Hi all, I’m fairly new here, but I’m practically a fruititarian lol. Love fruit.
Anyway, I’m at the beginning of a new raspberry breeding project. Usually i can be found on the alan bishop homegrown goodness or open source OSSI plant breeding forums working on various breeding projects, Like watermelon.
Anyway, the species that will be the main species i want to use is Rubus deliciosus, a native raspberry to my area. And delicious it is. I had one berry and it literally was the most delicious raspberry I’ve ever had in my life!
The problem is that for any good plant breeding project the more genetic diversity you have the better recombinat offspring you can select from. You can’t select good genetics if they aren’t there to begin with. Thus i am desperateley looking for someone in Arizona or New Mexico to help me find and ship a plant of Rubus neomexicanus to Colorado. It is a highly related subspecies.
I have already bought Rubus ‘benenden’ from Washington, a hybrid between Rubus deliciosus and Rubus trilobus. A hybrid popular in the UK.
Yeah, i don’t know about heat tolerance of Rubus deliciosus. It likes zone 5 and handles arid dry conditions. Though since Rubus neomexicanus is a sub species they both may have that ability.
Rubus ‘Benenden’ is a hybrid with a south american species “Rubus trilobus” which apparently likes wetter conditions, though may also take heat. Though I’m not sure where in south america.
If anyone is in the Arizona, New Mexico, South Utah, Southern Wyoming, or Colorado areas I am interested in help collecting diverse genetics for either Rubus deliciosus or Rubus neomexicanus (a subspecies). I figure if you are in Arizona, S. Utah, or New Mexico it is probably most likely Rubus neomexicanus and if you are in Colorado or Wyoming then it is Rubus deliciousus.
I have GPS coordiinates for those who are able to help. You can import these Excel files into “my google maps” https://www.google.com/maps/d/.
But basically I need help from people who are willing to go out and collect either seed samples or cuttings (hopefully with some roots) for collection. The best time to go looking for these plants is going to be in May-June when they are in full flower. I have edited the original post in this thread to include some photos. The leaves are very soft with rounded edges usually and often resemble strawberry leaves or currant / gooseberry leaves. They are usually long branched with 5ft long arching branches and have no spines with a reddish underbark. The flowers are large and similar to a wild rose flower but white.
Briefly, but i sadly wasn’t apt enough to keep it alive. I still need help getting a specimen. But i do have a seeding of Rubus bartonianus growing well.
This site lists Rubus neomexicanus, among others. They fellow who runs it is active on tropicalfruitforum under the handle Brian laufer and is pretty good about answering questions.
I’m at the (very) beginning of a similar project, though here in a very humid and hot z8, my goals are pretty modest: a good raspberry that won’t just sputter out and die here.
Hi everyone,
Would anyone be interested in chatting regarding sending different rubus varieties overseas? (Probably have to be seeds)
Im a berry (Rubus) collector in Melbourne, Australia and would love to start a network where we could trade varieties.
Thanks Joel
Hi, I bought some of the R. neomexicanus seeds from Raindance seeds and got very good germination. I will have to wait a year or 2 to see if the fruit live up to his description. I am in the humid subtropics in Australia, Zone 9-10 US scale, and the R.neomexicanus has done well over a very hot, humid Summer.
Good luck with growing and breeding it.
Hi all, i also bought seeds from Raindance awhile ago. They are still cold stratifying in the freezer.
But my second year? Rubus bartonianus has successfully survived the winter outdoors and is turning green again. I sprouted these from seeds from ARS GRIN.
The method i used was cold stratefying in the freezer for many months, then using a bit of wood glue to glue the seeds to a paper towel, then using light manual scarification using a hand file on one side of the seeds. Nicking the seed coat might also work. I can’t remember if these needed an extra winter to germinate or not or if that was the Rubus leucodermis seeds (very spiney!).
Hi, I treated the seeds from Raindance the same way I treated all my Rubus seeds. No sclarification and 4 weeks in a refrigerator at 4C in a solution of 1% -1.2 % Hydrogen Peroxide. The seeds take 4 to 8 weeks to germinate depending on temperature. I treat grape seeds the same way and have always had very good germination. This method works for dry seeds and wet, freshly extracted seeds. They usually germinate a bit faster.
When I started fooling around with breeding rubus I talked to Pete Tallmen about what’s the best method. Pete is the breeder who developed Niwot. He said rubus seeds do have a coating and he used sulfuric acid the strong version 90%. That’s too strong and dangerous so I used brand new never used battery acid. When I just say battery acid people think I took it from a battery, no that would be a bad idea. You can buy battery acid at most auto supply stores. These days you have to ask for it. It’s 30% I think? A lot weaker and easier, safer to use.
But you guys seem to be happy with your methods so if it’s not broke don’t fix it. Pete said blackberries have a thicker coating. I tested seeds to determine how long I needed to soak and 20 minutes worked well for me. The coats will come off but without treatment it can take up to two years. I’m sure some are going to sprout anyway from two weeks to two years. I did six cell seed trays and did them at various time. 20 minutes produced the most seedlings. I got some at 15 too. I soaked seeds in acid put them in the trays. Stuck them in the garage and stratified all winter. My garage is attached so about 40 degrees in there. In the spring I moved them outside. They need light to sprout. Worked very well. I get tons of seedlings.
