How to grow blackberries at home?

An amazing blackberry grows in the wild. The healing properties are superior to raspberries, but they are not grown on a large scale in Russia.... And in the garden, blackberries are becoming more and more popular. Let's look at a detailed description and instructions for proper care, growing, reproduction and pruning of blackberry bushes at home, which will be useful to both the experienced and novice gardener.

Technology for growing blackberries at home in the country

Plantation selection

Growing blackberries at home

Blackberries respond to spring frosts and low temperatures. The landing site should be chosen without access to cold winds... The best option may be the western and southern parts of the house.

The soil

For breeding upright varieties, light loams are suitable, and heavy loams for climbing species. The plant thrives in sandy soil... Temporary flooding has a detrimental effect on young shoots. To breed fruitful blackberry bushes in the country, it is undesirable to plant a crop on calcareous soils, since the plants will be deficient in iron and magnesium.

Predecessors

We must not forget about the previous culture. Favorable for blackberries on a personal plot are considered legumes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini.

Preparatory work

The site is prepared for several years for planting, and is left fallow.... It is cleared of weeds and pathogens. Six months before planting, in the fall, apply organic and mineral fertilizers to the ground. If the land is saturated with nutrients, then organic matter can be excluded.

How to grow blackberries in a garden, tips for novice gardeners

Planting in spring

First of all, you need to decide on the variety of blackberries, paying attention to the climatic conditions of the place of growth: the Moscow region, Siberia or the middle zone of Russia. Planting material should be chosen with a developed root system, which is better purchased in nurseries. The seedling should have 2 stems and a developed bud near the roots.

The distance between blackberry seedlings depends on the shoot formation of the variety

Maintain the distance between the planting material 1 meter, rows - 2 meters. This method is called tape and is suitable for varieties with a high level of shoot formation.

With a bush type of planting a 1.8x1.8 (m) scheme is used, 2 seedlings are planted in each hole and are acceptable for varieties with low shoots.

The planting material is lowered into the groove and the roots are carefully straightened.The soil with fertilizer is poured from above, the basal bud is covered up to 3 cm below the soil. The top layer of the bush is mulched, compacted and watered. Pour from 3 to 6 liters of water under each bush.... The last step is to prune the seedling up to 20 cm and remove the fruit stem.

Care

You do not need special knowledge of caring for blackberries in order to grow a healthy bush, it is enough to fulfill the following requirements:

1. Watering.
2. Weed weeding.
3. Top dressing.
4. Annual pruning.
5. Formation of bushes.
6. Destroy pests.
7. Fight disease in a timely manner.

Blackberry breeding methods in the Moscow region, Siberia and central Russia

In the garden, blackberries propagate vegetatively (by layering, offspring, cuttings). You can propagate this culture by seed method.... It is used to preserve the varietal characteristics of the crop.

Layers

Blackberry propagation scheme with horizontal layering

1. Prepare the groove, in the first ten days of August, 15 cm deep. Place a healthy annual shoot in it and sprinkle it with earth. In this case, do not cut the twig from the uterine bush and leave the crown on the surface.
2. Cut the upper part of the shoot by 10 cm to stop growth.
3. Press down the digging site with a heavy objecte.g. with a stone, brick or pinned down with wire.
4. Mulch the soil and regularly water the digging site. Mulch (fallen leaves, sawdust) retains moisture and prevents weeds from growing.
5. Rooting will take place in 2 months. Shoots are cut off from the mother bush, are carefully dug out with a pitchfork, and planted in a permanent place along with an earthen lump.
6. This kind of reproduction can be postponed to September or the first decade of October.

Apical shoots

Reproduction of garden blackberries by apical shoots

1. Tilt the top of the shoot and dig into the ground... At the same time, the tip is cut off.
2. For fast rooting in a stem that will be in the ground, cut the bark.
3. Separate the seedling from the bush and it is necessary to replant in the spring.

