How to Grow Cranberries? Detailed Guide to Growing Conditions and Techniques

The cranberry is a berry with a sweet-and-sour taste and is one of the three traditional fruits of North America. In our country it is generally seen in dried form, added to desserts and bread. Cranberries are rich in water, low in calories, and packed with fiber and minerals, making them very popular with consumers. Below we will take a look at the growing conditions and techniques for cranberries.

I. Growing conditions for cranberries

Many cranberry varieties have strong cold resistance. They prefer moist, strongly acidic soil, and cranberry planting is mostly established on wetland sites.

A cranberry orchard should have an ample water source, to be used for frost prevention, to replenish excessive soil water evaporation, and for harvesting the cranberry fruit——the pH of the irrigation water used for water harvesting should be less than 6, and the best soil pH is 4.0 to 5.5. Water sources include lake water, river water, reservoirs, and so on; the reservoir that is built should store enough water to supply cranberry growth.

Because cranberries are evergreen and semi-evergreen plants, when cultivating cranberries in cold northern regions, two factors should be mainly considered: cold resistance and frost damage. Arid areas with little snow in winter and strong winds are not suitable for developing cranberries; in areas with frequent late frosts, such as valleys surrounded by mountains on all sides, cranberries are prone to frost damage during the flowering period and should be avoided as much as possible.

II. Growing techniques for cranberries

1. Choose a suitable variety

Cranberries should be planted by choosing a suitable variety. The main variety grown in North America is Stevens, bred in 1996. Stevens is a mid-season variety with large fruit, good coloring, and reliable yields. Ben Lear is another more widely grown variety; it is early-maturing with even larger fruit, but it is relatively sensitive to cultivation management measures. Growing several varieties in one orchard can reduce risk.

2. Soil conditions

Cranberries do not root deeply, so the soil surface should be covered with sand about four to five cm deep. They have relatively high soil requirements, and peat soil is more suitable for their growth. In this kind of soil, the survival rate increases while the fruiting period can be extended, ultimately achieving the goal of increasing yield.

3. Planting

The cultivation technique commonly used in North America is, when planting cranberries, to cut off part of the cranberry vines, scatter them in sandy soil, then press them into the soil, and finally water and fertilize. Generally after a few weeks they will grow new roots and become new plants, and they will grow better and better.

4. Pollination

Although cranberries are self-pollinating, the yield is very low and the fruit is especially small, so many varieties are planted together for cross-pollination, and sometimes artificial pollination is also carried out to ensure yield.

5. Harvesting

There are two harvesting methods for cranberries, divided into water harvesting and dry harvesting. Water harvesting requires a large amount of water on the evening before the harvest, and then the next day water reels are used to knock the fruit off, after which it is collected. Dry harvesting does not need as much water and can basically be described as growing dry; once the fruit is ripe, it is simply picked.