Zone 5a - Borealis looking good in Iowa

Borealis haskap blossoms

My five Borealis made it through a brutally long and cold Iowa City winter; down to -30 F for several days. They are leafing out and flowering nicely. I could not be happier.

Three were planted last year and two were planted in 2012. As you may remember, the 2012 plants survived a scorching summer drought that year —what a way to start life in my yard. Unfortunately, I still won’t have any berries this year because my Honey Bee pollinator did not make it through the 2012 drought (it was received later in the spring and didn't have as good an opportunity to get established before it turned so hot and dry) I am planting the newly released Aurora this spring as pollenizers for the Borealis.   Fred, Iowa

Dr. Oz promotes Haskap to the USA and beyond

Before Dr. Oz was off the air, we received a phone call from someone in Kansas looking for haskap to help improve her health. The March 11, 2014 show featured an interview with Bryce Wylde of  http://www.wyldeabouthealth.com, one of Canada’s leading alternative health experts, who calls haskap "The Next Superberry." He is launching his new book, "Power Plants: Simple Home Remedies You Can Grow". Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sot0hgdktD4.
-Bernis, www.haskapusa.com / www.honeyberryusa.com

Zone 4a - Idaho Haskap happy at 4,856 feet (1,480 m)

I just called up a grower in southeast Idaho who planted 24 Borealis, 24 Tundra, and 6 Berry Smart Blue in April of 2011. He reported significant growth in 2013, with well established roots and some berry production. He netted against the robbins, so his family was able to enjoy fresh berries and they made some jam. They tended to eat the Tundra fresh as it was the firmest berry, and used a mixture of the Borealis and Berry Smart Blue for the jam, but said all berries tasted good fresh. Berry Smart Blue was the largest and most productive bush. He looks forward to the berries increasing in size as well as a greater yield from the larger bushes this coming spring. Bernis reporting on phone conversation Jan. 27, 2014

Zone 5a, New Hampshire - Beautiful Borealis

Three year old Borealis haskap

All the bushes have berry clusters like this.

The honeyberries are doing great, we are going to have lots of berries this year from the look of things. I must admit when we first got them (April 2011) I was concerned with the size of the bushes, but just last year they must have grown 2 plus feet and are very full, amazing growth. 

They seem to grow well in the soil we have them in. We are lucky if we have 8- 12 inches of topsoil, the rest is sand underneath so it has very good drainage.  I also keep fish so since we planted them  I have been feeding them with water change water, which seems to help out quite a bit.

I may have to prune them back before too many more years. Looking forward to making some jelly this year with them.  Chris, Rochester, NH (May 26, 2013)

Zone 5, Iowa - Borealis haskap rebounds after hot dry summer of 2012

Borealis survivor

Here is a picture of one of my 3 happy Borealis plants. It was quite miserable-looking after the drought last year, (see below) but it seems to have shrugged that stress off just fine. The Honey Bee was shipped late last year after it had broken dormancy. The shipping stress and the drought both likely contributed to its demise. Fred, IA (May 7, 2013)

Sept. 14, 2012: My 4 happy honeyberries have taken a turn for the worse. I believe they have leaf scorch caused by extended drought here in the Midwest (I am in Iowa City). Despite watering every 7-10 days, I think the months of zero rain and 90-100 degree weather was too much for them.

Please see the attached pictures. The leaves are dropping, but small new green leaves are emerging from branch tips. I do not know if they will survive. (to find out if they survived or not, see April 25, 2014 entry)

Leaf scorched haskap

Haskap leaf scorch front of leaf

Haskap leaf scorch back of leaf

Haskap indoors - Svetlana Surprise

I brought in a potted Svetlana, last year's rooted cutting from a propagator in Canada, and it totally surprised me by leafing out and forming little buds all along its stem, all in just one week! Svetlana berries supposedly have a good taste and this week's experiment shows it is indeed very fast growing. Bernis, MN

Svetlana leafed out in one week and formed blossom buds along stem

Svetlana blossom buds on year old rooted cutting

Oct 1, 2012 Svetlana on right, Berry Blue on left, Riverbend Orchards, MB

Two year old Borealis and Tundra after 2.5 weeks indoors, no blossoms

Haskap Across the USA

Haskap Across the USA (based in part on this blog) was presented on July 20 at the 2012 U of S Haskap Day in Saskatoon, SK. Based on feedback from across the USA, scorching heat is hard (and sometimes deadly) on Borealis and Tundra haskap, but this is not reflected in the USDA plant zones. One grower is in zone 10b due to warm winter temps, but did not have the scorching summer heat that say OK, zone 7b, had last year.

It is possible to get berries without a non-related variety nearby for pollination, but the fruit will not be as plentiful or as large. Josh in KS (zone 5b) reported "The bad news is the Berry Blue never leafed out. The good is that I have 10 small berries on my Borealis."(Both bushes from year-old stock, planted end of March 2012)

Borealis blossoms in Kansas on year-old plant Apr 15, 2012

Borealis berry in Kansas on year-old plant May 15, 2012

Dean from zone 10b in CA reports, "The average summertime high temp where we are in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles is in the high 80’s, low 90’s, and dry, and in the winter daytime temps can be in the 50’s and 60’s.

The Berry Blue is doing very well since planting in April 2011. It's gotten much larger and is sprouting new growth. I'm guessing that the plant is about 18-24" tall now. It has not sprouted fruit, but I didn't necessarily expect that it would as I've only had both plants about 1-1/2 year. The Borealis is doing OK, but has barely grown at all and there's no new growth that I can see, possibly due to transplanting from my garden to the raised bed.

Both plants have developed an odd problem. All of the leaves other than the new growth on the Berry Blue is covered in what look like water spots but are the only leaves in the yard to display such markings, and I water under the foliage."

Two year old Borealis in CA, July 4, 2012

Spotting and drying edges on Borealis leaves in CA is not pretty but plant is surviving.
Might want to check the spots for mycelium. July 4, 2012