Small Fruit Production

1
Small Fruit Production

• Teryl R. Roper
• Dept. of Horticulture
• University of Wisconsin-Madison

2
Small Fruits for Wisconsin

• Strawberry
• Raspberry
• Blueberry
• Cranberry
• Lingonberry

• Juneberry
• Currants
• Gooseberry

3
Soils for berries

• Well drained loamy soils
• High organic matter
• Amend with compost, etc.
• pH between 6.0 and 7.0
• Except blueberries lingonberries(4.5 to 5.5)

4
Site preparation

• Begin the year before planting
• Soil test add P, K fertilizer if needed
• Adjust pH (if needed possible)
• Control perennial weeds
• Cultivation
• Non-residual herbicides
• Add organic matter
• Manure, green manures, compost

5
Obtaining Plants

• Purchase plants from a reputable nursery
• True to name
• Disease free
• Virus indexed
• Dont save, dont share
• Arrange for spring delivery

6
Strawberry Plant

• Crown
• Leaves
• Stolons (runners)
• Roots
• Trusses (flowers and fruit)
• Plantings last 3-5 years

7
Flower Truss
25-40
25-40
Crown
50-10
Roots
Stolon or Runner
8
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary
9
(No Transcript)
10
Stolons or Runners
11
Strawberry Flower
Petals
Anther
Stigma
Style
Receptacle
Achene
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
Fruiting Habits

• June bearers Short Day
• Everbearers Long Day
• Day Neutral Insensitive

15
Day Neutral Strawberries

• Based on a collection of F. virginiana made in
  Utahs Wasatch mountains by Royce Bringhurst,
  Breeder at UC-Davis.
• Incorporated into breeding program.
• Is now the basis for the strawberry industries in
  California, Florida and other warm climates.

16
Planting

• Spring after danger of frost past
• Proper depth
• Spread roots
• Firm soil around crown

17
PLANTING DEPTH
Shallow
Correct
Deep
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
Strawberry planting systems

• Matted Row
• 12 to 18 between plants
• 36 to 40 row spacing
• Beds 12-18 wide
• Runners encouraged

• Spaced Plant
• 6 between plants
• 36 to 40 row spacing
• Single plant row
• Runners removed

21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Spaced Plant System
25
Spaced Plant System
26
Remove blossoms the first year

• Promotes vegetative growth

27
Irrigation

• Strawberry is shallow rooted
• The soil must not dry out
• Require 1 to 2 inches per week

28
Winter Mulch

• Straw 2-3
• Apply when soil freezes (late)
• Remove in spring as leaves emerge (early)
• Spun-bonded polyester row covers

29
Winter Protection
3 to 4 inches of clean straw
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
Place mulch between rows
34
Dead ?
Alive ?
35
Frost Protection

• Proper site is important
• Tarping is the best and easiest solution in home
  gardens
• Tarps
• Blankets
• Row cover material

36
Renovation

• Begin immediately after harvest
• Control weeds
• Mow leaves if leaf diseases serious
• Narrow rows
• Place soil around crowns
• Incorporate mulch
• Fertilize

37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
Rows vs. Patch

• Linear feet of row edge ? Yield
• Square feet covered ? Yield

41
Fertility

• Amend soil before planting
• Do Not add fertilizer before harvest
• Get leaves, not fruit

42
Fertility

• Year 1 when runners form apply
• ¾ to 1 ½ lbs ammonium sulfate OR
• ½ to 1/3 lbs urea per 100 feet of row
• Bearing years at renovation AND one month later
  apply
• ½ lb ammonium sulfate OR
• 1/3 lb urea per 100 feet of row
• Water thoroughly

43
(No Transcript)
44
(No Transcript)
45
Cultivars

• June bearing
• Earliglow
• Honeoye
• Cavendish
• Jewel
• Sparkle

• Day neutral
• Tribute
• Tristar
• Seascape

46
Questions?
47
Raspberries
48
Raspberry Plant

• Woody perennial
• Crown
• Roots
• Canes Primocanes floricanes
• Leaves
• Flowers

49
Raspberry Plant

• Biennial growth and fruiting habit
• Primocanes
• Floricanes
• Plantings last 8-10 years

50
Tips
Floricanes
Side Branches
Primocanes
Crown
Roots
Crown Buds
51
Immature Buds
70
Fruit buds
20
6
4
Leader Bud
Roots
52
Stigma
Style
Anther
Filament
Ovule
Receptacle
53
(No Transcript)
54
Raspberry Fruiting Habits

• Summer Bearing
• Fruit on one year old floricanes
• Fall Bearing
• Fruit on primocanes

55
Planting Raspberries

• In the spring after danger of frosts is past
• Just lower than in the nursery

56
(No Transcript)
57
Planting Systems

• Rows
• Plants 2-3 feet apart in rows
• Rows 6-10 feet apart
• Hills
• 4 X 4 feet apart

58
Hill System
59
(No Transcript)
60
Hill System
61
(No Transcript)
62
(No Transcript)
63
(No Transcript)
64
(No Transcript)
65
(No Transcript)
66
(No Transcript)
67
Pruning Raspberries

