Blackberry Loch Ness: variety description, cultivation and care

Features of the variety

Variety “Loch Ness” was deservedly awarded the Royal Horticultural Society of Britain for a whole set of positive characteristics and qualities. The berries of this variety are really beautiful in appearance – they are large (5–10 g), regular, leveled in shape, the surface is shiny, the color in technical maturity is black, with a slight bluish tinge. The pulp is quite juicy, but dense, sweet, slightly tart taste, with a pronounced blackberry aroma. Some gardeners note a certain sourness in taste, but this is typical only for berries in technical ripeness – when fully ripe, they are very sugary.

One of the reasons why the cultivation of Loch Ness blackberries is practiced on an industrial scale is the high productivity of the variety. On average, the yield from one bush is 15 kg, but experienced domestic and foreign gardeners say that with proper care, an adult bush is capable of a great return – 25–30 kg. The berries are perfectly transported, do not lose their presentation for a long time, which makes it possible to grow a variety for commercial purposes.

Blackberry Lochness description: refers to mid-ripening varieties – berries ripen in mid-August, but in some regions it is possible 1-2 weeks later. They do not ripen at the same time, so the collection is extended for 4-6 weeks. Since the blackberries of this variety are thornless, and the berries are collected in multiple brushes, the harvest is quick and without difficulty.

The variety “Loch Ness” is characterized by a semi-creeping form of shoots. The bushes are compact, but often thickened due to the intensive growth of the shoots. The branches are smooth (without thorns), over 4 m in height, up to half erect, and creeping in the upper part. This feature requires the installation of vertical trellises, however, due to timely pruning, many gardeners do without supports.

The culture is undemanding to conditions – it can grow and bear fruit on any soil. If the root system of the mother bush is damaged, root shoots quickly grow. Fruiting begins from the second year of life. It propagates mainly by rooting tops, gives a large number of replacement shoots, is characterized by a high degree of survival of seedlings. Bushes have high disease resistance and relatively high winter hardiness. At a temperature of -17–20 ° C, plants can overwinter without shelter, but it is not recommended to take risks.

Video “Blackberry Garden Loch Ness”

This video will give an idea about the Loch Ness blackberry variety, its features and benefits.

How to grow

The cultivation of the Loch Ness variety is similar to the cultivation of any semi-creeping blackberry, and includes the following points:

1. Planting of seedlings is carried out in holes at a distance of 2–2,5 m with a row spacing of 2,5–3 m. For a small farm planting, compaction of up to 2 m in row spacing is acceptable, with mechanized processing of plantings, the distance between rows should be at least 3 m.
2. Aisles must be mulched with any organic mulch (straw, peat, sawdust). This is necessary to protect the soil from drying out, the germination of weeds, as well as to preserve the properties and structure of the soil. Now agrofabric is very popular with gardeners – this is a woven ground cover that is used in gardening and horticulture instead of mulch.
3. As already noted, in most cases, the Loch Ness blackberry needs a garter to the trellis. In this case, it is recommended to direct the whips along the wire in a zigzag manner, braiding around. For this variety, trellises 2,5 m high are sufficient, however, it must be understood that the height of the trellis should not exceed the width of the row spacing, since such a design will obscure the adjacent row.
4. Propagation of blackberries is easiest by dropping the tops of the shoots. To do this, the branch is tilted, the upper part of the shoot is fixed and sprinkled with earth. Cut off the top no earlier than the shoot takes root. Propagation by cuttings is no less successful, however, according to experienced specialists, there is a danger that the new plant will be with thorns. It is quite difficult to grow a bush from seeds, so this method is rarely resorted to.
5. As for pruning, its expediency must be judged according to the situation. On the one hand, the lateral branch is already sufficient, moreover, it is not so easy to prune in dense bushes. On the other hand, shortening young shoots will lead to an increase in the size and quality of berries next year. In general, you need to look at the state of the bush – if there is a lot of growth, then the weakest one needs to be removed, and strong shoots should be shortened. Autumn pruning is required, since after it the plants are easier to cover for the winter.

