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Transfer American Beautyberry

 
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Location: 9A Marion County Fl
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Just found another edible that I plan to work into my edible landscape, I have these growing all over my area and locals have told me non edible. People talk just to hear themselves.



Id like to know more about these if anyone would care to comment. Im gonna have to figure out a way to transfer these from other areas to my property. Any tips and advice welcome. Id really like to hear facts about using these as insect repellent and also making jellies but Im sure Im gonna find alot of this on you-tube.
 
gardener
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Location: Central Texas
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I have them growing in my forest garden, as well as in random places on the property. The berries are edible, but they don't really have any flavor (to me). Most people I've seen use them made jelly from the berries (with lots of sugar).
If you want to transplant, I would do it during the dormant period. They can also be propagated by cuttings. I trimmed a bush back last winter and just stuck the branches in a bucket of soil. They ended up leafing out in spring and are now covered in ripening berries.
I suspect you can root softwood cuttings during the growing season, but I haven't tried because I don't really have a use for any more of the shrubs.
 
pollinator
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Location: Central Virginia, Zone 7.
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Agree with KC, the berries are edible ... but they taste nasty, so no one eats them.  Or drown them with sugar and it becomes candy.  If I'm going to ingest evil white sugar, I'll grab a Snickers.

Similarly, comfrey leaves (despite whispered stories that it has poisoned someone somewhere) are off-the-charts nutritious, but it's so non-palatable that it won't be tried again.  So, in a way, these things *aren't* edible, because you're going to immediately go to something better and never go back to the nasty stuff.
 
Gary Numan
pollinator
Posts: 263
Location: Central Virginia, Zone 7.
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Oops, perhaps I should answer your question!

>> Im gonna have to figure out a way to transfer these from other areas to my property

Beautyberries *can* be started from seed or propagated via small cuttings, but there are many steps involved, not easy at all.  Hmmm, but KCs cutting method sounds pretty easy, doesn't it?  Now I need to try that!

Also!  I believe a mature beautyberry can be uprooted, sliced into quarters, then re-planted in new locations.  Result is 4 new beautyberry plants.
 
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