Blackberries don't bear fruit, what should I do? Garden blackberries - useful tips for growing berries on your plot. Fertilizer and fertilizing are the key to a good harvest

Blackberries are a unique plant rich in nutrients and medicinal substances. However, not only the fruit is useful, but also the leaves and roots, from which teas, decoctions and infusions are brewed. Blackberry juice is also beneficial, having strengthening and soothing properties. Thanks to this, many people have a desire to grow berries in their own garden.

You should still figure out what is the reason that blackberries grow poorly.

Blackberries thrive in northern temperate climates. But people who grow berries often have questions about their fruitfulness. And its lovers have to hope every year that nature will be favorable. After all, its taste is unique and not similar to other berries and fruits.

At the moment, there are about 300 varieties, but not all of them are successful in terms of fertility. Depending on the growth of the stems, two types are distinguished: erect and creeping branches. There are also non-thorny blackberries and prickly ones.

As a rule, upright varieties are characterized by a large yield and do not grow as slowly. There are fruit-bearing varieties that have a number of advantages:

Agavam - up to 10 kg of fruits from one bush. Aug. Sept.
Doyle - juicy and large berries. July – September.
Apache - 7-8 kg per bush. June August.
Black Satin – large berries; 14-17 kg. June August.
Karaka Black – large; 8-10 kg. June August.
Ruben – purchased; 14-15 kg. Until the first frost.
Thornfree – 12 kg. August.
Loch Tay – large fruits; powerful shoots; July.
Arapaho is the best in terms of aroma and taste. July.
Polar - 7 kg. July – September.

Having chosen these varieties of blackberries with proper care, the question that the berries will not bloom or bear fruit will not concern you.

Why don't blackberries grow and bloom?

Fully creeping varieties of blackberries are known for poor yields, but they have an advantage in the size of the berries: they grow juicy and large.

Many varieties are developed by crossing blackberries and raspberries. They have excellent taste, but the lack of propagation of such varieties is manifested in yield.

Failure to comply with agricultural technology

The survival rate of the berries is guaranteed only if certain conditions are met.

Violation of blackberry cultivation techniques affects fruiting. Berries need proper care. Do not forget that during the cold season you need shelter for blackberries. If ignored, the shoots may freeze, which will affect fruitfulness next year: they may either not bloom for a long time or not produce a harvest at all. The same applies to flower buds, which are absolutely not prone to low temperatures.

Top most frost-resistant varieties:

Agawam -30˚
Apache -20˚
Ruben: tolerates cold well, you don’t need to cover it for the winter.
Arapaho -25˚, winters without shelter.
Osage -13˚

Some gardeners make a mistake when pruning vines. There is a certain period for performing this important procedure. You should not do this in the spring: there is a possibility of pruning new shoots, that is, the fruitful vine. Autumn - perfect time of the year. During this period, old vines from which the harvest has already been harvested and which will not be able to bear fruit in the future are pruned.

The exception is the Ruben variety, which was previously mentioned. It bears fruit until the first frost. Accordingly, the time for pruning the vine increases. This needs to be done in winter.

Care and watering

Maintaining water balance - an important part in caring for any plant. Blackberries are no exception. The seedling requires regular watering with sufficient water. Fruits may dry out and shrink in size, which can also affect yield.

In gardening, it is important to know that moisture should not get on the blackberries that are ripening, that is, on the berries themselves. In this case, the brushes do not touch the ground. If you ignore these conditions, there is a high probability that the berries will become damp and rot.

Remember, you cannot use well water for hydration. For these purposes, it is better to use either water supply or rainwater. But in any case, the water is poured into some container and left in the sun for several days.

At the age of one year, when the blackberry takes root and reaches a height of 130 centimeters, the top of the shoot should be cut off by 10-12 centimeters. This procedure promotes the growth of lateral buds and branches. It is recommended to shorten the side shoots by 45 centimeters.

It is necessary to take into account that two-year-old fruits first bear shoots, and then stop doing so; they need to be cut out.

Fertilizer for plants

In addition to providing the fruits with nutrients through watering, the plant also requires fertilizer. Before planting, it is recommended to add a little manure or humus and ash. At the beginning of the flowering season, you can feed with nitrogen fertilizer, and in the fall it is appropriate to replace this with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer that does not contain chlorine.

Soil maintenance is also required. It needs to not only be moistened, but also loosened. This is done 5-6 times per season to a depth of 5-7 centimeters. Around the flowering blackberry bushes, they loosen the soil in a slightly different way: with a pitchfork, 5 centimeters 2-3 times.

Pests and diseases

Blackberries are a susceptible plant. It is susceptible to rust, powdery mildew, anthracnose, septoria or white spot, didimella or purple spot, botrytis or gray mold.

It also suffers from a lack or excess of microelements in the soil, as mentioned earlier. But this can be avoided through fertilization.

Diseases appear different ways: if sedge, cedar, pine trees grow nearby; rainy weather, In any case, prevention and treatment are necessary, although only already weakened blackberries are susceptible to disease. Plants need more space, bushes must be ventilated.

The main thing is not to forget about proper care, then problems with diseases will not arise.

In pest control, spraying with acteplic or karbofos is recommended. This will help prevent the appearance of insects such as: mites (spider mites and raspberry hairy mites), raspberry bud moths, raspberry-strawberry weevils, raspberry beetles, gallworms, as well as aphids, gall midges and caterpillars of fire butterflies, raspberry glass beetles.

Pests affect yields, so it is best to get into the habit of treating either in the fall after the flowering season or in the spring before this period.

List of varieties that are rarely affected by diseases and pests:

Doyle: rarely gets sick.
Karaka Black: resistant to diseases and pests.
Thornfree: practically free from disease.
Osage: Disease resistant.

RESULT

Having only favorable conditions growing blackberries, you may not achieve the desired result. The plant requires careful care and adherence to agricultural technology: shelter during the cold season, pruning the vine after the flowering season. Timely and abundant watering plays an important role; loosening the soil in and near bushes, which differ slightly in loosening techniques, which you also need to know. Watering is also not as simple as it seems: either tap water or rainwater, and blackberries should not be wetted during ripening and flowering. It is recommended to pay attention to fertilizing plants, as this promotes productivity.

The variety plays a big role. The gardener must take into account the qualities that he personally needs, and then select a variety based on these criteria. The article presents lists of both high-yielding plants with large fruits and frost-resistant plants that are not susceptible to pests and diseases. The latter property does not exclude the appearance, however, it is resistant to this and responds much less frequently, however, spraying should still be used in care.

Depending on the properties of blackberries that are a priority for the gardener, you can easily select a variety.

Ruben is suitable for lovers of large and juicy fruits with high yields who do not intend to worry about the plant in winter. It also bears fruit until the first frost. An ideal variety for those whose favorite garden berry is blackberry and who have no desire to eat frozen berries most of the year. When all the varieties have already died, Ruben still blooms and bears fruit, and this is a huge advantage of this variety among others.

Reuben's replacement will be Arapahoe - the best variety in terms of taste and size. Also suitable for those who do not want to worry about covering in winter, but enjoy the taste of the fruit.

If desired, everyone who grows ogina will find their own variety that will satisfy their desires in all respects. But special attention should be paid specifically to the yield of the fruit, because having excellent blackberries in terms of taste, we will definitely be worried about collecting as much of it as possible, and if the blackberries do not bloom, this is a real problem.

There is another variety with excellent yield, and the blackberry is not prickly. Sometimes only the second fact pleases farmers who immediately purchase the variety. This is Thornless Evergreen - an evergreen plant.

If you follow all these rules for caring for blackberries and a number of other factors affecting the fruitfulness of the fruit, then the question of blackberries not growing in the garden will no longer bother gardeners.

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Blackberries, or ozhina in Ukrainian, are distributed throughout Ukraine in forests, shelterbelts, swamps, wastelands, gardens and dachas.
Blackberry bushes are an excellent material for landscape design. Upright shoots can be used to create beautiful hedges. They will not only be absolutely impenetrable, but also very picturesque - both during flowering and during fruiting - with colorful glossy berries.

Reproduction
Straight-growing varieties of blackberries are propagated, like raspberries, by root suckers and root cuttings. Blackberries with creeping shoots and similar raspberry-blackberry hybrids do not produce root shoots. These varieties are propagated by layering - the tips of the shoots. The tops of growing shoots bent to the ground are placed in a shallow (3-5 cm) oblong hole; Make one or two neat cuts on the shoot with a knife (so that the roots grow faster) and sprinkle with earth. The sprinkled shoot takes root easily and quickly and produces new shoots from the apical buds. It is better to separate the rooted tops and plant them in a permanent place in the spring.

Propagation of all forms of blackberries and their hybrids by green cuttings in greenhouses and greenhouses with controlled air humidity is good. Cuttings are taken in the fall from the current year's shoots. The cuttings should have at least 2-3 buds, length - 10-12 cm.

A good variety of blackberries is the Yang variety, characterized by early ripeness of the fruit, high yield, and large berries. The fruits are dark cherry, shiny, sweet, but without aroma.

