Cranberries are sour and red berries most commonly used in a variety of sauces, pies and juices. The fruit is also a popular addition to lettuce dishes and is eaten dry as a snack. In recent years cranberries have also become known for their healing abilities, largely due to their high vitamin C and antioxidant content. Usually grown commercially, cranberries can also be grown at home. Start with Step 1 below to learn how to grow cranberries.
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Part 1 of 3: Growing Cranberries
Step 1. Choose the type of cranberry
There are various types of cranberries that can be used to grow at home. The type you choose depends on your intended use.
- Howes cranberry is a small red berry native to Massachusetts. This variety is easy to grow and will stay fresh long after harvest, if stored properly.
- Stevens cranberry is a hybrid cranberry strain designed for productivity and disease resistance. This breed is large and bright red in color.
- Two other types are Ben Lear (a large burgundy berry) and Early Black (a small, dark red berry). However, these types are not recommended for people who are planting cranberries for the first time because they are more difficult to care for and susceptible to disease and are more susceptible to insects than other types.
Step 2. Plant at the right time
Cranberries grow best in cooler climates, between zones two and five. This fruit can be planted at various times of the year, depending on the age of the plant.
- Cuttings and seedlings can be planted during the fall, from October to early November. This fruit can be planted in spring, from mid-April to late May.
- Rooted, 3-year-old plants – those that are still growing actively – can sometimes be planted in the summer, usually purchased in pots.
Step 3. Prepare the soil
For soil, this plant has unique requirements – cranberries need soil with a low pH value and high organic content. As a result, you will often need to replace the soil instead of changing the existing soil.
- The size of the place to plant cranberries is 120 cm by 240 cm. However, if you only plant one tree, 60 cm by 60 cm is sufficient.
- Dig the soil where the cranberries are planted to a depth of 15 to 20 cm. Fill the hole with peat, then mix 225 grams of fertilizer from animal bones and 450 grams of fertilizer from animal blood.
- Optionally, you can add 1 cup of Epsom salt and 450 grams of rock phosphate as well. (This amount is for every 3 square meters of land, the size can be adjusted).
- Before planting, moisten the soil (but do not soak). You can do this by spraying a patch of soil with a garden hose, mixing in the soil gradually to encourage absorption.
Step 4. Plant cuttings or seedlings
Cranberry plants are not grown from seed, but from one-year-old cuttings or three-year-old seedling plants.
- It's important to know that cranberry plants don't produce fruit until their third or fourth year – so you can choose to plant cuttings or seedlings, depending on how quickly you want the fruit to be.
- If you are planting cuttings for growing cranberries, plant them in moist soil, leaving at least 30 cm between each plant. The root ball of each plant is usually about 5 cm below the soil surface.
- If you choose to plant seedlings that are 3 years old, leave about 90 cm between each plant.
Step 5. Grow cranberries in containers as another option
Cranberries grow best in the garden, because there is ample space for spreading stings (stems that grow sideways). However, you can also grow cranberries in a large pot, if you prefer.
- Fill the pot with humus and plant three-year-old seedlings. Allow the Geragih to grow on the plant in the pot (the Geragih will have roots and form a stalk on which the fruit hangs), but prune those that are longer than the width of the pot. You can also fertilize the soil with a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen as this will limit the growth of the scallops.
- Potted cranberry plants will need to be moved every few years (as opposed to growing in soil which will be more sustainable).
Part 2 of 3: Caring for Cranberry Plants
Step 1. Keep an eye on weeds
Cranberry plants can't compete with weeds, so it's important to trim weeds regularly, especially during the first year. For him, the peat used in cranberry soil will limit the growth of most of the weeds that commonly grow in gardens.
Step 2. Always water the cranberry plant well
During the first year (and beyond) the cranberry plant will need constant watering to maintain the soil. When the roots dry out, the plant will die.
- It is a common misconception that cranberry plants need to be soaked in water while growing. While the soil should always be wet (or at least moist), it doesn't need to be soaked in water.
