Blackberry variety Black Diamond (Black Diamond): description, characteristics, photo

Blackberry Black Diamond, or Black Diamond, is just beginning to settle in the gardens of s. But the variety is gradually gaining popularity despite the fact that caring for it is somewhat different from the usual rules of agricultural technology.

History of origin

The Black Diamond blackberry variety is over 20 years old. It was bred in 1997 at one of the variety testing stations in Oregon, USA. The breeders were faced with the task of obtaining the optimal blackberry variety for industrial production. Namely: to combine in one form thornless, frost-resistant bushes and sweet berries with high commercial characteristics.

Gardeners can evaluate which plans biologists have succeeded in implementing and which have not. At the moment, the Black Diamond blackberry variety has not passed agricultural tests and is not included in the State Register of the Federation. There is also little official information about him. It mainly comes from the owners of nurseries and garden plots who have already managed to deal with its cultivation.

The berries are very large and have a WOW effect.

Being in demand, unscrupulous sellers often pass off other types of blackberries as Black Diamond. Therefore, it is worth purchasing planting material only from trusted suppliers.

Description of the blackberry bush and berries of the Black Diamond variety

According to the photos and descriptions, Black Diamond blackberry is a tall, rather large plant with flexible shoots about 1-1,5 m long. With the correct formation of bushes, the stems seem to creep along the ground, forming bushes with a diameter of about 1 m.

Young annual branches are covered with light green bark and bend to the ground under the weight of berries. By the end of the first year of life, the shoots become woody, begin to grow straight and upward, and their bark acquires a gray-brown hue and roughness.

Breeders have not been able to achieve a complete absence of thorns on the stems of Black Diamond blackberries. However, large and hard spikes are located at the bottom of the shoots. At a height of 20-30 cm, they disappear and do not interfere with harvesting, including by mechanized means.

The Black Diamond variety has a high yield.

The stems of the shrub are covered with diamond-shaped leaves of medium size. Leaf plates are distinguished by strongly serrated edges and a wrinkled outer side of a bright green hue. Closer to autumn or with a lack of moisture, the leaves turn yellow. However, in the absence of other signs of disease, this is considered the norm, and does not affect the development of bushes and fruiting.

In Black Diamond blackberries, only shoots of the second year of life bear fruit. Therefore, correct autumn and spring pruning is important. Fruit twigs are thin and hard. In mid-June, they are covered with large flowers of a delicate pink hue. The buds are collected in inflorescences of 8-12 pieces each. According to gardeners, the late flowering of Black Diamond blackberries is one of the advantages of the variety, since the delicate flowers are not afraid of returning spring frosts.

Berries blackberries Black diamond really resemble precious stones. Large, weighing 5-6 grams, they have the shape of an elongated cone. The color of the fruit is dark blue, almost black. The berries are dense, easily separated from the stalk, while they do not crumple and do not crumble during harvest.

The taste characteristics of Black Diamond blackberries are rated very highly. Although, according to experts, they are slightly below the standard, which is the Marion variety. The berries are juicy, sweet, with a slight sourness. However, when grown in shady areas, sour notes begin to predominate in taste.

Characteristics of blackberry Black Diamond

Black Diamond Blackberry is a relatively unpretentious variety. Bushes take root well and bear fruit well on light sandy and loamy soils with a neutral pH. If we talk about the optimal conditions for growing a berry bush, then it is recommended to plant it in sunny, wind-protected areas. For this variety, it is important that the roots do not suffer from waterlogging during heavy rainfall, snowmelt or close groundwater.

Blackberries do not bake in the sun and do not crumble

The variety also has good commercial characteristics. Dense berries retain their freshness and attractive appearance for 10-14 days if stored in the refrigerator. They are great for transporting over long distances.

Berries are widely used in cooking. Jams, marmalade, juices and compotes are prepared from them. Large blackberries are widely used to decorate confectionery. Many people freeze or dry the fruits for the winter and, of course, consume them fresh.

Ripening time and yield

Black Diamond Blackberry begins to bear fruit in the second season after planting. Stable fruiting occurs 3-4 years after planting seedlings.

Black Diamond Blackberry is a mid-ripening variety. Depending on the climate and growing conditions, the berries are poured at the end of July, the first half of August. Don’t be in a hurry to collect. The fruits are not prone to shedding and baking in the sun. But the more berries stay on the branches, the more sugars they will contain. True, for transportation and storage it is better to collect blackberries as soon as they turn blue-black.

The longer the berries stay on the bushes, the sweeter they are.

The fruiting of the Black Diamond variety is very friendly, for which it is loved by farmers who grow berries for sale and processing. Harvest is easy to harvest in one go using mechanical tools.

The yield of Black Diamond blackberries will please any gardener. Up to 35 kg are collected from a bush, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, although for the middle lane figures of 20-25 kg will be more true. You can increase productivity by choosing the right site for placing bushes, timely fertilizing and regular pruning of shoots.

Frost resistance

According to the characteristics, Black Diamond blackberries can be grown throughout the European part of Our Country. They try to cultivate it beyond the Urals. However, there are some nuances. The variety is considered frost-resistant. Its deep, powerful root system can winter under a layer of snow at temperatures of 27-30 ° C below zero, which cannot be said about the shoots. They are less resistant to cold. Therefore, for the winter, blackberry bushes are recommended to cover.

Disease and pest resistance

Black Diamond Blackberry is practically not susceptible to diseases, including various kinds of rot and bacteriosis. The main causes of diseases, as a rule, are the thickening of plantings due to non-compliance with the distances between berry bushes or improper pruning.

Pests can also cause a lot of trouble for Black Diamond blackberry gardeners. Plants are threatened by raspberry gall midges, spider and raspberry mites, stem fly.

Pros and cons of the variety

Black Diamond Blackberry deserves mostly positive feedback from gardeners. Although sometimes you can stumble upon negative ones. In order for the cultivation of blackberries of this variety to bring joy, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with its advantages and disadvantages in advance.

The blackberry variety is considered thornless

Pros of blackberry Black Diamond:

• high yield;
• excellent taste and commodity characteristics;
• friendly maturation;
• thorns grow only on the lower part of the shoots;
• the ability to use mechanical means for harvesting;
• unpretentiousness;
• the presence of immunity to most diseases inherent in culture.

Cons:

• it is difficult to find original planting material;
• high price of seedlings;
• the need for the formation and regular pruning of berry bushes.

Blackberry Planting Rules Black Diamond

In the middle lane, Black Diamond blackberries can be planted twice a year. In autumn, before frosts, and in spring, in March or April, before buds swell.

Algorithm:

1. The site is pre-digged. Add manure or rotted compost.
2. Holes are prepared with a depth and diameter of about 50 cm. It is advisable to plant blackberries in rows in the direction from north to south, leaving a distance of 1,2-1,5 m between seedlings.
3. A mixture of humus and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers is first introduced into the wells.
4. Blackberry seedlings Black Diamond shortened by 2/3 before planting.
5. The roots are recommended to be soaked in a solution of a growth stimulator, such as Kornevin or Ecosil.
6. The seedling is installed in the prepared planting hole, sprinkled with soil.
7. The soil is compacted. They make a near-stem hole, water it abundantly with warm, settled water.

Seedlings with ZKS can be planted in spring, summer and autumn

Blackberry care Black Diamond

During the growing season, Black Diamond blackberry care consists of:

• in timely watering;
• in the introduction of organic fertilizers in the spring and potassium-phosphorus compounds during fruiting;
• in autumn and spring pruning with the removal of fruit-bearing, diseased or damaged shoots;
• in weeding, loosening and mulching the root circle.

For the winter, Black Diamond blackberries are highly spudded with a mixture of peat and sawdust and covered. For young plants, spruce branches can be used. For adults, it is better to build a frame from improvised materials, and cover it with burlap or any non-woven material on top, with the exception of plastic wrap.

Methods of reproduction

Black Diamond blackberries are propagated with the help of shoots, dividing bushes and even seeds. The most reliable way is to pin the creeping annual shoots in the spring.

Pinning shoots is the easiest way to propagate

By autumn, the shoots will take root, give young shoots. In autumn, they are carefully separated and planted in a permanent place.

Conclusion

Black Diamond Blackberry deserves to take pride of place in the garden. The berry shrub will not require much attention and will delight gardeners with an excellent harvest of sweet and juicy berries. It will be appreciated by both owners of private land plots and owners of farms who grow berries for sale and processing.

Reviews of gardeners about blackberry Black Diamond