Please note: this is a bare-root plant!

Japanese Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) - 1 bare-root plant

Like the blackberry and raspberry, the Japanese wineberry belongs to the Rubus family. Anyone who likes raspberries will certainly appreciate the Japanese wineberry. The branches have an exotic appearance due to their small prickles and red hairs. Although the shrub is not evergreen, it is very hardy. This berry has a fresh, slightly tart taste and produces striking, bright red fruits that ripen in the summer.

The Japanese wineberry flowers on the wood of the previous year and forms new shoots each season that will bear fruit the following year. The plant grows to approximately 120 cm in height, with branches that can reach up to 2 meters in length. 

Key features

• Harvest: June-July
• Taste: slightly tart
• Thorns: yes
• Location: sun
• Planting distance: 50-100 cm
• Cultivation method: train along wire/fence
  
• Height at delivery: 30-40 cm (excluding roots)

Bare-root, what does that mean?
Bare-root means that a tree or shrub is delivered without a pot and without soil around the roots. The advantage is that bare-root plants are more affordable than potted plants. However, the planting period is limited to the winter months. Before planting, it is recommended to soak the roots in water for several hours and then plant the plant immediately in the ground. Bare-root plants are always sold without leaves because the exposed roots would otherwise dry out. It is best to plant the plant in the garden as soon as possible, but temporarily potting it in a pot is also an option.

Tips and care:

• Planting: November to March
• Support: the Japanese wineberry needs support to grow well. This can be done with a fence, but a row of posts with wire stretched between them also works well. At Ruud & Merel, the Japanese wineberry grows in their row cropping system. In this blog they show step by step how they set this up.
• Pruning: the Japanese wineberry should be pruned in the autumn. Remove the old fruit canes, which are the branches that have borne fruit in the past season. These branches will no longer produce new fruit and are best removed. 
• Organic/non-organic: this plant stock comes from a small-scale grower, without an official organic certificate. But don't worry, we are sure it is toxin-free.
• Open ground or pots: you can grow all small fruits in pots; the larger the pot, the better they will do. They will always grow better and produce more fruit in open ground. In open ground, this variety does need support by means of a fence, screen, or by being tied to wires stretched between posts.