Just shy of 4 lbs, Himalayan Blackberries Sierra Foothills NorCal.

Picking a few off the old bush.

Edible or no? Dangerous or no? Asking for a friend.

I know that stuff breaks down and feeds the soil, but the leaves looked really poorly by the end of harvest and I'm wondering if I should remove the dead leaves and mulch to keep it from happening again next year? Or just leave it and pull the plants I was going to to improve air flow which was a problem. You can see the plants that I haven't cut back yet and they've got browning and spotting.

If it's not a big deal yhough, I'll leave them and just add fresh mulch. I know I'm cutting back late but it's now or never.

Comments:

I made the raspberry shrub, it was excellent, but I thought too sweet. I will make it again, but next time I will cut the sugar by a 1/3rd to 1/2.

I am making a pomegranate shrub using the raspberry shrub recipe, and for this recipe I will cut the sugar by 1/2.

Questions:

Did anyone else find the raspberry shrub too sweet?, and did you make it again with less sugar?

For the pomegranate shrub, I used 700 grams of pomegranate pips, I think this may not be enough. The seeds are a high proportion of the total pip, compared to the seed/juice ratio for a raspberry. I have the feeling I didn't use enough and it may be too sour and too sweet. Does anyone have experience with pomegranate pips?, what do you think?

For the pomegranate shrub I did cut the sugar by 1/2. I'm thinking I can always add sweetness with a few splashes of simple syrup. This should work, but is the sugar necessary for flavor extraction?

Update: the pomegranate shrub was sweet enough with 1/2 the amount of sugar, 1.5 cups sugar to 700 grams of pomegranate, but the pomegranate taste was, I think, a little to subtle. The seeds are a high percentage of the pip. I'll make another batch as follows: 1000 grams pomegranate pips, 1.5 cups sugar, and 2 cups vinegar, and report back.

Follow-up to: https://www.reddit.com/r/Berries/comments/1uz5y2y/hararaspraspbearyraspberrytower/

Today I've picked that single berry and given it a taste test. I was preparing myself for some mild disappointment from what I've heard. But it actually turned out pretty nice and unique.

The berry looked absolutely beautiful, shiny, glossy wineberry red, and the spiky drupelets also swelled to start pointing more outwards. And it was pretty large and round, I think about 15- 20 mm in diameter and height.

Since it was only a single berry, I've started small. At first I tried to tear a little bit off, and while doing that I've noticed it has an unusual gelatinous consistency. It kinda felt a bit like tearing a gummy bear, and there didn't seem to be any risk of juice leakage, but not because it was dry, but because it was just... gummy. It also didn't stain at all. The first small piece I tasted was not very intense, so I went for it and put the whole thing in my mouth. Even in the mouth, the texture felt like a soft gummy bear, like it had some significant gelatin content. Seeds were there, but not very large or hard. The gummy pulp was more prominent than the seeds.

And the taste also resembled a red (strawberry-flavored?) gummy bear. It was really far more like a gummy bear than a raspberry, in both texture and flavor, only about 1/2-1/4 as intense as a real gummy bear. It was that artificial candy kind of taste. Which is really cool, and it was not bad at all. The taste is not as intense as other raspberries, but the gummy bear-like taste and texture was unlike any fruit I've ever tried. I'd say it was about 2-4/10 in sweetness, and 0-1/10 in tartness. I think I barely detected any tartness at all. I'm impressed, and I definitely do not regret getting this weird hybrid. I don't know if it is exactly the same as the ones people were disappointed in the past. Maybe they did improve it a bit with some more breeding/selecting, IDK. But I like it, and it's going to add some good new variety to my future crops.

Also, I'm not sure what exact level of ripeness it was, probably slightly underripe, when I compare the photo colors to the ones from the internet, which were a bit darker. I wonder what the flavor would develop further into if I wanted a bit more. But I guess that will only get answered next year. It might also be possible that it will be quite different, more ripe (maybe it will lose that gummy consistency for all I know...)

I wonder if the nickname RaspBEARy comes from this gummy bear resemblance...

Interesting how widely diverse the textures of Rubus species are. Idaeus is mouth-melting, blackberries are chewy juice explosions, black raspberries are crunchy and slightly juicy, tayberries were in between Idaeus and blackberries, and this one was gummy.

