elderberry planting and growing tips

[Amy Boyd]

(Note: I’d like to thank Cornell University for graciously allowing me to post this info here.)

Planting
Elderberries grow best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, but will tolerate a wide range of soil texture, fertility, and acidity. It’s a myth that they prefer swampy areas. In fact, they do not tolerate poor drainage. Plant elderberries in spring, as soon as possible after they arrive from the nursery to prevent plants from drying out. Space plants 6 to 10 feet apart. Elderberries are shallow rooted, so keep them well-watered during the first season. Plants are easy to propagate from hardwood cuttings taken when plants are dormant.

Fertilizing
Elderberries respond well to fertilization. In addition to incorporating manure or compost before planting, apply additional fertilizer annually in early spring. Apply 1/8 pound of ammonium nitrate (or .5 lbs. 10-10-10) for each year of the plant’s age, up to one pound per plant (or up to 4 lbs. 10-10-10).

Weed Control
The most difficult problem faced when growing elderberries is weed control. Because they have shallow roots, do not cultivate deeper than 2 inches. After the first year, it is best to avoid disturbing the soil at all because the slightest injury can damage the fibrous root system or kill one of the new upright shoots. Use a combination of pulling weeds by hand while they are still small, mowing and mulching to control weeds without disturbing the elderberry roots. Once you develop a thick hedgerow of plants, elderberries can suppress weeds quite well.

Harvest
Harvest elderberry fruit in late August through early September, depending on the cultivar. When ripe, the entire cluster should be -removed and the berries stripped from the cluster for use. Uncooked berries have a dark purple juice and are astringent and inedible. Use the fruit as soon as possible or keep it at a cool temperature for later use. It is difficult to transport elderberries because the fruits fall off the cluster during transit.

Pruning
Elderberries send up many new canes each year. The canes usually reach full height in one season and develop lateral branches in the second. Flowers and fruit develop on the tips of the current season’s growth, often on the new canes but especially on laterals. Second-year elderberry canes with good lateral development are the most fruitful. In the third or fourth year, older wood tends to lose vigor and become weak. In late winter to early spring while the plants are dormant, remove all dead, broken or weak canes, plus all canes more than three years old. Leave an equal number of one, two, and three-year-old canes.

Choosing cultivars
Individual flowers are small, white, and borne in large compound clusters. They are nearly self-unfruitful, so plant two different cultivars within 60 feet of each other to provide adequate cross-pollination. ‘Adams No. 1′ and ‘Adams No. 2′ are two old cultivars, introduced by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in 1926. They are strong, vigorous, productive, hardy to Zone 4 and bear large fruit clusters. They also ripen late, with fruit maturing in early September. Other cultivars with large clusters and berries include ‘York’,’ Johns’,’ Kent’,'Nova’, and ‘Scotia’. ‘York’ is somewhat more productive than the Adams series, and the berries tend to be larger.

Diseases and Insects
Elderberry plants are generally free of pests, which makes them great for landscape plantings. Powdery mildew is a problem in some years, especially when it affects the fruit. Cane borers occasionally cause damage, but are usually not present in large numbers. Pruning out infested canes is the best remedy for home gardeners.

Copyright (c), Department of Horticulture, Cornell University.
Used with permission.
http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/elderberries.html

[christne]

I had ordered my elderberries, only two plants, different varieties, from ebay. Last year was an aweful drought in TN and I struggled to keep everything alive. Since my elderberry plants were just big sticks last year, I used tree gators to keep them watered. About three to four times a week. I did this with my native plum trees also. This year, we got a lot of rain in the spring, and not only are the elderberry suckering like mad, but so are the plums. I watch the cardinals each day hop from branch to branch on the elerberries......they still have to wait for them to ripenen, but I can feel their excitement to have something besides sunflower seeds in a feeder to eat.

[Joe]

I know the above says plant in the spring, but places like Gurney's also ship in the fall. What's anyone's experience with planting in the fall? Or should I just wait? Thanks.

[jvs]

I will give you a few tips for growing elderberry's that come from years of experience, along with what will work and what will fail. And believe me, I've had failures.

First: There is no real need to purchase elderberry plants from retailers. They grow quite well from cuttings. If you take a cuttings from 2nd year growth in very early spring and stick it in the ground where you eventually want a elderberry bush, the success rate is somewhere around 70%. That's right... if you stick 10 elderberry cuttings in the ground, up to 7 will take hold. Which is probably why elderberrys are so prolific in the wild. I don't believe it has anything to do with seeding, but rather how tender the canes are.

Second: I have NEVER had success planting or transplanting elderberry bushes in any other season but spring. I don't know why. Elderberry roots dry out quick and lead to failure just as quick. Some retailers will NOT ship young elderberry plants in any other season but spring because of inconsistant success.

