Balsors Blackberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Balsors Blackberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Rubus fruticosus Balsors

Vaccinium membranaceum

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Balsors Blackberry
Mountain Huckleberry

The Balsors Blackberry is a cold-hardy variety that produces very large, sweet and juicy blackberries late in the summer. They are great for baking and fresh eating.

Balsors Blackberry are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

Balsors Blackberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 5a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: black
Berries: dark purple
Fruit size: large
Firmness: soft
Flavor: sweet
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: August
Harvest: mid to late summer
Bark: has thorns
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: high




Other Names: balsors hardy blackberry, illinois blackberry
Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry