Master Gardener Small Fruit Unit

1
Small Fruit Culture

• A Unit of the
• MSU Extension
• Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program

2
Backyard Fruit Production

• Michigan fruits blueberry, blackberry,
  raspberry, grape, strawberry, currant, gooseberry
• Easier to grow than tree fruits
• Fewer pesticides required
• Less pruning

Photos www.hort.purdue.edu
3
Strawberry Culture
www.uga.edu/
www.hort.purdue.edu
4
Strawberry Culture
www.sarep.ucdavis.edu
www.strawberryplants.com
Bare-root plants
Container plants
5
Strawberry Culture

• June-bearing strawberries
• Produce for 3-4 weeks in June to July
• Early-, mid- and late-season varieties available
• Larger yields
• Best if planning to freeze or make jam

6
Strawberry Culture

• Everbearing strawberries
• Fruit from mid-June through fall
• Flavor may be inferior to June-bearing varieties

7
Strawberry Culture

• Alpine a unique variety

www.publicradio.org
static.flickr.com
8
Site Selection

• Full sun
• Avoid low-lying areas
• Minimize Verticillium wilt
• Rotate to new site when reestablishing beds
• Do not follow Solanaceous vegetables

9
Soil Considerations
Work organic matter and fertilizer into soil
www.thegardenhelper.com
10
Planting
Too Deep
Too Shallow
Good Depth
11
Training Systems
Hill System
Illustratio eesc.orst.edu
12
Training Systems
Runners 6-8 apart
24
Spaced Runner System
www.umext.maine.edu
13
Training Systems
18
3-4
18-24
Planting year two rows
Second year one row
Matted Row System
Illustratio eesc.orst.edu
14
Establishing Plants

• June-bearing
• Remove flowers in first season
• Energy diverted to daughter production
• Everbearing
• Remove flowers for 60 days after planting
• Small fall crop in first season

Illustration pubs.caes.uga.edu
15
Unconventional Plantings
www.windowbox.com
www.whiteflowerfarm.com
16
Strawberry Fertilization
Collect soil sample
General Recommendation
1 pound 12-12-12 fertilizer per 100 square feet
www.gardenlady.com
Before Planting
17
Strawberry Fertilization
www.oznet.k-state.edu
After Planting
18
Strawberry Fertilization

• Fertilization the second season and beyond
• June-bearing plants
• 2 to 3 pounds 12-12-12 per 100-foot row after
  harvest
• Everbearing
• ½ pound 12-12-12- per 100-foot row
• Apply June, July, August, September

19
Mulching
www.oznet.k-state.edu
Mulch removed in spring can be used to control
weeds between rows
newscenter25.net
20
Irrigation
www.ekfoto.co.uk
21
Frost Protection
Floating row covers
www.boxtedberries.com
Frost-damaged flower
www.clemson.edu
22
Weed Control
Photo www.hardeecounty.com
23
Renovation After Harvest

• Four Steps
• Mowing plants
• Tilling between rows
• Thinning plants
• Fertilizing

www.oznet.k-state.edu
Set mower blade high to protect crown
24
Renovation After Harvest
Strawberry bed 1 week after mowing
ohioline.osu.edu
25
Harvest
www.canr.msu.edu
www.plowcreek.org
Berries with white tip not yet ripe
Fully ripened berries
26
Handling Harvested Fruit
Freeze berries or make jam just after harvest for
best flavor
www.tumanov.com
27
Strawberry Pests
Insect Pests
Spider mite damage
agnews.tamu.edu
White grub
Kim Rebek
Spittlebug
www.hort.cornell.edu
28
Strawberry Pests
Insect Pests
Leaf roller
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
Slug
Strawberry clipper
www.vegedge.umn.edu
Tarnished plant bug
www.ars.usda.gov
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
29
Strawberry Pests
Gray Mold
strawberry.ifas.ufl.edu
30
Strawberry Pests
Fruit Diseases
Stem end rot
Leather rot
Photos strawberry.ifas.ufl.edu
31
Strawberry Pests
Leaf Diseases
Clemson University USDA Cooperative Extension
www.nysaes.cornell.edu
Leaf spot
Leaf scorch
32
Strawberry Pests
Root Diseases
plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu
www.extension.umn.edu
Black root rot
Red stele root rot
33
Strawberry Pests
Verticillium Wilt
Photos strawberry.ifas.ufl.edu
34
Strawberry Pests

