Crop Rotation Group
Miscellaneous
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Soil
Well-drained soil enriched with plenty of compost. These long-lived brambles prefer a soil pH around 6.0.
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Position
Full sun to partial shade, which is beneficial in hot summer areas.
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Frost tolerant
Yes.
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Feeding
Drench with a liquid organic fertilizer when plants show rapid new growth in spring. Keep the root zone mulched to retain moisture.
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Companions
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Spacing
Single Plants: 2' 11" (90cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 2' 11" (90cm) with 2' 11" (90cm) row gap (minimum)
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Sow and Plant
Set out purchased plants in mid-spring, or root stem tip cuttings from an established plant. Protect young plants from nibbling by deer with a wire cage. Like other brambles, boysenberries grow new stems which fruit in their second year and then die. Boysenberries are a complex cross between upright raspberries and trailing blackberries. A trellis helps control the growth of the large, vigorous plants, and makes the fruit easier to pick.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
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Notes
Use a trellis to so you can train plants into a dense, head-high hedge.
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Harvesting
Boysenberries are ripe when the fruits turn from red to a deep red-black color. Harvest in the morning, while the fruit is cool, and refrigerate immediately. Boysenberries can be frozen or made into delicious jams and desserts.
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Troubleshooting
Several fungal diseases can infect boysenberries. Septoria leaf spot is not uncommon. It causes numerous spots to form on leaves, and spreads in warm, wet weather.
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