Wild blackberries grow in forests, along the edges of swamps, where there is not enough sun, where there is no drainage, and the soils can be acidic. And the residents of the surrounding settlements in the second half of July, when blackberries ripen, they rush to pick sour, sometimes small, but such healthy berries without fear of getting hurt on sharp thorns. Not so long ago we began cultivating this plant at our dachas, where it grows and bears fruit in completely different conditions. We feed it, water it, cover it for the winter, and it tries to ripen to our delight - the berries of garden varietal blackberries are larger, richer in taste, the harvest is larger, and the fruiting period is longer.
Blackberries have been known to us for a long time, but summer residents began growing them en masse on their plots a couple of decades ago. Moreover, in our country it is distributed mainly among private farms, and is very rarely grown on small farms. In Europe (especially in Poland and the UK), farmers boldly began growing vitamin berries for commercial purposes, but they cannot keep up with the world leaders in production - Mexico, Canada and the USA. By the way, it is from Mexico that this delicate berry comes to Europe.
Blackberries are biennial crops - in the first year of life, their shoots grow, and fruit buds are just being laid; in the second year of life, flowers appear, then fruits. After this, the fruit-bearing shoots die off, which is why they are cut out at the root in the fall. In parallel with the fruiting shoots, replacement shoots grow, on which fruit buds are laid. The bush is normalized from these new shoots, removing the excess ones, leaving the strongest ones, which will produce next year's harvest. Thus, the owner can plan the development of the bush and the harvest.
But there is also a remontant blackberry, which is cultivated as annual crop. It forms fruits on the shoots of the first year, after which all shoots are cut off in the fall, and next year new ones grow, on which flowers will grow, and then fruits. You don’t have to cut the shoots after fruiting, then next year there is a reason to expect two harvests.
Berry crops are usually planted in the spring in an open, well-lit place with prepared (generously fertilized) soil. After planting, the seedling is pruned, leaving shoots no more than 30 cm from the ground. Then they take care of it all season - water it, weed it, loosen the ground around it, save it from pests, and in the fall the shoots are carefully rolled up and placed under cover, and in winter they are also covered with more snow. Next year, these shoots will bear the first fruits, which are usually allowed to ripen - they will no longer weaken the bush. In a couple of years, the root system will develop, the bush will mature, and fruiting will reach its maximum.
When to pick blackberries
Our wild ancestor garden blackberry usually ripens in the second half of summer. But today scientists tell the crop when it is best for it to ripen. The varieties and hybrids created by breeders can be independently selected according to the time of fruit ripening. Just like a thorny bush, which causes many unpleasant moments for the gardener when caring for it, can be replaced with a thornless one, because a garden thornless blackberry has already been created.
There are early, mid-season and late varieties of blackberries.
Fruit early varieties ripen in June. There is an opinion that these are not the most delicious, usually sour and small berries, but this is not entirely true. For example, from the beginning of June you can pick large cone-shaped berries of the Columbia Star variety. Its thornless creeping shoots are grown on trellises. This variety is undemanding to growing conditions and care, and produces a rich harvest of aromatic, sweet and sour berries. The very famous Natchez variety produces its first ripe berries in June, and its last in August. This thornless bush produces powerful, upright shoots, and its large berries are distinguished by their sweetness.
“Thornfree”, “Karaka Black”, “Loch Tay” - all these are early varieties that are resistant to traditional crop diseases. The only thing you can be afraid of when growing early blackberries is spring frosts; if they occur at the beginning of flowering, the harvest will be spoiled.
Most varieties of blackberries have extended fruiting: flowers bloom at the same time, ovaries form, and berries ripen. All this can last from 4 to 6 weeks, for some even longer. Harvest should be done after 2-3 days; it is not advisable to leave the berries on the branches after they are fully ripe.
This feature is considered as an advantage if you want to constantly receive fresh berries, or as a disadvantage if you want to quickly harvest the crop in order to process it.
July – ripening time mid-season varieties blackberries. Among them there are prickly and thornless, large-fruited and not so large. Large-fruited “Black Satin” and “Loch Ness” are deservedly popular. “Laughton” is an old variety, its berries are not very large, but aromatic, with a dessert sweet-sour taste; they tolerate transportation well and are stored for several days without losing their qualities. "Laughton" usually gives an excellent harvest, blooms even when there is no threat of late frosts, and ripens under the bright warm sun.
The late blackberry harvest ripens in July–August, sometimes in September, like “Chokeberry.” The most famous varieties are: “Chester Thornless”, “Navajo”, “Texas”, “Apache”. It’s good to get a harvest of delicious vitamin berries at the end of summer, when all the others have long been ripe, eaten and forgotten. But with late ripening, there is always a danger of losing part of the harvest with the arrival of cold weather. The fact is that even those blackberries, which the creators declared frost-resistant, will freeze in our winters without shelter. This means that in the fall, before the cold weather arrives, you need to have time to trim and cover the shoots for the winter, even if not all the berries are ripe.