• Management
• Healthy plant stock
• Resistant varieties
• Renovation
• Weeding in and around beds
• Thin to allow evaporation and air circulation
• Crop rotation
• Fertility management

35
Bramble Culture
Raspberry
www.hort.purdue.edu - Rosie Lerner
Blackberry
36
Site Selection

• Avoid low-lying frost pockets
• Do not follow hosts of Verticillium wilt
• Brambles, strawberry, Solanaceous crops
• Soil
• Well-drained
• Loam to sandy-loam
• High organic matter content

37
Bramble Culture
Wild brambles harbor disease agents
Kim Rebek
38
Variety Selection
Blackberry
Raspberry
eesc.orst.edu
Cap
www.bakker.co.uk
hort.purdue.edu
39
Variety Selection
Summer-bearing Red Raspberries
Canby
Latham
www.spoonerfarms.com
www.tytyga.com
40
Variety Selection
Black Raspberries
Logan
Jewel
www.bloomingbulb.com
www.alcasoft.com
41
Variety Selection
Summer-bearing Purple Raspberries
Royalty
Brandywine
www.millernurseries.com
www.aaronscanna-amaryllis.com
42
Variety Selection
Fall-bearing Raspberries
Autumn Bliss
Heritage
Fall Gold
Redwing
www.parseed.com
www.tytyga.com
www.maes.umn.edu
www.boylanfarms.com
43
Variety Selection
Everbearing Raspberries

• Fruit produced twice on same canes
• Two distinct harvests
• Fall-bearing varieties
• Pruning differs between fall- and ever-bearing

44
Variety Selection
Erect Blackberries
Illini Hardy
Darrow
www.inberry.com
www.directgardening.com
45
Variety Selection
Trailing Blackberries
Chester Thornless
Thornfree
Hull Thornless
www.seedlingsale.org
www.ces.ncsu.edu
www.bakker.co.uk
46
Planting

• Certified pest-free stock
• Stock types
• One-year-old rooted suckers (bare-root)
• Tissue cultured (potted)

47
Preparing Soil

• Prepare soil 1 year ahead
• Green manure crops
• Work residues into soil
• Soil sample
• pH and nutrients
• Nematodes important

www.bhps.org.uk
48
Planting
res2.agr.ca
49
Planting
Hedgerow System
50
Planting
Hill System
5-6
51
Planting
Trellis System
www.umextmaine.edu
52
Fertilization
12-12-12 (N-P-K) Fertilizer

• 3-4 weeks after planting
• 1 to 2 lbs. per 100-foot row
• Second growing season
• 3 to 4 lbs. per100-foot row
• Third and subsequent seasons
• 5 to 6 lbs. per100-foot row

53
Irrigation
54
Pruning
oregonstate.edu
55
Pruning
Summer-bearing Red Raspberries
Thin rows in spring to 6-8 canes/foot
www.garden.org
www.bemisfarmsnursery.com
Tip early spring to chest height
56
Pruning
Black and Purple Raspberries
Summer
Spring
Tip 3-6 inches when canes 2-3 feet tall
Trim laterals to 8-10
Illustrations www.bemisfarmsnursery.com
57
Pruning
Everbearing Raspberries

• Remember
• New canes fruit in fall and again in spring
• Remove after second harvest

