zone 9 - currant/ribes/aronia/blackberriey

10 years ago

I've asked a few questions about these plants before but I'm not getting very far. I'm in Croatia on the coast/zone 9.

I know this may not be the best place for such berries/fruit as the temperatures during the summer can be a dry 35C - 38C. The soil doesn't have much humus, so I added sheep manure and worm compost on top as well as mulch of whatever I could find nearby and in the garden (oregano, grape vine leaves, straw). I know the amount of mulch is not sufficient - I'm trying to collect as much as I can.
I also added diluted apple vinegar. The plants grew when the weather was colder but now I'm wondering what I should do to promote their growth etc..

The aronia has fruit but it is very small. With the blackberry, it is a similar situation. It seems they are underwatered. The plants seemed to have stopped growing and some leaves are drying up/yellow.

When I water the plants I remove the mulch to stop decay/possible disease etc. I try to water the plants away from the "trunk" and maybe once a week or every 3/4 days in the evening or early morning. Sometimes, more frequently, I make a fine spray around the plant just to keep the soil moist,/alive with bacteria etc.. But it seems I still don't know what too little or too much watering means.Is it futile to grow this type of fruit here or is there something I can do to "persuade" the plants to grow (watering/feeding/mulch) ?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

peachymomo
10 years ago
I've also been trying to grow currants in a warm dry climate, this year I moved them to a spot that tends to be cooler than the rest of the property and gets dappled shade all day and they are much happier than they were in the sun. I think that many plants that are adapted to cooler climates do better in hot climates if given partial shade. I also notice that the blackberries growing wild in this area tend to hold their fruits much longer in the shade, while the ones in the sun dry out very quickly.
vjeko
Original Author
10 years ago
OK, I'll stick at it then. I also thought about the idea of keeping them in a cooler spot, so I planted them on the west side of the house (my vegetable garden is there also) and I've strategically added a number of sweet sour cherry trees which would give shade once they've grown. Can you tell me how much and how often you water them in the summer and what about type/amount/frequency of fertilizer ?
Related Discussions
Do Currants (Red/Black/etc) or gooseberries and chill?
Q
Comments (8)
I have tried some of the currants recommended for Zone 9 (most are not) and the only one which has been successful is the 'Crandall' Ribes aureum, which resembles a black currant, but with a different flavor. Sweet enough to eat from the bush when ripe, fragrant flowers in spring. There are some native California currants and gooseberries, but I don't think they are very palatable. Why not grow things that people can't grow in other places -- subtropicals, yellow kiwis, etc. Can you grow Natal Plum where you are? The best varieties have fruit that resembles cranberries or lingonberries a little in flavor. Or how about musk strawberries instead of lingonberries? Of course, everybody always wants to grow the things that do well somewhere else.
...See More
black currant - how tall?
Q
Comments (20)
Apart from jam, you can make a fool,with blackcurrants, maybe so called because its so easy: to make it you cook and puree the fruit and add whipped cream to it so as to get a fluffy mouse type pudding beautiful served in a champagne glas or pretty bowl and delicious. To avoid trouble spots in making a fool cookin gfruit has its art read thefollowing. Take some strong tasting fruit, blackcurrants, plums, etc and stew whichever you have choosen taking great care with the amount of water you use to stew them in. Plums just let go of so much water when you cook them so you end up wiht a bit of fruit floating in a sea of liquid, bu you need to put som eliquiid in th epot to stop them from burning. while apples seem to absorb some of the water you add to them. Once ready, if very liquid maybe you want to boil some of the liquid off though they are already cooked you puree the fruit. Again too wet a puree is no good., Add sugar to taste to the puree or when stewing the fruit. not too much but enough to stop the puree being extremely tart, acid. Then you whip creme and add it to the puree. Again, I dont like too much cream anymore than i like too much sugar but others may like a lot of creme in their fools. You loose the delicious sharp tastyness of the fruit if you use too much.cream. Now you have a beautiful fluffy fool which can if the meal is informal merely be served from the bovwl onto diners plates but if not then the fool can be served in pretty bowls or open champagnne glasses. It will look pretty because of the colour of the fruit. At the table you can put a bit of cream and some on top of the fool, sugar to give it a crunchyness as well as to to sweeten it up if it is too sharp for you.
