Hi Chris, I know this is quite an old video - just wanted to pass on the information given to me by a couple permaculture focused nurseries that I follow on youtube. I understand that a berry orchard such as this, reducing the amount of time and labour needed to harvest the berries is the utmost focus, but I just wanted to suggest that planting, dried sticks of either blackberries, rose-hips, or perhaps even dried out bamboo branches or anything around you such as the sticks in that forested area can distract and possibly deflect deer browse. Now perhaps just covering them with row cover and calling it a day could work, and could possibly cost you less time and labour than just going out and finding dead stems etc, but I find this approach could be applicable to maybe newer plantings, or if you sell your haskap plants to folks this information could be quite practical and useful for them to know. These things that you stick around the plants can be used, once they aren't benefiting the plant; to mulch around plants, maybe put it on the pathway to break it up with that tractor. I just wanted to share information and possibly help👍 I wish you the best this season! 😃
Hi Kyle. Thanks for the comments. Not sure if the above methods will work or not in our area. For a commercial operation fencing is the best way. I have tried all sorts of things to keep the deer away, but once they get a taste for something they will visit those plants specifically every night until they have eaten them to nothing. Attempting to distract them with sacrificial plants would likely attract more deer, as there is more food for them. The best way is to alter their established feeding routes that they travel each day (their routes will change when the seasons change). Once they establish a daily routine then they will eat everything along their daily route.
No we do not irrigate. No plastic mulch, just the wood shavings. The wood shavings hold the moisture in the soil for a long time. We have had very little rain in June and we had no problems with plant development.
Whats the total number of plants in the #1 orchard and the second and the 3rd i just started a plantation also from curtis braaton .i hope the problems dont occur in my cultivars.
Around 700 plants in each orchard. I have lots of space to grow more, but I have deliberately held back the amount planted as I did not wish to have 25-50 acres of plants that do not produce. I know of other growers in my region that are facing this issue...and to correct it is costly. Any issues with your plants is going to be directly related to your climate, and which varities you have chosen. This is a good read: research-groups.usask.ca/fruit/documents/haskap/How-far-south-can-Haskap-be-grown.pdf
In our first orchard we start in the first week of July. We wait for each variety to fully ripen before harvesting so by the third week in July we are finished. The new varieties that we are adding should extend the harvesting until the 2nd week of August.
Still seems like a early stages of xlimate adjusting for the breed of berry here in canada . We share the info on breeds. Helps in the long run
Hi Chris, I know this is quite an old video - just wanted to pass on the information given to me by a couple permaculture focused nurseries that I follow on youtube. I understand that a berry orchard such as this, reducing the amount of time and labour needed to harvest the berries is the utmost focus, but I just wanted to suggest that planting, dried sticks of either blackberries, rose-hips, or perhaps even dried out bamboo branches or anything around you such as the sticks in that forested area can distract and possibly deflect deer browse. Now perhaps just covering them with row cover and calling it a day could work, and could possibly cost you less time and labour than just going out and finding dead stems etc, but I find this approach could be applicable to maybe newer plantings, or if you sell your haskap plants to folks this information could be quite practical and useful for them to know. These things that you stick around the plants can be used, once they aren't benefiting the plant; to mulch around plants, maybe put it on the pathway to break it up with that tractor. I just wanted to share information and possibly help👍 I wish you the best this season! 😃
Hi Kyle. Thanks for the comments. Not sure if the above methods will work or not in our area. For a commercial operation fencing is the best way. I have tried all sorts of things to keep the deer away, but once they get a taste for something they will visit those plants specifically every night until they have eaten them to nothing. Attempting to distract them with sacrificial plants would likely attract more deer, as there is more food for them. The best way is to alter their established feeding routes that they travel each day (their routes will change when the seasons change). Once they establish a daily routine then they will eat everything along their daily route.
Have you considered trying the later blooming varieties from Berries Unlimited like Blue Treasure or Strawberry Sensation?
No I have not. I have a couple of their varieties and I was not impressed with them. So I have not tried any of them since.
Do you irrigate? No plastic mulch, just the wood shavings? Thanks!
No we do not irrigate. No plastic mulch, just the wood shavings. The wood shavings hold the moisture in the soil for a long time. We have had very little rain in June and we had no problems with plant development.
As soon as you harvest, don't they go bad and taste weird?
No. They have an excellent shelf life when refrigerated.
Whats the total number of plants in the #1 orchard and the second and the 3rd i just started a plantation also from curtis braaton .i hope the problems dont occur in my cultivars.
Around 700 plants in each orchard. I have lots of space to grow more, but I have deliberately held back the amount planted as I did not wish to have 25-50 acres of plants that do not produce. I know of other growers in my region that are facing this issue...and to correct it is costly.
Any issues with your plants is going to be directly related to your climate, and which varities you have chosen. This is a good read: research-groups.usask.ca/fruit/documents/haskap/How-far-south-can-Haskap-be-grown.pdf
How long does your harvest days lasy with 700 x 3 i am with the same amount of different varieties
In our first orchard we start in the first week of July. We wait for each variety to fully ripen before harvesting so by the third week in July we are finished. The new varieties that we are adding should extend the harvesting until the 2nd week of August.
Would the plants that look like crap in august live ??
Yes. They just go dormant. They are a northern plant that has genetically evolved for a short growing season, and cooler temperatures.
what's the distance between plants?
4 feet
Im trying to get major land owners i know to put at least a 100 row per cultivar .. as first nations havea cash sourse to help support