Developing an understanding of Haskap and techniques to manage and grow a berry crop requires an understanding of two basic points concerning the biology of Haskap bushes in their natural environment:
- Haskap are not strong competitors in their wild environment, so preventative or aggressive weed control measures need to be employed. They are generally confined to marginal regions of Boreal forested areas. These plants occupy a position between Spruce forested areas and boggy areas devoid of plants other than Sphagnum moss. Biologically, this indicates that Haskap need to have competition from other plant species controlled and may be tolerant to growing conditions that limit growth potential of other plants.
- Haskap have extreme tolerance to cold temperatures and to cold-related events during early leaf out and flowering stages, so they complete their lifecycle in the spring. This frost/cold tolerance is an important mechanism in our understanding of Haskap biology. Because of this extreme hardiness, Haskap can complete their lifecycle early in the season and avoid competition for light with other forest plants like Alders, Maples, etc. Activities for cultivation concerning fertility and plant management must take into account early spring growth and berry ripening.