Offspring

Reproduction of garden blackberries by root suckers

1. Young shoots from the root or offspring have bushes 3 years old.
2. In the spring, when persistent warm weather sets in (May, June), offspring are dug up with roots and a lump of earth. Stem height 10-15 cm.
3. Planting material selected from healthy and high-yielding bushes.
4. Plant the seedlings on a picking bed for growing... As soon as the bush reaches standard size, it is planted in a permanent place.
5. Offspring can replant in autumn (Aug. Sept). To do this, choose the most developed shoots with a thickness of 8-10 cm and a root system of 15-20 cm.
6. Before boarding cut the twig to 30-40 cm.
7. Landing fill the pit with mineral fertilizers.

When planting in autumn, it is undesirable to use organic fertilizers (humus, compost). It is them that insects and rodents feed on in the winter. By the spring, the seedling may die.

Hybrids and large-fruited blackberries do not produce offspring... Therefore, this breeding method is unacceptable for them.

Cuttings

Root

1. Early spring or late autumn a fruiting bush is dug up by the root.
2. Divided into piecesleaving 60 cm of root system. The stalk should be 0.5-1.5 cm thick and 10 cm long.
3. The petiole is planted in a permanent place, or on a dive bed, and after a year use it as planting material.
4. The beds are being prepared and with a step between cuttings of 20 cm, in rows - 80, planting material is planted and watered regularly, until complete rooting.
5. Weeding is carried out in the summer from weeds and loosening of the soil.
6. By autumn, the cuttings will have several shoots. and a developed root system.
7. Cuttings can be stored in a cool place during the winter.... The twigs are placed in wet sand. In the spring, a transplant is needed in open ground.

Blackberry varieties without thorns are not propagated in this way. Otherwise, the plant will grow with thorns.

Green cuttings

1. In July, a branch is cut off from the green shoot one third of it from the top.
2. The stalk must consist of a stem, buds and one leaf.
3. Process the twig a rooting stimulant such as root or zirconium.
4. Then, prepare cups of soil (peat and vermiculite in equal parts, expanded clay) and plant cuttings.
5. Cover containers plastic bag.
6. Root system formed in one month.
7. The plant is planted to a permanent place.
8. Reproduction can be combined with pruning shoots.
9. Most suitable varieties: Black Satine, Thornless Logan.

Seeds

A full-fledged seedling can be grown from blackberry seeds

1. Prepare light soil, wet sand or peat chips.
2. Leave the seeds for 3 hours to swell in water.... Then drain the excess liquid and place in a damp cloth for 3 days.
3. Swollen grain seed cover with prepared substrate 8 mm.
4. Compact the soil and pour.
5. Place containers in a cool place with a temperature of 5 degrees C for 2 months.
6. During this time monitor soil moisture... It should not be wet or dry.
7. Further, bring containers into a warm room (20 degrees C) for germination.
8. The presence of three leaves on seedlings serve as a signal for a dive.

Why do you need autumn pruning?

Blackberry bushes bear fruit only once. If the first year is spent on its full-fledged cultivation to lignified stems, then in the second year of life it blooms and bears fruit. This is where her fruiting cycle ends. Therefore, from two-year-old specimens, you should get rid of and properly form a bush. Because:

• young growth will not receive enough nutrients from the soil, and wasted on old copies;
• young shoots do not ripen, the berries become smaller;
• thickening of the planting occurs... There is no access to the sun's rays in the middle of the bush. Hence frost resistance decreases. Harvesting becomes more difficult. Berries lose their sugar content.

Young specimens should also be pruned to stimulate flowering for the next season. Pruning in the fall strengthens the bush, normalizes the load on it, improves aging.

