Pruning and training
Young plants only need dead material removed for the first three years while they get established. For more established honeyberries, pruning should be done in early to mid-summer after harvesting;
- Remove straggly weak and damaged growth
- Thin out any overcrowded shoots by removing several down to the base to encourage new strong shoots to replace the old
- Also remove the tips of young shoots as this encourages more flowering laterals
Pollination and harvesting
It may be worth considering pollination by hand to increase yield of fruit. They flower late winter to very early spring when there is little pollinating insect activity. Hand pollination can be done by lightly brushing over the flowers with a small, soft paint brush.
The fruit is harvested about late-spring early-summer. The berries turns blue and develops a whitish bloom when ripe; however check to make sure that the flesh is purple-red as green under-ripe fruits can be very sour. A mature plant can produce about 6kg of fruit. It can take up to two years before you will get a crop.