Are you picking them a few days after they turn blue? Or waiting like two or three weeks? Because they turn blue waaaaaaay before they sweeten up and develop flavor.
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yea, like persimmons and some others they are astringent and need to be fully ripe before picked.
If you cut one in half you will see it is still greenish inside and that is not done. They’ll be deep blue/purple when done (and also slightly soft)
I don’t go by softness it is difficult with berries imo. I just wait a while then cut 1 in half and if it is done I figure most of the rest probably are. They also basically fall off the plant when fully done if you slap it with your finger and it falls it is done
The bigger they grow the sweeter they get, this goes for the bush too after a few years they’ll be the full size berry but if the plant is still a small plant it won’t have full size berries either.
As far as “good flavor” it’s all matter of opinion, the one that is probably the sweetest is blue banana Blue Banana Honeyberry Haskap
and also Honey Beast Honeyberries (PPAF) early-mid season 12cm Zones 2-7
These both are russian types and will pollinate each other
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yea sounds like they don’t like it there, whatever it is. hard to tell since so many variables. They also have some of the most shallow roots of any plant (certainly the most shallow of any I’ve ever grown) they grow along the very surface and want constant moisture.
I agree with your methods though. If something doesn’t grow well for me I don’t bother, there are tens of thousands of fruiting plants to grow.
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I see, thank you for the information! I will give them more years then to grow bigger, and hopefully sweeter. That is good advice on cutting them in half and checking the color.
Since they are still just two years old, I think I will also move them to a place with more shade and where the soil is moister.
Mine still have green leaves on October 11th in zone 4a, Wisconsin.
Pretty sure 2 out of my 3 are dead, the remaining live one will inevitably die. This was a failed experiment for my area, the only possible way to succeed would be to keep them in pots and move them depending on the time of year. Not worth it to me, maybe one day I’ll try some fruit some other way. Good luck all on this journey but I will be off the honey berry train for the foreseeable future haha
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They might be alive and just summer dormant. I thought mine were dead the first year then they woke up at the end of Feb. I was like WTF
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i thought mine died the first year because they go dormant in the summer as well. but they all like leafed out beautifully in march.
heres one in late march after completely turning black and losing all leaves in august.
And theyre doing it again this year LOL
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Yeah well this was the third year and mine did the same each year, but each year with less vigor. This year was the first year not a single one bloomed, so I think they will never gain enough vigor to come back strong, as so far they come back much weaker than even when I purchased them.
Ahh that sucks. Mine have done a slow crawl, I’m netting them this spring to give the berries a chance since they got cleaned out last year. If I’m not WOW’d by them I’m gonna dig them out. This will be year 4 I think for 2 of 3.
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