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  • From: Chex <chex.rice@gmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Wild Serviceberry Trials
  • Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2007 13:13:07 -0500

Jim, Richard, Lon,
Who could head up the trials? I think the interest is there . . . As
fruit explorers isn't this the ultimate fullfillment of our mission?
To add new knowledge and plant varieties to the available pool?
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to reccomend a disease resistant, low
care, full flavored juneberry for specific environmnets? Who could
lead this? Who would participate? If not you then who? If not now
then when? *standard motivational speech mumbo jumbo*

Chris
zone 5a, IL

p.s. I'd do what I could but I just don't have the science background
to set this up . . .


On 6/4/07, Chex <chex.rice@gmail.com> wrote:
Is there any kind of a project underway where selected native service
berries are being grown in test plots in different regions of the US?
If not then I propose some of us get together and start a "Native
Amelanchier Trial".

Chris

*****************************************

Chris,
All of my 2 dozen + Serviceberries are wild type plus I harvest
wild berries from many times more than that. What type of project do
you have in mind?

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]

******************************

I'm not a scientist Jim but it would be nice to see something along
the lines of the Pawpaw Foundation's pawpaw trials, or the Iowa Nut
Growers Association's walnut trials. I'm sure someone with a science
background on the Nafex list could help set something up so that it is
objective and scientific. We could pool some of the Nafexer's current
knowledge to have a foundation to start with and for some plant
selections to start with. I'm sure some of the Nafexers with some
space would be interested in participating in the trials.

I'm really just making a proposition and would do what I could but I'm
really not the guy to head up something like this. Maybe someone on
the list with the qualifications would volunteer to head something
like this? Anyone?

Chris
zone 5a, IL

**********************************

Chris,
I wish I could get in on this (I've got the Science background to
hold up my end) but my farm is at its saturation point: Every time I
want to try something new, I've got to grub out an existing plant.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(218)568-8483 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]

***************************************

Chex, I was intrigued to see just how many species there are of
Amelanchiar, and some differences in flavor. It would be nice to compare
flavor and production of various cultivars, but for many of us disease
resistance is the #1 limiting factor. Also, I have to wonder about soils,
mineral requirements, etc. My juneberries wouldn't grow till I added boron,
which was the limiting factor in apple trees here too.
What we probably need is someone growing all the selections and
cultivars together for comparison, combined with reports from others who are
growing them under different conditions. For example: I really have enjoyed
watching Chris Inhulsen's huge trial of southern pear varieties in Montezuma
GA, and hearing his acerbic comments regarding many of the cultivars. He's
saved me LOTS of trouble by trialing what turned out to be inferior
varieties, and what he recommends as good, I can figure really is good. (He
really wanted me to try Bierschmidtt and 'Hartman's Special', but there are
some others he thinks are worth having. I myself am crazy about '20th
Century' though it is not precocious and gets a fair bit of blight.) Lucky
was sent scions of Spaulding, and as he sent me his leftovers, I now have a
small tree of Spaulding. The ONLY reference I can find to Spaulding is
Raintree Nursery, but I don't really trust nursery hype. Chris has informed
me that Spaulding is "tasteless and yucky". Lucky tells me that 'Korean
Giant' is tasteless and huge, but Ted Danieki says it's good. So I'm going
to save room and hedge my bets not by throwing Spaulding away, but by
planting it and Bierschmidtt close together. If I like both, I'll leave
both to intertwine. If I dislike Spaulding, I can whack it (and probably
regraft it).
Donna

***************************************

Hello All;

Amelanchier Alnifolia is 99.9% unknown, south of Canada.

On the Prairie, (Saskatchewan in particular) they are more than common.
Very common in Manitoba and Alberta as well. Many pick-your-own farms, too.

The only source of solid scientific information I have been able to
find is from Dr. Richard St. Pierre, of the University of Sask., and
his book on the subject.
>From a business standpoint, as I read here and there, even the
Canadian folks are still arguing about who should get money for
further development of the Saskatoon Berry market. As far as 'how to
produce crops, and what cultivars to use', they have well established
this. BUT...... It is all for zones 3 and 2 climate. Not going to be a
slam-dunk for Americans.

Look at a few of their places Saskatoonfarm.com Select Seedling.com
Riverbendplantation.com and see what they are up to. Buy Paul
Hamer's (saskfarm) video and watch it a few times.

I have an orchard 4 hours north of my residence. It is in zone 4
Maine. I have about 500 Saskatoons in the ground. They are the slowest
growing things I have ever seen, and this observation has been echoed
elsewhere. One of the group here mentioned Boron; and I think that is
a valid observation as well. I am keeping a spray log on these plants,
as anyone would. Checking for pests, etc...

The most common pest so far has been (to the best of my ability to
match what I see to St. Pierre's manual) is Entomosporium Leaf Berry
Spot. The most effective chemical for this, that I can find, is
Chlorothalonil. Another problem was planting plants with dried-out
roots. Another; planting in water-logged mud; another; plants being
frost-heaved up and out of the ground. Haven't seen any Wooly Aphids
yet. No CAR or other crud.. minor leaf damage from bugs.