How to properly prune blackberries and form a bush in the fall

Algorithm of actions:

• as soon as the crop is harvested, the plantation should be inspected and start pruning two-year-old blackberry bushes, to form a sturdy bush. It is imperative to remove hemp. This will make it possible to avoid purulent processes during hibernation;
• young specimens with thin and short stems are removed, that is, unformed and unripe bushes;
• branches are destroyed, damaged by diseases and pests;
• remaining young growth is shortened by one fourth... Make a cut above the kidney;
• for uniform load on the bush, 6-8 shoots should be left... Considering that the plant will hibernate, perhaps their freezing, we leave two shoots more than 8-10, and in the spring we inspect the plant. In order for the berries to be large and to have a good harvest, 5-6 live shoots are needed. Frozen branches are removed.

Leave no extra plants, even if they are healthy. Excessive density harms the future harvest.

Formation of an upright bush

Scheme of the formation of an erect blackberry bush

1. Trellis is being prepared, length 1.8 m... with wire in several rows. The step between them is 30-50 cm.
2. Young shoots of the bush are tied to the bottom row and spread evenly from the center of the plant, parallel to the ground.
3. Fruiting branches are centered.
4. In the fall, after the harvest, the central part is cut to the root, and the young are cut off and sheltered for the winter.

Formation of a bush of creeping varieties

Scheme of the formation of a blackberry bush of creeping varieties

1. Creeping varieties have long shoots. The use of trellises allows you to increase the yield, as the branches remain with the maximum length... Along the trellis, they are placed fan-shaped in different directions from the fruiting stems on the three lower wires.
2. In the spring, the stems are pruned to 1.5 meters.
3. New shoots appear during the growing season, they are also tied to the wire horizontally on both sides in a fan-like manner. Only next year will they bear fruit. This method facilitates periodic pruning and harvesting.
4. It is possible to arrange branches on the wire in both directions without a central fastening... Fruiting stems to one side, young shoots to the other. Each year, berry picking will alternate from left to right.

Conclusion

The chosen place and proper care of the blackberry: feeding, watering, pruning, processing will allow you to get high yields and delight the family with medicinal berries.

Why is it very rare to find a culture like blackberry in our gardens? Growing it is not that difficult. In any case, no more difficult than raspberries or currants with gooseberries. And the yield is even higher than them. It's time to get to know her better.

Blackberry growing technology

Blackberry photography

Its agricultural technology is in many ways similar to the recommendations for growing raspberries, especially with regard to shaping, pruning, and planting. But there are also some features inherent exclusively in black berries. First of all, it should be said that there are two large varieties of garden blackberries. Namely:

• dewdrop;
• kumanika.

A dewdrop is a creeping form, the whips of which grow up to ten meters. Very flexible, easy to hide for the winter. Do not give root suckers, propagate by cuttings or rooting cuttings. The mildew is more productive, the berries are larger than the other form.

Video about growing blackberries

Kumanika grows like a bush with branches two meters long. Less bends, less productive, but more compact. Requires less attention to shaping. It reproduces well by root suckers. The agrotechnics of kumanika are more similar to those of raspberries than dews.

Now it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the preparation of the landing site, the substrate. Talk about the planting itself, summer care, watering, fertilizing, consider shaping, winter shelter, pest protection.

Landing

The best time to plant is mid to late spring. Blackberry is a moisture-loving and heat-loving crop. Choose a sunny place on the site for planting it, protected from the prevailing winds in your area. Blackberries are long-lived shrubs. The lifespan of one plant can reach thirty years. With good care, the yield will not only not fall, but also grow for a long time. So the question of the location of the future plantation should be approached as seriously as possible.

It is best to plant bushes in rows in the north-south direction. Then they will be illuminated by the sun evenly from all sides. Take care of creating trellises along the rows of brambles. The seedlings will feel good in shallow depths, so it is reasonable to dig a trench for planting.