Variety Boysen with more large fruits the size of a small chicken egg, black in color, sweet and aromatic. The bushes are more powerful.

Varieties El Dorado, Snyder differ in cold resistance, varieties Thornfree, Smusstem, Austin, Thornless - thornless, Nessberry -drought resistance.

The variety has very valuable positive properties Agawam , related to erect blackberries, and varieties Abundant And Texas , related to blackberries with creeping shoots.

New, very productive varieties have been developed, without thorns, characterized by vigorous growth, winter hardiness, resistance to diseases and pests, and suitable for mechanized harvesting.

We choose a site.
When determining a place for planting, take into account the poor winter hardiness of most varieties. The area should be well lit, warmed up and protected from cold winds. Blackberries are less demanding on soil than raspberries, but produce maximum yield on fertilized, well-drained loams. It does not tolerate damp, waterlogged soils, where the formation of shoots is delayed until late autumn, which sharply reduces the winter hardiness of the plant. The soil reaction should be from slightly acidic to neutral. Blackberries, like raspberries, cannot be planted on carbonate (limestone) soils, since the plant develops chlorosis due to a lack of iron and magnesium.

Landing
Blackberries bear fruit quickly, in the second year, and regularly. It is unpretentious and grows on a variety of soils. It only dislikes carbonate soils (they are affected by chlorosis) and salinity. Responsive to feeding. It produces the highest yields on fertilized, well-drained loams. Does not tolerate waterlogging.

Since blackberries 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 potassium 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.

Upright blackberries require a trellis. Otherwise, severe shortening of the stems is possible. Because of this, the overall yield of berries decreases, although their mass increases and quality improves.

In the south, it is better to install a trellis from a 2.4 m high reinforced concrete grape stake, which is buried into the ground 60-80 cm with a distance in a row of 6 m, and a support from the same stake is placed to the outermost anchor post at an angle of 30-40? C. The first wire is pulled at a height of 80cm, the next two - 30-40cm apart. Young shoots are periodically tied in the direction in which they grow, creating a fan formation. With green pruning, 6-8, but no more than ten shoots per linear meter are left. The length is within 1.4-1.8 m, the lashes are tied to a trellis. The shorter the pruning, the larger the years, however, if pruned too short there may be growth of vegetative shoots.

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 take into account the size of an adult bush. Trellis for blackberries must be at least 2 m high.

A fan-shaped method of forming a bush is possible, in which fruiting and growing shoots are placed separately. When forming in a fan, the distance between plants should be at least 2.5-3.5 m.

Placing stems on a support

Supports in the form of a trellis 1.8 m high with tensioned wire in 4 rows at a height of 0.9; 1.2; 1.5; 1.8 m.

FIRST YEAR

In the summer, as young shoots appear, tie them to support wires. Wrap them around the three bottom wires. In autumn, the shoots are removed from the supports, laid on the ground and covered.

After fruiting, cut all fruiting branches to the ground. In autumn, the shoots are removed from the supports, laid on the ground and covered.

SECOND YEAR

Direct new shoots up through the center of the bush and further along the top wire. Berries ripen on the side branches of last year's stems

At the same time, untie the current year's growth and braid it around the three bottom wires. In spring, remove the tops of young shoots with weak buds.

Umove

The soil around the plants is kept loose and free from weeds. Two-year-old fruit-bearing shoots are cut out. Creeping and semi-cresting annual shoots are bent to the ground for the winter and covered with potato or vegetable tops, film and other materials, and in the spring they are lifted and placed on a trellis. For erect blackberry shoots, installing a trellis and bending down the bushes for the winter is not carried out, since rigid shoots almost do not lie down. Due attention should be paid to watering blackberry plantings. On next year after planting, in the spring, the plants are watered abundantly (up to 5 buckets per bush). During the growing season, watering is required depending on the condition of the soil, especially during the period of filling and ripening of berries. The section on raspberry pests and diseases describes a number of common pests and diseases of raspberries and blackberries. In addition, blackberries are attacked by the blackberry gall mite, which damages the fruit. The pest is very small, measuring 0.2 mm. It overwinters on the bush, in early spring it moves to flowers, then to fruits. It is not difficult to fight it: after picking the berries, you need to cut out and destroy the fruit-bearing shoots. After pruning, spray the bushes 3 times with infusions of garlic or pyrethrum with the addition of laundry soap. In the spring of next year, the bushes are treated with the same solutions in order to prevent a new tick invasion.

Pruning blackberries and placing fruiting and growing stems separately:

1. Immediately after harvesting, fruit-bearing branches are completely cut off
2. First year.
3. Second year. Fruiting shoots are directed in one direction, and new shoots in the other.

4. Fan forming method. Fruiting shoots are fanned out one at a time to the right and left, and new ones are placed in the center.
5. Forming with ropes. Fruiting shoots are directed along the wire, and new ones are left in the center.
6. Formation by waves. Fruiting shoots are directed in waves along the lower rows, and young ones - along the upper ones.

In the first summer after planting, young shoots are formed. Attach them securely to the bottom wires using a braiding method. In the second summer, these shoots will produce flowers and berries. At the same time, new shoots will appear at the base of the plant. They should be formed according to the chosen method. When fruiting is complete, unravel the old branches and trim them back to the ground. With a fan system and when weaving, new branches should be sent to replace the old ones. Pruning in the third and subsequent years consists of removing branches that have already bear fruit and replacing them with new ones. If there are not many replacement shoots, you can save the best of the old ones, but the quality of the berries will deteriorate. Every year in early spring, trim the frost-damaged tops onto a healthy bud.

Shelter for the 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 begin to swell and formative pruning must be done. That is, shorten the overgrown shoots in the current year’s growth (cut off from a third to half the length of the shoot), pinch the shoots that have gone in an undesirable direction for you.

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.

Useful properties of blackberries

The amazing qualities of blackberries are reflected in ancient legends. The burning bush, in the form of which the angel of the Lord appeared before Moses, is considered to be a blackberry bush “... the bush burns with fire and is not consumed.” The blackberry is a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to “the flame of divine love without being burned by lust.”

The yield of blackberries and their hybrids is 3-4 times higher than that of raspberries. And in terms of the content of biologically active substances, blackberries also surpass the car. Its berries contain more organic acids, P-active substances, and a wide range of microelements. Blackberries are denser, easily separated from the tea leaves, transport well, and can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time.

Blackberry fruits have astringent, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, cleansing and pathogenic effects. The fruits and juice quench thirst and have an antipyretic effect. The leaves exhibit antiseptic properties and improve intestinal motility. The leaves exhibit antiseptic properties, improve intestinal motility, eliminate heartburn, and are used for lotions for eczema and other skin inflammations, for rinsing the mouth and throat for sore throats and stomatitis.

Blackberries harmoniously combine sugars and acids. They are consumed fresh, when dried they are added to dried fruits for compote - broth, jams, jellies, jams, marmalade, marshmallows, jellies, compotes, syrups, extracts, drinks and wines are prepared from them. They freeze well and are also used as food coloring.

Most modern blackberry varieties do not have thorns. In addition, the yield of varietal blackberries is much higher; large, juicy berries with small seeds have a set of more valuable dietary and medicinal qualities.

Chemical composition, use.

Ripe, juicy, pleasant-tasting blackberries are used as a dessert dietary dish. Fruits contain dry matter up to 10.5%, sugars 3-8 (fructose, glucose, sucrose), organic acids 0.4-1.6, fiber up to 4, minerals 0.4-0.6, nitrogen 0. 4-0.95%. Vitamin C 5-48 mg%, P-active substances 1200-1500, carotene 0.5-0.8, B1 0.03-3.0, B; 0.03-3.8, K - up to 0.4 mg%. Quite a lot of pectin, tannin, aromatic and coloring substances, as well as macro- and microelements, especially copper salts (up to 200 mg%), manganese, iron. The seeds contain 9-12% fatty oil.

Fruits are used for food in fresh and processed forms: dried, made into juice, jam, soft drinks, marmalade, pastille, jam, compotes, jelly, tinctures and confectionery. Thanks to a good combination of sugars and acids, the berry does not become boring. Purple food coloring is made from dried berries. Dried flowers and leaves are used.

Blackberries have long been used for preventive and medicinal purposes. The berries are used as a cold remedy. They are included in children's and dietary dishes. Overripe berries have a laxative property, while unripe ones have a strengthening property. Berries, infusion and tea made from them are a general strengthening and sedative for menopausal neuroses.

Blackberry fruits, decoctions and infusions of dried berries quench the thirst of patients, have antipyretic properties, and are used in the treatment of acute respiratory diseases and pneumonia. Decoctions and infusions of dry berries are considered one of the most active diaphoretics and diuretics in folk medicine. A decoction of the leaves is used for hemoptysis, gastric hemorrhages, diarrhea and dysentery; for lotions in the treatment of skin (for lichen, eczema, ulcers or purulent wounds). An infusion of leaves is taken for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, and also as an expectorant and sedative for increased excitability. Powders from dried blackberry leaves are used to treat wounds, and an extract with a diuretic effect is obtained from the root.