Tip canes to 3-4 in early spring
Illustration www.bemisfarmsnursery.com
58
Pruning
Fall-bearing Raspberries
Remove all canes to ground late winter/early
spring
Narrow rows to ½ - 2
½-2
59
Pruning
Erect Blackberries
Tip new canes when 3
Shorten laterals to 12-18
Illustration ohioline.osu.edu
60
Pruning
Trailing Blackberries
Spring pruning
61
Pruning
Trailing Blackberries
Above 3 feet, shorten laterals to 2-4 stub
Remove laterals less than 3 feet above ground
62
Pruning
Trailing Blackberries
Floricanes Remove in spring following fruiting
Primocanes Overwinter along ground
63
Pruning
Neglected Brambles
Kim Rebek
64
Pruning
Neglected Brambles
6 feet between rows
2 foot row
Kim Rebek
65
Pruning
Neglected Brambles
Kim Rebek
66
Weed Control
Before Planting and First Year
Cover crops control weeds and build organic matter
www.newfarm.org
67
Weed Control
Older Plantings
Plant sod between rows
68
Harvest and Storage
Harvest at 2-5 day intervals
www.localfoods.umn.edu
www.billbranley.com
69
Pests of Brambles
Insect Pests
R. Bessin, Univ. of Kentucky
www.uidaho.edu
Raspberry cane borer
Raspberry crown borer adult
Sap beetle
70
Pests of Brambles
Insect Pests
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
res2.agr.ca
ohioline.osu.edu
Leaf rollers
Raspberry fruit worm
Strawberry weevil
71
Pests of Brambles
Raspberry Mosaic Virus
www.gnb.ca
www.gpvweb.net
Leaf symptoms mottling, blistering, and mosaics
72
Pests of Brambles
Virus Diseases
www.nwipm.info
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
web1.msue.msu.edu
Raspberry leaf curl virus
Tomato ringspot virus
73
Pests of Brambles

• Managing virus diseases
• Michigan certified virus-tested plant stock
• Test and treat soil for nematodes
• Separate new plantings from old
• Control wild brambles
• Manage vectors
• Destroy infected plants

74
Pests of Brambles
Fungal Diseases
www.ipm.msu.edu
Anthracnose
Late leaf rust
75
Pests of Brambles
Fungal Diseases
Spur blight
Orange rust
76
Pests of Brambles
Fungal Diseases
plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu
www.hort.cornell.edu
Verticillium wilt
Gray mold
77
Pests of Brambles
Bacterial Diseases
www.umanitoba.ca
www.hort.cornell.edu
Crown gall
Cane gall
78
Pests of Brambles
Nematodes
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
www.omafra.gov.on.ca
University of California, Kearney
Dagger nematode
Root knot nematode
Lesion nematode
79
Blueberry Culture
www.abnativeplants.com
www.nps.gov
Highbush blueberry
Lowbush blueberry
80
Blueberry Culture
Site Selection
Avoid frost pockets
81
Blueberry Culture
Soil Requirements
bss.sfsu.edu
82
Blueberry Culture
Soil Requirements
Neutral
Acid
Alkaline
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14
Ideal pH 4.5 to 5
83
Blueberry Varieties
84
Planting
Check health of roots
Water to settle soil
Photos mtngrv.missouristate.edu
85
Fertilizing Blueberries
20 0 10 - 5 N P K - Magnesium
Or use Urea or ammonium sulfate
86
Pruning
New cane
4-6 year old cane
Intermediate canes
Photos mtngrv.missouristate.edu
87
Pruning

• Remove damaged canes
• Remove flower buds for first 3-5 years

Flower buds
Photos mtngrv.missouristate.edu
88
Pruning
Remove diseased and spindly branches
Remove two of oldest canes at base
Photos mtngrv.missouristate.edu
89
Pruning
Enhance light penetration into plant center
Pruned blueberry bush
Photos mtngrv.missouristate.edu
90
Blueberry Pests
Oviposition damage
Insect Pests
Eggs at stem base
Blueberry maggot adult
Jerry A. Payne, USDA ARS
Plum curculio larva
Cranberry fruit worm
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
91
Blueberry Pests
Insect Pests
Aphids
Redbanded leafroller
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
92
Blueberry Pests
Fungal Diseases
Powdery mildew
Mummyberry
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
93
Blueberry Pests
Cankers
Phomopsis
Fusicoccum
Fruiting bodies
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
94
Blueberry Pests
Fungal Diseases
Red leaf
www.canr.msu.edu
Alternaria fruit rot
Botrytis blight
Anthracnose
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
95
Blueberry Pests
Virus and Other Diseases
Red ringspot disease
Shoestring disease
Photos www.blueberries.msu.edu
96
Blueberry Pests
Bird damage
Photo www.blueberries.msu.edu
97
Grape Culture
Winds
Planting Site
98
Grape Culture
Minimum 165 frost-free days
www.canr.msu.edu
ohioline.osu.edu
Frost Damage
Winter Injury
99
Grape Culture
Soils
Drainage
6 foot root depth
100
Variety Selection
bogieworks.blogs.com
Rooted cuttings
www.hort.purdue.edu
101
Concord Grapes
Fredonia and Buffalo are suitable for Michigans
climate
www.grapes.msu.edu
102
White Grapes
www.grapes.msu.edu
Niagara
Martin Kaps - Missouri State
Seyval
103
Pink Grapes
Delaware is the best pink variety for Michigan
Martin Kaps - Missouri State
104
Seedless Grapes
www.raintreenursery.com
www.naturehills.com
Lakemont
Candice
fruitsandberries.com
Himrod
105
Propagation Vines from Cuttings
Upper cut one inch above bud
Basal cut just below bud
45o angle
Perpendicular
Internode distance 4-6
Cutting length 10
106
Propagation Vines from Cuttings
Soil level
Space plants 5
Space rows 3-4
107
Propagation Greenhouse Cuttings

