In nature, a blackberry is a shrub that grows up to 3 or 4 meters, the shoots of which spread along the ground, forming impenetrable thickets. The berries of wild blackberries are small and sour, they ripen later raspberries and are very successful due to their beneficial properties. Cultivated varieties of blackberries bear sweet and large berries from July to September.
Material Content:
Blackberry description of species and varieties
Garden varieties are very diverse. There is a bushy blackberry with upright shoots, resembling raspberries, creeping on the ground or half-spreading. Gardeners often prefer semi-spreading varieties, since there are no thorns on them, and the berries grow more sweet. Breeders have bred many new, interesting varieties that can bear fruit for several months. For example, the Ruben variety is a good repair blackberry for the Moscow Region, which gives a crop on annual shoots.
Besshipny varieties with large berries:
- Polar
- Chester Thomas;
- Thorless Evergreen;
- Jumbo
- Chachanska Bestrna;
- Natchez.
These are new blackberry varieties, the last three from the list are distinguished by early fruiting - the berries ripen simultaneously with early raspberries in early July.
Growing Features
The nuances of care depend on the variety of blackberry. Semi-spreading varieties are afraid of severe frosts, and therefore require special training.
To prepare the plants for winter, they are untied from the trellis and bent to the ground as much as possible. Sprinkle with peat, humus or compost on top of the branches. When the snow falls, they insulate with snow in the trunk. In early spring, the blackberry branches are taken out of the shelter so that during the swelling of the kidneys they do not appear under a layer of peat.
Outdoor landing
For planting, they usually choose a well-lit area with drained soil, protected from cold winds. This may be the south or east side of the site.
If containerized cultures are used, planting holes do a little larger than an earthen lump. At the bottom of the planting hole, you can put well-rotted compost in a thick layer.
The seedling is taken out of the container, and, without breaking the earthen coma, is lowered into the prepared hole. They fill the hole with earth and water it well. Mulch on top of peat, sawdust or needles. If the landing site is located in a valley where water accumulates after rain, it is advisable to arrange expanded clay or broken brick drainage at the bottom of the landing hole.
The blackberries grow long shoots, so the distance between adjacent bushes during planting should be about 3 meters.
How to care for a blackberry
Trellis is used to support the bushes. Pegs are driven into the ground, a wire is pulled, and blackberry branches are tied onto them. So the plant is easier to care for, and to collect a ripened crop.
Caring for a blackberry is easy. Mandatory weeding and loosening of the soil. Plants are fertilized, watered, treated from pests. In autumn, the bushes are pruned and potassium-phosphorus top dressing is applied. Varieties with low frost resistance are removed from the trellises, and covered before frost.
Bush pruning technology
Blackberries, like raspberries, have two-year-old shoots. In the first year, flower buds are only laid on the shoot, and flowers and crops appear in the second year. Then the branches die, and they are cut. The exception is the repairing varieties, in which the crop ripens on the shoots of the first year.
When grown on trellises, annual shoots can be tied to one side, and shoots of the second year, which should bear fruit, to the second. It’s more convenient to trim.
In autumn, in October, faded shoots are cut to ground level or 1 cm lower. The young shoots, which will bloom next year, shorten the tops. Then cut out all too thin, unripe young shoots that will not give a good harvest. At the end, overgrown branches are dug out of the ground, which can serve as seedlings for new bushes.
Cutting blackberries ends with loosening the soil around the shoots and bending them to the ground. In the case of severe frosts, the branches lying on the ground are easier to cover with spruce branches or straw.
Breeding methods
A growing blackberry with spiny stems is propagated by root layers, as well as raspberries.
Semi-growing blackberry varieties do not give root layers. To obtain seedlings, you can use layering obtained from branches. They are bent to the ground, sprinkled with soil, fixed in this position and watered. At the end of the season, when the branch takes root, it can be separated from the mother plant, and planted in a new place.
The third method of propagation of blackberries is cuttings. Green cuttings are harvested in the fall, cutting off the tops of annual shoots. On one handle should be 2-3 kidneys. Cuttings are placed in moist perlite horizontally. After 2 weeks, roots and sprouts with leaves will grow from the kidneys.
To get a full blackberry seedling by April, you can root the cuttings in light, nutritious soil, and cut off the annual shoots in January or February.
Before you put the cut shoots in a container with earth, they are kept vertically for 2 or 3 days, dropping the ends into a jar of water. Then cuts are made on the cuttings, treated with “Kornevin”, and laid horizontally in a container with soil at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Top with a layer of soil about 1 cm. Watered with water, and cover the container with film or glass. When sprouts appear, the film is removed. After a month and a half, blackberry bushes sprouted from buds on cuttings can be planted in separate containers.
Pest and Disease Control
Blackberry disease can occur from early spring to late fall.Stains appear on the leaves of diseased plants, they turn brown, turn gray, and dry.
The most common and harmful disease is anthracnose. Its development is promoted by air humidity of about 90% and heat. Initially, small brown spots appear on the leaves, which spread over time, the entire aerial part is affected, and the plant may die. For the treatment of bushes, spraying with 1% Bordeaux liquid is used. Sick branches are cut and burned. When the plant begins to bloom and before fruiting, spraying can not be done.
Leaf spotting is also common. The stems and leaves of plants are covered with spots and ulcers, cracks form. For treatment using the drug "Hom", copper sulfate and Bordeaux.
With chlorosis, blackberry leaves turn yellow. The plant must be fed with a complex fertilizer with trace elements, among which there is iron. Such top dressing is best done in the form of foliar spraying. It is advisable to select for planting blackberry varieties that are resistant to diseases, to prevent thickened plantings.
Harvesting and storage
Blackberries are harvested in several stages as the berries ripen. Harvest time depends on the variety. On an early blackberry, the berries ripen in July. Most varieties bear fruit in August, while later varieties can be harvested in September.
Even if the berries are dense, they cannot be stored for a long time. Blackberries are eaten fresh; they are very healthy. Various winter preparations are prepared from berries - jams, compotes, jams. You can freeze or grind blackberries with sugar to maintain the maximum amount of vitamins.