There is also a remontant blackberry, which is capable of producing a harvest not only on the shoots of the first year, but can produce two harvests: one on the shoots of the second year (if they are not pruned), and the other on new shoots. Then the first harvest will occur at the beginning of summer, like raspberries, and the second can go into autumn (it may become a problem for it to ripen before frost). There are hybrids of raspberries and blackberries (so-called raspberry varieties) that are so not afraid of cold weather that they can ripen almost in frost. Remontant varieties are not like that. In protected soil conditions they produce two excellent harvests: in May–June and in September. But in open ground Not all climatic conditions may allow this.
There are so many varieties and hybrids of blackberries that every gardener can choose them not only by the size and taste of the berries, but even by the timing of fruiting.
Video “How to get a record blackberry harvest”
From this video you will learn what kind of blackberries you need to plant on your plot and how to care for them in order to get record harvests of berries from June to September.
So that caring for the garden does not take up the whole weekend, and visiting the dacha is a relaxation, you need to choose the right plants for the site. The garden blackberry is a multi-functional shrub that bears tasty fruit, requires minimal care, and can be used as a hedge if necessary. Even a novice gardener can master the agrotechnical properties of cultivation.
What does a garden blackberry look like?
Garden blackberries are subshrubs that grow up to a maximum of 2 m, depending on the variety. In diameter, if the bush is not pruned, it reaches 2-3 m. It produces two-year-old shoots, on which, as a rule, thorns grow, but there are also thornless varieties of the plant - bare branches with leaves. The garden blackberry leaf has a long petiole with three branches. The inflorescences are white with rounded petals, each flower is up to 1.5-2 cm in diameter. Garden blackberry flowers are loved by bees; it is an excellent honey plant.
The root system consists of a central root and long branches, up to 2-3 m. The berries are a collection of small juicy fruits in a single drupe located on a hard fruit stem. At the stages of ripening, the color of the berries changes - green, scarlet, brown, ripe black or yellow. Blackberries in the garden are used not only as a source of tasty berries, but also as a living and very effective hedge. Most shoots are covered with sharp, hard thorns. They are long, flexible and grow very abundantly, they are easy to arrange into the desired shape.
Varieties of garden blackberries
The similarity of all varieties of blackberries is only in the structure of the fruit and bush, but otherwise the types can differ radically - the size and color of the berry, the length of the shoots, the presence of thorns. Some varieties require special conditions care that may not be suitable for any particular region. The most popular and unpretentious types of garden blackberries:
- Black Satin. Semi-cresting variety: young shoots, until they reach a length of 1-1.5 m, are directed upward, and then begin to bend and take a horizontal position. The branches of the plant grow up to 4-5 meters, that is, the diameter of an adult Black Satin garden blackberry bush is 7-8 m. It bears large black fruits of an oblong shape, weighing 6-8 g. It bears fruit for two months - from June to the end of August. Requires insulation for winter.
- Agawam. Late variety. The fruits ripen in late August, early September. The berries are black, weighing up to 3 g. This species produces annual shoots; the next season they turn brown and die. Agawam is an upright variety, its branches grow up to 2 m, and their total length reaches 3-3.5 m. It is often used as a hedge. A very fruitful variety: an adult bush produces up to 10 kg of berries per season.
- Reuben. A hardy and drought-resistant variety of garden blackberry. It tolerates winter frosts well; the variety is not capricious in the choice of soil. It bears fruit for two months - from August to October. The berries are large black, each weighing up to 15 g and 3-4 cm in length. The bush grows up to 2 m in height. The fruiting shoots of Reuben garden blackberries are thornless, so harvesting will not be painful.
- Thornless Evergreen. Bushes of this blackberry variety practically do not lose their summer attire, like others garden plants– up to 50% of the foliage does not die even in cold weather winter time. Frost-resistant species, optimally suited for northern regions. Successfully used as living fences. The length of the shoots of an adult bush is up to 5 m, the height is up to 2 m. The shoots are without thorns. The berries are not large (up to 5 g), but they grow massively: up to 70 pieces in a bunch. Garden blackberries Thornless Evergreen yield up to 15 kg per season from one mature bush.
Growing all varieties of garden blackberries requires the same steps. The only difference may be the insulation of the bush for the winter in especially heat-loving species, or pruning on the initiative of the gardener. All popular varieties are specially bred hybrids for planting in country houses or personal plots. Therefore, caring for them is not difficult; amateur gardeners can easily cope with it. Garden blackberries, regardless of the variety, have access to all propagation methods characteristic of this type of plant.
How do garden blackberries grow?
Growing garden blackberries is not a complicated procedure and does not require much effort. The plant needs attention mainly only to early stage development - after planting and during adaptation. When the bush reaches two years of age, it practically does not need care. For example, watering can be done no more than once a month. Many types of garden blackberries are very active in root propagation. The bushes take root within a radius of 4-5 m; in favorable places they begin to sprout from the ground. Therefore, without regular weeding, garden blackberries take over a significant part of the territory.
When does garden blackberry bloom?
Flowering and fruiting of garden blackberries begins quickly, already in the second year after planting the seedling. But, only on condition that all the rules and recommendations on how to grow garden blackberries were followed. Regardless of the variety, blackberries bloom no earlier than June; inflorescences on some species form in early August. In fertilized soil, the bush will bud and bloom a week earlier. Thanks to the late flowering, as for such a crop, garden blackberries bring a large and stable harvest - the period avoids spring frosts, and there is no risk of bud death.