• Storage 33-38o F for 30 days
• Dip in rooting hormone before planting
• Plant 1-2 inches apart in 2 to 3-inch rows
• Temperature
• Day 63-70 degrees F
• Night 60 degrees F
• Apply bottom heat

108
Propagation Greenhouse Cuttings
Transplant to 4 pots for 2-3 weeks
Leaves and roots develop in 4-6 weeks
Plant in field when 10
109
Propagation Grafting Vines
Scion
Stock
Phylloxera
fertil.us
Images www.entomology.wisc.edu
110
Propagation Layering
Illustration www.ces.ncsu.edu
111
Propagation Layering
Remove shoots between parent plant and buried cane
Cut connection after 2-3 YEARS
Illustration www.ces.ncsu.edu
112
Planting
Graft union
2-3

• Row spacing 10
• Plant spacing 8

Prune to 2-3 buds
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
113
Trellis Systems

• Benefits
• Consistent crop
• Reduced vine damage
• Options
• Two-wire trellis
• Three-wire trellis

Two-wire trellis
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
114
Three-wire Trellis
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
115
Trellis Posts
Line or Row Posts

• Space 16-24 feet
• 3 vines between posts

8-9 total length
Illustration www.pawpaw.kysu.edu
116
Trellis Posts
End Posts
Braced post
Anchor support
H-system
Photos Paul Domoto Illustration
www.extension.iastate.edu
117
Wires
No. 9 galvanized wire suggested
2-3
3
3
Loosen wires for winter, re-tighten in spring
Illustration www.pawpaw.kysu.edu
118
Geneva Double Curtain
Illustration www.pawpaw.kysu.edu
119
Fertilization
www.fftc.agnet.org
Spread urea in 3-5 foot ring
Iron deficiency
120
Pruning Grapes

• Pruning young grapevines
• Train to trellis system
• Establish healthy root system
• Establish strong trunk(s)
• Process
• Limit number of shoots
• Prevent fruiting - Remove flower clusters

121
Pruning Young Grapevines
Pruned to 2 nodes at planting
1st season growth
Establish trunk
Illustrations www.ca.uky.edu
122
Pruning Young Grapevines

• Second season

Leave 4-6 buds near each wire to develop new
shoots
Cut cane at top wire
Remove buds along cane between wires
counties.cce.cornell.edu
123
Pruning Bearing Grapevines

• Goals
• Select fruiting wood
• Maintain vine shape
• Regulating number of buds retained
• System
• Balanced method of pruning

124
Pruning Bearing Grapevines
Tie 4 canes to the wires, one in each direction
Cut 4 canes to two buds each
Pruning renewal spurs
Illustrations www.bookcliffgardens.com
125
Pruning Bearing Grapevines

• Thinning flower buds for optimal fruit production

126
Pruning Grapevines
Cordon System
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
127
Pruning Grapevines
Geneva Double Curtain System
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
128
Pruning Abandoned Grapevines

• Repair and strengthen trellis system
• Select straight, disease-free trunk or grow a
  replacement

Head back to grow new trunk if needed
Illustration www.ca.uky.edu
129
Pruning Abandoned Grapevines

• Retain fruiting canes
• 8 canes first year
• 6 canes second year
• 4 canes third season and beyond
• Retain four renewal spurs each season
• Do not leave too many canes

