Introduction to Haskap Berries (aka Honeyberries)
If you’ve never seen haskap before, this whole article is going to seem very strange to you. So before I go and tell you what haskap is, let me show you what haskap looks like.
What is Haskap?
Haskap is an amazingly hardy, fast growing, high yielding, great tasting berry bush that is relatively new to North America. It is an edible honeysuckle that originates from Siberia and can be found in Russia, China, and Japan. It goes by the name ‘Honeyberries’, ‘Blue Honeysuckle’, and ‘Haskap’. Recently, it has been developed at the University of Saskatchewan by Dr. Bob Bors for commercial production.
What makes Haskap so remarkable?
Haskap has several features that make it stand out from among all other fruits.
#1. Hardiness
Coming from Siberia, it is extremely hardy. It can withstand winter temperatures of -47° Celsius. Not only that, but its open flowers can endure -7° Celsius. They are the earliest to fruit in the season, usually in mid to late June – even earlier than strawberries.
#2. Early & High Yield
One of the greatest thing about Haskap is that it doesn’t take seven years to start producing. My seedlings were planted in the spring of 2006 and I ate my first fruit in June 2007. In the studies at the University of Saskatchewan, they were yielding 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) per plant in their 3rd year and 4 kg per plant in their 6th year. The picture below is a three-year old plant in the test patch at the University of Saskatchewan.
#3. Unique Flavor
Haskap is unlike any other fruit you’ve tried. Some have compared it’s taste to blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, rhubarb, saskatoons, and black current. The flavor seems to vary with varieties. They are most often compared with blueberries, but without the seeds. The seeds are similar to that of kiwis, so you don’t even notice them. As for it’s uses, basically anything you would do with blueberries, you could also do with haskap – eat them fresh, in baking, as jams & jellies, frozen, or whatever else you may think of.
You can learn more about Haskap by visiting these sites:
Or you can buy Haskap plants from DNA Gardens in Elnora, Alberta.
Edited: June 1, 2008
Read more in my post Haskap Blossoms In May or Early Haskap Berries.
For many years
Perhaps for the plants that you are showing in the picture but not for haskap.
[img]http://www.albertahomegardening.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/May 28, 2009.JPG[/img]
Nonetheless, this is a great improvement. I will make changes at http://ediblebluehoneysuckle.wordpress.com/where-to-buy/
You know, you could have made this all a great deal easier, if you’d simply posted these pictures at the beginning of this exchange instead of being evasive. One wonders if things have changed at PPS!!!!!!!!!!
My intentions in dealing with your concerns, EBH, were never to be “evasive” of the situation. Rather, I have been keeping my responses to your concerns as professional and simple as possible, so as to not clog up this comment section. I am happy to provide more details outside of this public forum, regarding this or any other concern, to you or anyone else interested. I apologize to other readers for not posting pictures earlier to help avoid this extended discussion.
Changes to PPS rating made at http://ediblebluehoneysuckle.wordpress.com/where-to-buy/ and Dave’s Garden – http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/7739/
Questions for anyone regarding some basic husbandry issues with ‘haskap’.
I recently purchased from a nursery in Japan plants labeled ‘haspkap’ – no cultivar is noted on the attached color label. No indication of a ‘pollinizer’ is mentioned on label, or by nursery. Will the plants be able to produce fruit without a companion pollinizer? At purchase time (May 3) small green fruit, and remnants of blossoms present on plants. Next important question is related to my area of Japan’s climate. The plant occurs naturally in Hokkaido which has a completely different climate from Tokyo. Very high humidity in summer, and clay soil in my area. Last point is ‘shiokaze’ or sea salt in wind. Citrus grows well in our area along with camellias with waxy leaves. Hydragea thrives, but mountain plants like oak leaf hydrangea brown out. Blueberries can thrive if soil is amended with lots of compost, and peat. To sum up, does anyone think that ‘haskap’ will thrive in my location?
Try contacting Dr. Maxine Thompson at the email address at the bottom of this article – http://www.growingmagazine.com/print-3838.aspx
re #42: Bob Bors, how far apart do you plant your experimental seedlings? I just planted out 75 seedlings of my own yesterday. I guessed and stuck them at 3′ apart to save space in my berry patch.
Does anyone have experience,that might be relevant to growing haskap in heavy clay in Virginia?
Further to post 112: does anyone have or know of a chart that indicates compatability for polination.
I have a Borealis and Tundra — will they cross polinate or do I need another variety?
Re #116, see http://ediblebluehoneysuckle.wordpress.com/ebh-varieties/cdn-haskap-variety-info/
I’m curious how you have Borealis and Tundra without a pollinator since they are usually sold with a pollinator. If you don’t mind, where did you get them?
pollinator is what carries the pollen from one plant to another ie bees, wind etc.
pollinizer is the plant that supplies the pollen
how did a self-fertile plant become sterile without a pollinizer?
they are still ‘lonicera caerulea’, are they not?
why would you breed out this marvelous characteristic?
My favourite local nurseries seem to be carrying only Tundra and Borealis this year so I too am curious if the people who buy only these two will ever get any fruit. On the bright side, I’m seeing potted growing Haskaps for $15.00 each whereas in previous years the price was pretty consistently at $45.00.