When do garden blackberries ripen?
Garden blackberries ripen approximately a month after the start of flowering, at the end of August or beginning of September. More precisely, when garden blackberries ripen will depend on the variety. Late ripening is due to the fact that the shrub has a long growing season. In early varieties of blackberries - 1.5 months, in late varieties - up to 2-2.5 months. The berries ripen gradually throughout the entire fruiting period. This allows you to enjoy the fruits for a long time, but makes harvesting more difficult. Blackberries ripen before the first frost; it often happens that part of the unripe, green crop cannot be harvested.
Garden blackberry - planting
Planting and caring for garden blackberries has its own characteristics and differs from similar plants: raspberries, rose hips. For example, it is necessary to carry out special soil preparation. For planting, a trench is dug, and the seedling is trimmed so that the root is 5 cm less than its depth. Place the seedlings at the bottom, place them at a certain distance and fill them with water. Then they are covered with pre-prepared fertilized soil. The sprout is cut so that it is no longer than 25-30 cm from the surface of the ground.
Garden blackberry planting scheme
Because of non-standard features plant, its abundant bushiness and long shoots with thorns, you need to know how to plant garden blackberries correctly. So that in the future, when the bushes grow to their maximum, their branches do not interfere with each other and do not get confused, you need to maintain the distance between the seedlings in the trench, and between the trenches themselves:
The above planting rules apply only to cases where garden blackberries are grown exclusively for harvesting, so that they are easy to care for, bear fruit well and develop fully. If the plant is planned to be planted to create a hedge and its level of fertility does not matter, the bushes can be placed closer, then their thorny branches will intertwine and form an impenetrable wall.
Soil for garden blackberries
The soil for planting garden blackberries is prepared in the fall: in September-October, trenches 25-30 cm deep are dug. Before planting garden blackberries, it is important to clear the soil of all kinds of pests: weeds and their roots, insects. If the ground is heavily weeded, it will need to be treated with herbicides. The mixture is prepared at the rate of: organic fertilizers– 10 kg/m2, superphosphate – 15 g/m2, potassium sulfate – 25 g/m2.
How to care for garden blackberries?
Subsequent care for garden blackberries involves standard procedures for this type of plant: watering, fertilizing, pruning, and treatment if necessary. The yield of the bush will depend on how correctly and regularly the procedures are carried out. Garden blackberries grow quickly, but this does not mean that the longer the branches, the more fruits. There will be a large harvest only with proper pruning of the shoots. The exception is hedges. They are usually cut only to give the desired shape.
How to water garden blackberries?
Garden blackberry is a moisture-loving plant. The volume of the harvest will depend not only on how to care for blackberries in the summer - regular watering is also necessary at other times of the year. An adult bush will survive in harsh conditions, being content with natural precipitation alone, but it will practically not develop; fruitfulness will decrease by 70-80%. Basic rules of watering:
- watering for the first 2 months after planting - at least once a week;
- increased watering during flowering and after fruit ripening - 1-2 times a week;
- water with warm water.
Much attention should be paid to watering in the first summer after planting. If an adult bush gets by with a low yield, then a young plant without good watering will die. The soil of the seedling in the first summer should always be damp and loosened. For mass planting (from 20 bushes) it is recommended to use drip irrigation: water will not flow locally under the trunk of the bush, but will also nourish distant roots.
Fertilizing garden blackberries
Proper care of garden blackberries includes spring feeding plants. This procedure should be mandatory in the same way as watering the bushes, then the blackberries will grow quickly and produce a stable harvest. However, it must be taken into account that they begin to feed blackberries 2-3 years after planting, provided that the planting was carried out according to the rules: the seedlings were covered with a mixture of soil and fertilizers. It is better to use organic elements to feed an adult plant.
Pruning garden blackberries
Care and pruning of garden blackberries depends on the purpose of the plant. If the bushes are used as a fence, you can thin out only the lower branches. In order for blackberries to bear fruit well, pruning is carried out regularly every spring until the buds swell. Remove diseased, frozen and dried branches, cut off too long shoots without ovaries. Experts recommend leaving no more than 5-7 shoots on one bush in the spring. The fewer unnecessary branches, the larger fruits. In the summer, the tops are pinched and young unnecessary branches are cut off, and in the fall, brown dying ones are cut off.
How to propagate garden blackberries?
Blackberries are propagated by seeds, cuttings, dividing the bush and cuttings. Propagation of garden blackberries by seeds is important when breeding new varieties, in household Cuttings are mainly used. In spring or autumn, cuttings 7-10 cm long are cut, two or three buds on each. Soak overnight in water and plant in the morning. At the end of summer they are covered with soil for rooting, and the next year they are transplanted to permanent place.
Garden blackberry diseases
Diseases and their descriptions in garden blackberries are similar to those of raspberries. They lead to a decrease in fruitfulness, cessation or deterioration of bush growth. Diseases often come from improper watering- usage cold water liquid contaminated with chemicals or harmful organic substances. Insects can also cause damage; they require timely treatment.
Why don't garden blackberries bloom?
