Cranberry 'Ben Lear'

Клюква Бен Лир (Vaccinium macrocarpon 'Ben Lear') – one of the earliest-ripening varieties of large-fruited cranberry from the Cranberry group. The variety originates from Canada. It resulted from the natural hybridization of the Wisconsin variety. It was discovered by D. R. Burr in 1900.

It is an evergreen creeping shrub 20-30 cm in height and up to 2 m in diameter. Leaves evergreen, small, elliptic, oblong, alternate, 1-1.5 cm long. Cranberry leaves are green on the upper side, glossy, firm, leathery and pale gray on the underside. In winter the leaves turn reddish-brown.

Flowers are self-pollinating, white or white-pink with curved petals, appearing on pendent inflorescences of 6-8 flowers in June-July; flowering can last 20-25 days.

Fruits very large, weighing 1.6-2 g, 18-20 mm in diameter, dark red with a bluish waxy bloom, glossy, may remain on the bush all winter. Yield up to 3 kg per 1 sq.m. Ripens in late August - early September.

Hardiness zone: 4-8 (-29°С).

Site: prefers light but is not demanding in terms of mineral nutrition. The plot for cranberry should be level and situated in a well-lit place. It is recommended to avoid enclosed depressions and hollows where cold air can accumulate and water can stagnate during snowmelt or heavy rains.

Soil: prefers acidic, water- and air-permeable (peat, sand, sandy loam) soil pH 3.5-4.5 and moderate soil moisture, but by no means excessive, despite the fact that it grows on bogs. The top layer of soil should be moist.

Planting: for planting it is recommended to make beds based on high peat. To do this, remove the top layer of soil (to a depth of 20-25 cm) and fill the resulting depression with high peat. Pure high peat can be replaced by a mixture consisting of any type of peat, sawdust, fallen needles and decomposed forest litter in any proportions. A little sand can be added to this mixture. Sprinkle the surface of the bed with sulfur (40-60 g per 1 m² of area), mix the substrate, compact it and mulch with sand (layer 4-5 cm). To acidify the soil, water the prepared bed with acidified water (10 L of water per 1 m²). To acidify use citric or oxalic acid (1 teaspoon per 3 L of water), acetic or apple vinegar (9% vinegar 100 g per 10 L of water). Seedlings with a closed root system are best to use. They are planted with a soil clod into holes up to 10 cm deep and 8-10 cm in diameter at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other. After planting the area should be well watered and covered with sand (layer 1.0-1.5 cm). For a week monitor that the top layer of soil does not dry out.

Care: In hot weather it needs watering. Water used for irrigation should also have a very acidic reaction (pH 4), otherwise the plants will first show signs of chlorosis on the leaves, followed by growth cessation and plant death. When cultivated, cranberry reacts actively to relatively small amounts of fertilizers, and only mineral fertilizers should be used (the complex fertilizer "Universal" is well suited for this). In the first year of cultivation the fertilization scheme is as follows: the first feeding is carried out 3 weeks after planting. On 1 m² apply half a tablespoon of fertilizer. Then continue to apply the same fertilizers in the same amount every 2 weeks until the end of July. In mid-August apply about a third of a tablespoon of the "Autumn" fertilizer per 1 m². The last feeding is applied in October (as in August). In the second and third years of cultivation, from late April to the end of July, every 2 weeks apply half a tablespoon per 1 m² of the "Universal" fertilizer. In mid-August and in October apply one third of a tablespoon of the "Autumn" fertilizer. Starting from the fourth year and in subsequent years of cultivation, the amount of fertilizers applied to large-fruited cranberry is sharply reduced. During the growing season carry out 6 feedings. In mid-April, May, June and July apply one third of a tablespoon of the "Universal" fertilizer per 1 m². In mid-August and mid-October apply one third of a tablespoon of the "Autumn" fertilizer per 1 m². Cranberry plantings are periodically mulched with sand, which provides favorable conditions for the growth and development of the root system and the plant as a whole. Sanding is carried out once every two to three years, early in spring, before the start of cranberry growth, spreading sand in a layer of 2-3 cm over the entire surface of the plot. In the winter period cranberry needs protection from freezing. The simplest and most convenient means is the snow cover, which has good thermal insulation properties. But snow cover is not a sufficiently reliable means (it can melt during a thaw, and during a blizzard it can be blown off the bed). Therefore, in late autumn the plantings should be covered with any available material: spunbond, burlap, spruce boughs, etc. In spring, after soil thawing, the cover is removed. Protection is necessary not only from freezing. In winter, in dry windy weather, unprotected cranberry shoots die, despite temperatures being well above the critical point. The reason is that in frozen soil the root system does not function and water does not reach the above-ground parts of the plant. As a result the shoots die from desiccation, although in mid-winter they can withstand short-term drops in temperature to -28º - -30º. For covering, straw or fallen leaves must not be used under any circumstances. Mice can settle in them and, to build their nests, will gladly use not only the scattered straw but also the cranberry shoots under it. In spring and autumn it is necessary to protect the plantings from frosts. The most reliable method of protection in this case is overhead irrigation. At night, when the temperature drops to 0º turn on irrigation. If that is not possible, in the evening before the frost, abundantly water the cranberry beds with water, or cover them with spunbond, burlap, foam rubber, polyethylene film or any other available material (even straw).

Pruning: In early spring (before the start of vegetation) or in autumn (after berry harvest) prune creeping shoots protruding above the tips of the upright shoots. Cut the shoots using pruning shears, scissors or a knife. The frequency of pruning is determined visually, by the density of the cranberry canopy and the degree of development of the creeping shoots. You can cut shoots in strips 2-3 cm wide, leaving an adjacent strip of uncut shoots of the same width.

Diseases: susceptible to phomopsis, gray and snow mould, red leaf spot, monilial blight, gibberella spot, pestalotia, ascochytosis, botrytis, and shoot overgrowth.

Pests: black-headed lingonberry leafroller, heath geometer (pug moth), gypsy moth, cabbage moth and apple-like scale insect.

Propagation: propagated by seeds and cuttings. Cuttings are taken and planted in moist soil mulched with a layer of sand. To maintain sufficient humidity, the planting is covered with film and watered regularly. After 20-25 days the cuttings will root and produce lateral shoots.

Uses: fruits are consumed fresh and used to make fruit drinks, juices, kvass, extracts, and jellies; they are good sources of vitamins. Leaves can be used as tea.