I paid 5 bucks per haskap. Buy in bulk and save. I think one needs 500 for this price.
On the bright side, I’m seeing potted growing Haskaps for $15.00 each whereas in previous years the price was pretty consistently at $45.00.
Pipestone, Where are you finding them at that price?
I bought mine at $5 a plant end of season at a President’s Choice garden centre. woodstock, on
Does anyone have experience with Polar Night and Polar Jewell varieties? I bought them two to a pot this spring. They have berries that are just ripening (a handful on each plant) but they are quite tart. So far I am impressed with their hardiness. We had frost here(Edmonton) in early June and it did not hurt the plants.
i just got my haskap order from http://www.haskapcentral.com . 2 borealis 2 tundra and 2 berry blue to pollinate “they even sent an extra borealis” shipping took 9 days due to Canada post labor problems , but they were not only packed extremely well but also green and vibrant . also they were about 12-15 inches and well branched. if you want quality haskap they are the people to go to
by the way…they were plugs i ordered not 2nd year plants
I bought 4 hascap (2 polar, 2 jewel – 1 of these didn’t make it) and planted them 2 years ago. To date there hasn’t been a flower or even the hint of one. The bushes look healthy and green, are now about 2 feet tall, there are lots of bees and butterflies around. What should I be doing to get these to bloom and produce?
Thanks.
Betty: That’s very strange. I would have expected them to have bloomed by now. Could you take a picture of your bushes for us? Perhaps there is another issue…
I found the cheap haskaps at Cannor Nurseries near the Devonian Botanic Gardens. Don’t know if they still have any at that price.
I am wondering what type of soil the haskap needs to grow in. Also, what kind of soil amendments would be good.(fertilizer, lime etc). Are they like the blueberry which needs an acid soil? And finally, if you have a dry soil, is regular irrigation required?
Pamela: From my understanding, haskap seems to be a very flexible plant. It has been grown quite well in soils with pH ranging from 5 to 8. So you shouldn’t need to amend your soil at all – though some well rotted maure or compost would be beneficial. As to irrigation, I guess it depends just how dry your soil is. They are generally pretty forgiving, but extreme wet or dry should be avoided.
Hi All
Just received 10 trial plants.
4 Burialis
3 indigo treat
3 indigo Gem
Will these pollinate?
John,
You need a pollinator. For this number of plants, two plants would be a good idea. USask recommends Berry Blue. Here’s some info on growing them – http://ediblebluehoneysuckle.wordpress.com/information/growing-ebh/
I’m curious as to who sold you these plants without a pollinator. Would you mind sharing that info?
Regards
Hi, I work at a Zehrs store in Niagara Falls and we have the hascaps there. the ones we have are the borealis, indigo treat and the indigo gem. We too were wondering about a pollinator but were under the impression that by buying one each that would make them pollinate. On reading the label its says you need tundra for fruit set. None of were sure what that means. Are we missing a pollinator???? Thanks
Diane: Haskap tend to pollinate poorly with varieties to closely related to each other. The most common pollinator variety is Berry Blue – I would recommend selling these with the other varieties you have.
PrairieTech Propagation (http://prairietechpropagation.com/) recommends Berry Smart Blue and Berry Smart Belle.
Also, Honeybee
The University of Saskatchewan has released a new pollinator called Honey Bee to pollinate Borealis, Tundra, and the Indigo (B, T, I) haskaps. It has several favourable traits:
* It blooms at the same time as the cultivars it’s meant to pollinate
It produces good fruit set in the producing cultivar i.e. pollination is successful
* It is productive and vigorous, starts fruiting at an early age
* Honeybee fruit is tarter than B, T, I but better tasting than most Russian pollinators
* It holds onto its fruit firmly and fruit stays on the plant longer; most Russian haskaps drop their fruit when ripe but not Honey Bee
* It has a high degree of powdery mildew resistance in test plots
* Because if its large size (50% taller than Borealis) it can pollinate up to 8 plants
* It could possibly be used as a guard row to prevent birds from feeding on the inner producing rows. Since Honey Bee fruit isn’t knocked off the plant as easily as other haskaps, perhaps it can keep birds away from the producing rows
* It is not recommended for mechanical harvesting as its cylindrical shape doesn’t let it move well in equipment
More info from USask at http://www.fruit.usask.ca/Documents/HoneyBee.pdf
i believe that they are calling Borealis and Tundra “true Haskaps” because the Japanese consumers find them to be of a high enough quality that they will buy them for the premium prices the actual Hascaps go for in Japan.
