SMALL FRUIT Larry G. Campbell WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent WVU Assistant Professor Photo by L.G. Campbell

GRAPES

Types of Grapes European (Vitis vinifera): -Preferred by wineries - Cold sensitive therefore difficult to grow in WV American (Vitis labrusca): -Wine and table -Winter hardy & disease resistant (eg. Concord). French Hybrids (V. vinifera crosses with wild American): -Superior to American for wine. - Good for WV gardens. Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia): - Grown in the south

SITE SELECTION Good exposure to sun. Good air drainage (plant on a slope): -Cold air will move downhill into low points creating a cold spot. -Ponding occurs when cold air moves down slope and collects at edge of woodlot. Good water drainage. Good fertility.

PLANTING GRAPES Plant early after danger of frost. Soak roots before planting. Prune back to 4-6 buds. After shoot growth develops & danger of frost has passed, cut back to the 2 strongest shoots. Remove flower clusters and root suckers the first year. Space 4-8’ apart in rows and 9-12’ between rows. Rows should run north and south.

TRAINING SYSTEMS FOUR-ARM KNIFFIN UMBRELLA KNIFFIN OR HIGH CORDON

FOUR-ARM KNIFFIN SYSTEM Prune to 4 canes 8 to 12 nodes each & 4 renewal spurs. Two wires at 3 & 6’.

UMBRELLA KNIFFEN SYSTEM Ends of canes tied to bottom wire. 1-6 canes of 8-15 buds each.

GRAPE FACTS pH 5.6-6.4 Prune in dormant season. Fruit borne on shoots produced from one-year-old wood (reddish-brown with tight bark). Best canes for fruiting are pencil size. Remove “bull canes” (> ¾”). Cuttings can be taken after leaf drop in fall until sap flows in spring. -One year canes, pencil size, 4 buds, 8-12” long. -Bury in trenches (3-6”) for the winter with butt end up to encourage callusing and to keep tops dormant.

BRAMBLES

WHAT IS A BRAMBLE? Members of the Rosaceae family which includes: apples, peaches, plums, roses, and strawberries. Genus: Rubus Called “brambles” because the canes and branches have thorns or prickles (though thornless cultivars have been developed). Biennial canes (2yrs) and perennial root systems. First year canes called “primocanes” generally only have vegetative growth. In the second year, primocanes flower and bear fruit and are referred to as “floricanes”.

TYPES OF CULTIVATED BRAMBLES Raspberries: red, black, yellow, & purple. Blackberries: thorny & thornless. Dewberries: western berry. Raspberry/Blackberry Hybrids: Loganberry, Boysenberry, Tayberry, Sunberry, and Youngberry.

SITE SELECTION pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Not where tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, or strawberries have been grown the previous 4-5 years due to potential verticillium wilt problems. Do not plant within 600’ of wild brambles. 90% of bramble root system is in the top 20” of soil, therefore soil most be loose and well drained.

PLANTING Between row spacing should be between 8-11 feet. In row spacing: -Red raspberries: 24”. -Black raspberries: 30”. -Purple raspberries: 36”. -Blackberries: 36”.

RED RASPBERRIES Biology: -Primocanes arise from buds near base of canes and from sucker shoots from roots. -Primocanes overwinter and become floricanes. -Purple raspberries have similar biology.

PRUNING RED RASPBERIES Can be grown as a hedge without a trellis due to erect growth habit. Thin primocanes as they come up to 4-6” apart. Remove all floricanes after fruiting or in dormant season. Summer tipping is not recommended, but winter damaged tips at end of dormant season should be removed. Purple raspberries can be pruned the same as reds.

PRUNING PRIMOCANE-FRUITING RASPBERRIES Also called “Fall-bearing” or “Everbearing”. Mow canes off to 2 inches from the ground in the fall.

BLACK RASPBERRY Biology: -Primocanes arise from crown buds only. -Grow erect to 3-4’ then tips begin arching over. -Tips can be buried in the soil to produce a new plant.

PRUNING BLACK RASPBERRIES Due to tall, arching growth habit, a simple 2-wire trellis is recommended. Primocanes should be summer tipped 3-4” (just above a bud). Remove old floricanes after fruiting. Remove weak and diseased canes in fall and thin to 4-6 canes per crown. In late winter, laterals should be pruned back to 7-10”.

BLACKBERRIES Biology: -Erect/thorny blackberries produce primocanes from crowns and root suckers like red raspberries. -Thornless/trailing blackberries produce primocanes from crowns like black raspberries. -Often have angular canes. -Thornless are less hardy.

Pruning Blackberries Thorny blackberries: -Summer tipped to 48” -Thinned to 10” apart in row. -Cut laterals back to 12-16” in dormant season & remove old canes. Thornless: -Summer tipped at about 6” above trellis wire. -Thin to 5-8 canes per crown in dormant season, remove laterals on lower 3’, tip back laterals to 18” (see above).

HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY

BLUEBERRY BIOLOGY The highbush blueberry is a deciduous shrub which grows from 3-8’ high. Woody canes develop from the crown of the plant. Fruit is formed on buds formed the previous growing season. Blueberries have fibrous roots that lack root hairs. -Results in low absorption capacity. -The roots depend on endomycorrhizal fungi to aid in nutrient and water uptake. -Roots located in top 8-12” of soil & cannot penetrate compacted soils. -Intolerant of close cultivation.

Blueberry Planting Soil: -pH between 3.8 & 5.5 (4.5 is ideal). -Less acid soils results in iron deficiencies. Can grow in nutrient poor soils but do best in well-drained, acid, sandy loams with a 3% or greater organic matter content. Plant in early spring. Prune back 50-60% of top at planting & remove flower buds. Space 4-5’ apart. Add 3-5” of mulch (sawdust, wood chips, compost). Plant more than one variety for better pollination.

Commercial Blueberry Planting

Pruning Prune in late winter or early March. Remove diseased and damaged canes. Remove small & spindly branches & canes that lie on the ground. Cut canes that rub against another. Remove centermost canes that block sunlight. Retain 2-3 new canes each year and remove the equivalent number of old canes (5 yrs and older). Cut canes close to the crown. Head back long canes with many flower buds. Mature plants will have 15-20 canes. Well pruned and maintained plants can live for 50 years.

3 Year Old Blueberry Bush in Need of Pruning Photo by L.G. Campbell 3 Year Old Blueberry Bush in Need of Pruning

BLUEBERRY PRUNING

BLUEBERRY PRUNING Before After

Blueberry Flowers Blueberry Fruit Set

BLUEBERRY BITS Blueberries are native to North America. It is our newest domesticated fruit. Blueberries are replacing tobacco as the number 1 cash crop in some farm states such as North Carolina. Organic blueberries sold for $4.00 a pint in an eastern PA farmers market in 2004.

STRAWBERRIES Photo by L.G. Campbell

STRAWBERRY BIOLOGY Herbaceous perennial consisting of leaves, a crown, and a shallow root system. Strawberries produce runners (stolons) from buds at the base of the leaves which form “daughter plants”. Prefer a pH of 6.2. Self-pollinating

CULTIVAR SELECTION June-bearing: -Most commonly grown. -Bear one crop per year in late May to June. Day-neutral: -Bear throughout the growing season. -3 peaks of production: June, midsummer, & late August through frost. Everbearing: -Bear 2 crops but generally not as productive as day-neutral.

CULTURAL SYSTEMS Matted Row: -Plants are set 18-24” apart in row for June bearing plants & 5-9” for day-neutral. -Rows are 3-4’ apart. -Maintained at 15-18” wide. -Leave 6-8 runners per plant.

MATTED ROW 2 Rows Planting Year 1 Row Year 2

CULTURAL SYSTEMS Ribbon Row: -Plants are set 4” apart. -Runners are cut out.

DOUBLE ROW ON PLASTIC Photo by L.G. Campbell

Plant in last of March or early April.

FLOWER REMOVAL Remove flower buds of June-bearing strawberries the first year to promote root development. Flower buds and runners on day-neutrals should be removed the first year only through early July.

MULCHING Mulch with 4” of clean straw in Nov./Dec. for protection of plants. Remove to aisles in March or April. Floating row covers can also be used.

FALL PLANTED WITH PLASTIC COVER Photo by L.G. Campbell

RENOVATION Renovate plantings immediately after harvest (June-bearing). Not recommended for day-neutral plants which need to be replaced every 3 years. Weed and cut matted rows back to 12”. Thin plants to 1 every 3-4”. Remove mother plants at 3-4 years old and replace with strong daughter plants. Mow to 3” high and rototill alleys. Fertilize.

This PowerPoint program was assembled by Larry G This PowerPoint program was assembled by Larry G. Campbell, WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent and WVU Assistant Professor. In addition to this author’s material, some photographs, illustrations, and supporting materials were assembled from various sources publicly available on the Internet. The information was gathered over a period of time and from sources too numerous to list individually. The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of these web sites and publicly express his sincere appreciation for the assistance. This program was assembled solely for educational purposes and primarily for use with statewide WV Master Gardener training programs. The author did not nor will ever receive financial compensation for the preparation of this program. The program may be copied and distributed in parts or in its entirety for educational purposes. If any part of this presentation is distributed, the efforts of Mr. Campbell in assembling the materials must be recognized. The distributor may not receive any financial compensation for this service. Larry G. Campbell WVU-Harrison County Extension Agent and WVU Assistant Professor lgcampbell@mail.wvu.edu WVU-Harrison County Extension Office 301 West Main Street Room 507 Courthouse Clarksburg, WV 26301 (304) 624-8650