Lack of flowering may be caused by improper care or conditions. But, if all the rules were followed, and there was a sharp decrease in color, it means that the blackberries in the garden are sick. Most common cause become harmful insects– raspberry beetle, spider mite. They lay their eggs at the base of the future bud, and it dies without developing. They solve the problem in the spring before the ovary forms: treat the bush with a 1% solution copper sulfate or fufanon at the rate of 10 ml per 10 liters of water.
Why don't garden blackberries bear fruit?
If the bush looks healthy, but does not bear fruit initially after planting, this does not depend on how to care for garden blackberries, it’s just that this variety is not fruit-bearing. When a decrease in fertility occurs during the life of the plant, but there are no visible reasons for this, such as damage to the berries by insects, it means there is a problem with the soil. Perhaps the soil is dehydrated or the roots of the plant have reached layers undesirable for blackberries. In any case, this is not fatal; you need to feed the bush with iron sulfate, and add more fertilizer to the soil for the winter.
Blackberry – popular garden shrub. Its unique taste appealed to Russian gardeners, which is why you can find several blackberry bushes on almost every plot.
The plant bears good fruit, but there are situations when blackberries do not produce a harvest or the berries that appear are so small that collecting even the minimum amount of berries is problematic. Finding out why blackberries do not bear fruit will help more detailed study of growing conditions and agricultural technology.
Reasons for poor fruiting and lack of berries on blackberries
Blackberries are considered a rather unpretentious berry, the insufficient fruiting of which is a consequence of gardeners violating the rules of agricultural technology.
The following factors have a great influence on fruiting:
- characteristics of the variety;
- soil quality and moisture content;
- climatic conditions;
- pruning;
- application of fertilizers.
Low yields may be a consequence of improper crop care.
Varietal diversity
Blackberries can be erect, semi-erect or creeping. The degree of fruiting directly depends on the variety.
The most productive bushes with straight shoots and multi-berry clusters are considered. Creeping species produce much fewer berries, but they are larger than those of upright shrubs.
Hybrid species have a low yield, but their value lies in their good taste and lack of astringency. Therefore, when choosing a seedling varietal characteristics should be taken into account.
Watering and fertilizing
Irregular watering or insufficient soil moisture leads to the fact that few berries are set, they are small and dry.
- Watering must be done carefully
so that moisture does not get on the berries. Shoots with tassels should be tied to a support; berries lying on the ground are not recommended for consumption. Blackberries touching the ground begin to deteriorate, mold, and rot, so part of the harvest can be lost if you do not take care of tying up the bushes in a timely manner.
Excess moisture leads to the development of rot on blackberries.
- Without fertilizing high yields are very difficult to achieve. Blackberries need potassium, this element helps improve the taste of the berries. When potassium compounds are added, the berries become large, sweet, and juicy.
Fertilizer and fertilizing are the key good harvest blackberries.
- In autumn, the plant is fed with potassium-phosphorus compounds., gardeners often apply organic fertilizers - ash, humus, bone meal. Organic matter is poured into trenches dug between rows and covered with soil. You can add dry substances or aqueous solutions. The ash is brought in Once every 3 years. It is advisable to alternate fertilizers annually.
Wood ash must be sifted before application.
- In spring and summer, you can also feed the crop with complex formulations. In spring it is recommended to use ammonium nitrate. Additionally, you can spray the foliage with urea (carbamide). Potassium nitrate scattered around the bushes and watered. This promotes the accumulation of potassium, which improves fruiting.
Potassium nitrate is fundamentally different from others mineral supplements because it contains significantly more potassium than nitrogen.
Soil characteristics
Blackberries may not bear fruit if the soil on the site does not meet the requirements necessary for the crop.
To plant blackberries, you need loamy or sandy soil. To improve drainage on loams, before planting blackberries, dig up the area and add sand at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 m² of area.
The area for blackberries is prepared a year before planting: they are cleared of weeds, fertilized, dug up and left fallow.
Wetlands are considered unsuitable for growing blackberries.. On constantly wet soil, the roots of the bush suffer from a lack of oxygen and also begin to rot. This affects not only the yield, but also the general condition of the plant. Most often, on such soils, blackberries die before they have time to bear fruit.
An important soil indicator is acidity.. To plant blackberries, the soil must be neutral or slightly acidic. Alkalinization leads to foliar chlorosis, which occurs due to poor nitrogen absorption.
Growing conditions
Blackberry – drought-resistant plant, which must be planted in warm, well-lit areas, protected from cold winds.
A good solution is to plant blackberries along the fence, where the crop will be protected from the cold wind, in the branches from breakage.
In temperate climates, blackberries need shelter for the winter. The shrub can withstand frost without shelter, but the fruit buds are damaged and the bush does not produce a harvest.
To prevent this from happening, you need to take care of covering the plant in the fall. For this purpose special materials, film, burlap, spruce branches. The bushes are removed from the trellis, rolled up and wrapped in burlap, covered with spruce branches on top, and covered with a thick layer of snow in winter.
Bush pruning
The main reason why blackberries do not bear fruit is improper pruning.
Blackberries bloom and bear fruit only on two-year-old branches.