They grow wild in southern New England. I nicknamed them "gummy raspberries"

My blackberry plant started popping this past weekend and me and my 2 kids can barely keep up with the daily production already

Pretty great for one Chester plant

I planted three bushes in the spring and they’ve been doing pretty well, but in the last five days this one has taken a turn and the leaves are turning yellow and red and some have gone crispy. I’ve been watering every other day. We did have a heat wave and then horrible air quality (AQI over 500) so that could be a factor? Any tips appreciated, I really don’t want it to die!

I went out back to check on the condition of an old stump today with plans to relocate it, but was tickled to see this guy had taken root. We have a great big row of raspberries on the other side of our backyard, so this had to have been spread here by bird, deer, or other woodland critter. Thanks, bud!

Now to decide where the new stumpberries' forever home will be...

i found them on a trail in the pacific northwest

Found in central Newfoundland. Are they edible?

I had a gooseberry I had planted it I got it from tractor supply and it was in a little pot and I planted two of them one of them survived the first year and it did not get a few inches taller and time it was 4 years old and it never really did anything I was just wondering if it's something I did wrong or I plant it in the wrong spot I planted it in well drained soil that was well decently rich for around here I made sure to keep it watered and everything I put fertilizer on it every 3 months during the growing season but it just never really grew I wonder if it's something I did or something wrong with the ground it was on a probably 40° slope it's basically the bank of a Old road bed back in the day when they had wagon to transport goods

A couple vaccinium species I foraged. Planning on growing plants with wild genetics was wondering if anyone had success with certain stratification or germination methods. I have them cold stratifying now with a few testing conditions. Hoping to promote local eco type plants in my garden and any help would be appreciated!

Still have some berries on the bushes, but with 12 gallons in the freezer, this year is in the books.

All of my bushes are over 6ft tall (my 5'9" daughter is for scale). I bought these at a nursery 15+ years ago and don't know the variety.

If anyone knows, feel free to volunteer your answer. I am living in eastern NC, Zone 8a if that helps.

This winter, i am going try and propagate my most prolific bushes and replace a few of my smaller bushes.

Hi all,

I recently got my hands on a BlueBerry Plant : "Berry Land Number One/Berryland Blue No.1". It's a zero-chill, heat-tolerant blueberry variety specifically bred to thrive in India's tropical and subtropical climates. It can withstand temperatures exceeding 40°C. It will arrive in a couple of weeks. I love blueberries and this is the first time I have something that can grow in this weather. I am super excited.

I do understand that it requires highly acidic soil with an ideal pH maintained strictly between 4.5 and 5.2. As you can see in the picture, current pH is around 7. I just got the growbag and soil (clayish soil+cocopeat+vermicompost+perlite) ready today.

I plan on adding elemental sulphur (at least something like this(https://amzn.in/d/0jhWcTpe). I do understand that it will take a couple of months for the pH to go down.

My research:

From my preliminary calculations, to lower the pH of 1.5 sq ft(1.5ft of diameter and height of the grow bag) of clayish soil from 7 to 5, I will need approximately 110 to 150 grams of elemental sulfur.

Because clay soils are "buffered" and resist pH changes, they require up to 50% more sulfur than sandy soils.

____

I am pretty sure, the plant I receive will be a sapling. So, I have a couple of questions:

• Will it survive in the soil with a pH of 7?
• Should I plant elsewhere till the pH of the soil in growbag comes down to avoid root burn? (I can make do by buying already acidic soil for a smaller pot https://amzn.in/d/0eTrKNdW)
• Is my research correct?
• To lower the pH of the soil, is the elemental sulphur enough? I have plenty of Sphagnum Peat Moss. Should I mix that into the soil too?
• Is there a better way to lower the pH?
• Finally, Is there any really good pH meter that you would recommend? This is the best I have found : https://amzn.in/d/00ARwyh7.

Thanks in advance.

____________

Thanks everyone for the help.

The approach I will be trying out:

I do not want to take a risk.

Will be planting the blueberry sapling in a smaller grow bag with already acidic soil(https://amzn.in/d/0eTrKNdW)

Will get the soil in the bigger growbag prepped to lower the pH level. Will mix Elemental Sulphur and Sphagnum Peat Moss and let it sit for a few months to a year. Before I move the plant into the bigger grow bag.

I was considering growing my own berries in pots, specifically the dwarf variety, like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, so I not only don't have to go to the store as much but also get tastier varieties for my baking. I wanted to start with blueberries to get a good idea and the hang of the process and see where I go from there. I'm considering getting three different types cause I heard they only grow fruit once a year. I live in Boynton Beach, Florida, and made this post to ask if anyone has any advice on the best way to grow berries and help them prosper.