In the photo, planting blackberries

Based on what size we will lay the blackberry plantation, we set the length of the trench. The distance between the bushes should be about two meters for kumanik and at least three meters for dews. If planting in more than one row, keep two meters wide between them. The width of the trench is 40-50 centimeters, the depth is the same half a meter. Place the excavated earth with a shaft from the side of the trellis. Strengthen the walls from shedding by digging in boards or pieces of slate. The bottom can be covered with a layer of fine gravel or sand. This improves the permeability of the soil. Pour a layer of leaf or meadow humus mixed with manure on top.

It is best to use rotted horse manure - this is the most favorable environment for the growth of berry bushes.

To subsequently facilitate future watering for yourself, lay a perforated hose or drip irrigation system - both irrigation tapes and irrigation pipes - before backfilling with earth in the center of the trench. We put earthen rollers at the site of the future planting. We keep the young blackberry in a solution of a root formation stimulator: heteroauxin, epine, root. We put the seedlings, straightening the roots along the cone of the shaft. We tilt them in the direction of the trellis. Now we fill them with the remaining soil.

You cannot deepen the root collar - the place where the roots go into the ground part of the plant.

For better rooting, you can cover the soil with a transparent film. Under it, the soil temperature will be higher than atmospheric - good conditions for root growth. However, if the weather is hot, then you just need to hide the planting from the sun with a covering material. In general, the best time to plant is cloudy, moderately cool weather.

Blackberry planting photo

Watering and fertilizing

Blackberries are demanding on moisture, however, excessive waterlogging, like the same raspberries, does not tolerate. If you originally installed an irrigation system in a trench, then watering becomes nowhere easier. Just connect it to the garden water supply and that's it.

If you prefer to water the blackberries by hand, it is best to do this regularly, pouring several buckets of water into the bush trench every week. Hot summer weather requires more watering. To avoid moisture loss from the ground, mulch with a large layer of straw, last year's grass (preferably meadow or lawn) or hardwood sawdust. Mulching generally improves the microclimate of your blackberry bushes. The soil is not compacted due to frequent watering, the air is given the opportunity to penetrate to the roots. The absorption of nutrients is improved. The result is an increase in yield.

From spring to mid-summer, it is important to stimulate the growth of green shoots. For these purposes, we are increasing the share of nitrogen fertilizers among top dressing. We fertilize with phosphates in a slightly smaller amount than with nitrogen. Potash fertilizers are now ineffective. You can not use them, or take the minimum concentration.

June-July is the time of active flowering, berry setting. Now it is very important to help the blackberry lashes with the harvest. Phosphates do very well for this purpose. Nitrogen fertilization is also important now, but not to the same extent as in the spring. We use potash fertilizers in the same way as nitrogen fertilizers, that is, in moderation.

In the photo there is soil with potash fertilizers

Starting from the end of summer and until frost, the primary task, in addition to the ripening of the crop, is the preparation of the bush for wintering. Summer shoots, which are now lignified, should ripen. The roots also store nutrients for winter. Nowadays, potash fertilization is the most important. Phosphorus is now required by blackberries much less. Nitrogen is generally excluded. Excessive growth of greenery is now useless.

In addition to the main dressings, black berries need trace elements such as selenium, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iron, copper, etc. The benefits of having them are difficult to notice, they have little effect on the strength of growth, productivity, maturity. But the deficiency of one or more of them is expressed by one or another disease. Plant immunity directly depends on microelements. Competent fertilization with microelements answers the question of how to grow blackberries in the country, to protect them from diseases, without resorting to various pesticides.

Use organic fertilizers actively, the berry will immediately respond with a significant increase in yield. It is recommended to use effective microorganisms, as well as a complex of humic acids. These dressings contribute to the colonization of irrigated areas with important bacteria, which assimilate mineral compounds in a form that is digestible for the roots. The best quality drugs in this category are Japanese and Siberian.

