Honey berries.

[knifemaker]

Just out of curiosity, does any one have any experience with honey berries ( haskap) I'm really fond of blueberries, and I planted 5 plants this fall, but I have really alkaline soil, 8.5 ph and higher and don't think that I'll ever be be very successful with them. Honey berries are supposed to taste pretty close to blue berries, is this true? I think that I would have much more success with these as they are much more adaptable to my soil type. What do you think? Dale.

 

[Stressbaby]

Just out of curiosity, does any one have any experience with honey berries ( haskap) I'm really fond of blueberries, and I planted 5 plants this fall, but I have really alkaline soil, 8.5 ph and higher and don't think that I'll ever be be very successful with them. Honey berries are supposed to taste pretty close to blue berries, is this true? I think that I would have much more success with these as they are much more adaptable to my soil type. What do you think? Dale.

I planted 5 haskaps 2 years ago. First year it looked like they had died. Second year I got a couple of pints of berries. I intend to plant another 5-6 plants next spring. They are growing pretty well. They taste a lot like blueberries to me.

I don't have enough for wine yet but in a couple of years I believe I will.

I'm not 100% sure that honeyberries are exactly the same. I think I read somewhere that they are slightly different.

 

[Norske]

You will need to amend your soil if you plan on growing haskaps. You should be in the 6-7 pH range. There are several methods for you to lower your pH. Just check with your coop extension agent for the best method for oyur area. Haskaps do not taste like blueberries alone. They are a multi flavored berry and the taste can best be described as a sweet tart berry many describe as like grapes, blackberries, and blueberries all together.

Haskaps are Lonicera Caerulea Emphylocayllax, which means of east Asia origin ie Japan, and the Kuril islands. Honeyberries are the Lonicera Caerulea kamchatka, which are of Russian origin. They look similar and taste somewhat similar, just different genetics. Jim Gilbert of One Green World coined the name Honeyberries. I personally think the Haskaps are better than Honeyberries imho.
We were the second winery in the USA to make commercial Haskap wine. It is a big hit and will soon become more common throughout the USA as more growers/wineries become familiar with this great berry.

 

[knifemaker]

Thank you so much for the info, I'm going to try really hard to grow blueberries in NE Nebraska, I worked quite a bit of peat into the soil before I planted them, I also top dressed with soil sulfur, and gave them a dose of blueberry fertilizer.
I was planning on waiting until spring before I give them a dose of soil acidifier, and then measure my ph to find out where I need to adjust. I also planted two varieties of honey berries, so I hope they survive. Gurney's just had a fall closeout on honey berries so I ordered four more in hopes of getting them in the ground before winter hits. Again thanks for the info. Dale.

 

[dbeck]

We were the second winery in the USA to make commercial Haskap wine. It is a big hit and will soon become more common throughout the USA as more growers/wineries become familiar with this great berry.

Do you sell Haskap wine and can you ship it? If so, PM me your contact info please.

 

[dorfie]

To be honest we have honey berries/haskaps planted here in Fargo and they are in soil that is at least 7.5-8.0. and while i haven't seen them growing in 8.5 they are reported to be able to grow in that high of Ph. but there was no harm at all in bringing your ph down to a lower and more nutrient available level.
Blueberries on the other had are another story. I have succeeded in growing blueberries here, but for the amount of fruit, i am not sure it was worth it. if your soil is 8.5 you will have to do quite a bit to move the ph down into blueberries upper range of 4.5-5.5. i have been succeeding in growing them in large pots that i buried in the ground filled with mostly peat, with some native soil, and compost. otherwise the surrounding soil will affect the treated soil and you will have to re-acidify every year or every few years.
i have also saw people plant their blueberries directly in a peat bale that they then buried in the soil. the blueberries seemed quite happy!
Norske- Are you Alaska Berries?
Different note while the nomenclature that you quoted is sometimes used, the two varieties are also inter-crossed and crossed with others so it can't always be guaranteed that Haskap is Emphylocayllax and honeyberries kamchatka. In Canada the Haskap Association is trying to licence certain cultivars as "Haskaps" they screen plants for flavor and the superior ones they licence under the name of Haskap. but in reality the names can be used mostly interchangeably since it is a common name and there is normally not an "official" name for common names. there are some interesting physiological differences between the different subspecies and varieties (depending on which system) like some have closed flower ends, and others don't, some are longer, others round, different growth habits, etc. it is really quite a fascinating species to work with!