Maiberry: varieties, location & cutting

At first glance, the mayberry or honeyberry looks like a blueberry. So what exactly is a honeyberry? We will tell you about the properties and special features of the small blue berry.

You can often find Mayberries under the names honey berries, Kamchatka honeysuckle, lentil berries, Siberian blueberries or Siberian bilberries. The summer-green Mayberry berry bush with its blueberry-like fruits is becoming increasingly popular in the home garden. The mayberry also convinces with its easy-care and robust nature.

Maiberry: origin and properties

The Mayberry (Lonicera caerulea var. kamchatica) originally comes from Siberia, to be more precise from the Siberian peninsula of Kamchatka, from which the name Kamchatka honeysuckle, which is also used, comes from. The plant, which belongs to the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), grows there mainly in mountain forests at higher altitudes.

Due to their origin, the mayberry blossoms and the wood are extremely robust and frost-hardy. The yellow-white flowers in pairs can be seen from March.

The leaves of the berry bush only grow after the flowers. From these, the approximately 1 to 1.5 centimeters large, cylindrical, dark blue berries form. These are also similar in taste to the cultivated blueberry, but the May berry has a lower yield. A special feature, however, is the early ripening, often as early as May, which makes the Maiberry one of the first soft fruits of the year. The mayberry size is also suitable for smaller gardens. The shrub grows up to 1.5 meters high, but also likes to grow in width.

The tastiest Mayberry varieties

There are different Mayberry varieties, which can be divided into early and late varieties, with the difference being only slight. The best-known honeyberry varieties are:

• ‘Morena’: The honeyberry 'Morena' is slightly larger and heavier and in milder areas is already ripe from the end of May.
• ‘Fialka’: The somewhat larger and heavier honeyberry 'Fialka' is also ripe in mild locations at the end of May or beginning of June.
• ‘Maitop’: The mayberry 'Maitop®' is characterized by its aromatic berries and the good yield.
• ‘Amur’: The May berry 'Amur' is considered a good pollinator for the 'Maitop'. It is therefore a good addition to the garden and also has a very aromatic taste.
• 'Icebear': The new Maiberry 'Eisbär'® is characterized by its very large, 3 to 4 cm long fruits and is said to bring a higher yield.

Other varieties include the honey berry 'Honey Blue', the honey berry 'Blue Velvet' or the Siberian blueberry 'Myberry Sweet'.

Planting honeyberries: location, timing and procedure

The honeyberry bush is very robust and undemanding, which is why it grows satisfactorily in partial shade and full sun as well as on light to medium-heavy soil. Thus, the honeyberry location can be chosen quite freely, but a sunny and not too nutrient-poor location is beneficial for the harvest. Maiberries also prefer consistently moist locations.

When you plant the honeyberry, temperatures should not drop below freezing. Planting in spring or fall is ideal. If you want to plant the bush now, you should dig a hole that is at least 1.5 times the size of the root ball of the honeyberry bush. Before inserting the honeyberry, the root ball can be loosened a little. Normal garden soil is suitable for planting. If you want to loosen up the soil and ensure a good supply of humus and a better harvest, you can use a more special soil. Our peat-free Plantura organic universal soil is ideal for soft fruit and can be used in a variety of ways in the garden.

Tip: If you share mayberries with currants and plant autumn raspberries, with a bit of luck you can harvest berries from the end of May until frost.

When planting several shrubs, a distance of at least 1 m should be maintained. The yield of May berries can be increased if different varieties pollinate each other. However, the mayberry is also able to fertilize itself. Solitary mayberry bushes also bear fruit. After planting, the shrub is sufficiently watered.

Plant Siberian blueberries in tubs: Due to its compact size, it is easily possible to plant the Siberian blueberry in a bucket. The plants can also be overwintered outdoors near the house. To protect the fine roots in the pot from freezing, the bucket can be packed with insulating material.

The right care

In order to bring in a rich harvest, the Siberian blueberry also needs care. Although it is easier to care for than the cultivated blueberry, there are a few points to consider. During longer periods of drought, the mayberry should be additionally watered, as it loves evenly moist soil. If you want to harvest many berries every year, you should also fertilize your mayberry. Fertilization is recommended in spring before sprouting and a second in summer before fruiting. You can do this with compost or a good, mostly organic fertilizer like ours Plantura organic universal fertilizer use. With its natural long-term effect, this is also suitable for the sustainable supply of May berries.

You don't have to be afraid of frost damage with the honeyberry either; due to its origin in Siberia, the plant itself can even withstand temperatures down to around -45 °C.

Cut Mayberry

After harvesting in June, you can prune the mayberry to rejuvenate it. In the first 3 years, you should only remove shoots that are too dense and weak. From the 4th Every year after the harvest, the oldest shoots are cut off close to the ground and the strongest 8 to 10 of the young fruit shoots are left standing. These then deliver the new berries in the next year.

Maiberry does not carry: what to do?

After 3 years, your Maiberry should bear fruit. Is your mayberry not bearing? There are a few possible reasons for this. As already mentioned, a second plant is generally not necessary for corn berry pollination, but a second variety is often required so that you can harvest something. It is also possible that the mayberry location is too shady or that the plant was not watered sufficiently during long dry periods. If there are no flowers to be seen and the foliage shows signs of deficiency, it can also make sense to fertilize the mayberry again or improve the soil.

multiply mayberry

The mayberry can also be multiplied. In the case of Mayberry propagation, cuttings are used, which can be cut in summer. To do this, young shoots about 20 cm long without flowers or fruits should be cut off and placed in pots with loose soil. These can be overwintered in a cool and bright, but frost-free place until spring and then planted out in the garden. Will the cuttings in nutrient poor soil like ours Plantura organic seed and herb soil plugged in, they easily form new roots if there is enough moisture. Propagation via sinkers is even easier. Here, a shoot of the plant is bent down and fixed in the ground so that it can root.

Harvesting and Use: Are Mayberries Edible?

As the name suggests, the May berries are often harvested as early as the end of May. May berries are edible and can be eaten directly from the bush. The taste is similar to blueberries, but honeyberries don't keep as long and should be consumed immediately. The most interesting ingredients in cornberries are vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants, which make them a true superfood. The berries are also used in juices, jams or compotes.

Common Pests and Diseases on Siberian Blueberries

The Siberian blueberry is only slightly susceptible to diseases and pests. Occasionally there is an infestation with frost moths. However, you should be careful with bird feeding. The small berries are very popular and should therefore be covered with nets if there are many birds in the garden in order to be able to harvest something.

Would you like to discover more special types of berries? In our article we will tell you 9 unknown berriesthat you've probably never heard of.