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Today, growing blackberries in the country has become one of the most popular hobbies. It is difficult to say what caused such interest of summer residents in a healthy and tasty berry. Perhaps the fact that in nature it is becoming less and less, and it can be difficult to resist the new high-yielding varieties that breeders are breeding at an extraordinary speed. Many gardeners note that growing blackberries at home is a profitable business, since blackberry farming is simple, and the yield from one bush in some varieties is simply impressive.
Features of landing
Novice gardeners who are planning, but do not yet know how to grow blackberries in the country, should know that this is a culture of a two-year development cycle. This means that fruiting can only be expected from the second year after planting. You also need to take into account that the plant bears fruit from self-pollination, therefore, no more than one variety can be planted in one area – otherwise it will not be possible to save the varietal characteristics of the berry.
Before you grow garden blackberries in the country, you should decide on the variety. There are two main forms – with erect shoots, and creeping. There is also an intermediate form that combines the features of the two previous ones – semi-creeping. Each of the forms has its own characteristics in agricultural technology. The upright blackberry is not difficult to grow and care for, as it is more resistant to frost, its stems are low, but there is one significant drawback – it is prickly, and this makes it difficult to pick berries.
Creeping varieties are less resistant to frost, the shoots are flexible and very long (up to 10 m), they are more difficult to cut and they require the installation of trellises. The semi-creeping form is mainly hybrids with a high level of productivity and quality of berries. Among these varieties there are many blackberries that are thornless, large-fruited and high-yielding, which is very important for small farms where industrial cultivation of blackberries is practiced.
The planting pattern depends on the variety and shape of the blackberry shoots. For erect blackberries, the optimal distance between bushes is 1,5–2 m and 2–2,5 m between rows. Seedlings can be planted both in the bush and in the tape method – when the plants are arranged in a row at a distance of 0,6–1 m. Such cultivation of a berry bush is convenient along the fences if the summer cottage has a small area.
The location of plantings of creeping blackberries depends on the variety. If the lashes are of medium length (5–7 m), then the distance between the bushes can be 2–2,5 m. With a lash length of 10 meters or more, the distance should be increased to 2,5–3,5 m. The distance between rows should not be less than 2,5 m. In industrial cultivation with intensive agricultural technology, compact planting is acceptable. At the same time, keep in mind that the height of the support should not be greater than the distance between the rows, as the plants will shade each other.
Garden blackberries, the cultivation and care of which has certain characteristics, prefer sunny and calm areas with a groundwater level of no higher than 1,5 m. Of course, a crop can also grow in partial shade, but you should not count on sweet and juicy berries. As for the soil, it should be well-drained, sandy or loamy, and slightly acidic.
The best time to plant is mid-spring when the soil is warm enough. Before planting, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work: remove the area from weeds, dig planting pits or a trench in case of tape planting. The size of the pit for the seedling should be 40–45 cm in diameter and up to 0,5 m deep. Fertilizers are introduced into the pit (humus 0,5 buckets, superphosphate 100 g, potassium salt 40–50 g), mixed with the ground, and a young blackberry bush is planted in this soil mixture. After planting, the plants are watered abundantly, and the soil is mulched.
Blackberry propagation is possible in several ways: layering (apical and horizontal), offspring, cuttings and seeds. Reproduction by layering is the easiest way, in which you just need to bend the shoot growing on the bush to the ground, fix it, and sprinkle it with earth. After some time, the branch will take root, and a new bush will form, which can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Offspring are young shoots sprouted from the root. They can be separated and transplanted to another place. Only a shoot grown up to 10 centimeters or more is suitable for planting. It is also possible to grow blackberries from seeds, but this process is very long and troublesome. In addition, blackberries from seeds begin to bear fruit only after 4–5 years, therefore, in private gardening, the seed method is used very rarely.
blackberry care
In general, garden blackberries are not demanding to care for. Particular attention should be paid to the seedling in the first year of life – regular watering, loosening the soil and weeding are important for it. For adult bushes, watering is carried out only as needed and in extreme heat, since the main root of the crop is deep enough and the dryness of the soil is not terrible for him. During periods of berry set and fruiting, it is recommended to water the blackberries more often, since the quality and taste of the berries suffer from a lack of moisture.
It is customary to cover the soil around the bushes with mulch. This measure greatly simplifies the care of blackberries, as it eliminates the need for weeding, loosening and frequent watering. As for fertilizers, they can be dispensed with if the plants look healthy and bear fruit profusely – this means that the soil in which they grow is fertile. If there is a slowdown in growth or a lack of berries, then in the spring you can apply a little nitrogen fertilizer (20-25 g / 1 bush) or humus (0,5-1 bucket / 1 bush). Before fruiting, the bushes are fed with potassium so that the berries are sweet and tasty.
