Why are cranberry bogs flooded?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
November 28, 2002
Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading—>Click here.
Assorted Killer Savings Garden Links—>Click here.
The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) is now a commonplace seasonal fruit, but three hundred years ago, it was limited to the native peoples of North America, colonists from Europe, and sailors who plied the North Atlantic trade routes. It is a relatively new food.
Cranberries are grown in bogs. Although the bogs are not kept continually wet, the soils are moist, peaty, acidic, and frequently nutrient-poor. The nutrients--nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium--may be present in the bogs, but the low pH prevents the nutrients from being available for uptake by the plants. The cranberry and other ericoids (azalea, rhododendrons, and blueberries) have an interesting solution.
Cranberry roots have no root hairs (thin extensions of the surface cells). The plants have a relationship with a soil fungus. The vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae, also called ericaceous endomycorrhizae, grow filaments which penetrate the root between the cells. The fungus takes up and passes the nutrients to the plant roots.
The berry has an air chamber which serves as a means of harvest and a test. The cranberry bogs are flooded at harvest time. The berries are knocked from the plants; good berries will float and are collected. Poor quality, damaged, or decayed berries sink. A good berry also bounces.
Cranberries are high in vitamin C. Ships traveling the northern routes carried barrels of the fruit to prevent the sailor's scourge, scurvy. And the cranberry acts against bacteria. When treating urinary tract infections, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics and request the patient drink cranberry juice. The proanthocyanidin in the berries appears to prevent bacteria like Escherichia coli from adhering to epithelial cells.
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. has posted a funny Thanksgiving video in a cranbeery bog and links to a Live Bog Cam of their cranberry bog. To view the video and Live Bog Cam, click on the link:
http://www.oceanspray.com/
The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association, established in 1888, is one of the oldest farmer organizations in the country has posted a history of Massachusetts cranberry agriculture, cranberry recipes, and more. To learn more about one of the oldest cranberry farmer organizations, click on the link:
http://www.cranberries.org/
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has information and photographs of cranberries. To learn more about cranberries, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry
Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Why were cranberry bogs created? Plants that Changed History - December 10, 2002
How does the hydrangea change color? Weird Plants - January 17, 2002
Could a carnivorous plant be a cure for smallpox? Herbal Folklore - July 30, 2001
What ghost is seen in shaded woods? Weird Plants January 30, 2003
Killer Savings Links:
Breck's Bulbs -$25 off—>Click here.
Gurney's Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Henry Fields Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Gardens Alive! -$20 off—>Click here.
Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.
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