The juice of the fruit dyes fabrics and threads purple and red-violet. Shoots and leaves are suitable for tanning leather; young leaves replace tea. A good honey plant that produces fragrant and transparent honey for a long time. In landscaping it is used to stabilize the slopes of ravines and screes.

Varieties

Agave m bred more than 130 years ago in the USA. Refers to the upright blackberry. The bushes are powerful, tall, and the shoots are thick. The berries are large, short-conical, black, dense, much sweeter than raspberries, and ripen in August. Abundant And Texas bred by I.V. Michurin. They belong to the creeping blackberry. The bush is strong, the shoots are long and thin. Berries Abundant large, elongated, black, sweet and sour, ripen in August; Texas - when fully ripe, dark crimson, almost black, with a slight waxy coating, aromatic, excellent taste with a pleasant sourness. Thornfree- thornless variety, bred in the USA. The berries are short-conical, black, shiny, sour in taste, ripen in August. All of the listed varieties, unfortunately, are not winter-hardy and require shelter for the winter.

Harvesting

The berries ripen at different times. They, like raspberries, are harvested in several stages. Ripe berries are easily separated from the calyx along with the fruit. Unlike raspberries, blackberries hardly crumple when harvested, are well transportable and can be stored longer at zero temperatures.

From the berries you can make juice, preserves, jam, compotes, jellies, marmalade, marshmallows, jelly, all kinds of fillings and drinks. The leaves make an excellent tea. In folk medicine, it is believed that it has a multifaceted effect - wound healing, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, diuretic, astringent and hemostatic. Long-term use improves metabolism and blood composition. Fresh fruits and blackberry juice are a good multivitamin and general tonic that quenches thirst well at high temperatures. They improve performance gastrointestinal tract, enhance digestion and appetite. Ripe berries slightly relax the stomach, unripe ones have an astringent property. Blackberries are used for inflammation of the kidneys and bladder.

Due to its unique flavor, blackberries are less popular than their close relative raspberries, but they most useful composition in many ways superior to many other fruits. Therefore, every summer resident tries to plant at least a couple of bushes of this useful berry on his plot. As a rule, blackberries bear fruit well, but it also happens that the plant either stops producing fruit or does not bear fruit at all. What is the reason?

Variety matters

According to experienced summer residents, productivity directly depends on the crop variety. For example, an adult plant with a multi-berry cluster can produce fruits, the amount of which is calculated in kilograms.

A multi-berry cluster usually occurs in erect and semi-erect varieties. But creeping species are initially characterized as slightly fruit-bearing, but at the same time their berries are much larger.

They give a small harvest and hybrid varieties, however, they have excellent taste. Therefore, the summer resident should independently in this case prioritize.

Violation of agricultural technology

Not less often, a decrease in yield occurs due to violations of agricultural technology. When caring for blackberries, you should remember that the crop is afraid of frost. Therefore, if the bushes are not covered before the cold weather arrives, their shoots will simply freeze and, of course, simply will not be able to bear fruit next year.

Flower buds can also be damaged by frost. In the most advanced cases, even necrosis of the tissue around the kidney occurs.

Some gardeners make a grave mistake and do spring pruning or shorten new shoots. This is strictly prohibited, since such manipulations can lead to the plant simply not being able to produce a harvest as a result of the removal of the fruit-bearing vine. To prevent this from happening, you should remember that you only need to cut out old vines that have already produced fruit. As for the time frame, it is best to carry out manipulations exclusively in the fall, but this should be done necessarily and regularly, since such a vine will no longer bear fruit.

Maintaining water balance

You can unwittingly destroy a crop by violating the recommendations for watering the plant. If it is carried out irregularly and in insufficient quantities, the fruits will become small, dry and their number will be significantly reduced.

When watering, it is necessary to remember that moisture should not fall on the fruits, and the brushes where they grow should not touch the ground. If this happens, the berries may begin to mold and, naturally, there will be no talk of any harvest.

Also, to ensure a large harvest, do not forget to feed the plant on time. various types fertilizers depending on the season, type of crop and other factors.

The Attractiveness of Blackberry Cultivation- high and stable productivity. The rich chemical composition of the fruits of the bush makes them especially important for the human diet. This is a worthy alternative to garden raspberries and the opportunity to diversify culinary preparations. At correct landing and care taking into account all biological characteristics blackberries will bear fruit for at least 10 years.

When is the best time to plant garden blackberries - in summer, autumn or spring? Choice of dates

The potential for productivity and benefits of blackberries is much wider than that of its close relative, raspberries. However, gardeners are not eager to plant and grow this magnificent shrub on their property.

This is set apart by the fact that for a long time plant varieties bred from southern forms were cultivated. They found it difficult to take root in the planting region and led to massive disappointment among gardeners.

The situation changed after new relatively winter-hardy varieties , which are able to withstand temperatures down to -30 C.

Therefore, for growing in middle lane or more northern regions (in Siberia and the Urals), it is important to purchase varieties of modern selection.

Despite this, in the northern regions, blackberry cultivation is somewhat limited. This is due to uneven fruiting, the final period of which often coincides with the first frost and some of the fruits do not have time to ripen.

In addition, insufficient lighting leads to loss of quality in ripened fruits.

Autumn planting blackberries have more benefits and is most optimal in the middle and southern regions. After planting the shrub, a period with stable and cool temperatures will follow, high humidity will promote root development until the soil temperature drops to -4°C.

Blackberries emerge from a state of relative dormancy very early, and shrubs that have taken root in the fall will immediately begin to develop vegetative mass.

When planted in spring, the plant does not have time to take root. due to too rapid warming and the onset of sap flow, after which active growth of shoots begins.

A weak root system is not able to provide the necessary nutrition to the increasing vegetative mass. This greatly weakens the bush and affects overall development.

Spring planting is preferable in northern regions and if the blackberry variety is characterized by poor winter hardiness.

In autumn, the plant should be planted at least 20-30 days before the first frost, in spring before buds open, when the air temperature rises to +15°C.

For growing in the garden planting material must be purchased from reputable nurseries. Annual seedlings with two stems, the thickness of which is at least 0.5 cm in diameter, have the best survival rate.

An important criterion is the formed bud on the roots. The optimal length of tap roots is at least 10 cm.

Preparing a place for planting a seedling: where is it better to plant, in the sun or in the shade?

For growing blackberries you need to choose a place well lit by the sun and protected from northern winds. In the shade, the young shoots of the plant will grow poorly, become elongated, the fruits become smaller and lose their taste.

A good option is to plant along the fence, where the bushes will be protected from the winds and the stems from breakage. In this case, you need to retreat 1 m from the fence so that the plant is not heavily shaded. It is better to place the bush on the south or southwest side of the site.

To plant blackberries, you need breathable and well-drained soil. Loams are ideal with a humus layer of at least 25 cm.

Occurrence groundwater Location on should be no higher than 1.5 meters. If these indicators are violated, the roots of the plant will be damp and cold, which significantly affects winter hardiness and yield indicators.

To plant thorny shrubs, the planting area must be prepared in advance. All weeds are removed and destroyed vegetable waste, preventive spraying against pathogens and pests is carried out.

For growing blackberries Salty, rocky, sandy and marshy areas are not suitable.

Severely depleted soils need to be replenished with essential macroelements. To do this, the area is dug up to a depth of 30-35 cm, organic and mineral fertilizers.

How to plant in open ground

Planting pits and substrate are prepared in 15-20 days before planting seedlings in open ground.

The blackberry root system is more powerful and penetrates deeper than that of other berry crops. Therefore, the pits need to be made more voluminous. The best option - adhere to the parameters 40x40x40 cm.

Upright varieties of shrubs are placed at a distance of 1 m, creeping plants at 1.5 m. 2 m are left between rows.

Organic matter and minerals must be added to each hole:

compost or humus 5 kg;
superphosphate 120 g;
potassium sulfate 40 g.

The nutrient components are mixed with fertile soil and the resulting substrate is filled into the hole 2/3 of the volume.

The shrub is planted vertically with root collar depth 1.5-2 cm. In light sandy loam soils, deepen up to 3 cm.

Blackberry roots are placed in a hole, straightened and covered with substrate. In this case, the hole is not completely filled, leaving a distance of 1-2 cm to the soil level.

Thus, there will be a recess under each bush, which will contribute to the rational hydration of blackberries.

Then the surface of the substrate needs to be compacted and water the seedling with 5-6 liters of water. After spring planting The blackberry plant must be provided with regular watering for 40-50 days. After compacting the soil, the tree trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, peat or straw.

Mulching the soil surface under the bushes with peat or rotted manure with a layer of 15 cm will protect against weeds and will prevent the appearance of dense crusts. Additionally, it is a source of balanced supply of nutrients to blackberry roots.