As for the landing itself, the Loch Ness blackberry prefers a flat area without holes and depressions, lit by the sun for most of the day. To plant seedlings, they dig a planting hole 40×40 cm in size, on the bottom of which a mixture of fertilizers is laid: compost or humus (5 kg), potassium salt (50 g) and superphosphate (100 g). All fertilizers are mixed with the ground, after which a young plant is planted in this mixture. Planting takes place in early spring.

In the year of planting, the young bush is not fertilized, but only periodically watered and loosened the ground between the rows if there is no mulch.

From the second year, the bush needs standard care measures:

• garter to trellis;
• the introduction of potash and nitrogen fertilizers in the spring – top dressing is carried out from 3-4 years of the life of the bush;
• forming pruning – two prunings are preferable for this variety: autumn, preparatory for winter, and spring (in May, the tops of the shoots should be shortened by 15–20 cm to stimulate flowering);
• shelter for the winter.

Preparing for frost

As mentioned above, blackberries need to be covered for the winter. Of course, the variety has good winter hardiness, but since the climate of most regions of Our Country is characterized by harsh winters with temperatures below -20 ° C, and a sharp change in weather, it is not worth the risk. Preparing for winter involves not only shelter, but also the correct formative pruning.

In autumn, all the shoots that have been fruitful in the current year should be removed – they are no longer needed, since the blackberry has a two-year development cycle: in the first year, young shoots grow, and in the second they bear fruit, and this is where their useful function ends. Therefore, all old shoots are cut out at the root without regret. Next, you need to remove some of the young, but the weakest shoots, leaving 7-8 of the most powerful – they will form a crop next year.

Having freed the bushes from extra branches, you can proceed to shelter. Covering, as well, and trimming half-creeping blackberries is not easy, but it is necessary to do it. There are two possible ways to shelter bushes for the winter: removal from the trellis, and shelter with them. The first method is acceptable if the bush is not very thickened, and the shoots can be removed. In this case, they are folded into a circle (like winding a wire), after which they are placed on a board or straw, treated with copper sulfate from possible pests and diseases, and then sprinkled with a thick layer of mulch.

In the second case, if the shoots are difficult to remove from the support, or they break, shelter is practiced along with the trellis. To do this, the structure is removed and placed on the ground along with the plant. Processing of shoots and shelter is carried out as in the first method. As mulch, you can use peat, straw, sawdust, dry tops of garden crops, dry foliage of non-fruit trees – the leaves of fruit crops may contain pest larvae and fungal spores.

For winters with temperatures of -20–25 °C, cover with only organic mulch is sufficient. For a more severe climate, the bushes are additionally covered with agrofibre, film, roofing felt or other dense material.

In order for blackberries to overwinter more easily, it is recommended to stop watering immediately after the end of the harvest.

Useful Properties

The beneficial properties of blackberries have been known since ancient times, when there were no cultivated varieties of berries, but they were collected exclusively in natural conditions – in the forest. Even then, traditional healers used the plant to treat diseases such as:

• anemia;
• metabolic disease;
• hypertension;
• pathology of the genitourinary system;
• gout.

Fresh blackberries have a very diverse chemical composition, due to which, when consumed regularly, they have the following effects on the body:

• support the heart, strengthen the heart muscle, reduce the likelihood of seizures, heart attacks;
• strengthen and cleanse blood vessels, reduce blood pressure;
• relieve inflammation in the internal organs, especially the genitourinary system;
• contribute to the production of bile, accelerate its outflow through the biliary tract, remove stones;
• fight free radicals, cancer cells, prevent the aging of healthy cells;
• restore blood cells, improve its composition and blood circulation;
• normalize digestion and the digestive tract;
• have antipyretic and antiviral effect;
• prevent nervous and psychosomatic diseases.

The vitamin composition of Loch Ness blackberries is represented by vitamins C, A, PP (niacin), E, ​​thiamine and riboflavin (group B), as well as beta-carotene. The tart, sour taste is due to the presence of several types of organic acids (malic, tartaric, salicylic, citric). The pulp also contains phenols, tannins and glycosides.

The main value of blackberries in high antioxidant properties, thanks to which it rejuvenates the body, restores and strengthens it after serious illnesses.

Video “Preparing blackberries for winter”

From this video you will learn what the preparation of a blackberry bush for winter is, what needs to be done in the fall so that the plant recovers quickly, blooms annually and bears abundant fruit.