You know it's time for summer when the blackberries come on.Though they grow wild in many areas of the world, the cultivated varieties are usually larger and juicy than their wild cousins.Most regions have warm summers and mild winters, and you can grow them there.You can learn to plant an appropriate variety, train the shoots and care for your plants throughout the growing season to give yourself the hardiest crop.For more information, see Step 1.
Step 1: Pick a variety that is appropriate for the climate.
The cultivated varieties of the Himalayan blackberry are larger and more firm than the wild ones.Depending on the structure of the cane, its growth pattern, and whether or not the variety has thorns, it makes sense to pick one of these varieties, wherever you live.Knowing the basic categories will help you make an informed decision, as there are hundreds of strains and varieties to choose from.It's best to pick an erect variety with thorns.The most solid possible base for your climate will be provided by these.It's best to plant trailing varieties, which will stand up to the elements in high desert climates.Most varieties are able to grow in regions with at least 200-300 hours per season, including USDA climate zones 7, 8, and 9 in the United States.
Step 2: Consider how hardy trailing or training varieties are.
Traditional training varieties shoot out suckers and sprawl all over the place, which means they need to be trained along with them to control the growth.New growth canes will not need to be trimmed.In regions with especially cold winters, trailing varieties don't fruit until their second year of growth.There are many popular varieties of trailing blackberry.
Step 3: It is easy to plant upright, erect, or semi-erect varieties.
These varieties of blackberry need to be supported with a post or a T-trellis, as they grow more like hedges.These varieties are easier to control and contain, but require vigorous pruning, shooting stiff new cane straight from the crown of the plant, rather than trailing along the ground.In the first year of planting, many of these varieties will produce fruit.The hardiest Thorny erect varieties are in cold climates.There are many varieties of erect and semi-erect blackberry.
Step 4: Take the benefits of thornless berries into account.
Trailing, upright, and hybrid varieties are now available in thornless strains, meaning that you can make your harvest a lot easier on your fingers.The thornless varieties are more difficult to grow in colder climates.Birds and other pests are more vulnerable to thornless varieties.
Step 5: There is a planting location.
Blackberries will grow in most types of fertile soil, which is rich in humus.It's less desirable if the soil is sandy or clay-rich.Select a planting location with good drainage and maximum exposure to sunlight to make sure your berries ripening evenly, though some thornless varieties are prone to "sunburn," so some shade isn't a worry in especially sunny regions.The nightshade family includes tomato, potato, and pepper.It can be transmitted through the soil.Near any wild-growing berry.Avoid diseases that can be transmitted by starting your fruit on a fresh site.It is possible to grow blackberries inside a greenhouse.It's a good idea to grow two different varieties if you want to benefit from cross-pollination.They need to be exposed to at least 200 hours below 40 F, but kept between 60 and 70 F inside.
Step 6: Take care of your planting plot.
You will want to dig into the earth at least a foot and till the soil of your plot thoroughly to aerate.A 2 inch (5.1 cm) layer of organic soil conditioner is used to fertilize..It's easy to get overwhelmed with berries accidentally because they can take over in the proper climate.Start with a single erect variety and place it somewhere that has room to grow.You should plant more rows if you don't get the kind of production you want.There are rows between 6 and 10 feet apart.The plants can be closer together.Before you put in your plants, you can plant your poles.In the following section, rending is discussed.
Step 7: The canes can be planted in the late fall or early spring.
If you live in a place with very cold winters, it's best to wait until spring to plant your fruit.It is appropriate to plant them in the fall in areas with more moderate winters.Between 3 and 6 feet apart from one another.The plants should be at least 6 or 7 feet apart from one another.If you add as much as a gallon of water to the canes, they will have 6 or 8 inches (15.2 or 20.3 cm) of dormant growth sticking out of the top of a ball of soil protecting the root system.They don't look like the prettiest plant, but will start shooting cane in the spring.You can buy your berry starts from a greenhouse a few days before you want to put them in the ground.
Step 8: Consider mulching in the spring if you water blackberries 1–2 inches weekly.
Depending on the climate, the plants might need between 1 and 2 inches of water per week.If you have a large plot of berries, installing drip-line irrigation can be a good option.In dry climates, mulch can help to prevent erosion.In order to protect the soil from erosion, mulch with pine bark, pine needles, or plastic weed mats can be used.Any type of mulch will suffice for blackberries.There is a little space between the mulch and the plant.
Step 9: Attach a post system to plants.
Plant posts are about 6 feet tall next to each plant, with a cross-bar about 3 feet long and placed high on the post.The canes can be trained to grow around the post to help support their weight.Semi-erect blackberry varieties will grow straight up, sometimes quite high.It's important to use a post system of vines to promote growth.You want to give the person something to climb on.You won't need to train or erect plants in the first year.It doesn't need to be elaborate.Old fence posts can be used to support blackberry.2 x 2 boards would work well if the posts are wrist-thick.
