Cranberry |
| General |
| Common Name | Cranberry |
| Latin Name | Vaccinium macrocarpon |
| Category | Fruits |
| Family | Vaccinium |
| Variety | |
| Visual Traits |
| Flower | white-pink; 2-4wk period; May-July |
| Foliage/Fall leaf color | evergreen; dark bronze in fall |
| Fruit | bright red; late September; 60-120days after fertilization; persistent through winter |
| Height | 4-6ft length, vertical branching 2-6in |
| Spread | ground cover |
| Cultivation |
| Cultivation and Mulching | sand and coarse material layered to maintain drainage |
| Field preparation and planting | requires acid soils and high organic matter; bog construction may be prohibited in natural wetlands; grading may be necessary for large-scale production, http://www.library.wisc.edu/guides/agnic/cranberry/harvest.htm |
| Field spacing / planting depth | treat as spreading groundcover; vines planted at density of one ton/ac on large-scale |
| Harvest | Sep-Nov; dry or wet harvest; mechanical or hand-picking |
| Pollination | wind or insect-pollinated, honeybee hives distributed early June-mid-July |
| Propagation method | unrooted cuttings, rooted cuttings (plugs), tissue culture; container; seeds |
| Pruning | maintain upright vine length to 2-4in, depending on variety |
| Seed treatment and storage | 3mos cold stratification |
| Softwood cuttings | root in peat:perlite for 6wks with misting for small-scale production; commercial producers spread over soil and incorporate (disc) then root via intensive water management |
| Watering guidelines | irrigation required; dry or wet production possible; bogs flooded Dec-Mar for frost protection and pest management in large systems; see intensive production guidelines http://www.library.wisc.edu/guides/agnic/cranberry/harvest.htm |
| Critters |
| Insect and invertebrate pests | commercial production plagued with many pests; none serious for home production |
| Pathogens | Phytophthora root rot |
| Soils |
| Fertility / quality | high organic matter |
| Moisture and drainage | well-drained required through growing season; tolerate flooding during dormancy Dec-Mar; roots must stay cool and moist |
| pH | 4.0-5.0 |
| Soils and topography | nutrient poor soils of peatlands |
| Texture | coarse sand; intensive production requires layering of sand and coarse medium |
| Growth Pattern |
| Fruit bearing age / full crop load | 4-7y |
| Growth rate | slow to moderate |
| Root habit | advantageous roots from leaf axil |
| Habitat and Climate |
| Hardiness Zone | Zones 2-6 |
| Native Range | Eastern Canada and United States |
| Wind / ice / frost susceptibility | requires chilling 600-700hours |
| Light |
| Light recommendation | full sun to light shade |
| Special Notes |
| Note 1 | not well-adapted for commercial production south of NJ |