Am I Taking Good Care Of My Winterberry?

Did you planted your winterberry in full sun?

did you planted your winterberry in a well-drained, slightly acidic soil?

Did you mulch around your winterberry?

Do you water your winterberry regularly?

Do you feed your winterberry with general-purpose fertilizer every year?

Do you prune your winterberry in early spring to control its size?

Do you keep your winterberry free of pests and diseases?

Plant winterberry shrubs in full sun to promote vigorous fruit and flower production. Provide partial shade at midday in areas with hot, dry summers. Avoid deeply shaded areas since the shrubs will become leggy and produce few fruits.

Choose a planting site with moist yet fast-draining soil. Amend the bed with acid-rich compost made from organic matter such as pine needles or oak leaves. Work the compost into the entire bed to encourage lateral root production.

Spread a 3-inch-thick layer of acidic mulch around the base of the shrub to keep the soil moist. Leave a 3-inch gap between the mulch and the trunk to allow moisture evaporation.

Water winterberries regularly to prevent stress, but always allow the soil to dry out in the top 2 inches between waterings to prevent mold. Water about twice weekly to a 4-inch depth in summer. Decrease water to about once weekly in winter. Withhold supplemental water during rainy weather.

Rake away and discard the previous years' mulch in early spring. Spread a full-strength dose of general-purpose, 12-12-12 ratio fertilizer onto the bare soil. Water it in. Spread a new 3-inch layer of mulch around the winterberry shrub after feeding.

Prune the winterberry in early spring every few years to control its size. Cut back the entire shrub by one-third using bypass shears. Cut back each branch individually rather than cutting straight across the top, which will ruin the shrub's natural growth habit.

God job! You are taking good care of your winterberry.

Although there are no serious insect or disease problems, these plants will do poorly in neutral to alkaline soil, which can cause fatal chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves). Feeding with an acid fertilizer can prevent this. Winterberry can also be susceptible to leaf spots and powdery mildew, which are rarely serious.