Description and nuances of growing garden blackberries

Not every gardener decides to decorate his plot with garden blackberries, but the one who has harvested these fragrant sweet berries at least once becomes a fan of this culture forever. Despite the fact that the cultivation of this plant is fraught with certain difficulties, it cannot be called too difficult.

Garden blackberry looks like a shrub or shrub vine with a perfectly bending stem shoot, in most cases, abundantly covered with thorns. Today, however, breeders are actively breeding thornless berry varieties that have stronger immunity and contribute to obtaining a bountiful harvest. In height, the plant is capable of stretching up to 2 meters in the presence of an appropriate support. Its leaves are painted in different shades of green, and the diameter of the opened buds reaches 3 centimeters. The flowering culture in different regions can last from June to August, and the fruiting period takes days from the beginning of August to the first frost, that is, until approximately October.

Garden blackberry "supplies" gardeners with firm fruits, colored in dark brown, deep purple or even black. Sometimes the surface of the berries is covered with a light bloom. The culture itself is considered very productive and allows you to collect from 7 to 15 kilograms of fruit from each bush. An unpretentious shrub grows even in drought conditions, but still prefers to be irrigated at least a couple of times a month.

All existing options for garden blackberries are usually divided into kumanik, that is, erect, and creeping dew. The second group is characterized by the presence of more than 40 thornless varieties that tolerate low temperatures well and, in principle, are unpretentious. For example, these are Netchez and Chester Thornless, which produce over 20 kilograms of crops each season. Variety "Netchez" ripens by the second week of June and pleases with large berries for a month and a half. Unfortunately, its frost resistance is average, and therefore the shrub does not tolerate temperatures below -15 degrees. On the contrary, the Chester Thornless blackberry is not afraid of falling below -30 degrees.

Most gardeners are of the opinion that only spring planting is suitable for garden blackberries. Transfer to open ground should be carried out somewhere in April, but the exact timing is determined depending on the climatic conditions of the region. In any case, the soil should have already been warmed up enough, the probability of frost return has been reduced to zero, the air temperature has been increased to 15 degrees, and the kidneys have not yet opened.If an autumn planting is still chosen, then in the Urals, in the Moscow region or the Leningrad region it can be arranged from mid-October to mid-November, and in the southern regions - so generally until mid-December. It is important that the time of the autumn planting is planned at least 20-30 days before the first frost.

At the dacha or personal plot, you should choose a place that is well lit, but protected from winds and drafts. Compliance with this condition is extremely important, since it is believed that it is the strong gusts that harm the fruits and leaves, and also disrupt the pollination process. For example, you can plan a garden bed next to a fence. Best of all, the culture takes root on the western and southwestern sides of the site. Blackberries love nutritious soil and good air permeability. It is good if it turns out to be loams or sandy loam soil mixtures. You should not plant shrubs on carbonate soils, as they will deprive the plant of magnesium and iron.

The optimum acidity level is 6 units. The beds on which the berry is to be planted must have been cleared of weeds as early as the previous autumn or 2-3 weeks before the October procedure, as well as free from spores of diseases and pest larvae. If the land in the garden is already regularly fed, then it makes no sense to additionally fertilize, because the overfed shrub, despite its increased size, bears very poorly. Otherwise, approximately 3 weeks before the procedure, the well will need to be enriched with 150 grams of superphosphate, 5 kilograms of rotted manure or compost, as well as 50 grams of potassium salts.

Blackberry seedlings should be chosen wisely. Ideally, these should be annual specimens with a mature root system longer than 10-15 centimeters and two healthy stems, the diameter of which exceeds 5 millimeters. An important condition is also the presence of a kidney on the roots. The depth and width of the hole are determined depending on the age and condition of the planting material. In any case, a distance of 1 meter must be maintained between each shrub and other plants or buildings. In fact, the higher this indicator is, the better the blackberry will show itself.