Planting blackberries:

How you can and should care for a bush in the garden - advice from agricultural technicians

Blackberries are more drought-resistant and easy to care for than raspberries. The only drawback of culture- relatively low winter hardiness and frost resistance. Therefore, you need to care for the plant taking into account its biological characteristics.

With proper care and preparation for winter, blackberries will grow and delight you with a high yield, according to the indicators of which among berry crops it is second only to grapes.

The golden rule of care is pruning

Throughout the life of the blackberry you need to control the density of the bush and make formative prunings.

These activities include:

Removing inflorescences in the first year of growth. This is done to stimulate the development of the root system.
In the second year after planting, you need to shorten the stems, leaving a height of 1.5-1.8 m. The procedure is carried out in the spring before the buds open. Sections should be made above the kidney.
After each winter you need to cut off frozen areas stems to a living bud.
In summer, at the beginning of June, the bushes are thinned out. At the same time, young shoots are removed, leaving an average of 6-8 strong stems for creeping varieties and 4-5 for erect ones. The tops of young shoots are cut off by 5-8 cm.

Bush blackberry is a shrub with a biennial fruiting cycle.. During the first year, the stems of the plant develop, become woody and form fruit buds. The next year they bear fruit and only in rare cases can they form new fruit buds.

Agricultural technicians advise removing biennial shoots that have spawned, thereby stimulating the development of new growths and thinning out the blackberry crown, which will only make it look better.

Prickly bush garter

For creeping types of shrubs you will need a trellis with 3-4 rows of wire with a distance between them of 50 cm.

In the first year of development, 2-3 shoots are fan-shapedly tied to the lower wires. Annual shoots are directed to the center of the bush, tied to the topmost wire.

Before the onset of cold weather, young shoots are removed from their support and sheltered for the winter.

Stems of erect blackberry varieties tied to a trellis with a slight slope to one side. When new shoots grow during the growing season, they also need to be tied up. This time the slope is made in the opposite direction from the fruiting branches.

A peculiarity of growing blackberries is the need to shade the bush while the fruits are ripening. Exposure to direct sunlight negatively affects the commercial quality of the fruit. To do this, shading nets are stretched along the rows of bushes.

Fertilizer and fertilizing are the key to a good harvest

Blackberries need fertilizing every spring nitrogen fertilizers that will stimulate the growth of annual shoots - this is another golden rule. To do this, apply 50 g of ammonium nitrate under each bush, covering it to a depth of 10-15 cm.

Every 3-4 years, shrubs in the garden need to be fed and other macroelements. This procedure is carried out after harvesting. Per 1 m2 the following is added to the soil under the plant:

compost or humus 10 kg;
superphosphate 100 g;
potassium sulfate 30 g.

It should be remembered that nitrogen fertilizers are applied only in spring. This mineral is also found in large quantities in pig manure and chicken droppings.

Measures for fertilizing blackberries can be combined by spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture, which will suppress the development of microorganisms. For additional disease prevention, the area under the bushes should be cleared of fallen leaves.

When to water, do you need to loosen?

Deep-lying, compared to other berry bushes, The blackberry root system makes the plant drought-resistant. But this does not mean that the plant should be left without irrigation and not watered.

Watering is especially necessary during the fruit-filling period. and when hot weather sets in. At this time, the wide leaf plates of the plant evaporate a large amount of moisture.

The optimal volume of water for an adult bush during fruit filling is 15-20 liters per week. At other times, you need to focus on the condition of the substrate and not let it dry out too much.

Several times during the growing season it is necessary to loosen the soil under the bushes to a depth of 10 cm, while simultaneously removing weeds.

It is especially important to carry out the procedure in the fall, at the end of August, in September. The looser the soil, the less the soil in the root layers will freeze.

Shelter for winter time

Before winter season the bush will need shelter. For this plant stems bend to the ground. It is important to do this until the air temperature drops to -1°C. Otherwise, they will lose elasticity and break.

To do this, the branches are tied into bundles, bent to the ground and secured with hooks. Upright blackberry varieties are quite difficult to bend down without breaking the stems.

Many gardeners have found a way out of the situation and at the end of the growing season, weights are tied to the tops of the stems, under the weight of which they gradually bend to the ground.

Regardless of the frost resistance characteristics, all varieties of blackberries need shelter for the winter. To do this you can use:

hay or vegetable tops;
roofing felt;
sawdust;
peat or humus.

Blackberry shelter for the winter:

The most dangerous time for blackberries is the snowless beginning of winter.. Therefore, it is necessary to cover the plant before the onset of the first cold weather, and in winter, pull snow towards it. Blackberry stems are not prone to overheating, so the plant can also be covered with polyethylene.

Fruit tree foliage is not suitable as a covering material. It often hides pathogenic microorganisms, which in the spring can begin to actively develop on the bush.

Spruce branches are well suited for shelter, which will additionally protect against rodents.

Blackberry fruiting unevenly and can cover a whole month. The fruits of the bush are characterized by good transportability and a long shelf life at low temperatures Oh.

Leaves and roots of the plant have bactericidal, sedative properties and will take their rightful place in the home collection of herbal remedies.

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 remontant blackberry, which is cultivated as an annual crop. It forms fruits on the shoots of the first year, after which in the fall all the shoots are cut off, and the 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

The wild ancestor of our garden blackberries 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.

The fruits of 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 this early varieties crops resistant to traditional 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 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.

plodovie.ru

Planting and caring for garden blackberries: 5 golden rules

The attractiveness of blackberry cultivation is its high and stable yield. The rich chemical composition of the fruits of the bush makes them especially important for the human diet. This is a worthy alternative to garden raspberries and an opportunity to diversify your culinary preparations. With proper planting and care, taking into account all biological characteristics, blackberries will bear fruit for at least 10 years.

This is distinguished by the fact that plant varieties bred from southern forms have been cultivated for a long time. They found it difficult to take root in the planting region and led to massive disappointment among gardeners.

The situation changed after new relatively winter-hardy varieties appeared that can withstand temperatures down to -30 C.

Therefore, for cultivation in the middle zone or more northern regions (in Siberia and the Urals), it is important to purchase varieties of modern selection.

To grow blackberries in the middle zone or more northern regions, you need to purchase varieties of modern selection

Despite this, blackberry cultivation is somewhat limited in the northern regions. This is due to uneven fruiting, the final period of which often coincides with the first frost and some of the fruits do not have time to ripen.

In addition, insufficient lighting leads to loss of quality in ripened fruits.

Autumn planting of blackberries has more advantages and is most optimal in the middle and southern regions. After planting the shrub there will be a period of stable and cool temperatures, increased humidity will promote root development until the soil temperature drops to -4°C.

Blackberries emerge from a state of relative dormancy very early, and shrubs that have taken root in the fall will immediately begin to develop vegetative mass.

When planted in spring, the plant does not have time to take root due to too rapid warming and the start of sap flow, after which active shoot growth begins.

A weak root system is not able to provide the necessary nutrition to the increasing vegetative mass. This greatly weakens the bush and affects overall development.

Spring planting is preferable in northern regions and if the blackberry variety is characterized by poor winter hardiness.

In autumn, the plant should be planted at least 20-30 days before the first frost, in spring before buds open, when the air temperature rises to +15°C.

To grow in a personal plot, planting material must be purchased from reputable nurseries. Annual seedlings with two stems, the thickness of which is at least 0.5 cm in diameter, have the best survival rate.

An important criterion is the formed bud on the roots. The optimal length of tap roots is at least 10 cm.

To grow blackberries, you need to choose a place well lit by the sun and protected from northern winds. In the shade, the young shoots of the plant will grow poorly, become elongated, the fruits become smaller and lose their taste.

To plant blackberries, you need breathable and well-drained soil. Loams with a humus layer of at least 25 cm are ideal.

To plant blackberries, choose well-lit places, loamy, well-drained soils.

The occurrence of groundwater in the area should not be higher than 1.5 meters. If these indicators are violated, the roots of the plant will be damp and cold, which significantly affects winter hardiness and yield indicators.

To plant thorny shrubs, the planting area must be prepared in advance. All weeds are removed, plant waste is destroyed, and preventive spraying is carried out against pathogens and pests.

Salty, rocky, sandy and swampy areas are not suitable for growing blackberries.

Severely depleted soils need to be replenished with essential macroelements. To do this, the area is dug up to a depth of 30-35 cm, and organic and mineral fertilizers are applied.

Planting pits and substrate are prepared 15-20 days before planting seedlings in open ground.

The blackberry root system is more powerful and penetrates deeper than that of other berry crops. Therefore, the pits need to be made more voluminous. The best option is to stick to the parameters 40x40x40 cm.

Upright varieties of shrubs are placed at a distance of 1 m, creeping plants at 1.5 m. 2 m are left between rows.

Organic matter and minerals must be added to each hole:

compost or humus 5 kg;
superphosphate 120 g;
potassium sulfate 40 g.

The nutrient components are mixed with fertile soil and the resulting substrate is filled into the hole 2/3 of the volume.

The shrub is planted vertically with a root collar depth of 1.5-2 cm. In light sandy loam soils, depth is up to 3 cm.

