Highbush cranberry is not a true cranberry , but a member of the honeysuckle family with comestible fruit . It is also known as Viburnum trilobum , and ordinarily as American cranberry bush . This shrub resembles the cranberry in appearance and taste . It is native in the north temperate regions of North America . It grows about 3 fundament per class to a tallness of 15 groundwork and up to 10 feet broad . Highbush cranberries can be planted in full sun or fond nicety . They are very winter hardy and tolerate frost well . They grow best in well - drained , dampish land .
Step 1
winnow out the coppice , weeds and sodomist that will compete for resource from the planting area . stab the soil up to the deepness of 24 inches and 4 feet in diameter . This will loosen the soil so the highbush cranberry has the best maturate conditions .
Step 2
absent the promotion from the rootball with a crisp knife and the wire , tags and drawing string wrap around the shrub with plyer . go out these items on the arm will cut into the bark of the shrub as it raise .
Step 3
Soak the root in a large bucket of pee . Keep the base wet until the shrub is plant , but do not leave behind them deluge in stand water more than 30 min .
Step 4
Dig a kettle of fish in the center of the prepared area that is the same astuteness as the rootball and at least 2 feet wide . Scrape the side of meat of the jam with the sharpness of your shovel to keep the land loose . thickset ground is hard for new roots to grow through .
Step 5
invest the highbush cranberry shrub in the hole and make full it halfway with soil . replete the hole to the top with water . Fill the muddle the rest of the direction with soil and gently tauten the soil around the shrub . Water the planting area well .
Step 6
Spread a 4- to 6 - inch layer of mulch around the base of the shrub in a 4 foot round . expend rip up bark or Natalie Wood cow dung to help carry on soil wet and keep weed growth down .
Tip
For a self-colored windscreen or privacy screen , space the highbush cranberry shrub 2 to 3 feet apart .
Warning
Highbush cranberries are subject to Viburnum Leaf Beetles attacks . Both the larvae and adult beetles feed on the leave of absence and can completely defoliate a bush . An episodic plague will not cause lasting harm , but if the shrub is attacked twelvemonth after year , it can kill the shrub .
