Cranberries, often known in this country as “cranberries” or “craneberries”, are surprisingly grateful plants. The creeping plant thrives best on nutrient-poor and acidic soils, requires little care and rewards its gardener with juicy, red fruits. These can be wonderfully processed into jams or juices or dried like raisins.
How do I properly care for cranberry plants?
Cranberry care includes regular watering to keep the soil constantly moist, weeding to prevent weeds, avoiding fertilization, occasional trimming of older shoots in spring, and protection from frost. Potted plants require repotting every two to three years.
How often do I have to water cranberries?
Cranberry bushes require a lot of water and should be kept constantly moist. The plant only roots on the surface and not in depth, which is why regular watering is essential. Weeds also draw valuable moisture from the soil, which is why weeding is also important. It's best to cover the ground with a thick layer of bark mulch (€14.00 on Amazon), this protects against both drying out and cold.
When and how often should the bushes be fertilized? Which is the best fertilizer?
Cranberries should not be fertilized because, as a heather plant, they cannot tolerate nutrient-rich soil. It is enough to add some compost when planting and in autumn.
When and how can I cut cranberries?
Severe pruning is not necessary for cranberries, but perennial plants in particular should be thinned out in spring. Even very long shoots can be cut off, otherwise they will grow over the edge of the bed and quickly overgrow the garden. Cranberries grow very quickly. However, make sure to only prune older shoots. Young branches should not be damaged, otherwise the plant will develop significantly fewer berries.
Can I keep a cranberry bush on the balcony?
The cranberry is very suitable for planting in pots and balcony boxes. It is best to plant the bushes in rhododendron soil, which you can possibly mix with a little peat. Cranberries should be watered regularly and repotted about every two to three years. Fertilization is not necessary if you repot regularly.
What diseases are there and what can I do about them?
Diseases are rare, but the cranberry can be infected by the parasitic fungus Exobasidium perenne. You can recognize an infestation by red and yellow spots on some leaves. However, this fungus is rarely found in our latitudes; its distribution area is more in Canada.
Are cranberries hardy?
Cranberries are hardy in mild areas. However, both their flowers and their fruits cannot tolerate frost and freeze to death at temperatures as low as -4 °C. For this reason, early flowering varieties such as Bergman, Black Veil, Searles or Bain McFarlin should be grown, especially in northern Germany. With these varieties, the berries ripen earlier and are therefore not particularly at risk of frost.
Tips & Tricks
You can cover the cold-sensitive flowers and fruits with a frost protection fleece and thus protect them from freezing.