Photo of organic fertilizers

We form bushes correctly

Blackberry whips can stretch for 5-6 meters.Naturally, the formation of such a green head of hair is necessary. Otherwise, all the forces of the bush will go to the tops, not leaving attention to fruiting. To prevent the lashes from dragging along the ground, trellises are needed. We dig in support pillars along the planting trenches. We choose such a length that, being dug in, they hold the future load of green mass and harvest well, but at the same time they are not less than two meters. We stretch the wire between the posts every half a meter, starting from the ground.

The basic principle of the formation of blackberries is that we always grow two types of shoots on the same bush. The first is fruiting biennial shoots that ripened last summer and overwintered. They carry flower buds. Now they are blooming, bearing fruit. The second type is green substitute shoots. This summer they are ripening, and next fall they will harvest. Thus, all shoots older than two years are cut out. In the fall, those lashes from which we collected berries are removed in order to avoid thickening of the bush.

How many shoots should one bramble bush leave? Saplings of the first year of growth are left with 3-4 branches. They will bring their first harvest next summer. In biennials and then leave 5-6 alternate shoots. That is, there should be about 10-12 lashes on the bush at the same time. Half of them are shoots of the first year, the other half of the second.

In the photo, pruning blackberries

Now about how to grow bushy blackberries on a trellis. In the first summer after planting kumanik, we distribute 3-4 selected vigorous shoots close to the soil, tying them up by the lower wire, that is, only half a meter above the ground. The upper part of the trellis is still empty. This is due to the fact that the lignified lashes of the kumanik do not bend as well as those of the dewweed. When bookmarked for winter storage, they can break off, which of course is undesirable. The following spring, they gently rise from the ground, tied to the upper wires of the trellis. We tie the growing green shoots to the lower tier on both sides of the bush. Thus, we get a fan. In the fall, we cut off the vertically grown, harvesting lashes. Ripe substitute shoots that have grown squat will not be difficult to put in winter storage.

Long whips of the first year of growth are allowed to grow on opposite sides of the root. For example, two to the right, two to the left. When they reach the top of the trellis, wrap them down from the opposite side. Upon reaching the lower tier of the trellis, turn up. That is, we wind long strands of dews on the trellis. In the fall, there will be a lot of fuss about unwinding, but since its whips are very flexible, this will not be difficult. After hibernation, we take out branches, wind them on one side of the root, for example, to the right. Then to the left we let the green substitute shoots grow.

It's simple now. On one side we have fruit-bearing branches, on the other, summer ripening greenery. In the fall, we cut off everything that yielded a crop. That is, the entire right side. We unwind the left one, put it in storage. The next year, for example, you can grow young lashes to the right, and old ones to the left, alternating the fruitful trellis from the growth side. Here, in fact, the whole formation. Follow it and your bushes will be constantly renewed, bringing consistently high yields for many years. Indeed, from thickening the berries become smaller, the whips receive less sun, the wood does not ripen, the plant's immunity is weakened.

The photo shows a blackberry bush

Winter shelter

How to grow garden blackberries in our climate, because they are more thermophilic than wild ones? We need to take care of winter shelter. After removing from the trellis, we lay the lashes along the trenches, previously on the bottom of which you can lay boards or pegs. This way the whips will be kept elevated from the ground. This will prevent the bushes from getting wet or rotting. Also, place mouse poison under the whip. These rodents love to feast on blackberries in winter, even those forms that have thorns.

Kumanik will have to be pressed to the ground in several places, pinned down with wire arcs. The dewdrop is simply rolled up in rings and folded along the trench. Cover the top with a non-woven covering material. We put a layer of sawdust or straw on it.

Blackberry care video

It is important to cover when cold daily temperatures are already established. In spring, we also open the bushes when severe cold weather has passed. Above the trenches, you can install a temporary non-woven cover on the arcs. After the spring frosts have passed, we raise the whips to the trellises.

