Fresh berries from your own garden are a great thing. Just stretch out your hand and snack. It doesn't always have to be the typical berry representatives in this country. If you have enough space or are curious about something unusual, you can try cranberries. Now also widely known as cranberries. They thrive well and you can do a lot of magic from the harvest.
Species and origin
Cranberry and craneberry are the actual names in this country for this delicious berry from the heather family. In general usage, however, the word cranberry is becoming more and more common, occasionally also in the Germanized version Kranbeere. Four types of cranberries are distinguished worldwide:
- Small-fruited cranberry
- Large-fruited cranberry
- Southern Cranberry
- and common cranberry
The natural range extends from Northern Europe, Russia to North America. It is primarily the large-fruited cranberry, which comes from eastern North America, and has found its way into our gardens as a high-yielding and easy-to-cultivate variety.
Note:
In specialist retailers, the cranberry is often sold under the name cultivated lingonberry.
Appearance and growth
The pink-white bell-shaped flower of the cranberry is reminiscent of the head of a crane, or crane in English. This initially gave the plant the name “Crane Berry” and later the name Cranberry. The leaves are numerous, small, oval and green. They retain their green color all year round. Large-fruited cranberries form very long shoots that creep over the ground. The fruits are about two centimeters long and one centimeter wide. They initially start green and change to a strong red as they ripen.
Popular varieties
When choosing a variety, the climatic conditions in this country must be taken into account. Late frosts in particular are a real handicap and can destroy the harvest. Varieties whose fruits ripen late are therefore less suitable. Although this limits the choice considerably, there are still some suitable early varieties left. The most popular varieties are:
- Bain
- Beckwith
- Miner
- Black Veil
- McFarlin
- Searles
Location and soil
The location requirements of the evergreen cranberry plant are usually not a problem in local gardens, because they only provide easy-to-fulfill conditions:
- sunny to partially shaded place
- acidic environment with a pH value of 4.0 to 5.0
- nutrient-poor and moderately moist soil
- the creeping growth is ideal as underplanting
- also suitable for flower boxes
- but then a partially shaded location
- acid rhododendron soil is the ideal substrate
Tip:
The modest nutrient requirements should be taken literally here. The flower suffers from an excessive supply of nutrients and therefore results in a modest harvest.
Plants
In spring or autumn, potted cranberry plants can be planted in the garden. Only frosty days are out of the question for planting. Due to their growth habit, cranberries are typical ground cover plants. Once you have purchased a suitable plant, you can approach planting as follows:
- Choose a suitable place. It should be sunny to partially shaded. Cranberries, for example, are also suitable as underplanting for rhododendrons and fruit trees. Good neighbors are rhododendrons and blueberries.
- Dig a plant hole that corresponds to the size of the root ball. Can also be a little larger.
- Loose up the soil and add some compost.
- Take the plant out of its pot carefully so as not to damage it.
- Examine the root ball immediately. Using sharp and clean secateurs, remove any damaged roots.
- Place the plant in the prepared planting hole and fill it with soil.
- Water the cranberries well.
- If you want to plant several plants, make sure there is enough distance. A distance of 30 cm from plant to plant is ideal. There should be no more than seven plants per square meter.
- Cover the ground around the plants with a layer of bark mulch or sawdust so that the initially free area is not overgrown by weeds. This layer also keeps the soil evenly moist.
Tip:
For a rich harvest, you should expect at least ten plants. For a little sweet fruit in between and as a supplement to muesli, one or a few copies are enough.
Bucket Culture
A cranberry plant is also content with a pot. She likes to embed her roots in an acidic substrate such as: B. Rhododendron soil. Regular watering with lime-free water and a little fertilizer every now and then provides it with optimal growth conditions. Nobody has to go without delicious fruit, even when grown in containers. If the care is right, a potted cranberry will not be stingy with its fruity gifts. Make sure the pot size matches the size of the plant. If necessary, the plant should be transplanted into fresh substrate and a larger pot in spring. Regular use of scissors can also limit growth to an appropriate level.
Pouring
The cranberry bush likes the soil to be evenly moist. Depending on the current weather, the watering can may have to provide the required moisture. The cranberry is also a tolerant plant: it can tolerate both dried soil and waterlogging for a short time.
