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Green-Seeds.com
Fruits
& Others
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Blackberries for the Home Garden
 A location in full sunlight
is desirable, although blackberries will thrive in areas shaded for part
of the day. Blackberries flower relatively late, from May on, and bloom
over a long period. Frost is seldom a problem. If possible, avoid planting
in a frost pocket; however, blackberries are among the few fruits that can
be reasonably well grown on sites with poor air drainage. Blackberries grow
in a wide range of soils and will tolerate slightly impeded drainage, though
they will fare better in a well-drained soil. Run soil tests the season
before planting and apply fertilizer and lime accordingly. Soil pH should
be from 5.5 to 6.8.
Cultivars
Special attention should
be given to selection of cultivars adapted to your soil and climatic conditions.
The table below lists some of the cultivars suggested for home plantings
in South Carolina. Buy plants from a reliable nursery that guarantees trueness
to name and certifies the stock to be disease free. Be cautious about accepting
plants from a neighbor's garden.
| Variety |
Area |
Season |
Plant
Type |
Fruit |
| Brazos |
CP,
M |
E |
E,
T |
Large,
tart, good processor |
| Carolina |
CP,
P, M |
E |
Tr |
Large,
very sweet |
| Rosborough |
CP,
P, M |
E |
E,
T |
Large,
semi-tart |
| Womack |
CP,
P, M |
E |
E,
T |
Medium |
| Cherokee |
All |
E |
E,
T, Hardy |
Large,
very sweet |
| Cheyenne |
All |
E |
E,
T, Hardy |
Very
large, sweet |
| Shawnee |
All |
E |
E,
T, Hardy |
Very
large, sweet |
| Dirksen |
All |
M |
T,
STr |
Large,
semi-tart |
| Thornfree |
All |
L |
T,
STr |
Large,
tart |
| Hull |
All |
L |
T,
STr |
Medium,
acid |
| Chester |
All |
VL |
T,
STr |
Medium,
acid |
| Navaho |
All |
M |
E,
Tl |
Small,
very sweet |
| Arapaho
TP |
All |
M |
E,
Tl |
Medium |
Planting
When planting blackberries
in rows, allow at least 10 feet between rows to facilitate cultivation.
Semi-trailing thornless cultivars, like Black Satin, are quite vigorous
and should be set 6-8 feet apart in rows. Less vigorous trailing types,
like Carolina dewberry, are set 4 feet apart in rows 8 feet wide for wire
trellis and 6 feet wide for stakes. Align plants carefully in the row to
accommodate the trellis, which be will constructed for semi-trailing and
trailing blackberries.
Best results are usually
obtained with very early spring planting (about 4-6 weeks before the average
date of the last spring freeze). Dig a hole wide and deep enough to accommodate
the roots. The crown should be 1-2 inches below the soil line. After planting,
firm the soil carefully around the roots. Most blackberries come with a
portion of the old cane attached which serves as a "handle" when
setting the plants. The handle should be cut back to 6 inches.
If you are planting
erect thorny blackberries, it is more economical to set root cuttings that
are about pencil size in diameter and 4-6 inches long. Root cuttings are
spaced 2 feet apart in the row in horizontal position (no portion out of
the ground). In light sandy soils, plant the cuttings 4-6 inches deep. On
heavier clay soils, plant the cuttings 3-4 inches deep. Plants grown from
good root cuttings are strong and will come into production as early as
one year old sucker plants.
If plants are dry upon
arrival, soak the roots in water for several hours before planting. If you
do not plant immediately, wrap the plants in polyethylene bags and place
them in the refrigerator until planting (plant within 1-2 weeks).
Fertilizing, Mulching and Cultivating
Mixed fertilizers are
satisfactory for blackberries. For best results, apply fertilizer in early
spring when growth starts and again in summer just after harvest. Use a
10-10-10 commercial fertilizer mix at the rate of 5 pounds per 100 feet
of row. For late-ripening thornless blackberries, apply the fertilizer mix
no later then July. This is to avoid forcing a late season growth that will
be subject to winter injury.
For the first year or
two, before the root systems of the plants develop fully, spread 3-4 ounces
of fertilizer mix in a 12 inch radius around the base of each plant.
Mulching reduces the
frequency of watering and aids in the control of weeds and grasses that
compete for moisture and nutrients. Good mulch materials include the following:
pine straw, wood chips, seed-free grain mulches (wheat, rye), or compost.
A 1-2 inch layer of lawn clippings is satisfactory.
If mulching is not an
option, blackberry plantings should be cultivated thoroughly and frequently.
If grass and weeds get a start, they are difficult to control. Begin cultivating
in the spring as soon as the soil is workable. Cultivate as often as necessary
to keep weeds down. Discontinue cultivation at least a month before freezing
weather normally begins. Herbicides can be useful on established blackberry
plantings; contact your county Extension agent for suggestions.
Water Management
Blackberries require plenty of moisture while the berries are growing
and ripening. The amount of water needed is roughly equivalent to one
inch of rainfall per week. Irrigate sufficiently to meet this requirement.
A minimum of drip irrigation for mature blackberry plants is two gallons
of water per day while berries are developing.
Pruning and Training
Before training and
pruning are discussed, the growth habit of blackberries should be understood.
Blackberries and other brambles have crowns that produce biennial shoots.
Shoots that emerge and grow the first year are called primocanes, and they
will develop flower buds in the summer of the first year. In the second
year, these same shoots are called floricanes; the flowers on these shoots
open, produce fruit, then die, and thereupon should be removed.
Blackberries are trained
and pruned according to type. Trailing and semi-trailing blackberries require
support for easier management and to look aesthetically pleasing. They can
be grown on a trellis, trained along a fence, or tied to stakes. The canes
of trailing cultivars are tied horizontally along the trellis wires or fence.
Consider fanning the canes out on the ground and tying them wherever they
cross each wire. If stakes are used for support, tie the canes to the stakes
at a point about midway between the ground and the tips of the canes and
again near the ends of the canes. Fruiting canes should be tied in the spring.
Trailing and semi-trailing
cultivars should not be topped during the growing season. Prune out old
fruited canes during the dormant season and discard them. Erect blackberry
cultivars do not require support if the tops of the new canes - primocanes
- are pruned during the first summer to keep the canes from growing higher
than 36-48 inches. Erect blackberries which are not topped may be trained
to a one-wire trellis. When new shoots reach a height of 30-36 inches, cut
off the tips to make the canes branch. In the summer as soon as the last
berries have been picked cut out all the old canes and discard them. Thin
and tip primocanes at this time to force lateral branching. Tipped canes
grow stout and are better able to support a heavy crop than untipped canes
which must be supported by a trellis. Winter-prune the laterals to 12-14
inches for convenient harvesting and larger berries. In late winter remove
the remaining dead and weak wood.
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Green - Seeds Co., Ltd.
81/10B Ho Van Hue Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ward 9, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (8) 847 6901 - Fax: +84 (8) 844 1392 - Email: info@green-seeds.com
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