Blackberries are planted vertically with a root collar depth of 1.5-3 cm, covered with substrate and watered

Blackberry roots are placed in a hole, straightened and covered with substrate. In this case, the hole is not completely filled, leaving a distance of 1-2 cm to the soil level.

Thus, there will be a recess under each bush, which will contribute to the rational hydration of the blackberries.

Then the surface of the substrate needs to be compacted and the seedling watered with 5-6 liters of water. After planting blackberries in spring, the plant must be provided with regular watering for 40-50 days. After compacting the soil, the tree trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, peat or straw.

Mulching the soil surface under the bush with peat or rotted manure with a layer of 15 cm will protect against weeds and prevent the appearance of dense crusts. Additionally, it is a source of balanced supply of nutrients to blackberry roots.

Planting blackberries:

Blackberries are more drought-resistant and easy to care for than raspberries. The only drawback of the culture is its relatively low winter hardiness and frost resistance. Therefore, you need to care for the plant taking into account its biological characteristics.

With proper care and proper preparation for winter, blackberries will grow and delight with a high yield, in terms of which among berry crops it is second only to grapes.

Throughout the life of the blackberry, you need to control the density of the bush and make formative pruning.

These activities include:

Removing inflorescences in the first year of growth. This is done to stimulate the development of the root system.
In the second year after planting, you need to shorten the stems, leaving a height of 1.5-1.8 m. The procedure is carried out in the spring before the buds open. Sections should be made above the kidney.
After each winter, you need to cut off the frozen sections of the stems to a living bud.
In summer, at the beginning of June, the bushes are thinned out. At the same time, young shoots are removed, leaving an average of 6-8 strong stems for creeping varieties and 4-5 for erect ones. The tops of young shoots are cut off by 5-8 cm.

Blackberries require pruning: this way the density of the bush is controlled and the stems frozen over the winter are removed.

Bush blackberry is a shrub with a two-year fruiting cycle. During the first year, the stems of the plant develop, become woody and form fruit buds. The next year they bear fruit and only in rare cases can they form new fruit buds.

For creeping types of shrubs, you will need a trellis with 3-4 rows of wire with a distance of 50 cm between them.

In the first year of development, 2-3 shoots are fan-shapedly tied to the lower wires. Annual shoots are directed to the center of the bush, tied to the topmost wire.

Before the onset of cold weather, young shoots are removed from their support and sheltered for the winter.

The stems of erect blackberry varieties are tied to a trellis with a slight slope to one side. When new shoots grow during the growing season, they also need to be tied up. This time the slope is made in the opposite direction from the fruiting branches.

Every spring, blackberries need fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers, which will stimulate the growth of annual shoots - this is another golden rule. To do this, apply 50 g of ammonium nitrate under each bush, covering it to a depth of 10-15 cm.

Every 3-4 years, shrubs in the garden need to be fed with other macroelements. This procedure is carried out after harvesting. Per 1 m2 the following is added to the soil under the plant:

compost or humus 10 kg;
superphosphate 100 g;
potassium sulfate 30 g.

Blackberries need fertilizing with ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, humus

It should be remembered that nitrogen fertilizers are applied only in the spring. This mineral is also found in large quantities in pig manure and chicken droppings.

Activities for fertilizing blackberries can be combined by spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture, which will suppress the development of microorganisms. For additional disease prevention, the area under the bushes should be cleared of fallen leaves.

When to water, do you need to loosen?

The deep-lying root system of blackberries, compared to other berry bushes, makes the plant drought-resistant. But this does not mean that the plant should be left without irrigation and not watered.

Watering is especially necessary during the fruit-filling period and when hot weather sets in. At this time, the wide leaf plates of the plant evaporate a large amount of moisture.

The optimal volume of water for an adult bush during fruit filling is 15-20 liters per week. At other times, you need to focus on the condition of the substrate and not let it dry out too much.

Several times during the growing season it is necessary to loosen the soil under the bushes to a depth of 10 cm, while simultaneously removing weeds.

It is especially important to carry out the procedure in the fall, at the end of August, in September. The looser the soil, the less the soil in the root layers will freeze.

Shelter for winter time

Before the winter season, the shrub will need shelter. To do this, the stems of the plant are bent to the ground. It is important to do this until the air temperature drops to -1°C. Otherwise, they will lose elasticity and break.

To do this, the branches are tied into bundles, bent to the ground and secured with hooks. Upright blackberry varieties are quite difficult to bend down without breaking the stems.

Many gardeners have found a way out of the situation and, at the end of the growing season, tie weights to the tops of the stems, under the weight of which they gradually bend to the ground.

Regardless of their frost resistance characteristics, all varieties of blackberries need shelter for the winter. To do this you can use:

hay or vegetable tops;
roofing felt;
sawdust;
peat or humus.

Blackberry shelter for the winter:

The most dangerous time for blackberries is the snowless beginning of winter. Therefore, it is necessary to cover the plant before the onset of the first cold weather, and in winter, pull snow towards it. Blackberry stems are not prone to overheating, so the plant can also be covered with polyethylene.

The foliage of fruit trees is not suitable as a covering material. It often hides pathogenic microorganisms, which in the spring can begin to actively develop on the bush.

Spruce branches are well suited for shelter, which will additionally protect against rodents.

Blackberry fruiting is uneven and can span a whole month. The fruits of the bush are characterized by good transportability and a long shelf life at low temperatures.

The leaves and roots of the plant have bactericidal, sedative properties and will take their rightful place in the home collection of herbal remedies.

profermu.com

Growing blackberries externally

Did you know that all the varieties grown in the world come from the USA, except 4-5 of European origin, and even then they were bred as a result of crossing with American ones? How should the growing point be located when planting different species? And what is the difference between upright and climbing blackberries? Or that plants turn after the sun, choosing the direction on the support themselves?

What you need to know about garden blackberries?

Landing nuances

Blackberries can be planted in both autumn and spring. In the southern regions with mild winter and in warm autumn or in temperate climates they prefer autumn planting. The plants have time to take root and grow earlier in the spring. In the northern regions - for example, in the Urals, in Ufa, it is appropriate to hold the event in the spring to avoid freezing of the seedlings.

Soil requirements: deep sandy loam, light sandy loam, if loam, then well drained. Soil acidity pH 5.6 - 6.5. Does not like highly acidified soils. The humus content is directly proportional to the yield.

Like raspberries, it develops better and is more productive in illuminated areas, but unlike it, it easily tolerates shading. Less demanding on watering, drought-resistant due to the length of the root system - more than 1 m, the location of its main part in the upper 60 cm of the soil.

When planting, the root bud of creeping varieties is directed upward, while that of upright varieties is immersed in the soil by 1-2 cm.
Important: for thornless varieties, compaction of up to 1.5-2 m between plants is possible, thorny ones love space, cutting less than 2 m is not recommended.

A small digression: when plantings are compacted, the intensity of fertilizing is increased, since the feeding area is reduced. Beginning gardeners are not recommended to reduce the distance to 1-1.5 m x 1.7-2 m, but you may not calculate the strength and be left without a harvest. If you grow blackberries for yourself, and there is no problem with free space, give the plants space.

As for the scheme for growing blackberries - using the bush method, trench - in rows. In the second case, the place for the supports is preliminarily marked and the load-bearing ones are installed.

When planting, mullein, chicken manure is added to the planting hole, in a concentration of at least 1:10, humus, superphosphate is also added in an amount of up to 150 g, potassium fertilizers 40-45 g. It is believed that this fertilizing is sufficient for the first 2-3 years of life, but does not exclude annual spring fertilization.

Mix the fertilizers with the soil so that the hole is 1/3 full. The root system should not come into contact with manure: it is sprinkled with a layer of 10-15 cm of humus to 1/2 of the total volume, then watered. Once the water has been absorbed, the seedling can be placed.

We pinch the shoot at a height of up to 25 cm to accustom it to a horizontal position.

The pattern for creeping (bramble) and erect dewberries differs significantly. The first ones are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m between bushes with a distance of 2-2.5 m between rows. If there is free space, you can expand the distance to 2.5 m.
Dewberries (upright) are planted at a distance of 2-2.5 m and the same amount between rows. Cumaniki are grown depending on the characteristics of a particular variety - the height of the plants and the planned formation of the bush. Thus, when growing in a fan form, low plants are grown in rows with a distance of up to 2.5 m; when grown on T-shaped supports or another two-strip trellis, in the single-strip method - according to a scheme of 1.8-2 m in a row with a distance between rows of at least 2.5 m.

Plants are planted in the same way as raspberries, currants and other shrubs. The cuttings are carefully lowered into holes from 40x40 cm to 60x60 (according to the size of the rhizome) at the same depth, sprinkled with soil, lightly compacted, and then watered. If the soil is moist, then watering is not needed.

Afterwards, the shoots are shortened to a height of 25-30 cm, mulched with a small layer of humus, last year’s sawdust or straw.