What you need to know to increase your blackberry yield

• cultivation is better in trenches, more fertilizers are supplied, the soil always remains more moist;
• do not spare organic fertilizers, the more dung humus under the roots, the larger the berries;
• trim the bushes by properly loading them. Instances with a thickened crown give thin whips, small berries, ripen little, get sick more, often freeze out in winter;
• cover the blackberries for the winter correctly, avoiding damping, burnout, freezing of the bushes.

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Blackberries are famous for their taste and benefits, so many summer residents want to grow them on their plots. This is a bit of a troublesome activity (after all, blackberries are originally a forest plant), but in fact there is nothing very complicated about it. The main thing is to follow the tips and tricks. Today we'll talk about the types of blackberries, caring for and growing them.

Reproduction methods

There are several ways to breed blackberries:

• seeds;
• apical layers;
• green offspring;
• apical layers;
• lignified offspring;
• green cuttings;
• root cuttings;
• dividing the bushes.

The most common of these are propagation by seeds and cuttings. Such methods are most often used for erect blackberry varieties (also called kumanika). Let's consider them in detail.

Full-fledged seedlings can be easily grown from blackberry seeds.

Seeds

Seed propagation of many varieties of blackberries allows you to preserve most of the economically valuable characteristics of the mother. Seedlings in most cases become even more stable than her.

1. In order for the seeds to germinate well, carry out scarification or startification, and then soak them in rainwater for 2-3 days before sowing.
2. Scarification (intentional partial damage to the seed coat) is troublesome, it will require special equipment from you.
3. Startification is a more natural process, and although it is more time-consuming, it is easy to carry out at home. Mix seeds with river sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 3, pour into boxes, moisten and leave for 1.5-2 months at a temperature of 2-3 degrees. Water every 7-10 days.
4. Seedlings are transplanted into open ground after the appearance of 4 leaves. Maintain a distance of at least 10 cm between them, so as not to complicate further maintenance. Be sure to remove all weeds, periodically loosen the soil around the seedlings, and water if necessary.
5. With the onset of cold weather, cover the seedlings with fallen leaves and branches for the winter.
6. In the spring, the seedlings need to be dug up together with a clod of earth and transplanted to a permanent place.

After carrying out all these procedures, your blackberry grown from seeds will give the first harvest in 3-4 years.

Cuttings

Cuttings can be rooted and green. Each species has its own characteristics, which means the growing process is different.

When propagating blackberries by root cuttings, follow these recommendations.

1. In autumn or early spring, you need to dig up the roots of the main bush and cut them into cuttings 5-7 cm long. Use 1 to 3 year old roots that are about 0.7 centimeters thick.
2. If the harvesting is carried out in the fall, the cuttings are placed in wet sand for the winter and stored in the basement.You can plant it immediately to a permanent place.
3. For planting, cut furrows every 70-80 cm with a depth of 10-12 cm. Lay the cuttings every 20 cm, cover with loose soil, water abundantly.
4. In the air, seedlings must be carefully looked after, regularly watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds.

Propagation by cuttings is one of the most common methods

Please note: if you want to grow thornless varieties, then the root cuttings method will not work for you. After its application, the plant grows "thorny".

The propagation method by green cuttings is as follows.

1. In early July, cut the cuttings from the upper third of the shoot, without the very last buds. The stalk consists of a kidney. Leaf and stem parts.
2. Treat the cuttings with 0.3% indolebutyric acid and immediately plant in containers filled with prepared soil: a mixture of perlite and peat or vermiculite, sand in equal proportions.
3. Water the cuttings and place in a greenhouse or greenhouse. Provide a high humidity level, up to 100%.
4. The roots will appear on the cuttings in a month. Now they can be transplanted to a permanent place.

Further care consists in loosening the soil, watering during dry periods and removing weeds.

Choosing a site and preparing the soil

For growing blackberries, it is advisable to use flat areas, protected from dry or cold winds, but sufficiently ventilated. The soil should be fertile, moist and deeply drained.