Blackberry is a two-year-old shrub in which fruiting occurs on last year's shoots. If you remove them when pruning, the bush will not bloom and will not produce a harvest.
Everything needs to be trimmed in the fall. fruit bearing branches. They will no longer produce a harvest, but will only hinder the development of the bush. To increase productivity, young shoots are shortened by a quarter in the fall. In addition, all broken and pest-damaged branches are pruned.
Pruning may also be necessary in the spring. If frozen shoots are detected, they must be removed.
conclusions
Having studied the main reasons why blackberry bushes do not bear fruit, you can take appropriate measures and achieve high yields. Proper agricultural technology and crop care help improve the quality of berries.
Blackberry. Fundamentals of agricultural technology. Classification. How to plant and grow? How to care? When do blackberries bloom and bear fruit? (10+)
How to grow blackberries
Blackberry- an unpretentious and very interesting berry plant for gardeners. Given shrubby plant divorces much easier and faster than other similar ones. Blackberries bear fruit within a couple of years after planting in the soil.
Similarities with other berries
Blackberries, or rather their berries, are similar to raspberries. Main similarities, content of sugars and acids, as well as vitamins of group P (in 100 g of berries, 500-1000 mg)
Composition of blackberries
Blackberries are valuable because fructose gives the berry its sweetness. Thanks to this, blackberries are used in healthy eating. Read more about how the body absorbs fructose
Blackberries contain such vital important vitamins(A, B, C, E, K, P, RR).
Use in folk medicine
In order to get rid of intestinal disorders (diarrhea), you need to eat unripe blackberries, and if, on the contrary, then ripe ones. The berry is also capable of strengthening capillary walls and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
A decoction of the roots is used for throat diseases, to normalize liver function, and for a diuretic effect. Blackberry leaves stop bleeding and diarrhea.
Types of blackberries
There are two types of blackberries: brambles and dewberries. Brambles reproduce exclusively by rhizomes, or, to be more precise, by their shoots. This plant reaches up to three meters or more in height. IN this type include such varieties (Kittatini, Lawton, Erie, Wilson's Early, etc.)
Dewberries have creeping long shoots. The following varieties belong to the dewberry family (Izobilnaya, Texas, Thornfree and Smutstem - famous for their lack of thorns).
Flowering and fruiting of blackberries
Depends on the type and variety of blackberries, as well as the soil and climatic conditions in which the plant grows.
Blackberries that were planted using rhizomes or root shoots of buds do not bear fruit the first year, but the next year they produce color and berries on the side branches, then they die. Flowering and fruiting of blackberries in brambles is a little faster than in dewberries. Pollination of blackberries occurs due to their own pollen, so the gardener does not have to bother with planting different varieties blackberries, one will be enough.
Blackberries are famous for their high yields; even raspberries are inferior in terms of fruiting volumes. So some varieties such as Izobilnaya, Eri, Lautona, produce fruit weighing 3g.
Cumanica, unlike dewberries, is more winter-hardy and can tolerate frosts down to -20 with a low probability of damage to the plant; dewberries, although more susceptible to frost, are easier to prepare for winter by covering them.
Methods for planting blackberries
There are several ways to plant blackberries in the ground. The first is due to the shoots of the root system, the second is the planting of seeds.
Bramble can be easily propagated using root cuttings, it is more effective and the right way, this is digging in early spring rhizomes, the diameter of which is 6mm, and the length is 10-16cm, is then planted in a horizontal position in the place where the blackberry will grow in the future.
The method of planting dewberry consists of rooting the ends of a bush shoot, the length of which should be at least 30 cm. To do this, you need to make a groove 20-25 cm deep, then lower the end of the shoot and sprinkle it with soil. Subsequently, up to 4 young plants appear on the sundew, which will be ready for planting in the ground. The right time planting in the second, third ten days of August, this is done with the aim of overwintering the young shoot in the ground. During this time, the sundew will have good root system, and in the spring it will be ready for planting due to the separation of the rhizome from the mother plant.
Seed planting of blackberries will be no worse than those listed above. Suitable soil for such seeds is peat soil or sandy soil with sufficient moisture. In order to plant the plant in a prepared permanent place in the spring, you should plant the seeds in trays or pots 3-4 months before. The temperature at which plants are kept in trays should be low, approximately +2 to +5 degrees. The soil condition should be sufficiently moist, but the soil should not be over-watered. Then, after keeping the trays in a cold state, you should change the room where the temperature will be +20 degrees, thus, all the conditions for germination of the plant will be met.
After the formation of the second leaf of the previously planted sapling, it can be planted individually in pots, or in an already prepared permanent place in the spring in already sufficiently warmed soil. A plant from seeds begins to bear fruit in the third or fourth year after planting in the soil.
Timely soil care
As mentioned above, the soil should be peaty or slightly moist sandy, but in no case should the soil be swampy or too sandy. Every spring good gardener There should be one not unimportant trend - soil fertilization. Due to the annual renewal of the aboveground part of the blackberry bush, the soil is depleted and loses its nutrients. The most optimal and the best fertilizer For autumn period is manure, for the period of active growth the best option – mineral fertilizers. It must be remembered that with active growth and fruiting, blackberries need to be watered frequently.