• Summer
• Remove fruited floricanes
• Thin out new shoots
• Dormant
• Head floricanes by ¼
• Remove weak or damaged wood
• Thin canes to 4-6 per foot of row

68
(No Transcript)
69
(No Transcript)
70
BEFORE
AFTER
71
(No Transcript)
72
(No Transcript)
73
(No Transcript)
74
(No Transcript)
75
(No Transcript)
76
(No Transcript)
77
Fertility

• 4 to 6 cups high N fertilizer per 100 feet of
  row
• Timing
• Early spring (early May)
• Late spring (early June)

78
Harvesting

• Red, yellow, black raspberries
• The cap pulls clean leaving the receptacle
• Blackberries
• The receptacle is removed along with the fruit

79
(No Transcript)
80
Other Brambles

• Black raspberries R. occidentalis
• Purple raspberries R. neglectus
• Interspecific hybrids
• Boysenberries red x blackberry
• Tayberries red 4 x black 8
• Blackberries Many species

81
Raspberry Cultivars

• Summer Bearing
• Boyne
• Nova
• Killarney
• Reveille
• Titan

• Fall Bearing
• Autumn Britten
• Autumn Bliss
• Ruby
• Heritage

82
Raspberry Cultivars

• Yellow
• Goldie
• Kiwigold
• Fall Gold

• Purple
• Brandywine
• Royalty

83
Bush Fruit

• Blueberries
• Juneberries
• Gooseberries
• Currants
• Red
• Black
• Culture is very similar

84
Bushfruit Plant

• Woody perennial
• Crown
• Roots
• Canes

85
Planting

• In the spring after danger of frost
• Plant at same depth as nursery
• Make sure roots are spreading, not spiraling
• Water immediately

86
Pruning

• Renewal pruning
• Remove the oldest 3-5 canes
• Thin out small weak shoots
• Keep the canopy from becoming dense

87
Fertility

• Apply a small amount of high N fertilizer in the
  spring each year
• Base on growth and vigor

88
Currants Gooseberries

• Less popular
• Thorny
• Used in cooking
• Cleaning fruit isdifficult

89
Currants Gooseberries

• Do best in good soils
• With adequate light
• Regular irrigation
• Very winter hardy

90
Planting

• Set plants 1-2 inches deeper than in the nursery
  to promote stronger roots
• Set plants 3-4 feet apart

91
Fertilizing

• Heavy Nitrogen feeders
• Add OM to soil pre-plant
• If lack vigor add ¼ cup of high N fertilizer per
  plant

92
Before
After
93
(No Transcript)
94
Cultivars

• Currants
• Red Lake
• Rovada
• White Imperial
• Black Currants
• Consort
• Crusader
• Titania

• Gooseberries
• Pixwell
• Captivator
• Hinnonmaki Red
• Hinnonmaki Yellow

95
Blueberry Production

• Adapted to acid soils
• Must prepare soil before planting
• Must provide winter protection
• Half-high types are best suited to Wisconsin

96
Soil Preparation

• Add copious amounts of organic matter
• Add sulfur at least 1 year prior
• Cultivate to make soil loose, friable.
• Soils with high carbonate content cannot have
  pH adjusted

97
Excavate Replace
No peat
Peat
98
(No Transcript)
99
(No Transcript)
100
Winter Protection
101
Grapes

• Vitis labrusca
• Blue grapes also known as fox grapes. Native to
  western hemisphere. Hardy.
• V. vinifera
• Wine grapes native to Europe. Not hardy
• French-American hybrids
• Hybrids are marginally hardy

102
Grape Plant

• Roots. Root readily from cuttings
• Trunk. May be single or split
• Cordon. Horizontal permanent stems
• Canes. One year old wood. Current season
  growth, too.
• Spurs. Canes pruned off short. 2-3 buds
• Tendrils. Twining structures borne opposite
  leaves or clusters. Helps hold vines to trellis

103
One year old cane
Current season cane
Cluster
Tendril
104
(No Transcript)
105
Hardiness

• French hybrids
• -10F bud and trunk injury
• -20F kill buds and trunks
• American types
• -20F would cause crop reduction

106
Grape training
Training
107
Cordon/Spur
108
Cordon/Cane
109
Head/Spur
110
Head/Cane
111
(No Transcript)
112
Cane vs. Spur
113
J system for cold climates
114
Spur pruned rose
115
Balanced pruning

• American types
• 30 plus 10 system
• 30 buds for first pound of prunings
• 10 buds for each additional pound
• French hybrids
• 20 plus 10 system
• Dont exceed 40-50 buds

116
(No Transcript)
117
Pollination

• Grapes with perfect flowers are self fruitful
• Some wild types have male and female plants.
  Male plants produce flowers, but never produce
  fruit.

118
(No Transcript)
119
Propagation

• Cuttings root easily
• Cut canes with three nodes (bud)
• Put two buds below ground one above
• Vines will readily root and grow
• Can also tip layer

120
Fertility

• Annual nitrogen application in spring
• May need additional potassium
• Micronutrients rarely needed
• Tissue testing based on petioles

121
Questions?
122
Review

• Correct Site
• Correct Species
• Correct Cultivar
• Correct System
• Pre-plant preparations
• Careful Culture