Do not water the plants planted in the fall - this delays the growing season and complicates the transition to the sleep phase. On the other hand, dry soil freezes faster, and plants that have not received enough moisture may not survive the winter well. You shouldn’t overuse it, especially if the soil is wet. The best option is to water in advance, without waiting until late autumn, and enough. You should definitely not water during rains. In autumn, with the approach of stable frost, shelter is necessary.

Features of care: shortening is necessary!

Let's look at the features of caring for blackberries. A necessary condition for proper development and abundant fruiting is the formation of a bush. As for rationing, leave 3-4 annual shoots for brambles, and 5-8 for creeping dewberries. Rationing depends on the growing method: with bush growing, 3-8 shoots are left, with trench (in rows) 10-15 shoots per linear meter.

As the shoots grow, they are systematically shortened 2-3 times during the growing season. Otherwise, the plantation will turn into an impenetrable jungle. Thus, creeping species can produce lashes of more than 10-12 m.

For erect trees, double pruning is as follows: in the first year of life, to stimulate branching, the tops of the fruiting trees are shortened by 5-7 cm. Then, in mid-early July, the tops of young shoots that have reached 30-35 cm are shortened by 7-10 cm. This is called tweezers, and is carried out for greater branching upon reaching 80-90 cm.

Climbing vines are shortened at the bend, including the tops, not allowing them to grow to a length of more than 3.5-4 m. This is done not so much to increase volume as to prevent thickening. In May-June, rationing is carried out - weak, thin trunks are removed.

An alternative way is to shorten the lateral branching by 4-5 buds in the fall when it reaches 35-40 cm, and next spring by the same amount.

Then everything is simple: applying fertilizers and watering, mulching and loosening the rows. In comparison with raspberries, the heroine of our story is less demanding in terms of both the amount of fertilizer and watering. For more information about these annual pruning activities, read the article in our series. For mulching, rotted manure, buckwheat or rice husks, old sawdust, and spent mushroom substrate are used.

Bush formation

Scheme for attaching blackberries to a trellis, methods 1, 2 - Single-strip with fastening each shoot using two methods 3 - Single-strip support in one row 4 - Double-strip, we fasten the shoots by weaving around the wire

5, 6 - types of T-shaped trellis

Both types form differently. The easiest way for gardeners is to place nets near the fence, thereby forming a hedge and giving support to the plants. Also, individual bushes can be fenced with stakes or driven in one in the center.
For industrial plantings the approach is different. Construct standard supports used in raspberry fields, directed from north to south to improve illumination. On beams and stakes with a height of 1.2 to 2.5 m, depending on the type, 2-3 rows of wire are pulled at intervals of 50 cm to 90 cm. To secure the branches, use garters, pieces of wire, and pin them with clamps. Oxidizing materials should not be used. We will talk about all the details further in the article about the construction of a trellis, its types and choice.
Vertical molding, growing on a single-plane or two-plane trellis with division on both sides of the fruit-bearing vine and the young, bush method are suitable for upright plants.
For the second and intermediate forms, hybrid, the weaving method is more suitable - twisting the stem around a wire, according to the principle of a wicker fence, double-sided propagation, when the shoots are laid out on two sides - fruit-bearing ones on one side, young of this year - on the second, or fan molding. Weaving is less commonly used with a solid horizontal wall, as well as on curved arches - supports.

As an example: single-plane support, the first row at a height of 70 cm - 1 m, the second - 1.7-2 m, at a distance of a raised arm, the third - between them. Second option: the first row - at a height of 25-30 cm - for the direction of young animals, the second - 1-1.5, the third up to 2 m.

Fruiting shoots, especially thorny ones, become rigid and can break if you try to bend them during shaping or remove the vine before wintering. Character is cultivated from childhood - and first of all, blackberries are taught to be positioned horizontally on supports. They do this to make gartering easier, but the main thing is to remove it from the trellis in the fall without breaking it.

To do this, when the seedling reaches a height of 15-20 cm, it is pinned to the ground with a spear, a wooden spacer, or a piece of non-rigid, non-oxidizing wire. In the future, it can go up when tied to a vertical support, or horizontally.

Features of fertilizing

To increase the yield of blackberries, mulch with humus, compost, and on top - straw, sawdust (not fresh). The agricultural practice is also useful for maintaining soil moisture and protecting against weeds. Responsive to the application of nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers in the spring, potassium. In the first year, organic matter is not needed. In early spring, as soon as the snow melts, mineral fertilizers are scattered around the plants.

Here is a scheme for feeding blackberries in the spring per plant: 4.5-7 kg of humus (compost) - if necessary, 30 g of potassium fertilizer, 50-90 g of superphosphate, 20-25 g of ammonium nitrate or 10-15 g of urea. In April - early May, before the ovary, mullein is also added in a concentration of 1:5, bird droppings in a concentration of 1:10. These fertilizing can be replaced by the application of complex fertilizers, including nitrogen and mineral components.

What then or after the ball?

The fruit-bearing vine is cut to the ground - replacement shoots will take their place. This year's young shoots are removed from their supports, carefully laid on the ground, and covered. This must be done immediately after fruiting, so as not to deplete the strength of the root system.

For wintering, the vine is removed from the trellis - just like grapes, they are covered. In the spring, they open it, hang it back in place, clear it of any remaining leaves or damaged branches - and a new circle has begun. In regions with harsh winters they use additional measures- Read more about preparing for winter in the author’s publication.

The frost resistance of blackberries lies within almost the same limits as that of grapes. Depending on the variety, within -15 -20 C° or -20 -30 C°. However, it generally requires shelter, except for the upright variety grown in the southern regions. You can compare it with the winter hardiness of large-fruited raspberries - an equally problematic crop in terms of wintering. Successful growing experience in the conditions of the Ufa region, the Urals, and Volgograd indicates the possibility of growing in a covered form.

The culture is labor-intensive only at the first stage, and only for those who do not know which way to approach growing blackberries - fears disappear after the first successes. In fact, this is almost the most unpretentious berry bush, which does not require special care - for gardeners, and a fertile, unpretentious crop that is many times superior in yield to its sister raspberry. In comparison with it, it grows like weeds, multiplies at the same speed, is also unpretentious, does not require intensive feeding, selflessly giving fragrant purple berries, without demanding anything in return - except perhaps caring, kind hands. Happy harvest to you!

vizazh-2.ru

Prospects for growing blackberries in the Black Earth Region | APPYAPM

Once upon a time, every garden in Russia had blackberry plantations, but now in a rare garden you will find blackberries.

So why is it almost never grown in our gardens?

The main reason for the low distribution of blackberries on farm plots is the lack of knowledge of technology and pure-quality seedlings. Today, most people associate the word “blackberry” with its wild forms, but now there are wonderful varieties that have proven themselves for industrial cultivation. It is interesting to note that in some countries where blackberries are grown, they have significantly replaced raspberries, since they are significantly superior to them in terms of productivity, transportability and healing properties. For a long time, the spread of blackberries was hampered by the difficulty of collecting fruits due to thorns. Today, a huge number of thornless varieties have been created, including those with increased winter hardiness.

Until recently, it was useless to search and useful information on this culture in Russian sources. Today the situation is changing, thanks to the appearance in the country (albeit in very rare cases) of new foreign varieties, forums on the Internet, and the efforts of enthusiastic gardeners, it is possible to get a holistic picture of blackberry culture and understand the merits of this berry. And these advantages are undeniable:

practically does not get sick, produces clean large berries;
In terms of productivity, it is much superior to the main berry crops, second only to grapes;
stable harvest;
high transportability;
absence of pests, etc.

It is impossible to fully appreciate the flavor diversity of blackberries and their hybrids, since each of them has its own note and aroma and even a name different from blackberry. Considering all these factors, it seems to us that the future of blackberries is more positive, and the main thing that is required today is reliable information about the characteristics, agricultural techniques and varieties of blackberries.

We would like to structure our conversation about blackberries a little differently - first answer the most frequently asked questions, objectively note the shortcomings of the crop and ways to eliminate them, and only then move on to practice and agricultural technology.

1. Why is it worth growing blackberries if raspberries are sweeter and more aromatic?

The question is due to private ignorance of culture. The belief that raspberries are sweeter is fostered by the entire spiritual culture of our peoples. It is difficult for us to prove that blackberries can be sweet, that the sugar content in some varieties reaches 13%, while in raspberries it does not exceed 8-10%. Moreover, blackberries are also discredited by the widespread (and the only widespread today) ancient sour-unleavened varieties, passed on from one gardener to another. It is also impossible to objectively evaluate the taste of frozen imported berries - it deteriorates significantly, such berries are only suitable for processing.

In fact, the taste diversity of blackberry varieties is enormous; almost no raspberry-blackberry hybrid is similar to another. Having tasted one variety of raspberry, you can get an accurate idea of the culture, which cannot be said about blackberries. Behavioral stereotypes have been formed over centuries, the introduction of potatoes was accompanied by riots and blood, and Jack Vosmerkin’s cigars turned out to be desirable only after grinding into shag. And only the practice of introducing new, truly interesting varieties and correct agricultural technology can prove over time that blackberries are economically profitable, the plants are productive, technologically advanced for production, and their quality can be higher.