When it reaches more than 80 cm, the plant should be pinched around the beginning of June, this way the plant will bloom more intensely and later bear fruit. After collecting the fruits, you need to trim the shoots and straighten the bushes, leaving 3-4 strong shoots.
To prevent blackberries from getting sick, you should carefully choose a planting site in uncontaminated soil. Diseases of blackberries are the same as those of raspberries: shoot anthracnose, leaf rust, and stem cancer. To treat anthrocnose and rust, spray the plant with 3% Bordeaux mixture. Stem cancer is caused by mechanical damage to the plant, through which bacteria enter the damaged areas, so you need to very carefully cultivate the soil near the plant.
Unfortunately, errors are periodically found in articles; they are corrected, articles are supplemented, developed, and new ones are prepared.
Blackberries are a very tasty and aromatic berry. It is distinguished by its taste, as well as its high yield and high content of vitamins and other useful substances. There are many types and varieties of blackberries.
Blackberry is the name of several species of plants from the genus Rubus of the Rosaceae family. In different places in Russia, several species of the genus Rubus are called by this name, mainly two: Rubus caesius L. and Rubus fruticosus L. Some authors call the first of these species blackberries, and the second - brambles; others, on the contrary, call the first of these types ozhyna (borrowed from the Ukrainian language).
During the process of ripening, blackberry fruits first acquire a green, then brownish, and then bright red-brown color. Ripe blackberries are black in color..
Both species are subshrubs, the stems and shoots of which are covered with thorns; their stem shoots are flexible, sometimes erect, sometimes recumbent; Rubus caesius leaves are trifoliate, the lower ones sometimes even having 5 leaflets; Rubus fruticosus leaves consist of 5 and 7 leaflets.
Rubus caesius has black fruits with a bluish coating, which is why in some places they are called turquoise; Rubus fruticosus has no plaque. The juice of the fruit is dark red; taste sour, slightly resinous; V southern countries these fruits are sweetish. Can be used to make jam. Both species are very common in temperate and warm European countries up to Scandinavia and the western part of the Arkhangelsk region inclusive.
In the Caucasus, these species, especially Rubus fruticosus, grow unusually, forming impenetrable thickets together with other shrubs.
© Severus
Blackberries are a close relative of raspberries.. In Russia it is often found in the wild.
The most common is blue blackberry (Rubus caesius). Its shoots are covered with small, tenacious thorns, and it is this species that forms impenetrable thickets in forest clearings, in ravines, near rivers and streams. Apparently, because of this, blackberries received another popular name - blind raspberries.
In total, in Eurasia and North America More than 200 types of blackberries are known. Most of them are natural hybrid forms; bushes growing from 50 cm to 3–7 m.
Like raspberries, blackberry shoots have a two-year development cycle: in the first year they grow, lay buds, in the second year they bear fruit and die.
Blackberries bloom late - in June, which means that the flowers are not damaged by spring frosts and the berries ripen annually and abundantly. The fruits are complex drupes (like raspberries), dark purple, black or red, often with a bloom.
Garden blackberries are divided into two groups:
- Blackberries, or brambles, with straight-growing stems
- Dewberry - with creeping shoots
There is also an intermediate form - semi-creeping.
In straight-growing varieties, tall (3–4 m or more) shoots are abundantly covered with thorns. Creeping fruits have larger and juicier fruits, and they ripen earlier and are more productive. But creeping stems complicate plant care, and dewberry is not winter-hardy, and therefore less common.
Among the brambles, there are many varieties that are quite winter-hardy and suitable for growing in central Russia..
Dewberries are very demanding of warmth; in the conditions of central Russia they must be covered for the winter.
Landing
Like raspberries, blackberry shoots have a two-year development cycle: in the first year they grow, lay buds, in the second they bear fruit and die. Blackberries bloom late - in June, which means, as already noted, that the flowers are not damaged by spring frosts and the berries ripen annually and abundantly.
Blackberries bear fruit soon, in the second year, and regularly. She is unpretentious - she grows on the most various soils. It only dislikes carbonate soils (they are affected by chlorosis) and salinity. Responsive to feeding. Most high yields produces on fertilized, well-drained loams. Does not tolerate waterlogging.
Since blackberries in central Russia are not frost-resistant enough, you should choose places for them that are protected from cold winds and well warmed by the sun.
It is wiser to plant blackberries in the spring. Prepared for each bush landing hole dimensions 40 x 40 x 40 cm. Before planting, add 5–6 kg (half a bucket) of well-rotted manure, 100–150 g of superphosphate, 40–50 g of potash fertilizers and mix thoroughly with the soil. It is better to cover the roots with natural soil (to avoid burns), and place the enriched soil in the hole on top. Straight-growing blackberry seedlings are placed at a distance of 0.8–1 m from each other; the distance between rows is 1.8–2 m.
When planting sundew and raspberry-blackberry hybrids, you need to consider what the size of an adult bush will be. Trellis for blackberries should be at least 2 m high. When forming in a fan, the distance between plants should be at least 2.5–3.5 m.
