• Planting: Beautyberry can be planted in spring or fall. Plant only as deep as the root ball. Most of the time, you can plant beautyberry in native soil, though extremely poor soil should be amended with compost.
• Fertilizing: Hold off on fertilizing beautyberry, as too much fertilizer will result in fewer berries.
• Irrigation: Water beautyberry during periods of drought.
• Pruning: You don’t really need to prune beautyberry, though fast-growing varieties can be cut back pretty severely to keep them in shape. In colder zones, some gardeners treat beautyberry like a perennial and cut it nearly to the ground in winter. Since blooms occur on new wood, prune beautyberry while dormant in late winter or early spring.
• Propagating: Beautyberry can be propagated by seeds or from cuttings. Look around the bottom of your beautyberry for seedlings to transplant.
• Insects and Disease: Beautyberries are pretty much problem free!

Beautyberry Jelly

To make a beautyberry jelly – popular in Florida – you can:

• Harvest and wash the berries.
• Add six cups of berries, and 8 cups of water, to a large preserving pan.
• Bring the mix to a boil and cook for around 20 minutes.
• Strain the mixture through a muslin or cheesecloth, retaining the reddish fluid (put the pulp that is left on your compost heap, or give it to chickens).
• Return the juice to your clean preserving pan, and add 6 cups of sugar, 3 tbsp lemon juice, and pectin. The pectin helps the jelly set.
• Bring the mix to a boil and keep it at a rolling boil. Test the jelly on a cool spoon or saucer to see whether it will pass the ‘wrinkle test.
• Once it does, pour it into sterilized jars, seal the lids, and keep it in a cool place.