I thought mine died (fried brown leaves also) but now they are pushing some growth, we had some cooler temps in august than usual. Just in time for more heat and likely die back again. I just want to successfully get a few berries then I’ll give up haha
I guess this is one of those species that actually prefers our cool summers here. I did have some leaf dieback last year because I didn’t water them in summer, but this year I watered them once every two or three weeks and they seem quite happy (and the fall rains seem to be getting started early this year):
My numerous honeyberry bushes stay green all summer. They don’t lose their leaves until late fall.
I am in southern Indiana near Louisville, KY, zone 6B. I planted 6 honeyberries in late May of this year from Jung’s and Honeyberry USA. Two Aurora, 1 Berry Blue mostly to pollinate Aurora, 1 Boreal Beauty, 1 Boreal Blizzard, and 1 Boreal Beast.
For some inexplicable reason the Beast died, and it was the biggest plant with the best roots and was planted in the hole that looked to me to have the best soil. There is just no accounting for taste with plants or people.
I did plant them behind my pole barn facing east, so they only get sun until about 2 pm at the latest. I added a good bit of compost to each hole and did fertilize them at planting. I do water every week that we don’t get good rain, and mulched them with straw, although I could have done a better job with that, as the layer of straw is too thin.
They were all pretty small plants when I got them but have grown nicely (except Beast). I did have to put some wire around them as I noticed some deer nibbles.
The leaves as of mid-August are still hanging on and green. I think this is due to their half day shade location. It is supposed to be in the mid 90’s all next week, and getting very dry here with no rain in the forecast so we shall see what happens to the leaves.
I am hoping to taste a few berries next year. I had one lone berry on an Aurora, but when I went back to see if it was ripe, it was gone.
Mine looked dead last July and I had been planning to dig them out, then they woke up in Feb. So it might not be dead, just fried from heat possibly like my tundra, which will come back in February
If those bushes do survive, they are much too close to the fence. The mulch is a good thing.
No such a thing as poor spacing, only poor pruning.
Here’s one of my plants, they look a little better but still a bit fried. I recently moved them into 10 gal pots, they have a really good root system.
Browning leaves could be several things. Maybe they’re just done for the year?
Haskaps are the first plants to leaf out in spring, but also the first to go into fall-mode for me.
I have a few different varieties, and the leaves on russian/polish varieties turn brown in early August.
The american varieties I have seem to stay green for longer.
Sinij Utes:
Giants Heart:
Good news! My haskhap are leafing out again with the sun starting to become lower in the sky and less intense. The new growth seems to not be affected by sun scorch like the old leaves were. Of course the cooler weather helps too but it was in the 90s when it started showing buds.
My tundra has a few tiny leaves on it that started to grow recently since it’s been in the low 70s at night as opposed to 100 and humid outside during peak summer. Aurora and indigo gem look rough, but still have most leaves and not bare twigs lol.
My tundra looked completely dead last year and I was gonna dig it up this year since thought was dead. Then it woke up at end of Feb. So they survive getting baked, they just look absolutely awful/dead come august.
Well, all my five honeyberries made it through the string of 95 degree days and the drought conditions we are currently in. Everyone around is getting rain, but this area and the poor farmers’ corn is brown and crispy. The honeyberries have kept all their leaves and they are green. I do water every 7-10 days if no good rain. But I think having them in shade during the afternoon is the key here in zone 6, southern Indiana and hotter areas.
I have mostly given up on my honeyberries. We got what is considered good rain in my region this July, but between grasshoppers, spidermites, and then the lack of rain starting in September, the plants have crashed.
I have dug up the remaining six survivors and transplanted them closer to my house where they might get better care, but the survivors were in rough shape, and I don’t think they are going to make it.
I would like to note a couple of things. Both living and dead plants that I dug up had not rooted into the surrounding ground (with a couple of exceptions). The potted plants I got from one green nursery were severely rootbound and the roots were circling in the potting soill (which dries out quicker than the surrounding soil).
The plants I got from Honeyberry USA seemed to have rooted in the soil a bit, but none of these plants have the kind of root system they need to survive in my climate.
If the six I transplanted survive and thrive, I will let y’all no. But I think I’d have more luck growing blueberries in a pot instead of these plants.
Did you make sure to disentangle what you could and prune to encourage new growth? That makes all the difference with rootbound plants.
Yes … join us…
I threw out and gave away all of my Honeyberry bushes earlier this year. Between the battery acid fruits and the constant powdery mildew i gave all of their pots to the blueberries
My tundra, that around… August? Looked like it was deep fried, is putting out leaves now since it’s cooled down a ton
Indigo gem and Aurora seem to “survive” the metly sun but look pretty awful
Honeyberry foliage can look rather ratty by late summer. That is normal for them. Come spring they are fine again. The mildew can look ugly, but doesn’t seem to hurt the bush. They are not much for fresh eating, but make great flips, pies, etc. or add sugar and put frozen ones on cooked cereal. I like that you don’t have to pit them, hull them, or contend with seeds. Just be sure to net them well or the cedar waxwings will clean them out! After picking or knocking the berries, put them in a utility tub and blow with a cheapo leaf blower to clean them. I use a “Hyper tough” 100 cfm one I bought at Walmart.
Too late, all gone i don’t like fruit that i have to process to make edible. The name is a complete lie in regards to the fruit
whoever came up with that name for them needs to be slapped