Blue Banana

Description

Overview: The big berries are juicy and sweet with great flavour – very refershing. One of the best tasting berries of the BU stable. This variety is is a member of the Blue Moose family

Origin: Russian. F4 from Lonicera cerulea Turzcaninowii Pojark. BU 2

Plant Size and Shape: Width 5 feet x Height 5 feet. Upright with  very vigorous growth habit. Dense branching structure and develops dome shape crown

Productivity: 8 to10 pounds in fourth or fifth grow year

Needed Pollinator: Any other unrelated Honeyberry cultivar blooming at a similar time – Happy Giant and Blue Palm

Harvest Window: Mid season within general mid-June to mid-July window

Other harvest notes: Harvest at Brix of 15 plus. Machine harvestable

Berry Size: 3.0 cm (about 1 inch)

Shape: Like a mini blue banana. Berry shape – 12

Stem Scar: Dry when ripen

Hardiness: Zones 2-4, 3-7 in the East coast, 5-9 in the West coast, 2-7 in central part of North America

Chilling Hours required: 1,000 to 1,200 plus hours

Flowers bloom: April

Soil pH: Tolerates 5 to 7, but ideal 6.4 and Soil type: Natural rich balanced and fungal soil

Planting time: Fall preferred

Plant spacing: 4 to 5 feet. Avoid aggressive tilling under maturing bushes, as damages the carpet type roots and Row spacing: 10 to 12 feet

Pruning: Annual pruning not required. After 10 years of fruiting consider cutting back the central woody stems to about one and a half feet