2. Blackberries have little winter hardiness and are problematic to grow because... requires shelter.

Blackberries freeze no more than table grapes and have the same frost resistance. Today, in the Black Earth Region and to the north, all the main table grape varieties that manage to ripen in our climatic conditions are successfully grown. On our farm, there were no cases of death of blackberry plants from frost at all, including the least winter-hardy varieties of Brazilian or American selection. Even for them, a light film cover, ten centimeters of soil or a good bunch of straw and a natural snow blanket are enough. At the same time, blackberries practically never suffer from damping off.

3. Why do blackberry plants bear fruit poorly year after year?

There is only one piece of advice - try to cover it this year. Most likely, this is frost damage to flower buds - even declared frost-resistant varieties cannot withstand low temperatures at certain periods. Both flower formations and plant bark are often damaged, which can be easily remedied by 5-10 minutes of working with the plants when frost sets in. Blackberries do not require cross-pollination, so in the summer they will thank you with a good harvest. Although, of course, there may be more than one reason, or not this one at all. But more on all this later...

4. How objective is the information on large-fruited size and yield, and are there new large-fruited varieties on the sales market today?

The largest-fruited blackberry varieties were bred with the donor “participation” of large-fruited Colombian blackberries, reaching 20-25g. You can note the varieties “Chesapeak Blackberry” (15-22 g), the average weight of the berries “Karaka Black”, “Kiowa”, “Natchez”, “Apache” is from 9 to 12 g. Naturally, “exhibition” berries come across larger ones ( but rather, they are artificially grown) This is how farces about incredibly large-fruited raspberry varieties of 15-20-25g appear. Any gardener can easily achieve single huge specimens of the same raspberries - leave it to good bush one shoot, cut off the top, remove excess laterals with flowers, feed heavily with growth stimulants, and you are guaranteed to get several “broilers”. The most interesting thing is that blackberry breeders never sought to create a very large berry, which is worse for storage and transportation. Much more important is yield, taste and, in general, a set of positive consumer qualities.

As for yield, it is blackberries (and not raspberry-blackberry hybrids) that are really extremely productive, and correct formation plants and suitable agricultural technology, the gross harvest of berries per plant can reach 15-20 kg. from the bush.

New highly productive varieties, including large-fruited ones, are beginning to appear in Ukraine and Russia. We grow and propagate such large-fruited varieties as “Black Butte”, “Natchez”, “Apache”, “Karaka Black”, which are distinguished by very good taste.

5. Is it possible to use blackberries for decorative purposes and in landscape design?

In our opinion - more than. In private plantings and nurseries in Poland and Ukraine, we came across superbly formed clumps of blackberry bushes and the framing of individual areas, which in terms of decorativeness were not inferior to the most “branded” crops used for these purposes. Flowering with large fragrant white or pink flowers is not much inferior in color to jasmine; fruiting also pleases with an abundance of glossy carmine dark red or blue-black anthracite berries, not to mention the autumn purple outfit of blackberry bushes. Then it’s just a matter of taste, skill and desire.

Biological features of culture

In botanical culture, blackberries, like raspberries, belong to the extensive Rosaceae family. This is a semi-shrub plant with erect, arched or creeping shoots. Forms with creeping shoots are called dewberry. It is usually more productive and has tasty and juicy fruits. Straight-growing blackberries are called brambles; in their biological characteristics they are more similar to raspberries - growth processes, formation of root shoots, etc. The main feature that distinguishes blackberries from raspberries is the inseparability of the berries from the fruit. Thanks to this, the berries almost do not wrinkle and are more suitable for transportation and storage. Blackberries bloom later than raspberries, so the blackberries are clean, without raspberry beetle larvae. The berries do not ripen at the same time, and the harvest is spread over a month. Varietal differences also determine the ripening time - from July to the end of September, so by selecting the right varieties, you can create a 3-month “conveyor belt” for the ripening of fresh blackberries. Recently bred by foreign breeders in the USA remontant varieties blackberries (“Prim-Jim” and “Prim-Jan”), suitable for regions with long summers and fairly harsh winters. These varieties are capable of bearing fruit on annual shoots in the autumn and need to be tested in different regions.

The increase in blackberry yield compared to raspberries is also predetermined by biology and morphological characteristics. The polyploid structure of blackberry cells gives it a more powerful bush structure and a larger berry. Cultivated varieties of blackberries have a more branched fruit branch with many orders of branching, which is self-fertile. Each bud on the shoot is flowering. Depending on the variety, up to several dozen berries grow in a fruit cluster, and there are a large number of such clusters on a long shoot of dewberry.

Significant disadvantages of blackberries are the straggly type of bush and thorns. However, today more and more varieties are getting rid of these shortcomings. The blackberry root system is much more powerful, goes to a depth of 1.5 m (main rhizome) and has an extensive superficial feeding system of adventitious roots. This contributes to the powerful development of the bush, its durability (up to 15-20 years) and drought resistance. Fruiting shoots are biennial, i.e. In the first year, shoots grow and flower buds are laid; in the next year, fruiting occurs and the branches that bear fruit die off. In return, several replacement shoots and root shoots grow (in brambles), which ensures the continued existence of the bush.

Blackberry plants present specific requirements for growing conditions. With a lack of light, the shoots become very elongated, shading the fruiting ones. Productivity and quality of berries decrease sharply, plants become less resistant to pests and diseases. Therefore, normalization and correct placement shoots - necessary condition obtaining stable high yields.

The sum of temperatures above +10 is the main indicator of the feasibility of cultivating blackberries in a given area. However, even if this indicator is below optimal, there are many ways to get around the problem - slope exposure, protected location, etc. And the weather conditions in different years are not the same.

Growing blackberries

When choosing a varietal assortment, you need to know that on heavy loams and dense chernozems, dewberries with creeping shoots work better. Upright varieties require a light soil composition - high air permeability and moderate moisture are the conditions for a successful crop. Deep sandy soils give good results when growing brambles.

For this reason, we had to abandon the commercial cultivation of straight-growing varieties; dense chernozems, due to insufficient aeration, inhibited the development of plants, while Black Satin and Thornfree successfully grew and fruited. In general, when choosing a site, choose land that is protected from cold winds, which lead to drying out of the shoots in winter. Preparing the soil and fertilizing a site for planting blackberries is not much different from raspberries. It is better to place plants in rows if we are talking about a personal plot - along the border of a garden plot or fence. Since blackberries are extremely light-loving, the fence should either be a mesh fence, or the plants should be located on the light (south) side. The depth and width of the seats is determined by the type of planting material. We recommend a distance between plants of 1.5-2 m (more for vigorous forms).

Many gardeners initially plan to use thorny blackberries to create hedges. I will warn you - you will hardly get any berries. This can be justified if the fence is an end in itself. Berry production requires sparse shaping and pruning, and large distances between shoots. In a neglected fence, it will be impossible to understand, cut, or lay shoots for shelter. Due to the freezing of flower buds and thickening of the shoots, the harvest is small and of poor quality.

The planting itself also depends on the seedling. The cuttings are planted in furrows, covered with soil at a depth of 7-10 cm, watered and mulched with loosening materials. The seedlings are placed at the bottom of a hole or furrow, the roots are straightened and covered with soil so that the bud at the base of the stem is 2-3 cm below ground level. In dry weather, watering has to be repeated. The landing times are normal.

Plant care is basically similar to agrotechnical techniques on plantations of raspberry varieties traditional type fruiting - watering and fertilizing at the same time (flowering, active vegetation of shoots, watering berries), loosening the area, removing plants with signs of mycoplasma and viral diseases, carrying out preventive pest control measures.

It has already been mentioned that there are no many pests and diseases on blackberries; this crop has significantly fewer lesions, but depending on varietal hybridization, weevils, raspberry stem gall midges or leaf aphids typical of raspberries may appear, spider mites. Among the diseases we note anthracnose and gray rot berries, especially in dense plantings or affecting berries in close proximity to the ground. In order to avoid the use of chemicals, for preventive purposes, normalize shoots, eliminate thickening of plantings and place fruiting branches on a trellis.

Let's dwell on the construction of trellises for blackberries. Several methods of arranging trellises and placing shoots on them are offered by agricultural technology -

gartering of fruiting and growing shoots at different heights;

gartering the same shoots on different sides;

a fan-shaped method of arranging fruit-bearing two-year-old branches on a flat trellis - in our opinion, this is the best way. After wintering under cover, the fruiting shoots are fan-shaped on a flat trellis, consisting of 3-4 wires stretched at a height of 0.5 to 2 m. Growing young shoots bend to the ground and spread along the trellis under/along the lower wire. In autumn, these shoots can be easily covered and fruit-bearing branches can be removed. The next year the cycle repeats.