1. Sandy soil or light loam works well. The optimum soil acidity for blackberries is 6-6.2 pH.
2. Carbonate soils are not suitable for this crop. Blackberries will lack the magnesium and iron needed for growth and fruiting.
3. Clear the area for blackberries from weeds, take measures to destroy pathogens and pests.
4. Before plowing the soil before planting, add rotted manure (1 bucket per 1 sq. M.), Superphosphate (150 g / sq. M.), Potassium sulfate (80 g / sq. M.). If the soil contains a lot of humus, you do not need to apply manure. On such a site, blackberries will grow well, but bear little fruit.
5. The plowing depth for planting should be 40-50 cm, level the plowing before planting.

Planting blackberries can be carried out:

• in the spring, before the buds begin to bloom;
• in the fall, before the onset of frost.

Make sure your seedlings have developed a root system and 1-2 stems with a bud on the roots.

To make further maintenance of the blackberry bushes easier, make the spacing between furrows at least 2 meters. The depth and width of the furrow is 30 cm.

Make sure the seedlings are strong enough before planting.

If you are planting blackberries in the fall, pre-add manure or compost to the soil. In the spring, it is enough to mulch the hole and the area around it. This must be done after the first watering, a week after planting.

Young. Cut the newly planted plants to a height of 22-24 cm.

Distances must be maintained between blackberry bushes:

• 0.75-1.5 m for upright varieties;
• 2.5-2.9 m for creeping varieties;
• on supporting structures, the distance is halved;
• when grown in a bush method, the planting pattern is 1.8 X 1.8 m.

You can correct this data depending on the varieties, placement and type of soil.

Further cultivation and processing of plantings

In the first year of growth, blackberries need to be watered regularly. In subsequent years, watering will be required in dry times, as well as during the fruiting period. It is not recommended to water the plantings with cold water.

Try to keep the soil in the aisles "fallow". To do this, cultivate at different depths, but not more than 12 cm. Up to 6 cultivations can be carried out in one season.

During the first 2 years after planting, before the blackberry grows, it is possible to grow vegetable crops in the aisles, except for tomatoes and other nightshades, the neighborhood with which is not desirable.

In October and November, plow the row-spacing to a depth of 17 centimeters.At the same time, apply humus, phosphorus and potash fertilizers every 3-4 years.

In rows where the bulk of the roots is located, weed and remove excess root suckers. Loosen the soil to a depth of 8 centimeters, while using a pitchfork so as not to damage the rhizomes.

Before the offspring begin to appear, mulch the areas where the bulk of the roots is distributed with organic materials.

Proper care will ensure you have a good blackberry harvest.

Use herbicides to control weeds. Simazine works well, use it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For a consistently high yield, apply fertilizer annually. In the fall, under the digging of the soil near the bushes, for each square meter, add 4-5 kg ​​of manure mixed with 30 grams of superphosphate and 40 grams of potassium sulfate, and in the spring - 30 grams of urea or ammonium nitrate. After harvesting, you do not need to fertilize the blackberries.

Blackberries in your garden

A few words on how to form bushes

The correct formation of bushes is a very important step in caring for a blackberry. This plant, especially in its creeping form, is very laborious in processing and harvesting. Therefore, you can place blackberry bushes on a vertical trellis, this will greatly facilitate maintenance.

For the installation of the trellis, install the posts 1.8 meters high at a distance of 6-10 meters from each other. Stretch the wire: the first row at a height of 1 meter, the second - 1.2 m, the third - 1.5 m, the fourth - 1.8 m.You can limit yourself to two or three rows.

Thanks to the trellis, caring for blackberries will become simple and easy

There are 3 ways to form a bush on a trellis.

1. Interlace the shoots between 1-3 rows of wire. Spread the shoots that appeared after shaping to the left and right of the main bush, bring the upper branch onto a wire of 4 rows.
2. Spread the blackberry shoots in the shape of a fan, fasten to the wire. Take the healthiest and youngest shoots to the topmost wire. The bush will be better lit, which promotes free growth of branches.
3. Spread the fruit shoots in different directions from the young shoots, tie them to a wire at a height of one and one and a half meters.

