Raspberries

[robguz]

Go to the end of Amaumau Road in Volcano, which you get to by taking Wright Road to the end. Where you park to start to hike is a huge native raspberry. In June at least there were tons of berries which presumably could be grown from seed. Even the darkest ones I tried were not very good. Pretty though.

[asly]

Hi Ivy,

I know this topic is about raspberries, but aren't you growing blueberries too? Just wondered if you can chime in on how yours are doing and how old they are.

Enjoy the day! Ann

[jerry]

We have Thimble Berries (Rubus parviflorus) that have naturalized. We have been getting berries for almost 3 months with no end in site.

I have tried other kinds of berries. The blueberries I got at Maku'u Market all died. The thornless raspberries are growing pretty well but have yet to produce.

600' in Orchidland.

Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com

[Spider Tim]

OMG those are the dreaded gross raspberries! { in Volcano} Trust me trust me they are insanely weedy and disgusting tasting, both. Don't go for that kind even though its free. Trust me. I almost screwed myself and my neighborhood for all of us. It's a bad lesson.

..

If you got thornless berries from Corey at Maku'u I think those are blackberries rather than Raspberries. I have them too and no fruit for me yet either. I'm going to bat guano the poop out of mine early next summer and try to spur them into production.

...


Hi Ann,

Yup I'm growing blueberries too. We used to install low chill blueberries on the mainland into our landscapes {in LA} and they used to do great so when we first got here I grabbed a bunch from Walmart { lol} that I knew were the right varieties.

Down at my elevation the ones that seem to do best two years later are Broadleaf varities. None of the varieties with small leaves, low chill or not like it down at my house. Which I guess makes sense, look at everything elses leaves, so I'm now trying broad leaf varieties if I get anything new. I'd name names but to be honest I cant remember what's what. I do know I have an Abundant thats doin great.* The best way to plant them for me { cos Iv'e tried it all, including straight into the soil, pot, and on a hill} are definitely on a mound { which is the way they do it at the blueberry farms in Cali} , at least 1 1/2 foot tall of a mix of soil and mulch, full sun, plant once and don't move it -blueberries resent being moved out here, I noticed. Everyone I've moved stopped dead on leaf production for a whole year. I also go down to the iron woods sometimes and pick up some needles to mulch with. And I give them coffee grounds whenever I remember. I suppose an azalea fertilizer would probably help a lot, but I'm dragging my feet on it cos its chemical. We'll see if I break down. I really do want berries.

I got a handful of berries from each plant this year without icing or any special care. And couple that I was ready to give up on from my first batch when I was experimenting are finally coming back after a year of naturalizing. We only feed with organic and like I mentioned my soil is not abundant anywhere so this is pretty typical of my plants, they need to come into their own and source out their spot in the root world before they really get going.

I have hope though, if the boats ever stop I'll definitely get berries, I just dont know how many. Lol.

* Corey at Maku'u as crazy a craigslister as that guy is has all the good varieties. Which I guess is better than supporting Wallymart, if youre of that mindset.

[MarkP]

Ivy, which are the gross local raspberries? The ones at the end of Amaumau Rd?

I am trying to determine whether the raspberries I found by the side of the road in Honoka'a are Mysore or not. Further down you talk about Mysore and "that crap fruiter that's naturalized in Volcano" in the same sentence as though they were different plants so I assume that in your opinion they are not one and the same. Can you describe the crappy naturalized berry and how it is different from the Mysore? There was this 12 trees project that weighed the relative merits of 12 different fruit crops that grew locally and Mysore raspberries were actually the fruit most sought after by local chefs. That doesn't mean they are a good candidate for profitable cultivation, but it does mean they are good to eat.

[Spider Tim]

Hi Mark, You're right, I'm not that familiar with the roads in Volcano, so I cant say for sure what's at the end of Amaumau Rd, so I take that back, { maybe it is a Mysore, but Mysore berries are decent when they're dark} the gross one I'm taking about is the one thats naturalized all over Volcano Park. There are huge brambles of it that are impenetrable in some areas. The berries when mature are dark but never really loose that reddish speckle to them. I think this is what it is. http://www.hear.org/starr/images/species...s+discolor&o=plants

They are indeed different plants. Mysore isnt gross at all, IMHO it's just not as raspberryesque as Caroline.

The easiest way for me to identify Mysore -when not in fruit- are by the stems, which are covered in a very thick white bloom. So much so that the canes really do need to be wiped with your finger to see what color they are underneath. Also the mysore berries are very dark, almost black with white bloom on them as well, like a light drape of snow. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morto...berry.html here's a picture of the mysore.

The crapfruiter has a habit like a normal raspberry flimsyish draping canes while the mysore is turgid and seems to grow with almost a bushy habit. Do you know what I mean?
Also the mysore has thorns like a rose, big proud and turgid, while the crapfruiter has thorns too but smaller and more hidden though no less vicious.

[jerry]

Spider Tim, the bad ones are Rubus argutus aka Rubus penetrans. We have Rubus parviflorus. They are quite good. From the HEAR site photos one obvious difference is that our berries never change color from red to purple.



Jerry
Art and Orchids B&B
http://www.artandorchids.com

[Spider Tim]

Parviflorus is the variety that's naturalized in Volcano park?

*Shrugs* I don't know, the berries brought down to my elevation were horrible and I let if fruit twice, once without fertilizer once with a lot of worm castings and guano before I killed it. The one I had looked exactly like the pictures posed on the link. My berries never got fully purple. Maybe it tastes better grown at higher elevations? Though I tried the wild grown ones twice, as well, from the park and neither time were they sweet.

Anyhow, thats cool to hear, if the berries taste good for you then thats much better than an invasive with yucky berries.

[Midnight Rambler]

Unfortunately they're ALL naturalized in Volcano - R. penetrans/argutus (blackberry, in Kipuka Ki & Puaulu), parviflorus (thimbleberry, all over), and ellipticus (Himalayan raspberry, Olaa and Volcano village).

I would also ask you to PLEASE not plant Mysore raspberry (R. niveus). It's already widely invasive on Maui; we don't need another thorny weed here as well!
http://www.hear.org/species/rubus_niveus/

[MarkP]

I never thought I'd be on this side of an invasive species controvers. I contacted one of the Counties master gardeners and they said it was OK to plant Mysore raspberries. I am up to my armpits in the Yellow Himalayan raspberries and the Thimbleberries now (ouch). I kill the Yellow Himalayans on sight and I tend to leave the thimbleberries alone except when they are in my way I mow them down. I don't feel like I would be making things that much worse as I don't think that the Mysores can be as invasive as the Himalayans, if the master gardener said it was OK.

I am almost curious what would happen if I tried fertilizing a single Yellow Himalayan bush for a season before I cut it down to see what the fruit was like. I always assumed that it was brought for the fruit although I never see any fruit on those plants.