Separate placement of fruiting and growing stems facilitates plant care and harvesting. The easiest way to place them separately is to direct the fruiting shoots in one direction and the new shoots in the other. With the fan method of formation, fruiting shoots are fanned out one at a time to the right and left, and new ones are placed in the center. When forming with ropes, fruiting shoots are directed along the wire, and new ones are left in the center. When forming in waves, fruiting shoots are directed in waves along the lower rows, and young shoots are directed along the upper ones.
Young shoots are tied up in the summer as they grow. Old fruiting stems that will no longer produce berries are cut out close to the ground and removed from the site.
In central Russia, blackberries are not frost-resistant enough, so additional care will have to be taken to ensure a safe winter.
For the winter, non-winter-hardy blackberry bushes are laid on the ground. In order not to damage the plants, you can lay them together with the trellis - carefully pull out the supports and lower the entire planting flat. The bases of the bushes are covered with peat and leaves from above, and later covered with snow.
In spring, the bushes must be opened before the buds swell greatly and formative pruning must be done.. That is, shorten overgrown shoots in the current year’s growth (cut off from a third to half the length of the shoot), pinch shoots growing in an undesirable direction.
© Cillas
Care
Caring for blackberry plants involves watering, fertilizing, maintaining the soil in the rows in a loose state, destroying weeds and excess shoots. The greatest need for moisture is during the ripening period of berries.
To maintain soil moisture, especially in dry summers, it is necessary to water blackberries during the growth of shoots and ovaries, otherwise you can lose the harvest: the berries become small, dry and fall off before ripening. It is useful to carry out winter watering of blackberry plantings in October..
Subsequently, once every 2-3 years, 4-6 kg of rotted manure or compost per 1 m2 is applied to the blackberry plants, and in the years between the application of organic fertilizers, mineral fertilizers are added, for example, 20-30 g of nitrophoska per 1 m2. Experts believe that blackberries, like raspberries, are very useful to feed in June with water infusions of mullein or chicken manure, diluted in a ratio of 1: 4-6 and 1: 10-12.
In upright varieties, the stems are most often shortened in the fall at the same height - 1.6-1.8 m. In spring, frost-damaged tops are removed. In case of severe damage, the stems are cut off above a well-formed overwintered bud. In varieties with drooping tops, the stems are shortened at the bend. In May-June, the newly growing shoots are normalized. Usually 6-8 pieces are left per bush (or 12-16 pieces per 1 m of row), removing all underdeveloped ones and those that go beyond the line of the row. Subsequently, all emerging shoots when they reach a height of 8-10 cm are cut off.
A very important measure that increases the yield next year is pinching, or removing the tip of the shoot. This procedure helps awaken the lateral buds and form branches. This leads to an increase in the fruiting zone. Pinching is a mandatory technique when growing upright blackberries. In the first year of life of the shoots, when they reach a height of 90-120 cm, the first pruning of the top is carried out by 7-12 cm. After the side shoots grow, they are shortened to 40-50 cm. This pruning prevents the side shoots from growing very long, making the bush longer compact.
In the second year after planting, new shoots of the current year, as they grow, are fixed on a trellis in the opposite direction from last year's fruiting stems. Thus, with this formation system, the bushes are immediately clearly divided into two halves, placed in different directions.
In the fall, after harvesting, the fruit-bearing stems are cut off at the base, and the next year their place will be taken by new young shoots, which should be tied to the trellises in the same way.
© Sten Porse
Reproduction
Straight-growing blackberries, brambles, are propagated mainly by woody and green root suckers and root cuttings. Blackberries produce few root suckers. Its horizontal roots are located deeper than those of raspberries, so the offspring have a weakly branched root system. Experts recommend taking this feature into account when digging up root suckers.
Most effective way propagation straight-growing propagation by root cuttings: in early spring, pieces of roots with a diameter of 6-8 mm and a length of 10-15 cm are dug out and planted in a permanent place, placing them horizontally in the soil at a depth of 7-10 cm.
Creeping blackberries, or dewberries, and raspberry-blackberry hybrids produce few or no offspring. To propagate these plants, rooting of the tops and green cuttings . The tops are rooted very simply: at the end of August, the ends of the shoots are bent to the ground, bent in an arc, placed in a hole 10 cm deep, bringing the tops 10 cm long to the surface, pinned to the ground with metal staples, and covered with fertile, moist soil.
There is another option for rooting by apical layering. When young replacement shoots reach a height of 60-90 cm, they are pinched, as a result of which lateral shoots form on them in mid-summer. At the rooting site, the soil is dug up to a depth of 15 cm, humus is added under the digging, and then a groove no more than 10 cm deep is dug and the top of the shoot is laid on the bottom, pinned to the ground with metal staples, and covered fertile soil and water it.
Abroad planting material blackberries in large quantities obtained by clonal micropropagation on artificial nutrient media. Simultaneously with propagation, plants are healed from many pathogens. Thus, in Italy, for every raspberry (blackberry) plant obtained using tissue culture, there are 3 plants grown in the usual way. In the US and Canada the ratio is 1:6 and 1:100 respectively.