Use twine, braid, or soft fabric bands for the garter. Trim the shoots about 10 cm with the garter to improve the yield.

Pruning is done several times throughout the year. In autumn, completely remove diseased, fruiting shoots and excess young shoots. In the spring, you need to cut out the frozen shoots. You will notice them as soon as the buds appear on the branches.

Video about growing blackberries in their summer cottage

We hope our tips and tricks will help you grow good, strong blackberry bushes that will decorate your site and give you a rich harvest of healthy and tasty berries! If you have any questions, ask them in the comments, as well as share your experience in growing this crop. Good luck!

How to grow garden blackberries

Hello dear friends!

Speaking of blackberries, we imagine a wild thorny bush with small berries that grows only in the forest. But this is not so, today, thanks to breeders, you can plant blackberries right in your garden and enjoy this tasty and healthy berry. About, how to grow blackberries in the gardenHow to choose the right place for planting, how to propagate and care for this berry shrub, we will talk in this article.

Choosing a place for blackberries

Before landing, first of all, you need to choose the right place. A flat, well-lit area is best suited (blackberry bushes can grow in partial shade, but berries grown in the sun will be much larger and sweeter than those that lacked sunlight).

On a note: to make the berries ripen faster, and later it would be more convenient for you to pick them, install supports and tie up the shrub (ordinary iron pipes are suitable for this).

Also, when choosing a place for breeding blackberries, one should take into account its low winter hardiness. Therefore, try to choose a place that is reliably protected from drafts and cold winds.

Watering the blackberry

Blackberries thrive best in moist but well-drained soil.

If at least one heavy rain has passed in a week, and the air temperature has not exceeded +25 degrees, then do not water the bush.

The situation is different on hot days, when the air temperature in the sun can reach +40 degrees. Then it is best to water the blackberries three times a week - in the morning and in the evening.

Shrub formation and pruning of garden blackberries

In order for the blackberry to grow well, the shrubs must be thinned out.

The shrub should be cut for the first time 2 years after planting. Further, the blackberry should be cut twice a year: in the spring, when the bush is forming, very long dried shoots are cut off, and in the fall, old shoots are removed after fruiting.

Wintering blackberries

As already mentioned, blackberries do not tolerate winter well, therefore, in the frosty season, garden blackberry bushes must be sheltered from the cold and winds.

Note: you can cover the blackberries with corn leaves, for this you need to insulate the branches of the bush with them, and then cover the blackberries with plastic wrap.

There are many varieties of garden blackberry and each variety tolerates winter differently. Here are some of the varieties:

Erect blackberry (kumanika) - this species tolerates frost very badly, therefore kumanik must be covered in winter.

Half-growing blackberry - just like straight-growing blackberry, this species does not withstand frosts, which means that it also needs to be insulated.

Creeping blackberry (dewberry) - belongs to the most hardy types of blackberry. Even without insulation, the dew-grass will withstand up to 20 degrees of frost.

Fertilizing blackberries

In order for blackberries to grow well and delight you with delicious fruits, it must be fertilized. Blackberries should be fed four times a year:

1) In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is necessary to fertilize the blackberries with nitrogen.

2) Potash fertilizers and superphosphate should be used when blackberries are in bloom.

3) During the fruiting period, the blackberry should be fed with minerals and trace elements.

4) The last time you need to fertilize the blackberries in the fall.

Reproduction methods

Talking about how to grow blackberries in the garden, it is worth mentioning the methods of its reproduction. The breeding method of blackberries depends on the variety. So, upright blackberries are propagated by root cuttings or root suckers. It is customary to propagate dewdrop by green cuttings, and most of all dewdrop saplings you will receive by means of propagation by horizontal layers. See you, dear friends!