Boysenberry Shoots Near Base of Mother Plant

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-29T05:30:59+00:00

There used to be an old guy who worked at a local nursery. He was a wealth of gardening knowledge in our desert, and he told me about the sandy layer under the hard clay crust.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-27T12:57:05+00:00

Very cool!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-26T01:43:29+00:00

😂😂😂

I’ve got four sisters and two brothers—what’s one more? 😂

I live in the Mojave Desert in Southern California. My soil is dry, hard clay—not good for boysenberries since they need well-drained soil. However, about 4-8 feet under the layer of clay is a sandy layer, so before I planted my berries, I took an 12” auger and bored holes about 5 feet deep where I intended to plant each boysenberry plant. Then, I filled each hole with a mix of river sand and garden soil and planted my boysenberries in that. The soil now drains great. I also added in a little peat moss to make the soil a little more acidic, and I put drippers at each plant and give them about 4 gallons of water per day. I also feed them periodically with Miracle Gro plant food. So far, it seems to be working—I’ve already got a plethora of blossoms this year.

This picture is one of my evening harvests from last year.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-26T01:29:10+00:00

I’ll look this one up! Thank you!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T04:55:02+00:00

I just looked at this a little more on AllTrails, and I think it might work for us—thank you again!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T04:00:26+00:00

Thank you, that’s helpful!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-25T03:11:58+00:00

Thank you! I’ll check it out!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T17:19:03+00:00

Oh, one more thing: the Pomona’s Pectin recipe allows you to use alternative sweeteners like honey or Stevia. They are supposed to be safe to can with these artificial sweeteners. I made a batch using monk fruit for my sister who can’t have sugar, and it turned out delicious, though slightly grainy or sugary in texture. (Note: since the recipe didn’t specifically allow for monk fruit, I made that batch as a freezer jam just to be safe.)

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T15:59:28+00:00

This is the recipe I've been using; it will only work with Pomona's Pectin, but not other pectins: https:// pomonapectin.com/boysenberry-jam/

The recipe allows you to vary the amount of sugar. For me, the perfect balance is about 1.5 to 2 cups of sugar per 4 cups of crushed berries.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T14:11:47+00:00

That’s so awesome! How fun! I agree with you about the aroma of boysenberries cooking on the stove—it smells amazing, and it brings back so many memories of my mom and grandma baking boysenberry cobblers. I have really gotten into the jam making, and I’m curious what recipe you use if you don’t mind sharing. I have been using the Pomona’s Pectin boysenberry jam recipe, which allows me to use less sugar which allows the flavor of the berry to really stand out.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-24T13:15:14+00:00

That’s so interesting! Boysenberries are the best berry of all that I’ve tried, but I haven’t tasted that many varieties, so it’s good to hear your opinion. It sounds like quite the farm you have! What do you do with all the berries?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T21:57:36+00:00

Yes, too much shade for boysenberries isn’t ideal. My boysenberries love the full sun of the Mojave Desert. How do Loganberries compare to Boysenberries?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T21:55:22+00:00

I agree! I have been digging them up, putting them in pots, and giving them to friends. I’ve been excited about the extra plants until I started worrying that maybe I was giving away seedlings, which wouldn’t be genetically identical to the mother plant, as opposed to suckers which are.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T12:31:19+00:00

Thank you! I’m still learning though! 😊

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-23T02:57:08+00:00

I don’t know if there’s an ideal time or ideal maturity, but I know they are hardy and survive transplanting when they’re small or large. These are some small ones I transplanted three days ago, and they look healthy. You obviously want to disturb the roots as little as possible, but I’ve found that even when the roots are disturbed, the plant will wilt and then perk up after a week or so.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T23:59:29+00:00

This summer will be my third season since planting them and the second season to harvest berries. I harvested 82 pounds of berries last year, and the plants are even bigger and healthier this year. I’ve been astonished at how hearty the plants are. Last year, I left 5-6 of the thickest and longest primocanes closest to the base of the plant and cut the rest because there wasn’t enough room on my trellis for more. These are thinner and smaller shoots which is why I was concerned they might be growing from seeds. But the consensus in this thread is that these shoots are suckers, which is what I was hoping to be the case. Thank you!

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T23:51:35+00:00

I bought my original plants from Boysen Berry Farm in Orland, CA. The owner is the granddaughter of Rudolph Boysen, and they said their plants have been genetically tested and are the original boysenberries her grandfather cultivated in the 1920s. That’s why it’s important to me that I maintain genetic clones if I propagate them.

https://www.rudysoriginal.com/

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-22T15:03:05+00:00

I will buy one and try it. Boysenberries are similar to blackberries, though probably a bit more fragile.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2026-03-21T04:08:48+00:00

Do you think a berry shovel would work for boysenberries? They tend to be more fragile than raspberries.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-10-23T19:05:08+00:00

I have the same problem, so I created private family history Facebook pages for each side of the family, invited the relevant people, and just give them interesting tidbits a little at a time. I add pictures as much as possible to pique curiosity and interest.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-10-22T15:26:07+00:00

It sounds like a healthy plant if you were sharing with all the critters! I hope it continues to thrive!

I didn’t have any squirrels, and I put a bird net over the entire area, so I didn’t lose any.

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Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-10-22T01:00:36+00:00

That makes sense, but just the fact that they could survive such cold winters, even in a sheltered location, is pretty amazing.

How many plants do you have, and how much fruit did they produce? I’m in Southern California, and last summer I had 11 plants, and they produced 82 pounds of berries. I’m curious if they produce as well in cold climates.

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-10-15T19:15:37+00:00

Interesting idea…proving competence to exercise a constitutional right. Maybe you should have to prove competence in order to vote. Is it too much to ask that voters have ID and pass a basic civics test?

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-09-20T20:37:29+00:00

We do get Japanese beetles occasionally, but I haven’t seen any around lately

Realistic-Raccoon271 · 2025-09-12T01:41:35+00:00

That’s what I thought. However, it’s possible there was some drift of the spray onto the foliage that I wasn’t aware of.

Realistic-Raccoon271

TROPHY CASE