...See More
Blackberry, currant and gooseberry recommendation for Northeast
Q
Comments (13)
sorry I didn' tnotice this post earlier. As far as currants go, it depends upon your preference. I love the red ones and the white ones are ok, but given the flavor of the black ones I had this year I personally wouldn't give them any valuable space in my garden. Red Lake....most common red currant, reliable, good tasting, I've had few problems and would recomend it. White Imperial...ok, not as tart as the red (above) but not powerfully sweet either. I've twice had to spray for currant worms (try asking your local garden center for something to get rid of currant worms, they were clueless for me). Leaves seem more prone to powdery mildew than the red. I can't recall the black I planted, but I will likely remove it next year (once I've bought something else to replace it). Gooseberry....Hinnomaki Gold (something like that) seems to be the best reviewed (sold out when I tried getting it last year),there is a H Red as well. Invicta (what I got instead) grew well, hasn't fruited yet. Pixwell (always be wary of a fruit that brags about picking it rather than how it tastes) grows well, roots readily and mine has fruited well, but the fruit are quite tart and would likely be better cooked than raw. Blackberry....go with triple crown if you can find it. Everyone raves about it and it is thornless to boot. ~Chills
...See More
Red Lake Currants
Q
Comments (23)
"The berries are small so it takes a lot of picking to get a bucket full and it's a long drive up there but it's so worth it." You sound like me... :) Betcha there are a fair amount of other folks like us as well. It almost becomes an obsession. I would find a patch, start picking, and before I knew it I had worked right through the day. Once I focus very little will stop or distract me. Only a growling stomach from working right through lunch and/or dinner time would finally drive me away. I would even bring a couple of pots along to bang together to (hopefully) solve any bear issues. No way they were chasing me out, especially if I was there first. I don't care if it is their "turf". The problem I have is that I simply cannot stand it when others around me eat more than they put in the pan. I understand giving in to the temptation but it drives.me.nuts. It takes self control to resist because I want to freeze them for muffins, biscuits, scones, and pancakes in winter, as well as for making preserves. The very same preserves that those berry devourers always want from me come winter-time. ;) -Tom
...See More
peachymomo
10 years ago
I water mine frequently because I have them in pots until I decide where I want to plant them permanently. When it's hot I water them every other day, when it's cooler I'll let them go 3-4 days between watering. I fertilize young plants very lightly, I gave them some organic granular fertilizer in early spring and I haven't given them anything but water since. I think regular watering and patience are the keys to success.
larry_gene
10 years ago
You might have been better off by incorporating your top dressings into the entire planting area months before planting. By just doing the top dressings, it could take some years for the soil to improve. Try hoeing some of your amendments into the upper soil, taking care to not disturb roots.

The only way to accurately gauge watering is to probe a few inches into the soil to see how well it is taking up moisture.

Blackberries don't care if they get their trunks wet; water the ground right up to the canes.
carolync1
10 years ago
Clove Currant (such as 'Crandall') is the only currant I have been able to grow in our hot-summer, mild winter climate. They are on the north side of the house and get morning and evening sun in summer. They sweeten up enough to eat straight from the bush if you leave them for a few days after they turn black. An eastern exposure might be better. The plants are not as compact as they would be in more sun.

zone 9 - currant/ribes/aronia/blackberriey

Comments (5)

peachymomo

vjeko
Original Author

Related Discussions

peachymomo

larry_gene

carolync1

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

zone 9 - currant/ribes/aronia/blackberriey

Comments (5)

peachymomo

vjekoOriginal Author

Related Discussions

peachymomo

larry_gene

carolync1

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vjeko
Original Author