Also, the pollinizers needed for the plants in question are available at http://www.haskapcentral.com/product
it is a very easy to navigate website with good information. they sell Pollinizers which you need for every 5 plants. they produce a fruit, but it is not as large or flavourful as the berry bush.
if there are no pollinators in your area, you have a serious problem,because without pollinators (insects) we have no crops – unless someone wants to go out with a Q-tip and start getting touchy feely with the flowers…
a Q tip will not be helpful. the problem is not the pollen traveling to the plants the problem is the pollen is not compatable.. the varieties are to closely related tundra (formally called 9-84) borealis the indigo series 9-15 9-91 9-92 are closely related…They all came from row 9 in the breeding trials at u of sask.They are no different than apples or alot of other fruit.this incompatability is not breed into the fruit as a earlier blogger stated it is simply natures way of keeping the gene pool varied by making it easier to mate with distant relatives..than it would be to have off sping with close relatives
How would Haskaps fare in containers? Specifically, what size of container and how well do you think they would over-winter? As well, are they self-fertile? One commenter mentioned that it was so, but from all the talk about pollinizers and pollenators, I get the feeling that they are not self-fertile.
Lindsay: I’ve never tried containers for haskap – but it would sure be worth a try! From my understanding, they ARE self-fertile – but they don’t do it very well. Another pollinator would be best for sure! (Someone wiser may correct me if I’m wrong.)
My husband is on a low copper diet and I was wondering what the copper level is for haskap berries.
Haskap IS self fertile, however without a compatible mate you will only harvest a handful of berries. With a proper pollinator your bush will be loaded. I know this from practical experience – one of my bushes died last fall. It was heaved by a mole and I didn’t catch it in time and have not since replaced it. The remaining plant did produce a couple of dozen berries on its own.
So I understand u need the berry blue or the Honey Bee haskap to pollinate Borealis, Tundra, and the Indigo I’m just wondering if it would be helpful for production to start up honey bees (the insect) to pollinate as well if I were thinking of doing haskap on a large scale ?
Also which Varieties produce the sweeter berry? Or does it depend on the soil and climate ?
Thanks
Eric: Not too sure on the honey bees. I’m not the expert on commercial production, but I can’t imagine that it would hurt! As to the better tasting berry – Borealis is the sweeter. (And I imagine soil & climate would play a part in that too.)
And which honeysuckle/haskap is better for commercial berry picking machines ?
Eric: Tundra is the recommended variety for commercial picking.
I have one Indigo Gem Haskap Honeyberry and one Borealis Haskap Honeyberry. Do I need a different plant for a pollinizer?
If i were to buy four more plants which plant should i buy? which one is the pollinizer one orr does it matter ?
Hello,
I want to grow these berris and want to learn more about them if u can help
Thank You
Kolin Malley
Indigo Gem and Borealis are related. They don’t pollinate each other. You need an unrelated variety such as Berry Blue or Honeybee.
You will get fruit without a pollinator but nowhere near the quantity that you will get with a pollinator.
Thanks, you answered the question I had. I work at an Ottawa Loblaws Garden Centre, and we sell Borealis, Indigo Gem, and Indigo Treat haskaps. So none pollinate each other, which is unfortunate!!
I have cinderella and borealis will those 2 pollinate well to produce a good crop?
Can someone tell me if polar jewel will pollinate tundra? I have been searching everywhere for this plant and one nursery in town has them but those are the only varieties they have.
Thaks
I have also found a borealis
I just bought 3 plants at the Super Store in Missauga at a clearance price of $1.00 each. They are, Borealis Haskap Honeyberry or so the tag claims. What cultivar do you recommend for pollination in order to maximize my yield potential?
Chris: Berry Blue is a great pollenizer for haskap.
How about Indigo Gem
I haven’t found Berry Blue….yet
I do believe Indigo Gem will pollinate with Borealis.
The label on my honeyberry, variety Indigo Treat, also states :need Tundra for fruit set.
From all the comments I still cannot figure out what that means. Do I need another plant of the Tundra variety next to this plant to get fruit?
TB
TJB: You’ve got it. Honeyberries need a second variety to pollinate with to get a good fruit set.
In Colorado, with a drought and it seems a warmer winter…v. Blue Velvet, and Blue Moon…do these cultivars bloom earlier or later? .. Stark Bros 2013 Spring catalog sez they are pollinators for each other, any news on the quality of the berries? flavor etc.?
I planted some haskup two years ago. Last year, slugs had a HARD go at the plants. I was FAR to slow and ineffectual at dealing with the slugs. The plants grew but leafy growth was…unimpressive. And there was nothing NEAR a berry on the plant.
Any recommendations on pruning haskups? Is it really just “Take out the dead!” basically?
Also, I have friends living in Golden BC and I’d love to bring them a couple of these berry plants. Their garden soil is rife with ammendments and their compost pile will keep the soil well. Golden, apparently has a better growing year than Calgary, but I am curious if being up in the mountains and the shortened DIRECT sunlight on the plants may not make it the BEST place to grow them?
Remco: Pruning haskap isn’t usually necessary, so yes, “Taking out the dead” is probably a good approach! As your bush grows and becomes dense, you may want to prune out the older, less productive branches. And certainly, as with any fruit, the more sunlight – the better. I don’t know exactly how much sunlight Golden gets, but if it were me, I’d try it anyway!
[...] also recently put in a couple of Haskap bushes, a Saskatoon bush, and some Blackberries. This brings our backyard fruit up from Grapes, [...]
I have just bought 2 plants,Blue Hokkaido and Blue Pagoda, will they pollinate each other,(with the help of the bees)?