberries are easier and produce more in my climate and ripen about the same time.

So many berries you can grow up there, I am berry starved down here in the tropics though, with no chill hours available, not many berry choices for me  :-\  I guess i will try strawberries. 

I remember picking wild blueberries in the 100 mile wilderness of Maine , very small pea sized berries but were delicious.   also when I was a kid, you could find wild blackberries growing just about everywhere on thorny vines.    I like my tropical fruits, but miss the berries too.

I think you should try mulberries instead. You can get your berry fix in the tropics with them. Also there are some raspberries that will grow in the tropics. Rabbit eye blueberries are also possible.
Oscar

TriangleJohn

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2013, 08:19:53 PM »
I saw a lot of different blackberry or raspberry type plants being grown in Colombia and Ecuador. Not in the super tropical rainforest but not in the frosty areas either. Often called "Mora" which should really translate to Mulberry but they were definitely a Rubus species, not a Morus. I thought those long 'Pakistan' Mulberries grew in the tropics, they are supposed to be tasty.

Since my yard is small and space is at a premium, I grow a lot of berries and most of the fruit trees are pruned to stay bush size.

nullzero

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2016, 01:06:34 PM »
Can this topic be moved to temperate fruit, also Haskap southern range possibilities have not been figured out yet. There is no chill hour requirements reported to set fruit or flowers.

I then found this interesting document on more info with growing Haskap in southern ranges
http://www.fruit.usask.ca/Documents/Haskap/How%20far%20south%20can%20Haskap%20be%20grown.pdf

There is no defined cultivated southern limited yet, so it may be worth experimenting. From the information I have gathered so far, the Japanese genetics have a better chance of performing in southern locations. Some selections are more resistant to sunscald and mildew, these are the ones that would have a chance in Florida especially under shade cloth or under dappled shade in the yard.

I have found posts on gardenweb of posters which have said it has flowered and set fruit for them in Florida 8B.
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Caesar

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2016, 01:11:34 PM »
Should it be moved to Temperate Fruit? Sure, the subject is species from those latitudes, but the context is growing them in the Tropics. Though I suppose finding this thread might be easier going by point-of-origin for the species. I guess it's worth thinking over.

As far as I can tell, Mora denotes mulberry, with Zarzamora being blackberry, though some locales might drop the "Zarza" part for brevity's sake.

I tried two haskaps with compatible flowering times (since they're self-sterile): Blue Sea, and Blue Moon, planted in one-gallon pots. According to the info I've found, late bloomers do better than early ones in warmer regions. They grew well the first season, but eventually stopped progressing. They looked like they would have benefited from chill hours, but I can't say for certain. One of them (maybe Blue Sea) eventually lost all green growth, and never put on new growth. When I checked a couple of months later, it was dead and dry. The other one kept pushing small amounts of green growth periodically, but I killed it when I put it in full sun (D'oh!). That said, their prior situation was fairly bright as well, and that (coupled with low moisture from being root-bound) is probably what killed 'em off. If you've got space, I think they're worth experimenting with, but it's probably best to wait for (or contribute to) the development of more heat-tolerant varieties.

There are loads of berries that'll fruit in the tropics (and loads of species that deserve to be tested). The trick is figuring out which ones would best be tested. This guy grows loads of temperates without fuss (as do many of his lowland customers). If the segment they did on him on local TV is any indication, getting them to fruit is a matter of getting the right varieties (no more than 200 chill hours, preferably less), and giving them the appropriate care for a tropical environment. Here's the link (and the website's full of the different varieties he grows): www.nebaifruitgarden.com

As for me, under poor circumstances, most of my berries have survived (and a few have even thrived). Note, my soil is very poor, and I almost never fertilize (and I've only been at this proactively for 4 years). Too much on my plate at the moment, but I can't wait to see how they fare when I get a proper plot of land and a steady income for the materials they need. The Alpine Strawberries have been the most productive for me (despite even worse abuse than what i gave my other plants), but I've also got an unnamed blackberry, and three species of Raspberry (Rosifolius, 'Caroline' and 'Black Hawk'), as well as 'Cabot' Strawberry (which has been mostly unproductive, but I've gotten several small crops from my poorly-cared-for plants). The raspberries have been VERY vigorous for me (especially the black one), but they (the red one) only started producing now, after putting them in bigger pots in september.

As for tropical species, I have a young Black Mulberry tree, Cape Gooseberries, a few Muntingia seedlings, and two seedlings of Maclura cochinchinensis. Other species I've been meaning to test: Lonicera fragrantissima, Ribes aureum, Vaccinium floribundum, V. consanguineum, V. reticulatum, V. meridionale, Ugni myricoides, Austromyrtus 'Coppertops', Kunzea pomifera, Maclura tricuspidata, M. tinctoria, Rubus niveus, R. calycinoides, R. probus, R. 'Giant Raspberry of Jilin', R. moluccanus, R. reflexus, R. macraei, Maqui Berry, Goji Berry, and several more. I'm planning some breeding projects for tropical berries, but for now I have bigger hybrids to fry. ;)

So, if you're willing to test, there's endless possibilities. If you want a sure thing, there's still a few options left for you to get your berry fix.

nullzero

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2016, 02:43:33 PM »
You may find this document useful if you have not already seen it.

http://www.fruit.usask.ca/Documents/Haskap/MildewSunburnHaskap.pdf

Blue Sky Haskap most likely has mostly Russian genetics. Blue sea is a Japanese seedling selection from what I read. Perhaps the varieties were not the best selections to trial. May want to look into these varieties; Indigo treat, Boreal Blizzard, and the Yezberry (Solo and Maxine) selections. These all seem to be well bred Haskap selections with better disease and sun scald resistance.