Some of these plants will be exposed to a weak Borax solution next
week. It will take months to see any results. I think patience is a
key ingredient to success with these plants. They have a lot going for
them, growing that is, and they taste excellent. The plants are far
from precocious.

Another thing that differs from here to Saskatchewan is sunlight hours
per day. Don't they get a lot more than we do ? Temperature is another
factor, and soil composition and structure. The latter is being dug
into more deeply by yours truly.

It would be a great thing to have a repository for all Amelanchier
papers we write / find. Set up a small interest group, and publish an
annual report in Pomona. Discuss goals and experiment designs, etc.
This is what Chex said, too. My biggest problem is space here in
Massachusetts. One third of an acre, versus 25 acres in Maine.

I need to move.

Richard Murphy

*****************************

From: "Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Saskatoon Research
To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <68c0536b60cad231d55dedc7b5e37667@hevanet.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The ones I had exhibited a "burst" growth habit that would be
consistent with the climate where they originated. They break bud
early, bloom and start to grow quickly, then about July first they set
terminal buds and won't grow any more no matter how much water and
fertilizer they get. A selection of the local form broke bud after the
Canadian material had bloomed, and continued to grow until early
September.
Is the " burst" growth habit what you are seeing?
-Lon Rombough

Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at
http://www.bunchgrapes.com Winner of the Garden Writers Association
"Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
For even more grape lessons, go to http://www.grapeschool.com
For growing supplies and more; http://www.grapegrowersolutions.com

*********************************

Lon;

I don't know it I get the same burst on new growth on July 1. Have to
wait and see. That DOES seem to be the time where most sucker growth
is noticed. Big ones, right from the crown, with leaves twice the size
of the ones upstairs. !! As of 9 days ago, the berry clusters were
just starting to appear.

Richard Murphy

*******************************

On Jun 3, 2007, at 11:21 AM, Richard MURPHY wrote:

> Hello All;
>
> . . .As far as 'how to produce crops, and what cultivars to use',
> they have well established this. BUT...... It is all for zones 3
> and 2 climate. Not going to be a slam-dunk for Americans.
> . . .
> I have an orchard 4 hours north of my residence. It is in zone 4
> Maine. I have about 500 Saskatoons in the ground. . . .
> Another thing that differs from here to Saskatchewan is sunlight
> hours per day. Don't they get a lot more than we do ? Temperature
> is another factor, and soil composition and structure. The latter
> is being dug into more deeply by yours truly.
> . . .

Richard, are you just growing the Canadian cultivars, or have you
tried local ones? I found a wild one in my backyard in eastern
Massachusetts, and I've seen a lot of them on the islands on lake
Winnepasauke, in NH. So I'm pretty sure there are some locally
adapted varieties, although probably not commercially available. My
employer just planted a row of them as an ornamental in Boston (!!)
last spring. They fruited last June are well on their way to
ripening a good crop this June, and look quite healthy. (Something
fungal on perhaps 1/5 of the berries last year, but the other berries
and the leaves were pretty clean. Haven't noticed anything this
year.) So maybe locally adapted ones are available commercially.

Ginda

*********************************

Hi all , I have Amelanchier Lamarckii, But it grows so fastly, it was high
about 7,5meters and trunk was about 15cm I was not able to pick fruit and
birds was most far than me. so I cut the tree down and let grow again from
roots.Now I know, that amel. is half tree half bush, so it should be pruning
to be not too high,rather thick. I am thinking abut, why it grows so much.
There are growing many mushrooms under it each spring. I will take there
mykolog next year to define the specie.Who knows mykorhiza he will know what
might it mean.I planted beside also amel. humilis.The mushroom maybe is not
with mykorhiza but may help. Jan ,Czech R

**********************************

Richard MURPHY wrote:

The most common pest so far has been (to the best of my ability to match
what I see to St. Pierre's manual) is Entomosporium Leaf Berry Spot. The
most effective chemical for this, that I can find, is Chlorothalonil.

Hi Richard,

You may be aware Chlorothalonil is not registered for use on serviceberry.
This becomes even more critical in that may be selling the fruit.
Chlorothalonil is considered a fairly dangerous fungicide. It is a known
carcinogen. I don't want to exagerate because there are other chemicals we
use that are known carcinogens (gasoline). And indeed Chlorothalonil is
used in some household products such as paint thinners. But it is one of
the more severe chemicals. It has a water half life of 49 days and an
aeorbic half life of 35 days. It is a restricted use pesticide in some
states and is banned in some european countries.

On a positive note, it does a very good job on peach leaf curl (for which
it's labeled). The winter before last I sprayed three copper sprays (not
good for the environment either) and still had peach leaf curl. Last winter
I sprayed Chlorothalonil twice, and so far there is zero peach leaf curl
despite a very wet spring.

This is going to be a problem for you and is frustrating to me. That is
pesticides are generally licenced only for major crops. In growing
unpopular fruits one better hope for ideal growing conditions else the
pesticide options are generally few to none.

Mark
Kansas

**************************************

Richard, there is a folder on Amelachier in the NAFEX library. If we
all send copies of the papers on Amelanchier that we find to the NAFEX
librarian, he can add them to that folder. -- Sam Brungardt





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