- Rainwater is the ideal water
- alternatively demineralized water
- keep evenly moist
- never let it dry out completely
- long waterlogging causes rot
- The water requirement is higher for pot cultivation
Note:
The cranberry is thirsty even in the cold season, especially if it grows in a pot. However, it may only be watered “modestly” on frost-free days.
Fertilize
The cranberry does not respond to generous gifts of fertilizer with gratitude. The opposite is the case: the flowers don't appear and so do the fruits.
- choose nutrient-poor soil right from the start
- just add some compost when planting
- do not use fertilizer for outdoor specimens
- Fertilize potted plants very sparingly
- A lime-free fertilizer is optimal
Cutting
Regular pruning is not for the he alth of the large-fruited cranberry, bot. Vaccinium macrocarpon, still necessary for increasing crop yields. However, this plant is extremely fast-growing, which makes the use of scissors unavoidable at some point.
Over time, some old runners die off and should be removed promptly.
- thin regularly
- remove weak shoots after harvesting in autumn
- also trim the edges in autumn
- then thin out generously in spring
- cut off overlapping rungs close to the ground
Tip:
The cranberry plant should be properly cut every three years to rejuvenate it.
Fertilization
Large-fruited cranberry plants are self-pollinating and produce edible fruits even as individual plants. However, there are advantages to having several cranberries sharing the garden. The plants also fertilize each other. This sociable gathering therefore regularly leads to higher harvest yields.
First fruits
Even if the shrub has accepted the offered garden kingdom and is thriving, it will still take years until it delivers the hoped-for fruit.
- bears first fruit after about three years
- full profitability is achieved after five years
- Cranberries usually only bear very small fruits
- the large-fruited cranberry produces larger fruits (like gooseberries)
Harvesting
Picking the berries is a bit time-consuming as each individual berry has to be removed from the bush by hand. With just a few berries, the effort is still manageable. However, if larger quantities have to be harvested, this can turn into work.
- Harvest months are September and October
- Check harvest maturity beforehand
- harvested by hand
Here's a simple way to check the ripeness of the cranberry: Cut a berry open with a knife. If the flesh is still green, the berry is unripe. If the color is red, however, the harvest time can begin. If you like the sour-tart note, you can eat the fruits freshly picked as a sweet tooth. The little vitamin bombs also enrich fruit cakes, sweeten our breakfast as jam or go dried into the muesli box.
Tip:
The cranberries are far too delicious to let them go to waste on the bush. They contain valuable flavonoids that are anti-inflammatory and other valuable nutrients that support our immune system. If they stay on for some reason, they turn into winter decorations. This decorative sight will stay with us until spring.
Propagate
If the amount of fruit harvested is less than the appetite, the time has come for cranberry offspring. There are three options available for propagation:
- Sowing seeds (also self-sowing)
- Rooting cuttings
- Division of the foothills
Sowing can take place from autumn to winter inclusive. A cold frame is ideal for this. Cuttings, on the other hand, are taken from he althy shoots in summer and planted in potting soil.
Note:
With targeted sowing and self-sowing, there is occasionally a risk of the cranberry proliferation and ultimately going wild.
Wintering
Cranberry plants are hardy and survive milder winters unscathed. However, their flowers and fruits are vulnerable to frost. If the temperature drops four degrees below zero, frostbite occurs. The flowers are affected in spring and the fruits in autumn. But no one has to bow to the frost and leave the cranberry unprotected.
- Fleece keeps frost at bay
- Cover/wrap plant with it
Temperatures below seven degrees can seriously endanger more sensitive varieties. Even if protective measures have been taken. That's why you should choose varieties carefully, especially in harsh areas.
Overwintering potted plants
Potted plants should be given a protected location and a little more attention.
- Pots need a protected place in winter
- a house wall is ideal
- during longer cold periods, temporarily move to a frost-free place
- otherwise the leaves will dry out
- water moderately even in winter
- but not on frosty days
Tip:
Wrap the pots with plenty of plant protection fleece, even in a protected location, because the soil in pots is more quickly affected by freezing.
Pests and diseases
The craneberry is safe from pests and diseases in our latitudes. Chemical pesticides are completely unnecessary in their cultivation. The red berries are allowed to ripen as a real organic treat. Yellow leaves are not a sign of diseases, pests or care errors. The cause is usually a very calcareous soil. In order not to increase the lime concentration, you should water with soft rainwater.