Step 10: The wire should be installed for trailing blackberries.
It's important to give trailing varieties a horizontal avenue to cling to.Plant 4–6 foot high posts every 5 or 6 feet along the row, then run two rows of fence wire between the posts, one at the top of the post and one about a foot off the ground.It is possible to connect each post with twine, string, or wood.You can use whatever you have on hand.The trailing blackberries should spread in two rows, one higher and one lower.You can cut back less vigorous shoots with proper Pruning.Keeping the plants trimmed will allow water and sunlight to reach the healthiest cane.
Step 11: During the first season, leave the plant alone.
Continue watering the plants weekly as the seasons change and pull weeds that grow around the blackberries.Depending on the climate and variety, you should see leaves and blossoms in the late spring.You probably won't get any fruit, but cans and new shoots should be significant.Cane should be shooting aggressively and you can support it with the post if you want to.You should not worry about cutting anything back because you won't get any fruit, and you want to let the plant establish a solid root system.After your first season, you can cut cane back to about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide.You can winter your plant if you get a lot of growth during the season.In the following section, winterizing blackberry is discussed.
Step 12: During the second year growing season, Prune away aggressive canes.
More fruit will be put on by unburdened shoots than by the same shoots in a cluster.It's to your advantage to take care of the berry.Cut back new shoots from the base of the plant to keep the most hardy shoots healthy.Cut back on new growth that will deplete water and sunlight from the healthy shoots if you train the most blossom-laden shoots along your trellis system or up the post..The plant will come back just as aggressively, if not more so next year, so feel free to really hack it back, because over-burdened bramble systems won't put on as much fruit in the same amount of space as a tamed and well-pruned plant.Pruning aggressively is difficult to kill a healthy plant.
Step 13: It's a good time to harvest berries.
Sometime in early summer, a beautiful white blackberry blossoms should form along healthy shoots, which will give way to hard green berries that will turn red and deepen into a dark purple color.They are easy to pull from the stem of the vine.At the top where the stem meets the berry, there should be no red.Store them in the refrigerator before the sun sets to keep them fresh.Blackberries will stay fresh for no more than 4 or 5 days, depending on the variety.They're great for freezing if you can't eat all of them.Depending on the climate, you'll need to pick them every 2 or 3 days.Pick them before the birds get to them, and before they over-ripen on the vine, because they'll start coming on all at once.
Step 14: Take action to keep birds away from your fruit.
Who is responsible for them?Birds like plump, juicy, and delicious blackberry more than you do.It's important that you take a few quick and easy steps to head off your bird friends at the pass since there is nothing more frustrating than going out to pick your berries and finding the best ones half- eaten..Bird-deterrents include strips of mylar tape or broken CDs.Since bright or flashing movement will scare birds away, you want something that catches the breeze and reflects the sunlight..Plastic owls can be planted at the edge of your blackberry patch and will scare away the lesser birds..Bird netting can be thrown over the top of your plants if the birds don't leave your berries alone.They will be able to get all the sunlight and water they need, but will keep the birds away.It is possible for smaller birds to get stuck in bird nets, making it a more obtrusive option for some growers.
Step 15: It's a good idea to keep an eye out for diseases of the berry.
blackberries are susceptible to a variety of diseases, and you can help to control them with careful inspection and identification skills.Affected plants need to be eliminated or isolated from the rest of the plant.If you spread some coffee grounds around the base of the plants that seem to be struggling, you can quickly fix the sign of nitrogen deficiency in the soil.You'll need to remove the affected plants if the yellow spots are a sign of the dwarf bushy virus.Depending on the region you live in, blackberries can be affected.Take action when you see leaves and berries that have been eaten.You can make your own soap, orange oil, and tobacco.It is possible to remove pests by hand and dispose of them in soapy water.If you have a pest problem, consider introducing natural predators.It is important to destroy any fruit or foliage that has been affected by an insect.Crown rot and double blossom can be treated with a mixture of Bordeaux mixture and lime sulfur.
Step 16: During winter, Prune old cane.
The shoots and canes will die down after the growing season.It's best to wait until the late fall or winter to get rid of the berry.This gives the plant enough time to suck the nutrients back from the long shoots into the root system, keeping it healthy for the winter.If you're going to have a lot of snow or you can leave them exposed, then cover them with mats.It's a good idea to trim back the plant to the strongest canes to give it the best start in the next growing season.Unless the canes are no longer put on fruiting cane, they should be left intact.New canes will grow from the base and put on fruit for about 2 years before dying off.
Step 17: The soil needs to be fertilized in the spring.
After your plants endure the winter, give them the best start possible by giving them compost or the right fertilization around the berry.For as long as 20 years, blackberry plants can continue to fruit.They will give back if you invest in them.