Any updates on your first batch?
I’ve decided i don’t like smokey much so I’m prop jb30 and Martin this spring. moved germinated seeds from water bath in my fridge to coir yesterday.
using 100% coarse coir in standard flats. sprinkled osmocote + and water crystals at the bottom. melted holes into the end for drainage.
i will be using floranova grow nutrients and have the flats under led light covered in plastic for now…
1 Like
lost a few to damping off, started putting a few drops of bleach in the nutrient solution to help prevent this. probably was keeping them too wet. put a fan on them also to dry the surface a bit.
3 Likes
Will seedlings from the same variety be able to cross pollinate each other reliably? Like two JB30 seedlings?
1 Like
no clue about pollination, sorry
Please provide an update on this project, @TheDerek . Do you have any photos from the end of the season? Did you plant them out or are they still in your nursery?
Amelanchier produces seed both by cross-pollenation and by apomixis, so at least theoretically, some of those JB30 seedlings could essentially be JB30 clones.
I’m not sure cross-pollenation is required for fruit set… I’ve seen isolated Amelanchier specimens with heavy fruit set, and no potential cross-pollenizers within sight.
5 Likes
The ones from last year were grown for the summer in my garden and then transplanted last fall out to my land. unsure how many survived the winter as nothing is growing here yet. Ill post a picture of my seedlings that are still indoors under lights soon, some arent looking great, maybe nutrient deficiency or something, but most are still alive. I havent been giving them the attention they would like.
2 Likes
I bought two service berry varieties from Burnt Ridge a few weeks back. Have them planted in my orchard now.
One was described as being from Regent North Dakota… and being shorter and more bush like (6ft approx max height).
The other was expected to reach a height of 8-10 ft.
I noticed they were described as seedlings.
Are service berries known to remain same or similar to parent ? Seedlings dont stray a lot quality, or berry size, flavor wise ?
I have lots of wild serviceberry in the edge of my woods… hopefully with these two different varieties + wilds nearby… i get good pollination.
Are there specific varieties of serviceberry known to produce the best fruit? Perhaps grafted to rootsrock… rather than seedlings ?
Thanks
TNHunter
2 Likes
Serviceberry…
These plants are propagated primarily by seeds or rooted stem cuttings. The flowers are hermaphroditic (having both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees. They are self-fertile and don’t require a partner plant, although the addition of a second species should improve the berry production.Jul 10, 2011
Found that online.
1 Like
They arent easy to root, so most often propagated by seedlings. They should be pretty close to parent genetically unless you have unrelated varieties in the vicinity. Ive tried a few varieties and so far I like JB30 and Martin the best I think. Only named variety that i wasnt very impressed with was smokey. All the others seem pretty good. A friend likes honeywood the best and hes probably more of a plant expert than I am. I dont have honeywood myself.
1 Like
Autum Brilliance is mentioned a lot online… youtube, etc… popular variety evidently.
Possibly partly for its looks… evidently very pretty in the fall.
Yeah, I think thats strictly ornamental but im sure the fruit is edible. Likely not what youd expect from varieties specifically chosen for fruit however.
In what way were you not impressed with “ Smokey” ?
I like it a lot here in Wv.
Good production, excellent flavor ,resistant to leaf rust .
As good or better flavor than blueberries here.
What’s not to like about it ?
However, I have not tried the other varieties you mentioned.
From a site online
"Autumn Brilliance (Amelanchier × grandiflora) is a hybrid cross between two species of North American serviceberry, namely, A. arborea (downy serviceberry) and A. laevis (Allegheny serviceberry). "
In Colorado it is a beautiful showy tree that is mentioned in the native plant group because it is NOT one of the varieties native to the area but still grows well and puts on a lovely display in fall. They mention it because it doesn’t fill in the same niche as the straight species or nativars such as Regent or Smokey does.
As far as flavor there are a few posts on the forum saying they are actually one of the better tasting service berries…
Knowing both the pros an cons of them I am still thinking maybe it would be nice to add an Autumn Brilliance to my front yard.
2 Likes
its pretty common that different soils will affect fruit quality, so very possibly that my alkaline and high clay content just doesnt agree with that specific variety. The cultivars I mentioned in my area have larger and sweeter and more juicy berries.
3 Likes
My soil is heavy red clay, definitely not alkaline.
I hope to try those varieties you mentioned , ( JB- 30 and Martin ) ,soon ,to compare.
1 Like
These are my wild serviceberry…
They bloom mid march… and most have fruit set now.
I have marked these before and checked them in mid may… into june… and never found a berry left on one.
I figure my birds wipe them out.
I will try bagging some of these so I can hopefully get a taste.
I have one other wild berry here… deerberry.
It is just starting to bloom now.
The berries look similar to serviceberry… but they ripen late july into august. You can not find a ripe berry unless you bag them… i did one year and found out they tasted blaugh… had a little soap flavor. I wont bag them again… but do love the blossoms.
2 Likes