Save my Haskap/Honeyberrys... location issue?

General Fruit Growing
#1

In 2019 I ordered two Haskap/Honeyberry from OGW… Blue Pagoda, Blue Sea.

Their catalog says… likes 1/2 day to full sun in cooler areas, partial shade in hot regions, well drained soil.

I picked a location in the edge of my orchard and made a nice little raised bed for the two and planted them about 4’ apart. I added some compost to the planting holes, and mulched good and deep with pine bark mulch. They greened up that first year and looked great… until July… then one of them dropped all it’s leaves, and the other kind of struggled thru the rest of that year, not looking well at all.

The location I planted them in gets sun from around 9 am until 4 pm… and my guess is my location (Southern Middle TN, Zone 7a) must be considered a “hotter region” because they sure have not liked the location (except in the spring).

Last year to my suprise they both leafed out again and looked pretty good, thru May, June… and into July again, dropping leaves, leaves curling up, etc… One does this much worse than the other… and I was just sure that it was dead.

Well while pruning lots of stuff this weekend I took a good look at both of them and could see some green showing up on both. They are both alive and leafing out again.

Below is what they looked like this evening. The one that is closest in the pic, that has the most green on it now, is the one that I thought was dead, it drops it leaves first when they start to suffer.

Haskap

Just to the west of them in that pic, you can see where I was prepping a planting spot where I plan to put a couple of Black Raspberries. That will be due west of the Honeyberry and may give them a little late evening shade… but I doubt that will be enough.

Other than moving them to a different location, is there a good, long term solution to giving something like this more shade? Build something, like a lattice, to let some light thru, but not full sun ? Shade Cloth over some structure ?

I have just been giving them some balanced organic fertilizer a couple times a year… about now and again end of May.

What else can I do to help these babies pull thru ?

Thanks

TNHunter

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#2

Just a thought is to try to create seasonal shade, not year-round deep shade. For instance, build a platform-type trellis over the top of them, one that is about 8x8 or so. Then grow some type of vining crop up onto the trellis and over the top of the haskaps. I’ve grown bottle gourds and luffa on this type of trellis for instance, but you could also do some type of smaller squash (ones that don’t get killed by squash vine borers though), etc. I’ve used this type of shade to start lettuce under in spring that then gets more shade as it gets warmer and isn’t as quick to bolt. Whatever you grow just make sure it is hardy and won’t die out on you early and of course that it doesn’t make giant fruit like 40 lb watermelons that would be hard to support. Or you could also put up a nice wire all along the south side (almost directly over the haskaps) and grow muscadines or concord or other grapes on it.

Either way, the idea is that in the spring either the newly planted vining veggies or well-pruned grapes let most of the light through to the plants to support good growth and hopefully fruit development, but as it gets hotter the foliage is growing in and creating more and more shade to protect from summer heat from direct sun. I once visited @ZombieFruit in PA and he was using grapes to create shade for his currants, which I thought was genius.

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#3

That is s good idea Zendog…

I was just looking at the two goumi bushes that I started last year in my food forest bed… and they grew from just a few sprigs to near 5 ft tall last year and pretty thick too… but right now there is really no foliage on them, no leaves, no blooms, but that will come.

If I planted something like a goumi just west of them a few feet… I wonder if that might do the trick.
They would get the nitrogen fixing benefit, and shade from the goumi.

I could prune the goumi as needed if giving them too much shade.

Hmmmm…

Got to run now… supper time.

I will definitely think on that some more.

Thanks

TNHunter

#4

i have been trying to grow honeyberries in Z8a, mine just don’t grow much, but they are green and healthy year round. i do need to keep them watered well during the summer heat. I think afternoon shade would probably be ideal for them.

#5

I’ve got a couple of haskap growing in 5b/6a Colorado. They get shade in the summer starting about 1 pm and see frequent days of 90+ heat. Although they have not lost all their leaves during the summer they refuse to grow well or come anywhere close to thriving. I’d be interested to find anyone growing them successfully in hot summer conditions to pick their brain.