130
Harvest
Photo ktwu.washburn.edu
131
Pests of Grapes
Powdery mildew
Photo www.science.orst.edu
132
Pests of Grapes
Black rot
Photo www.ppdl.org
133
Pests of Grapes
Grape Berry Moth
Adult
Infested fruit
Larva
grape.cas.psu.edu
ohioline.osu.edu
winegrapes.tamu.edu
134
Pests of Grapes
Kim Rebek
www.ppdl.org
Japanese beetle
Yellow jacket wasps
135
Pests of Grapes
www.safehomeproducts.com
grapes.msu.edu
Bird damage
www.underwoodmountainvineyards.com
136
Pests of Grapes

• Weeds
• Shallow cultivation
• Wood chip or shredded bark mulch
• Grapes are sensitive to herbicide

137
Currants
www.maes.umn.edu
138
Currants
www.sandhillberries.com
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.hort.cornell.edu
Red
Black
White
139
Currants
www.maes.umn.edu
Red Lake
www.ars-grin.gov
Prince Albert
140
Currants
Currant in bloom
www.life.umd.edu
141
Currants
Profile of a silty clay loam soil
Ideal soils - green Poor soils red
www.tn.nrcs.usda.gov
Illustration www.cr.nps.gov
142
Currants
Lowest branch should emerge below soil surface
Cut top to 6-10 inches
143
Currants
Mulch heavily to manage weeds and increase
organic matter
144
Currants
First pruning
Second pruning
Illustrations www.inberry.com
145
Currants
Third Pruning 3-4 canes each of 1-, 2-, and
3-year old wood
www.ext.colostate.edu
146
Currants
Pruning older plants

• Remove oldest stems
• Thin new shoots
• Keep center open
• Maintain
• 6-10 bearing canes
• 3-4 replacement canes

www.ext.colostate.edu
147
Gooseberries
Photos Rosie Lerner, www.hort.purdue.edu
148
Gooseberries
European
Photos www.gov.nf.ca
149
European Cultivars
Industry
Chautauqua
Photos www.ars-grin.gov
150
American Varieties
Downing
Poorman
Houghton
Photos www.ars-grin.gov
151
Hardy Kiwifruit

• Tolerant sub-freezing temperatures
• Fruit
• Cheery-sized
• Eaten without peeling
• High in vitamin C
• Laxative

ars.usda.gov
152
Hardy Kiwifruit
Trellis systems
www.hort.cornell.edu
www.extension.umn.edu
153
Hardy Kiwifruit
Male flower
Female flower
Photos kiwifruit.tuinkrant.org
154
Hardy Kiwifruit
Fruits can be ripened in refrigerator if necessary
www.hort.cornell.edu
155
Hardy Kiwifruit

• Planting
• Well drained soil, pH 5.5 - 7.0
• Incorporate organic matter before planting
• Northern exposure limits risk of early budding
• One male for every 9 females
• Set 10 feet apart

156
Hardy Kiwifruit
Remove last seasons fruited canes
Head replacement canes back to 8 buds
Illustration berrygrape.oregonstate.edu
157
Hardy Kiwifruit
Fruiting on 2-year-old canes
Head back to 8-12 buds beyond previous seasons
fruiting wood
Illustration berrygrape.oregonstate.edu
158
Elderberry
www.springvalleyroses.com
Rosie Lerner, www.hort.purdue.edu
Rosie Lerner, www.hort.purdue.edu
159
Elderberry

• Well-drained, fertile, moist soils
• Space 6-10 feet apart in 10-foot rows
• Irrigation important
• Incorporate manure or compost into soil

160
Elderberry

• Weeds
• Avoid cultivation
• Roots very sensitive to injury
• Mowing
• Hand-pulling
• Mulch

Rosie Lerner, www.hort.purdue.edu
161
Elderberry
Prune to maintain even age structure and remove
any infested canes
Charles Schurch Lewallen
Elderberry borer
162
Elderberry
mtngrv.missouristate.edu
www.mjausson.com
163
Lingonberries
community.webshots.com
www.ars.usda.gov
164
Lingonberries
www.fallcreeknursery.com
www.territorial-seed.com
Red Pearl
165
Saskatoon Berry
pericat.ca
oregonstate.edu
www.biosphere-canada.ca
166
Acknowledgement

• Special thanks to Mira Danilovich, MSU Extension,
  Oceana County Extension Director, for providing
  numerous photographs