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Berry special: All you need to know about the superfruits

Not only do berries taste delicious, they are also true superfruits: They contain lots of vitamins, strengthen our immune system and sometimes even have anti-inflammatory properties. It comes as no surprise that the summer harvest is a highlight of the gardening year. Find out more about the different types of berry and what you should keep in mind when caring for them here.

Tasty berries for your garden

Sweet

Strawberries

Sour

Currants

Fresh

Raspberries

Fruity

Blackberries

Not all berries are equal

From a botanical standpoint, are bananas, dates, kiwis or tomatoes, peppers and aubergines also berries? A berry is a fruit that falls from the plant in a closed state and does not open when it is ripe.

strawberry

Harvesting aromatic berries: Succeed with these care tips

If you decide to purchase resilient varieties and make sure to provide the right care, you are best placed to have a successful berry harvest. Good soil, enough nutrients and regular watering are key.

The best soil for berries

Berries generally love loose, humus-rich soils. Use a high-quality soil with ingredients tailored to the needs of the berries for planting. Then water thoroughly. But beware: Make sure that there is no risk of waterlogging. Loamy soil can be enriched with compost, leaves or sand. The pH value of the soil should ideally be slightly acidic and between 5.5 and 6.0.

The ideal nutrient supply

The plants only develop abundant sweet fruits if they are supplied with enough nutrients. Once the first shoots are showing, you can stimulate growth with fertiliser. A slow-release fertiliser is a good idea for those who only wish to fertilise once per season.

Berry bushes also need thorough care after the harvest. To give your plants a helping hand, first remove any weeds below the bushes, then loosen the soil with a rake and incorporate a berry fertiliser. Then mulch with grass cuttings or straw. During the main growth period, place straw around your strawberry plants – this will protect the fruits from dirt and rot. The following applies to currants: As they have very shallow roots, it is better not to rake too deeply!

When you can pick berries

The harvesting time for berries depends on the chosen variety (early-blooming, late-blooming, everbearing, etc.) and the intended use. The more sun the fruits get and the longer you wait, the sweeter and more aromatic they become. With that in mind, it is best to pick berries for eating as late as possible, while those for marmalades and jams can be harvested before they are fully ripe. Strawberries can often be harvested in June. Currants bear fruit a little later and are ready to be picked from the end of June until the beginning of August. From the end of July/beginning of August until mid-October, you can pick raspberries and blackberries.

Pruning berries: How to keep berries in a fruity mood

Immediately after the harvest or at the end of the winter, older shoots should be pruned so that the younger shoots can develop better – they ultimately deliver the harvest. The three- to four-year-old fruit branches are trimmed and the young, strong ground shoots tightened up. Weak young shoots and side shoots that are too thick are also removed. The shoots of raspberries and blackberries only come through the year before; the removed two-year-old shoots are cut to the ground after the harvest.

strawberry slug

Pests and fungal diseases affecting strawberries

Snails have a special penchant for strawberries. They descend upon the red fruits and other vegetables at night and can destroy entire harvests. Special products help to ward off snails. Besides a snail barrier made from shell limestone, our range features different granulates with an active ingredient to combat slugs.

Characteristic fungal diseases affecting strawberries are common spot of strawberry and strawberry leaf scorch. Large round spots, measuring about 1-4 mm, appear on the leaves during the harvest. Common spot of strawberry can be identified by the white spots with red edges. In cases of strawberry leaf scorch, the spots are a red-brown colour. The more severe the infestation, the more the spots merge. A fungicide, e.g. in the form of a ready-to-use spray or concentrate, can help to combat the disease.

Pests and fungal diseases affecting raspberries

A raspberry beetle infestation is a common disease affecting summer raspberries. The beetles mainly look for food on fruit plants in May after hibernating in winter. After fertilisation, females lay their eggs in the flowers of the raspberry. The hatched larvae feed off the ripening fruits, reducing the harvest in affected raspberry plants.

A common fungal disease affecting raspberries is raspberry rust. It can be identified by the greenish to yellow spots on the upper side of the leaf. On the underside of the leaf, they are bright orange and turn brown to black over time. If the shrubs are severely infested, the leaves are prematurely shed by the raspberry plant. In this case, a remedy against fungal infections can be used to stop the spread and prevent new infestations.

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