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zaid_fakhruddin

New Berry Patch Questions and Requests for Advice

12 months ago

Hello everyone!


I am reaching out with some questions and requests for advice regarding my new berry patch. Pretty new to this so I would greatly appreciate your guidance and explanations using beginner-friendly terminology :).


Irrigation System: Currently, I have an irrigation system connected to my hose system, which is linked to the rainpoint WiFi system. I have attached a video to demonstrate the irrigation system in action. However, I'm uncertain about the frequency and timing of watering. It is currently set to water once a day at 6 am, misting for 60 seconds. Please refer to the video to assess the amount of water being dispersed. I would greatly appreciate advice on how often and how much I should water the plants. Ideally, I need a single schedule that can work for all the plants, as they are connected to one water line.


Video of Irrigation system: https://imgur.com/a/06tXKBT (I don't know why it says 18+ lol)


Soil Concerns: I have purchased a soil meter from Amazon, but I have come across information online about the pH of the soil. I'm unsure how to approach this aspect. Could you please provide guidance on how to measure and adjust the pH of the soil for optimal growth?


Fertilization Frequency: How often should I fertilize these plants to ensure healthy growth and, more importantly, sweet berries?


Mulching: I have seen recommendations online suggesting the use of mulch in berry patches. Should I incorporate mulch into my garden? If so, how will it benefit the plants and their berry sweetness?


Planting Arrangement: I am aware that blackberries and raspberries are not typically supposed to be planted next to each other due to the risk of disease. However, I am willing to take that risk, provided I prune them properly. Are there any additional precautions or measures I should take to minimize the potential for disease?


Additionally, I have a specific layout request for my berry patch:

- I want to move the "Royalty" variety to the area where the other royalties are located.

- Ideally, I'd like to relocate the three "Carolines" to the front and move the "Anne" variety to the back. However, I am concerned that moving them might cause them to die.

- It has been approximately a week since the plants were planted.


Lastly, my main goal is to grow really sweet berries. If anyone has any advice or tips on how to achieve this, I would be extremely grateful for your input.


For reference, I purchased the raspberries from Indiana Berry and Co., the blackberries from Stark Bros, and the strawberries from Stark Bros and Home Depot (only the Bonnie plant one).


If anyone notices any issues or has general advice regarding my berry patch, please let me know. I greatly appreciate your support.


Thank you all in advance for your assistance!







Comments (3)

  • 12 months ago

    My first thought is that you have not given the canes enough space. Your blackberries will be about 6' x 6'....each. And if that is a patio behind them they are going to have to be severely trained on trellis or wires to stop them whipping about in people's faces. Other than that I can't help, not knowing where you are located. I have no irrigtion on my soft fruit and I have not done anything to change the pH of the soil since mine is pretty much neutral/alkaline and cane fruits do fine. The way to get sweet fruit is to choose good varieties, get plenty of sun and hope the weather plays ball. Other than that you cannot influence it. btw it matters not a jot if you plant them near each other. Yes they can get the same diseases but why do you think one species would infect the other ? If they were all the same species they could still infect each other.

  • PRO
    12 months ago

    What you are doing is feasible but the close quarters makes cross-disease problems a moot point. As long as you have not dragged in berry plants from some wild area, you should be fine.


    Jewel is often a black raspberry variety and is thorny, it is more important to group any thorny varieties together than to group for some other purpose.


    By year 3 or 4 the planting will be over-crowded, remove some clumps or canes at that time. Just one Triple Crown cane can grow to reach all parts of the planting area, you may want to use the 3- or 4-foot topping method for the main blackberry canes and keep the laterals short as well.


    That tiny irrigation will be inadequate for the caneberries in mid-summer unless it can be adjusted to keep the entire planting area damp.


    How many berries of each variety do you want to harvest? Like pints, pounds, etc.


    The main factor is harvesting sweet cane berries is to have patience and pick them only when fully ripe, not when just fully colored. Fully ripe berries will come off with a light touch, not a tug.

    Strawberries are a bit different and need to be deep red for days.

  • 12 months ago

    Don't overthink this......it's not that tricky!! Allow each plant sufficient space to spread out, give them a rich but well drained soil in full sun and plenty of water, especially during dry, hot periods. I fertilize my raspberries routinely but only because I grow them in containers. Inground plantings get nothing more than an annual mulching with compost.

    As to the watering: " It is currently set to water once a day at 6 am, misting for 60 seconds. " Misting for 60 seconds daily is almost like not watering them at all!! If using pop-up sprinklers, virtually all that water will have evaporated before it even hits the plants, let alone penetrate the soil to any depth. Instead, hand water using a hose on slow trickle at the base of each plant once a week until established, then as often thereafter as necessary depending on your weather. How long this slow soak needs to be you will need to determine by testing the soil surrounding each plant. It needs to be consistently damp/moist to the touch - not wet - the full depth and surrounding of the rootball.