Blackberries of any variety need pruning and tweezing (shortening) of shoots. The culture rarely gets sick, but in order to completely eliminate this risk, it is recommended to carry out preventive spraying of the bushes with light insecticides: copper sulphate, Bordeaux liquid.
The culture does not tolerate low temperatures well, so for the winter it must be covered with a thick layer of mulch (peat, humus, sawdust, dry tops, needles), snow or more reliable shelter – it all depends on the climatic conditions of the region.
For example, growing blackberries in the Moscow region, planting and caring for which also depends on the climate, involves sheltering not only with mulch, but also with covering material, since the winter temperature in the central zone often drops below -20 ° C. While growing blackberries in Ukraine is a little easier, the country has a milder climate and winters with temperatures of -20 °C are not as common.
For creeping blackberry forms, it is necessary to install supports (trellis). The easiest way to establish a support is to drive in a long peg and tie shoots to it, which summer residents often do. However, for a large planting, the installation of real trellises with wire, up to 2 m high, is required. A trellis is the most convenient design for creeping and semi-creeping varieties, as it greatly simplifies pruning, bush formation, harvesting, and, importantly, helps the bush to remain compact.
Blackberry trim
The formation and pruning of blackberries are the most important activities in the care of the crop. The yield of blackberries, the taste and size of the berries depend on how correctly and timely pruning is carried out.
Many novice gardeners are wondering: is pruning really necessary, and is it possible to do without it? If the shrub is grown only as a hedge, which is extremely rare in the country, then you can. But if you expect to get a good harvest from a bush, then pruning is required for any variety.
As already noted, a two-year development cycle is characteristic of blackberries – in the first year the young shoot grows and gains strength, and only in the second year lateral branches form on it, flower stalks appear, and then berries. After that, the shoot no longer bears fruit and is of no use to the bush, so it is removed. Removal of old shoots is carried out during autumn pruning in mid or late September.
During this pruning, absolutely all branches that have been fruitful in the current year, as well as excess young shoots, are removed under the root. For good fruiting in the bush, it is recommended to leave 6–8 of the most powerful young shoots (which will bear fruit next year), and cut the rest at the base – you can’t leave stumps, as rot will develop on them, and this will lead to infection of healthy branches. The remaining shoots need to be shortened by a quarter (20–25 cm) to improve lateral branching – it is recommended to cut the cut immediately above the bud. Autumn pruning is preparatory for winter, after which the plants can be covered.
In the spring, blackberries are freed from shelter and inspected. If the whips are elastic, brown in color, slightly shiny, then we can assume that they have successfully survived the winter. Shoots that have become black, brittle and rough are considered frozen – they are removed. Spring pruning can be not only sanitary. In the spring, you can also trim the tops of the remaining shoots a little – this procedure will make them wake up and contribute to more abundant flowering.
Separately, a few kind words should be said about remontant blackberry varieties. Its pruning is a simple and pleasant process, since absolutely all shoots are subject to removal. These varieties are characterized by annual fruiting, so in the fall all the shoots are cut out, and in the spring new ones appear in their place. The remontant blackberry grows very quickly – thinning pruning may be needed by mid-summer.
Video “How to prepare blackberries for winter”
So that the culture does not freeze in the winter at their summer cottage and quickly recovers by the new season, a number of events need to be carried out. Details in the video.
Blackberry pests and diseases
In most cases, garden blackberries have a high immunity to diseases and pests. And if it so happened that the blackberry fell ill on the site, then most likely it became infected from neighboring fruit and berry crops. Since the culture is the closest relative of raspberries, their diseases are the same:
- rust (red or orange spots on the leaves) is a disease of fungal origin, so timely prevention is important (digging the soil in the fall, burning dry leaves), if there are signs of the disease, the bushes are treated with Bordeaux liquid, garlic infusion;
- anthracnose (sores on leaves, shoots and berries, leading to deformation and drying) – can be treated with your favorite insecticide, but the only way to combat the disease is to remove and burn the diseased plant;
- purple spotting (spots on the green part of plants) – the main cause of the disease is high humidity, Bordeaux liquid is used for processing, in advanced cases the plant is destroyed;
- powdery mildew (white bloom on the leaves) is a fungal disease, which is also caused by high humidity, the treatment is the same as for spotting.
Of the pests, the following insects can disturb blackberries: aphids, mites, raspberry moths, raspberry beetles, sawfly caterpillars and other raspberry pests. In the fight against them, folk remedies are effective: solutions of ash with laundry soap, infusions of garlic and tobacco, as well as Bordeaux mixture.
Video “How to care for blackberries”
This video will tell you what to do with a berry bush to get 30 kg of tasty and healthy berries from one bush.