Fig. 1 Location of shoots in the spring after removing the cover

Fig.2 Location of shoots in August for fruiting. Below - pinning annual growing shoots for late autumn shelter

Our advice: to install trellis supports, it is convenient and functional in small areas and dachas to use construction reinforcement, which is easily driven in and removed from the soil, while having sufficient strength for tying up wire and shoots. In the fall, press down the film cover with the same reinforcement.

In upright varieties, the stems are shortened in the fall at a height of 1.6-1.8 m; in creeping varieties, the tops are cut off at the bend. Pinching, or removing the tip of a blackberry shoot, is an important agronomic technique that promotes the awakening of lateral buds and the formation of branches, which leads to an increase in the fruiting zone. It is also advisable to trim the lateral regrown shoots of erect varieties to a length of 40-50 cm, which will make the bush more compact without threatening fruiting. In most creeping varieties, the main fruiting zone is in the middle part of the stem, so when the upper part of the shoot is removed, there will be no loss of yield, and the size of the berries increases.

Blackberry propagation

The vegetative method of crop propagation is of practical importance for gardeners.

We have already noted that upright varieties are in many ways similar in biological characteristics to raspberries, so here we will consider methods for obtaining planting material from creeping varieties of dewberries and raspberry-blackberry hybrids. These varieties do not produce horse offspring or produce very few of them. Therefore, to obtain planting material for sundews, it is advisable to root the non-lignified part (ends) of shoots 25-35 cm long. The end of the shoot is placed in a furrow 20 cm deep in July-August, sprinkled with earth to a depth of 10-12 cm. As a result, 3-4 young plants, which are separated in the spring and planted in permanent places or grown.

Another method is pulping (rooting the apical buds of shoots)

In young shoots, sundews that have reached 60 cm shorten the top by 10-15 cm. Side shoots grow from the axillary buds. When the tops of the shoots become spindle-shaped, they have small leaves and thickenings at the ends, they are buried in the ground to a depth of 5 cm and sprinkled with a damp, loose substrate. In the spring of next year, the top is separated from the mother plant and left for growing, or replanted.

To propagate valuable varieties and forms of blackberries, it is advisable to use green cuttings. When the mother bush produces many extra shoots, they can be used as green cuttings. At the end of June - beginning of July, single-bud cuttings 2.5-3 cm long with a whole leaf are cut from the shoots, preferably from the upper third of the shoot, with the exception of the last two buds.

Before planting in the substrate (peat-sand in a 1:1 ratio), it is advisable to treat the cuttings with root formation stimulants, half-bury them in the ground and place them in a greenhouse with an atmosphere of artificial fog. After 25-30 days, roots form on the cuttings and the plants are transplanted to a growing or permanent location. Typically, this method is the main one when propagating valuable varieties, allowing one to obtain high-quality and healthy planting material with a closed root system. Single-bud cuttings are planted in cassettes with loose peat mixture with the addition of drugs that suppress the development of pathogenic fungi and rot at 100% greenhouse humidity. Rooting occurs at an optimal temperature of 24-29 degrees. Celsius, for which in the summer shading materials and frequent spraying through fine mist nozzles are used. Subsequently, the rooted cuttings are transplanted (August) into pots with a volume of 0.5-2 liters and grown until commercial seedlings are obtained.

In conclusion of the story I would like to note the following. In addition to growing in the garden and summer cottage Blackberry crop seems to us to be economically profitable for commercial cultivation, primarily due to the lack of competition in the market and the high demand for fresh products in large cities. Preliminary calculations show that even with relatively considerable costs when planting a blackberry berry garden (cost of seedlings, soil preparation, trellis installation, costs of harvesting and packaging, etc.) with the yield of modern varieties, the production of berries of this crop is profitable and highly profitable.

A small producer using amateur agricultural technology in a limited area will be able to perform additional operations that require not only time and labor, but also attention associated with an individual approach and analysis of the results. The number of plants per unit area in small-scale plantings, where the use of machines is not provided, is several times higher. In order to collect the maximum harvest in our region and at the same time have good income, you should find one for yourself optimal size area of plantings that can be cultivated, covered and harvested with minimal losses. Price ratios in our market convince us that blackberries can be grown successfully and profitably not only for ourselves, but also for the market.

Blackberry varieties:

Certain groups of forms and varietal directions of this crop should be noted in order to correctly orient the reader and simplify the choice in the future. For convenience, let us turn to V. Yakimov’s classification.

1. Modern varieties of blackberries, which have already become widespread in Russian gardens. These are Thornfree, Black Satin, Thornless, Smutsem. The most common of modern varieties. Dewberries, characterized by the absence of thorns, good yield, juicy large black berries with a glossy sheen, relative frost resistance, i.e. needing shelter for the winter.

2. Erect brambles. What you can find - “Agavam”, “Eldorado”, “Theodore Reimer”.

Straight-growing powerful bushes with thorny shoots. The shoots are tall, faceted below, dark red in color, produce and reproduce by basal shoots. The berries are black, glossy, weighing 3-4g, ripening in July-August, when fully ripe, very sweet, without acid, unripe - grassy. Due to the power of the shoots, they are difficult to cover for the winter (bending down the growing shoots in the summer is required). They have increased frost resistance. A good alternative for planting on sandy soils.

3. Varieties of Polish selection “Orkan”, “Polar”, “Gazda”, “Gai”, “Rushai”. Deserving special attention a group of varieties with high frost resistance, recommended in Poland for growing without shelter. Due to their absence in Russia until 2009, they have not yet been tested enough in plantings and are undergoing introduction. By consumer properties Let us highlight the varieties “Gazda”, “Orkan” and “Polar”, which have tasty large berries, are thornless, and have excellent consumer characteristics.

4. New cultivated varieties (introduction 2010-2011) The following foreign blackberry varieties are undergoing variety testing: “Apache”, “Arapa-ho”, “Natchez”, “Karaka Black”, “Navajo”, “Loch Ness”, “Loch Tay” , "Too-pi", "Chester Thornless".

These are mainly thornless varieties of dewberries with large and very large berries, of various flavor shades, requiring shelter in winter. To date, no frost damage has been observed in our region. These are the latest achievements of foreign scientists, varieties with a complex set of positive consumer characteristics that require testing for the adaptive ability of successful growth and fruiting in the conditions of the Black Earth Region. Let us note that at present many varieties have entered fruiting and have shown themselves to be very successful.

5. Raspberry-blackberry hybrids: “Tybury”, “Boysenberry”, “Loganberry”, “Silvan”, “Marion”

One of the best raspberry-blackberry hybrids.

The farm has collected thornless forms of these hybrids (thorned forms also exist). the only exception is “Tayberry” with frequent thin thorns, but an unusually tasty dark carmine berry. All varieties differ from one another in the taste and color of the berries; they do not produce basal shoots; they are easily covered for the winter (the shoots are bending, semi-creeping). Winter hardiness is quite high.

Peculiarities of cultivation of black raspberries.

According to the botanical classification, black raspberries are closer to blackberries. It has almost one feature in common with raspberries – the separation of the berries from the fruit stem.

This peculiar raspberry does not produce offspring; it grows as a powerful tall bush with long 2-meter shoots with hanging tops, reminiscent of straight-growing blackberry bushes. The shoots must be shortened for good fruiting. All varieties of blackberry-shaped raspberries produce many side shoots, which are also removed when pruning, leaving stubs of 1 cm.

Plants grow well when placed according to a 2 x 0.7-1 m pattern. with the obligatory placement of branches on a trellis, otherwise the plantation next year will turn into thickets of impenetrable thorny bushes. We recommend the same fan-shaped single-layer arrangement that is used when growing blackberries, with strong pruning, which will increase the size of the berries and simplify the care of the plantings.

Traditional agricultural technology - watering during shoot growth and especially before fruiting, fertilizing, loosening and mulching. The crop is drought-resistant, but if there is a lack of water during the active growth of annual replacement shoots, the latter grow weak and the yield the following year is sharply reduced. The same will happen if there is a lack of nitrogen fertilizers in May-June; we recommend applying urea.

For fruiting, 8-10 shoots are left per linear meter, which are removed after harvesting. The winter hardiness of black raspberries is -30, but covering annual replacement shoots in November will significantly increase the yield. The black raspberry is small (usually 1.5-2 g), with a bluish bloom and a blackberry sweet taste and aroma, with good and high transportability, quite dry. Many gardeners grow blackberry-like raspberries for high-quality aromatic processed products (liqueurs, wines, etc.). It is more disease resistant than red raspberries, but can be affected by anthracnose and verticillium wilt.

Reproduces like sundews - by apical shoots, which is also described above, or green cuttings. Good results in propagation are achieved by the method of rooting by horizontal layering (similar to the propagation of gooseberries). To do this, in the spring, long shoots are laid out in 5-7 cm grooves around the bush and pinned with wooden hooks. When adventitious roots appear on the underside of the shoots, they are sprinkled with soil, leaving the apical buds open. The cuttings are watered, covered with soil for the winter, and planted out the next year. Most varieties of black raspberries are bred in the USA and Canada, where this crop is most common. There are no production plantations in our country.