I am going to be trialing Boysenberry, Bababerry, and working on germinating some R. Rosifolius seeds for south Florida.
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Zibnaf

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #11 on: January 20, 2016, 10:49:51 AM »
I grow these.  They taste delicious (tangy raspberry/blueberry mix) but aren't practical (very soft berries and short harvest season). 

They are meant for a northern climate, even my location in Toronto, Canada, is way too hot for them.  With my weather their season is early and very short (two weeks tops).  They were done fruiting by mid June and shutting down for the year, and they seem to need a lot of chill hours before they fruit again.

The breeding programs I'm aware of are attempts to expand their fruiting season and increase their durability for commercial production.  Current commercial production in Canada appears to be focused on preserves, juices, and wines. 
« Last Edit: January 20, 2016, 10:52:02 AM by Zibnaf »

Caesar

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2016, 10:58:47 PM »
You may find this document useful if you have not already seen it.

http://www.fruit.usask.ca/Documents/Haskap/MildewSunburnHaskap.pdf

Blue Sky Haskap most likely has mostly Russian genetics. Blue sea is a Japanese seedling selection from what I read. Perhaps the varieties were not the best selections to trial. May want to look into these varieties; Indigo treat, Boreal Blizzard, and the Yezberry (Solo and Maxine) selections. These all seem to be well bred Haskap selections with better disease and sun scald resistance.

I am going to be trialing Boysenberry, Bababerry, and working on germinating some R. Rosifolius seeds for south Florida.

Very helpful, thanks!

I'll look into those. Are they all pollination-compatible with one another (timing-wise)?

I've been wanting to get my hands on Boysenberry for a while, but my yard is full as it is. It gets frustrating, wanting to grow the world on a fraction of an acre.  ::)   Bababerry has my attention now. It, Autumn Britten and Caroline seem to be the most heat-tolerant Red cultivars I've seen so far. I have Black Hawk as well, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should've gotten Allen (both are heat resistant, and I've heard good and bad reviews for Black Hawk; not as much ambivalence on Allen's reviews). Rosifolius is fair for my palate, I don't get why it doesn't receive more attention, especially from the locals. I heard one guy claim them to be more productive than the Australian R. probus (which is commercialized), though that remains to be tested. I've had very bad luck trying to germinate brambles (which bodes ill for my breeding projects), so a friend of mine dug up my original Rosifolius right out of the mountain. So far, so good.


I grow these.  They taste delicious (tangy raspberry/blueberry mix) but aren't practical (very soft berries and short harvest season). 

They are meant for a northern climate, even my location in Toronto, Canada, is way too hot for them.  With my weather their season is early and very short (two weeks tops).  They were done fruiting by mid June and shutting down for the year, and they seem to need a lot of chill hours before they fruit again.

The breeding programs I'm aware of are attempts to expand their fruiting season and increase their durability for commercial production.  Current commercial production in Canada appears to be focused on preserves, juices, and wines. 

Well, they sound impractical, but I've got artificial selection on my mind, so I'm willing to take that challenge. I've got worse odds than this in my plans (think Tropical Serviceberries, Pistachios, and other odd projects and hybrids).

Sarah

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2017, 08:17:41 PM »
I know this is a long shot, but I'm looking for soneone that has some fresh seed available that would be happy to send to New Zealand, at my cost of course!

druss

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2017, 08:24:05 PM »
Tropicdude, try grapebush for some madiera island blueberry seeds vaccinium padifolium. Pretty good tasting and should happily fruit where you are. He also has a native elderberry that would do well.

BrianL

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #15 on: July 30, 2017, 12:58:23 AM »
So I had a plant turn crispy in summer . . . in the shade . . . .under a redwood.  Northern California isn't that hot compared to the tropics either.   

I talked to someone growing some in near coastal low chill SoCal and he had pics of "Solo" holding a few berries.  The one that held for me in NorCal has been Pacific Blue (I think).

crea2k

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Re: Haskap
« Reply #16 on: July 30, 2017, 04:27:34 PM »
Just an idea but you could always container grow some berries that need a moderate chill and then bring them into a house with air conditioning for a few weeks. Obviously no good for berries that need it really really cold, but would work for something that would make do with 12-15C to chill of you have a small room you could put it in with the ac on full blast. Another way would be to modify a freezer thermostat from -18c to around -2C so the freezer doesn't get super cold and then just sling them
In that with a small led grow light for a month or so.
The freezer idea would probably be the cheapest as you can pickup a cheap chest freezer for next to nothing and they are a lot cheaper to run constantly than air conditioning. Should work fine for strawberries or small blueberry bushes.
Commercial companies pretty much do the same thing but on a vastly larger scale.