- Too much water will slow root growth and prevent roots from reaching the required depth.
Step 3. Fertilize
In no time, your cranberry plant will begin to have a toothpick (similar to a strawberry plant) which will fill the soil surface before taking root and have an erect stem, which is part of the plant's flowering and fruiting process. To encourage the growth of this tart, the soil in which the cranberries grow needs to be fertilized.
- For the first year after planting, apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer to the soil in which the cranberries are growing, which will encourage the spread of stings. Fertilize three times – once at the beginning of growth, once when the flowers appear and once when the fruit begins to form.
- To limit the spread of stinging in cranberry plots, you can limit the growth plots with a wooden or plastic barrier.
- After the first year, you will need to stop nitrogen intake on the teeth - this will encourage them to stop spreading, grow roots and form an erect stalk. Use a non-nitrogen fertilizer for the second year onwards.
- At the beginning of the second year (and a few years after) you need to cover the soil with a thin layer (1.25 cm) of sand. This will help the stinger to grow roots and prevent weeds from growing.
Step 4. Pest and disease control
Cranberry plants are susceptible to certain pests and diseases, but these are fairly easy to deal with, if you know what to do.
- The cranberry caterpillar is a common problem, the gray moth that lays its own eggs inside cranberries. If you see gray moths around your cranberry plants, you will need to spray the patch of plant with an insecticide to kill the eggs.
- If you don't catch the fruit caterpillar in time, the eggs will hatch, and the caterpillars will eat the cranberries from the inside out. When this happens, the affected cranberries will turn red before they ripen. You can deal with this by picking the red cranberries prematurely and throwing them away.
- Two other common diseases are red spot (red spots appear on the leaves) and cranberry fruit rot. Treatment for both diseases is the same – spray cranberry plants with a copper-based organic fungicide between late June and early August, according to the instructions on the label.
Step 5. Prune the toothpicks on the three-year-old plants
In the third year of growth onwards, you will need to prune the cranberry plant each spring to control the heat and encourage the growth of erect stalks (which will bear fruit).
- You can do this by combing the cranberry patch with a landscape rake, until all the blades are in the same direction,. This will make it easier for you to find the longest blade and cut it. Do not prune existing upright stalks.
- As time passes, the cranberry plant will probably grow beyond its original plot. If this happens, you can prune each plant in the spring, until it is only 5 cm above the soil line of the original plot. The cranberry plant will not produce fruit that year, but normal production will continue the following year.
Part 3 of 3: Harvesting Cranberries
Step 1. Harvest cranberries
If you plant three year old seedlings, your cranberry plant will probably start producing next fall. But if you are planting one year old cuttings, you will need to wait three or four years for the plants to bear fruit.
- After the plant produces fruit, you can harvest the fruit in September and October each year. When the fruit ripens, it will be bright red or dark red (depending on the type) and the seeds inside will turn brown.
- While commercial gardens harvest cranberries by flooding the field to allow the cranberries to float (so they're easier to collect), this step isn't necessary if you're growing at home. Cranberries can be picked by hand from the plant.
- It is important to pick all the fruit before the winter freeze, as cranberries cannot survive temperatures below -1 degree Celsius.
Step 2. Save the fruit
After harvest, cranberries will stay fresh for two months when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator – this is longer than most other fruits.
Cooked cranberries (or cranberry sauce) will last in the refrigerator for up to a month, while dried cranberries (which have a raisin-like texture) can last up to a year
Step 3. Protect the cranberry plant over the winter
It is important to protect your cranberry plants during the winter months to prevent them from freezing and drying out. You can do this by covering a patch of soil with a thick layer of humus (in the form of leaves or pine needles) before winter comes.
- You can unscrew your cranberry plants in the spring (around April 1) but you should be prepared to close them on nights where the weather is expected to be frosty, frosty nights can kill new shoots and prevent fruit from growing that year.
- Do not cover the cranberry plant with clear or black plastic, as this can increase the temperature of the plot of soil and may kill the plant.