© JoJan
Varieties
'Agavam'- very old American variety, one of the most winter-hardy. It can withstand frosts down to –42°C, only fruit buds are damaged at –27–30°C. The plants are powerful. The shoots are tall, arched, faceted, and strongly spiny. The berries weigh about 3 g, black, sweet and sour, aromatic. They begin to ripen in early to mid-August. Productivity 3–4 kg per bush. The variety is resistant to anthracnose, rust and stem cancer.
'Darrow'– a fairly winter-hardy American variety that can withstand frosts down to –30–35°C. The bush is powerful, with straight thorny shoots. Berries weighing up to 3.5 g, conical, black, glossy, sour-sweet. The ripening period is extended. The variety is productive.
'Wilson's Earley'. The shoots are erect or drooping, with small thorns, 1.5–2 m high. The berries are purple-black, ovoid, weighing about 2 g. Relatively winter-hardy, and also one of the earliest varieties. Flowering begins in the second half of May, berries ripen from mid-July to the end of August. It is resistant to anthracnose and rust.
‘Lucretia’- an old American creeping variety. The bush is powerful, with numerous shoots covered with thin prickly thorns. Not winter-hardy, susceptible to anthracnose. The berries are large, black, early ripening.
‘Abundant’. The variety was bred by Ivan Michurin. The bush is powerful, with long creeping shoots covered with strong curved thorns. Productivity is high. The fruits are large, weighing 6–10 g, sweet and sour, and ripen late. In central Russia, ‘Izobilnaya’ needs to be covered for the winter.
Thornless varieties of blackberries are becoming increasingly popular - ‘Thornfree’, ‘Lochness’, ‘Hull Thornless’, ‘Chester Thornless’, ‘Smutsem’, ‘Black Satin’. All of them have low winter hardiness and need shelter in the middle zone.
© Kenraiz
Diseases and pests
Rust affects leaves and young shoots, taking up to 60% of the harvest. The disease manifests itself in the presence of spores, which at the beginning of summer, in the form of a sticky mass of small orange-brown dots (scatter as they ripen), cover the stem, leaf blades, etc. Soon, all this sticky mass dries out, forming a film, and the first real spores of the fungus appear. The affected part of the stem darkens and ulcers appear on it. The following year, the mycelium remains alive, it grows and causes premature death of the stems.
Basic wrestling technique with rust - raking fallen leaves that are burned. Rust also affects blackberries when there is a lack of moisture in the soil, when the plants are weakened. In case of dry weather, watering is necessary. In the spring, you need to inspect the plants and remove thickening leaves and weak branches. At the first signs of rust, blackberries can be sprayed with garlic infusion. Take 300 g of garlic, grind it in a meat grinder, pour 3 liters warm water. Leave for 24 hours, filter and dilute in 10 liters of water, spray the plants in the afternoon. This drug protects against rust infection and other diseases, as well as against aphids and mites. An effective Bordeaux mixture (400 g of copper sulfate + 40 g of lime per 10 liters of water), process until the buds open.
Anthracnose- a common disease of blackberries and raspberries.
The disease affects all above-ground organs of the plant, but especially the shoots and leaves. The disease appears in early summer on young shoots and root shoots that have just emerged from the soil; purple spots appear on them. Subsequently, they increase in size, deepen into the bark tissue, turning into grayish ulcers with purple edges and cracking tissue in the middle. The bark around the ulcers peels off in patches. On the leaves, the spots are small, round, which increase, reaching 3 mm in diameter. On fruiting clusters, the spots form a ring and cause them to wither along with the berries. Gray ulcers form on ripe fruits, the fruits dry out, unripe berries turn brown, become deformed, and dry out. The fungus that causes anthracnose only affects raspberries and blackberries. The varieties Texas and Izobilnaya are resistant to anthracnose.
Fighting method. Blackberries and raspberries are destroyed along with the roots, burned, and only vegetables can be sown in this place.
Purple spot (didemella)) affects shoots, buds, petioles and, to a lesser extent, leaves. In diseased plants, the buds die, the leaves fall and dry out. The development of the disease is facilitated by excessively dense plantings, high humidity air. Plants damaged by raspberry stem gall midge are especially affected.
Control measures, as with rust and anthracnose.
Septoria (white spot). Wet weather favors the development of the disease. Round, pale brown spots appear on the leaves, and then with a white border. Later, the spots merge, the affected tissue turns brown, collapses and falls out. Leaves and thin twigs become slimy, berries rot.
Control measures, as with anthracnose.
Powdery mildew- fungal disease. The causative agent is the spheroteca fungus, which attacks berries, especially in wet weather. Appears on berries white coating, they become unattractive and tasteless.
Control measures as with rust and purple spotting.
The shoot gall midge damages young shoots and causes them to dry out. All plants must be cut out and burned.
Raspberry shoot aphid, weevils, raspberry beetle. The shoots where the pests live freeze and dry out. It is necessary to spray with Fitoverm (2 ml per 10 liters of water), or Kinmiks (2.5 ml per 10 liters of water), and carry out the treatment during the growing season.
© Simonjoan
In addition to its excellent taste and external beauty, blackberries have beneficial and medicinal (healing) properties.
Blackberries are rich in glucose, fructose, vitamin C, carotene, organic acids and tocopherols. As a result beneficial properties Blackberries are used to treat kidney diseases, bladder diseases, diabetes and joint inflammation.
