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In the last decade of the last century, a new blackberry variety with very large berries called “Karaka Black” (or “Karaka Black” in another description) began to spread very quickly around the world. A variety with very large bright black berries of surprisingly rich taste was created by breeders of fertile New Zealand. To date, he has simply conquered Europe – in many countries it is grown on an industrial scale. And here it is becoming more widespread among private gardens and small farms.
Description and characteristics of the variety
“Karaka Black” (“Karaka Black”) is a dewberry, creeping variety, although its parents had a pronounced upright blackberry variety. Its shoots grow up to 3 meters, and according to some reviews even up to 5 meters, they are usually not shortened in order to increase the number of fruit branches. The fact is that “Karaka Black” does not need this, its internodes are much shorter than other dewberry varieties, there are a lot of fruit twigs on each shoot, so that the entire second half of summer the bush looks very picturesque: it is hung with clusters of large berries that have ripened glossy – black and unripe red.
The official description of the variety notes the external similarity of the berries with very large mulberries. Indeed, just huge for a blackberry, the berries of this variety reach 4–5 cm in length, they taper downwards and bend slightly on one side. The average weight is 10 g, individual berries grow up to 15–17 g.
The first year of fruiting gives a small harvest, but in the third or fourth year of life, one bush gives 12–15 kg of very healthy sweet and sour fruits over the summer. The taste is officially called dessert. At the stage of technical maturity, when the whole berry has already turned black (it may have a purple hue) and it can be easily removed from the branch without deformation, the sourness is felt very clearly. In a day or two, it will practically disappear, giving way to sweetness, and the overripe berry that falls to the ground is almost tasteless.
Fruiting in the Karaka Black variety begins early, so in the southern regions the first blackberries are harvested from mid-June (in the middle lane – from July), and it lasts up to 2 months. At the end of August, when the main crop from the tops of the shoots has already been harvested, you can observe flowers and fruits of varying degrees of maturity on the lower fruit branches. It may be that such an extended fruiting period makes the industrial cultivation of blackberries of this variety inconvenient, but it is even convenient for households – you can eat and make preparations during the period of the greatest ripening of fruits, and then enjoy healthy berries until autumn, when they ripen in not so large batches.
This variety does not differ in frost resistance, therefore, in the fall, the lashes are removed from the trellis and placed in a prepared ditch, covered for the winter. They grow long, but you can braid on a wire and then unravel the branches without hassle – they are strong and flexible. But this work will not bring pleasure because of the thorns. The thorns of “Karaka Black” are not very large, at first they are just small sharp thorns, and then they become harder, and it is unpleasant to work with the plant precisely because of them. Be sure to use thick gloves.
This blackberry variety propagates, as it should be for dewberries, by layering. Moreover, if you do not keep track of the top of the shoot, let it touch the ground, then it takes root very quickly. So it is very easy to propagate this variety.
All cuttings turn into healthy seedlings that perfectly preserve the characteristics of the variety. This created some informational and commercial confusion. Seedlings of a new variety are always quite expensive, but you can find offers to buy seedlings of a completely new variety called Kara Black. They are offered to buy for planting and are characterized as the offspring of the large-fruited variety Karaka Black. The description of the variety and the care of the seedlings are the same, and the price is somewhat lower than they ask for licensed seedlings of the New Zealand variety. So blackberry “Kara”, variety “Kara Black” is still the same New Zealand “Karaka Black”.
Video “Blackberry Variety Karaka Black”
This video will give you an idea of the New Zealand blackberry variety and how it grows.
Peculiarities of growing
“Kara Black” prefers nutritious loams without stagnant water, the soil must be prepared for planting seedlings, or fertilizers are applied directly into the pit. The place must be chosen open so that the plant receives maximum sunlight. It is important to note that different growing conditions significantly affect the taste. So the lack of sun or soil, poor in potassium and magnesium, cause the dominant acid of berries. If you want to get a crop of sweet berries with a complex dessert taste, in which tasters note an apple note, then a pineapple note, and the smell and aftertaste are reminiscent of raspberries, then try to find a suitable place, properly fertilize the ground before planting. If necessary, blackberries are fertilized in spring and summer, “Kara” is no exception.
