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Tue, May 18, 10 at 19:53
| Our bayberry is flourishing but has no berries. Is there any help out there? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Possibly a male plant? Myrica pensylvanica is a plant that has two sexes. If a seedling, may be a male? Other possiblilty - too young a female... hortster |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/S 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Tue, May 18, 10 at 20:48
| Is there any help out there? With the paucity of information given, I agree with hortster. Unless we get more information. Then it may change. Dan |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, May 19, 10 at 8:43
| a little early in the season in most parts of the country ... again.. not enough info ken |
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| We transplanted 12 seedlings from the beach 7 years ago and they are up to 6' tall. Could be all male but what is the possibility? |
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| Wow. Odds admittedly are very low, but still possible. Conversely, they could be all female with no pollinator. Again, odds very low. Have you trimmed them annually and/or used any insecticides or other pesticides on them or near them? Is your soil poor or lacking phosphorus or potash (bayberries will live in poor, even salty conditions)? Or, have you fertilized them heavily? Any disease problems? I'm asking this for Dan and Ken! Just kidding - rather curious situation. hortster |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/S 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, May 19, 10 at 18:06
| Ah. Here is additional information - it appears as if the shrubs have never borne fruit. The easiest way to sex the plant (any dioecious plant) is to look at the flowers. No female flowers, no fruit. Female fls are single, no sepals or petals, compared to the catkin-like fls on males. Dan |
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| Just a thought - I don't know this shrub at all but I see it is described as rhizomatous. Is it possible that rather than seedlings you dug up suckers and therefore have clones? So they'd all be the same sex and hence no offspring. |
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/S 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Thu, May 20, 10 at 7:06
| I like flora's thought. Sex the plants. Let us know after flowering. Not much more can be said until more information is provided. Dan |
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| Surely could have gotten clones. We simply dug up small plants sprouting near the old ones down at the beach. So it appears we won't ever have any berries. Oh, well. Guess my wild idea to make bayberry candles will have to wait. Years ago when I was but a kid, we made bayberry candles from the very same parent bushes. It seems we picked gallons and gallons of berries to produce a very small amount of wax. It was a fun and rewarding project, tho, for us Girl Scouts. Thanks everyone for your help. Pat45's wife. |
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