Third: Elderberry Plants love fertilizer. I have a 5 yr old bush out front that has turned into a monster. Not less than 12 feet high and 10 feet across, all because of proper fertilizing I believe. 10-10-10, Manure or even Hollytone will give you plants with leaves 2 1/2inches wide and almost a foot long, with Flower Clusters near 10 inches wide.

Fourth: Elderberry Pie is probably better if you don't use whole berrys in the recipe, which means use a recipe that you cook and strain before the pie shell is loaded.

Finally: You'll never have any trouble getting rid of Elderberry Wine or Jelly. Nor will you find a way of removing the 'purple' from your fingers when preparing them. It will wear off eventually.

(I found out by accident that elderberry juice does a dandy job of cleaning the copper bottom of RevereWear pots and pans. I somehow placed a empty pot in a puddle of elderberry juice and the bottom got sparkling clean after only a couple if minutes of sitting in the spilled juice)

[Joe]

Great info -- many thanks!

[Tasha Hartenstein]

Being honest i have never planted or tried planting elderberries before but i wanted to try the only problem is i really have no idea how to.... i live in Minnesota and it snows a lot i the winter so if i did plant them since they can be so easily injured what am i suppose to do in the winter???? Also about how often am i suppose to water them???? i am nervous that i will drown them or that they will dry out... advise please!!!!

[Dorri Partain]

I inherited elderberry bushes when I bought my house 20 years ago- for years I didn't know what they were. Other than trim them back so they don't take over my yard, I've never done anything special to help them grow-just the opposite. But I do appreciate them, now that I know what they are; just this morning I processed this year's "harvest" to make some syrup and am seeking out other recipes.

[D Joan Bund (Joni)]

Oh I am getting excited about starting some elderberries next spring from the ladies tree who gave me the berries yesterday. We have just under an acre of land and I can see that we can add them to our little but growing orchard. thanks for all the good info. Joni

[Pam Ferry]

I live in OK, so winters are pretty mild, except for occasional snow or ice storm. I have planted both fall and spring and both have been successful.

[Ulrich Young]

jvs said:

I will give you a few tips for growing elderberry's that come from years of experience, along with what will work and what will fail. And believe me, I've had failures.

First: There is no real need to purchase elderberry plants from retailers. They grow quite well from cuttings. If you take a cuttings from 2nd year growth in very early spring and stick it in the ground where you eventually want a elderberry bush, the success rate is somewhere around 70%. That's right... if you stick 10 elderberry cuttings in the ground, up to 7 will take hold. Which is probably why elderberrys are so prolific in the wild. I don't believe it has anything to do with seeding, but rather how tender the canes are.

Second: I have NEVER had success planting or transplanting elderberry bushes in any other season but spring. I don't know why. Elderberry roots dry out quick and lead to failure just as quick. Some retailers will NOT ship young elderberry plants in any other season but spring because of inconsistant success.

Third: Elderberry Plants love fertilizer. I have a 5 yr old bush out front that has turned into a monster. Not less than 12 feet high and 10 feet across, all because of proper fertilizing I believe. 10-10-10, Manure or even Hollytone will give you plants with leaves 2 1/2inches wide and almost a foot long, with Flower Clusters near 10 inches wide.

Fourth: Elderberry Pie is probably better if you don't use whole berrys in the recipe, which means use a recipe that you cook and strain before the pie shell is loaded.

Finally: You'll never have any trouble getting rid of Elderberry Wine or Jelly. Nor will you find a way of removing the 'purple' from your fingers when preparing them. It will wear off eventually.

(I found out by accident that elderberry juice does a dandy job of cleaning the copper bottom of RevereWear pots and pans. I somehow placed a empty pot in a puddle of elderberry juice and the bottom got sparkling clean after only a couple if minutes of sitting in the spilled juice)

[Ulrich Young]

ONE last tip for your wonderfull post. To get the stains off your hands, lemon juice or lime juice will take the stain off.
The best way to work elderberries is to use some food grade vinyl gloves. They are available at Sam's or any store that sells resturant supplies and are not costly.

[Hardiness]

Just got my first elderberry. Any likelihood that I'll get fruits with only one plant and none known anywhere nearby?

[Ulrich Young]

You probably will get fruit on your single bush if elderberry grows wild in your area. There are a large amount of bugs (bees,wasps,leaf footed bugs,etc)that go from flower to flower and carry pollen, if your bush sets flowers but no fruit your will have to get another plant. Good luck. Ulrich

Hardiness said:

Just got my first elderberry. Any likelihood that I'll get fruits with only one plant and none known anywhere nearby?