#6

Just starting my honeyberry journey, but in the thread

I believe it is discussed that it is normal for them to look very sad in the summer, especially in your zone. I am pushing it in z6A. Apparently they enjoy the cold as much as Polar Bears.

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#7

My understanding of haskap is that this normal. They go dormant in summer once consistent temps of 90+ are sustained for a period of days. They are still alive, just dormant. They produce early in the season so hopefully they’ll have had a crop you harvested before they go dormant. This is what I’ve read about them at least.

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#8

Yes the last few posters got it right. Mine here in 5b look sad in the summer and we rarely hit 90.My honeyberries only get about 3 or 4 hours direct sun, seems to be plenty. And mine only grow in the spring. They keep getting bigger and bigger each year.
This is the north side of my house. 2 story colonial. Where I grow them.

On the far right unnetted is a Crandall currant that produces hundred of berries. Nice to get such good production in almost total shade. Same with the honeyberries.

@TNHunter You could build a PVC frame like the one pictured. and put shade cloth over it. May look like crap though. Mine stays out all winter. The net is just draped over it, not attached. A 15x15 from American Netting. The PVC (actually it’s CPVC) is not glued, you can take apart.

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#9

Sounds normal for honeyberries. They have a summer dormancy and a winter dormancy. After they put all their energy into leafing and fruiting, they start to get brown / discolored and look like they are sick and dying. You will think all is lost and want to tear them out.

Then winter comes.

Then spring comes.

Then green leaf and fruit. The cycle continues.

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#10

Thanks all… glad to hear that this is somewhat normal…

I do think I could improve the situation with some shading. Perhaps March - April no shade… May June 30%… July August Sept 50%… then back to none.

If I can just get them to keep leaves another month or two… that should help with growth and fruit production.

I may still put a goumi in close for nitrogen supply.

TNHunter

#11

Just a few thoughts on growing over your honeyberries: 1) Choose a vine/tree that is no- or limited-spray. Two out of my three grape varieties are great (no spray outside of dormant) and the other often needs sprayed… usually around the time my gooseberries are starting to ripen. 2) Try to match up an “overstory” that does not produce shade until late, with an understory that gets an early start. Grape works well in this regard. I have heard, but I cannot confirm, that persimmon also are late to providing shade. 3) Depending on the amount of shade that is provided, it may delay ripening of the bush underneath. I think my gooseberries are delayed by ~1 week in the current system. If you are growing honeyberries to be your first yield of the season, then maybe you do not want to slow them down by a week.

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#12

Indeed. Some varieties lose leaves and go dormant in heat worse than others…but I don’t want to pretend I’m the expert on that. Maybe there’s a test-comparison out there somewhere on the internet?

But, if they keep coming back the next year…then it’s no biggie…except for the unkempt looks of the plants.

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#13

even here in z3b they start to look ratty by mid july. they hold onto their leaves but they are yellow brown until oct. when they finally fall…

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#14

Hey ZombieFruit… I do my best not to spray - anything - ever… I have used Spinosad, Neem, DE, but that is about it. No worries with me spraying anything dangerous on anything me or my family/friends will be eating.

My Honeyberry’s are leafing out nicely, looking good now and I thought they were surly dead.

Hope to get a few berries this year. I saw a few berries last year early on, but they dropped before ripening. Would be nice to get to try a few this year.

We have a little cold snap coming in here… just as my peaches are starting to bloom.

Lows predicted for the next few nights starting with tonight (Thursday 3/18) 39 39 36 42 51 54 54 52.

We can take that… but would be nice to keep those lows up in the 40’s and 50’s for the next month or so. No peaches, apples or grapes last year… sure would be nice to get some this year.

BlueBerry - you are right about the unkempt looks… I would much rather they keep those leaves and I will try giving them some shade this year to see if that helps.

TNHunter

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