We started keeping records for the various varieties but got over whelmed and quit. We saw differences but could not determine which ones we liked best overall. We were amazed by how easy they were to grow and how tall some varieties got with just a little nitrogen. Hope to focus more this year on which varieties we like best and why.
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I have been growing named varieties for the past 2 years in zone 8A South Carolina and to date my best producers are Ranch and Pocahontas. Wyldewood, Nova, York and Bob Gordon put on lots of growth but didnāt yield as much so Iām hoping theyāll shine in their third year. They all get pruned back to around 6" tall each year to keep them a manageable size and even with -1F arctic blast wind chills this month the apical tips of all varieties are budding out with healthy leaves.
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I am curious about Pocahontasā¦ it got alot of hype without much more than words. I got a few of them going but i dont think ive even seen a picture of themā¦
There was another variety called āOzarkā that came around last year then kind of vanishedā¦ according to this scientific articleā¦it seems like a good oneā¦
This place lists them for saleā¦ but just like most every other plant i wantā¦they dont ship.
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Very comprehensive info on the varieties. Iām going to have to look at that pretty hard. Two of those are from P Byers who is the small fruit researcher at MU who has been a big part of the explosion of Elderberries in the midwest. Looks like Ozark and Ozone are his selections too but I have never seen them for sale anywhere.
$18 for a gallon pot seems pretty high. I sold a bunch this fall for $10. I may be too cheap.
My Poco produced a fair amount of fruit in year 1. They look to be a smaller plant and I saw a research report somewhere where they were the highest yielding variety in the study.
Here is one of several video from P Byers at MU.
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Do you have a plan for using all that fruit?
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I found this description.
āOzarkā elderberry also released by the same team from the University of Missouri, but this plant was collected near Deer, Arkansas, This elderberry has the highest sugar content of any named elderberry
Here is a presentation by P. Byers and he discusses Ozark trials.
However Marge seems to be nearly double production of the others. With brix only slightly lower than Ozark.
Marge seems to be a better variety.
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Here are two photos from my Pocahontas in its second year late spring after being cut back completely to the ground. I neglected to take a photo of the fruit set but the flower cymes were very large at 18" wide.
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We use the fresh fruit to make elderberry syrup every year and fresh freeze whatever we have in surplus.
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Thanks for posting the most useful report I have seen.
Yield and insect/disease resistance on Marge looks great. I did notice that it is considered to be a āEuropeanā variety (Sambucus nigra), which would probably require a change in my pruning technique. Iām going to plant a row of Marge and see how well they do in my 7B climate. Looks like they were tested in 5B/6A
Interesting that I saw C Finn as a cooperating researcher on the report.
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I checked out your website. Do you have any plans to process and sell any type of Elderberry products like juice or elixirs from your wensite?
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marge is actually a hybrid of American and European elders. i believe it was discovered in the wild.
We just really dont do sugar anymore ā¦ and i cant believe that adding any kind of sweetner to elderberries (even raw unfiltered honey) is going to make them more effictive.
We favor elderberry tea now days.
I made my wife some last nightā¦ steeped dehydrated elderberry and hibiscus petals about 5 min. No sugar added.
I might try a no sugar tincture sometime.
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I saw it was a cross between American and European but it looks like it does not produce fruit on new wood the same way American Elders do. I belie that would require selective pruning rather than cutting the canes to the ground like I do now.
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Marge is an open pollinated seedling of Haschberg in which Marge Millican planted and selected. She also released āWyldewoodā
āHaschbergā was selected in Austria by Marge Millican in 2001.
Marge Millican - Wyldewood Cellars Winery, Mulvane, Kansas
In a four-year study (one establishment year followed by 3 production years; 2008ā2011) at three Missouri (USA) locations, āMargeā significantly out-performed and out-yielded eight American elderberry genotypes within the same replicated field plots.
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Not at the moment as we just sell the syrup locally and use the rest for our family. Perhaps when I have more elderberry planted that will change.
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Was it hard to work through the rules and regulations in SC required to process and sell those type of products?
I have not been able to find anything that details the required steps. I get bogged down on things like SSOP, GAP and others. Local extension has been no help.
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Looks like the pollination partner for Marge is unknown but the researchers decided it is very similar to European Elderberries including itās DNA. I marked the phrase below as a keypoint and ordered some some plants to test in my area. In addition to yield, does not seem to have mite problems like some American Varieties. I have seen the mite problems first hand. I did not spray but a low dose of lightweight horticultural oil is the recommended fix. I would prefer not to spray the oil so perhaps Marge is the solution.
"While the TRAP analysis herein was not exhaustive, these DNA marker results, combined with the phenological and morphological factors described above underscore our assertion that āMargeā is indeed S. nigra subsp. nigra .
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You would have to get certified through Clemson and prepare and process it in a certified kitchen. I only make a couple jars available each year if there is a surplus.
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I have some Adamās elderberry here in West Virginia.
I keep them mostly for the mid summer blooms , that seem to be good for beneficial insects. Many ( hopefully beneficial ) insects feed on the flowers.
However , when Berrys get ripe they are just a cloud of SWD. Fruit flies. Does not make me want to pick them. And I wonder about them just being a breeding ground for SWD. ?
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check out thebaileyfarm.com. theyāre in central Maine and sell elder products and rooted/ unrooted cuttings.
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