There are no features of care that would distinguish this variety from its counterparts. If in the summer too light, almost yellow leaves appeared on the bush, you should not worry, this does not indicate a lack of iron, just a property of the variety, a little later the leaves will acquire their usual color.
In industrial cultivation, bushes are planted at a distance of 1,5–2 m in a row, and 3 m are left between rows. In summer cottages and small farms, it is recommended to leave at least 3 meters between plants, which are necessary for full growth and fruiting.
Care
In a warm southern climate, Kara Black seedlings can be planted in the fall, and in the middle lane and to the north, plantings are done in the spring so that there is no threat of freezing of immature plants. Then they are watered, mulched, fertilized, tied up and cut off – the care is the same as the blackberry requires. Mulch from humus, compost or peat not only retains moisture, but also constantly feeds the bush with each watering. Even just cut grass perfectly plays the role of mulch, it saves the soil from overheating and excessive evaporation of moisture, and prevents weeds from growing.
From the beginning of flowering, mineral fertilizers are applied, potassium is required. Blackberry responds well to nitroammophoska. Later, foliar top dressing can be carried out, but it all depends on the condition of the soil and the amount of fertilizer applied in the spring.
It is necessary to loosen the soil around the shoots carefully, the Kara Black variety does not give root shoots (which makes it much easier to care for it), but if the roots are damaged by loosening too deep, then root offspring will form, which then you have to get rid of anyway.
Dewberry care is pruning and tying up fast-growing lashes. This variety does not need pruning in the summer, it already has a lot of fruit twigs. True, each of them produces slightly fewer berries compared to other varieties, but this can be explained by their size. Are there many varieties with such large fruits?
But shoots are tied up on trellises about 2 m high. Usually racks are made 1,70 m, 3 rows of wire are pulled on them, on which the shoots are wound. You need to make sure that they do not fall to the ground, otherwise you will get messy thickets of prickly blackberries, even large tasty berries will not please you if you have to deal with its prickly lashes.
In autumn, the lashes are neatly untwisted, laid out on the ground, cut, twisted and hidden for the winter. It is necessary to work with gloves, but care is facilitated by the flexibility of the lashes themselves. The following year, 7–9 healthy annual shoots are left, the fruiting shoots of this year are completely removed.
Diseases and pests
Variety “Karaka (Kara) Black” has an average resistance to diseases.
With insufficient care, a weakened plant can be affected by fungal diseases such as anthracnose, botrytis (better known as gray rot), powdery mildew.
There are special chemicals that will help defeat pathogens, but you can lose the crop and greatly weaken the plant.
It is much better to prevent diseases. To do this, you need to take preventive measures that are designed to destroy pathogens. These are all the activities that the owner carries out in his garden: weeding, cleaning leaves and weeds, digging row-spacings. In no case should leaves or grass be left near the bushes – pathogens of most diseases hibernate among them. And plants – blackberries and raspberries, since they have the same enemies and diseases, you need to carefully examine: if you notice the affected shoots, leaves or flowers, you need to immediately cut off the affected parts and destroy them, and treat the whole plant with infusions of tobacco, garlic, ash with liquid soap .
If the bush has enough nutrients, it grows healthy, and the plant residues do not lie around it, then it is practically not in danger. Good care becomes the key to the health of plants in the garden, blackberries are no exception. It is also necessary to monitor the density of the bush, many diseases, especially fungal ones, most often occur with high humidity and shading.
Of the pests, most often the plant can suffer from raspberry shoot aphids, these insects can occupy young shoots.
In autumn and spring, plants should be inspected, if aphid eggs are noticed, then the branches must be ruthlessly destroyed.
Once every few years, raspberries and blackberries are advised to be treated with nitrafen. Here again, tobacco or ash infusion will come to the rescue.
The possibility of diseases or damage by pests always exists, but these troubles are not at all necessary. With good care, healthy plants feel great, give their owners only tasty fruits, and not the hassle of treating or saving.
Video “Shelter of garden blackberries”
In this video, the author shares his experience of sheltering garden blackberries for the winter.
