Berry picking

dean nelson

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So for things like June berries at what point during the ripening process do you start the pic? The ones I was looking at today we're all generally like this which looks pretty close.

Screenshot_20180626-142458.jpg

Anyone familiar with what insect and or disease is wreaking havoc on this plum tree?

Screenshot_20180626-142028.jpg
 


guywhofishes

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they generally let you know by how easy they come off the stem

if there were no darker ones I’d pick the two darkest in the pic - but they’ll be tarter than the blue/black - but fine for syrup or jelly

for eating hand to mouth or raw with cream you want the blackest ones - eat a few and you’ll know

good gravy that is one nasty insect invasion - not sure I’ve ever seen it

KDM will know

- - - Updated - - -

or is it fungus??? puke!
 

dean nelson

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Not sure but even the normal looking green ones have tiny holes with crystallized sap on top almost like an insect burrowed into lay an egg.
 

KDM

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It's most likely a fungus spread by insects. I don't know the exact insect, but if you look at the green plum on the middle right, you can see the oviposition (egg laying) sites all in a line and the start of another plum gone bad. I had lots of those last year, but I didn't need to spray them. I think it's a type of wasp that lays it's eggs about a quarter inch inside the fruit. However, that's just a guess.
 

guywhofishes

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I bet there is a gourmet application for furry plums.

many funky good foods involve decay/fungus
 


dean nelson

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Another question have any of you seen this before. Not sure if they are jacked up chokecherry or something completely different.

Screenshot_20180626-232108.jpg
 

Lycanthrope

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Ive had a lot of damage from Plum Curulio the last few years on my apples. I was better about spraying this year and it looks a lot better. Not sure if that would cause damage like that tho, as stated it might be a combo insect damage allowing a fungal attack of some sort.
 

KDM

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Another question have any of you seen this before. Not sure if they are jacked up chokecherry or something completely different.

23722495_1628661130528519_154344761419946420_n.jpg

I don't know what that is, but bust'em open and look for maggot type insects inside. LOTS of fruit insects out there that mess up a guys fall harvest of natures goodness. If you don't find critters, then disease would be my next guess and I'm not a plant doc. NDSU extension would get a call from me at that point.
 

pointer

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My chokecherries have looked like that off and on for years, the old man that lived next door said it was from spiders, had big webs way up on top of the tree
 

KDM

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Those big webs on the tree tops were probably tent caterpillars (Lasiocampaidae). I HATE them things. Most spiders don't put webs in trees. To windy. The trees/leaves/branches move to much and the webs get busted up. Tent caterpillars will strip mine a whole tree of just about all it's new growth. ROUGH on growing trees. The wife and I make regular trips through the orchards in the spring on seek and DESTROY missions. We look for the small webbed areas on the branch tips and crush'em up with our fingers. The larvae are usually the size of two rice grains put end to end or smaller. It really makes a difference on tree growth from year to year if you can keep them things off'em.

images
 


dean nelson

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Yeah I'm not too worried about any of the disease on these these were all found in one big area all mix together while I was looking for June berries that I've never targeted before. The Plum Tree apparently camouflage themselves fairly well is Juneberry blossoms from a distanc. It was only once I got closer I realized it was something completely different and unfortunately now it looks like complete shit which is to bad since it covers a couple acres on it's own.

So how quick would you start getting after those juneberries they do look slightly darker red in that pic then they are in real life.
 

guywhofishes

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toss them in your mouth - try the darkest, try one redder, try one bright red - your tongue will know

unlike many other berries (chokecherries, etc.) juneberries eat fantastic right off the bush

dark reds make tarter jam

blueberry blue ones are great raw, in cream, on cereal etc.

We pick them almost black down to deep red - we'll pick out the darkest for cereal or cream - then run the mix of colors for jams/jellies

btw for you foodies - we made our very first small batch of honeyberry jam ever and I am blown away how deep, complex, and "merlot-ey" they taste

they taste like a wine reduction for steak or something - amazing

honeyberry jam will likely become THE dove popper accompaniment - or for reductions on red meats, etc.

if you ever get a chance to sample honeyberry jam you need to do it - amazing - way different than the raw berries themselves
 

KDM

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We like Honeyberry Jam as well and I know exactly what you mean about the Merlotesk flavor. Here is Mama's batch for this year. She ended up with 29 cups of "stuff" for jams and jellies. It doesn't suck.

DSC01171.jpg
 

Lycanthrope

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We like Honeyberry Jam as well and I know exactly what you mean about the Merlotesk flavor. Here is Mama's batch for this year. She ended up with 29 cups of "stuff" for jams and jellies. It doesn't suck.

cae119a4fde7bd0a35284d146c3b5864.jpg

I havent gotten enough HB's to make preserves yet unfortunately. Ive got about 15 2nd year plants in the ground and probably another 50 in containers to be planted somewhere in the near future (hopefully). Just need to find that dream 10+ acres near Bismarck, which is hard to do!
 


snowcat

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Dang tent worms, I have a 1/4 mile of choke cherries in my tree row, this year I killed 56 different tents ! I check them every 2 days early, after the leaves get full, its harder to see them.
 

dean nelson

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Well one nice thing I found with Juneberry is unripe ones float making them easy to sort out along with leaves. Makes it allot faster when you can use a berry rake instead of doing it by hand.
 

snowcat

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I was out tilling my tree rows, and I have a half dozen bushes that are in full bloom, pick/white flowers. What is in bloom now? I planted 25 to 30 different kinds of berry trees,in a quarter mile, and misplaced my map!
 

Lycanthrope

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If you just got a heavy rain, that can cause bushes to activate new buds which will include flowers. Ive had this happen to me before also, but it is not common and some species are more likely to do this than others.

Started picking cherries this weekend, lot of work but they are yummy. Id post pictures but....
 

snowcat

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That sounds right, we just got our first real rain couple weeks ago 1.5" I have three different types berries growing. Thanks
 


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