The shrub planting scheme is determined on the basis of how quickly the shoots grow, as well as how the culture is generally cultivated. So, the bush method is intended for poorly growing varieties. In this case, it is allowed to plant a couple of seedlings in one hole, and the depressions themselves have to be dug out according to the 1.8 by 1.8 meters scheme. An alternative to bushy is the tape method. According to him, the seedlings are located in an elongated depression with a gap of 1 meter, and a gap of 2–2.5 meters remains between the rows.

After planting the planting material, its roots are sprinkled so that the control kidney goes 2–3 centimeters underground. It will also be correct to leave a small depression near the bush, in which moisture will accumulate. The soil in the beds slams well, and each specimen of blackberries receives from 3 to 6 liters of water. When all the liquid is absorbed, the surface will need to be mulched with manure or compost, forming a layer about 4 centimeters thick. In addition, each planted seedling will need to be shortened somewhere up to twenty centimeters in height and get rid of fruit branches.

After winter, it is customary to fertilize garden blackberries with nitrogen-containing compounds, which accelerate the development of annual shoots. To this end, each bush receives about 50 grams of ammonium nitrate, which are embedded in the ground to a depth of 10-15 centimeters. Those who prefer organic matter can feed the plants in the spring with pig manure or chicken droppings, which also contain nitrogen. To speed up the ripening of the fruits, it is proposed to water the bushes with a 10% superphosphate solution.A couple of procedures are organized with an interval of two weeks.

Culture requires other elements once every 3-4 years. Novice gardeners can use ready-made mineral complexes, and experienced specialists will find it easier to prepare a combination of 10 kilograms of compost or humus, 100 grams of superphosphate and 30 grams of potassium sulfate. This amount should be enough for one square meter of planting. This should be done after harvesting the berries.

Since garden blackberries grow rapidly, they regularly require various types of pruning. For example, in order to stimulate the formation of the root system in the first year, the inflorescences will need to be removed from the shrub. The next year, the shoots are shortened to one and a half meters, and the incision is necessarily created above the unhatched bud. With the onset of spring, all frozen areas above live buds are cut off from the branches. With the arrival of summer, all extra stems are removed, except for the 5–7 strongest ones, and the tops of young shoots are cut off by 5–8 centimeters. In addition, to stimulate the renewal of the shrub, it is customary to remove two-year-old shoots.

Tying a blackberry makes it easier for the sun to reach it, and, therefore, improves fruiting. In addition, the procedure solves the issue of fractures of bending shoots, and also makes harvesting more convenient. The first garter is carried out in the spring, when the probability of frost return will disappear, and the second - in the fall, at the end of the harvest. Creeping stems are usually fixed at the lower level of the trellis, and annual ones - on top of the support. Erect varieties additionally slightly tilt to one side, and their growing shoots are tied to the opposite edge.

Caring for a crop preparing for wintering may differ depending on the age and developmental characteristics of the bush. For example, samples that live in a greenhouse will be enough to tie up with a bundle and put them under a film in a trench.

• No thorns. Thornless varieties should be especially carefully covered in regions with cold winters, for example: in Siberia or in the Urals. Otherwise, the work is carried out in the same way as in the case of prickly specimens.
• Saplings. Before wintering, blackberries of the first year of life are cut to a couple of the strongest shoots. The plantings are abundantly irrigated and hidden under the covering material.
• Young. It is relatively easier to care for creeping blackberries, since before winter it is enough to remove them in a trench dug in the open ground. If the variety does not have thorns, then additionally the shrub will have to be wrapped in agrofibre. Bending of erect species to the ground begins even at above-zero temperatures. If the plant resists, then it bends over in several approaches or is additionally weighted with weights. It is important to remember that the shoots should not be directed to the center of the bush, but opposite to it.
• The old ones. Before wintering, the old bush is first rejuvenated, and then covered with a special material. It is better to do this in several stages: first, with the help of a twine, form bundles, then bend them to the ground and after a week or two, wrap them with agrofibre.

Blackberry propagation is carried out in several ways. The apical layers are usually involved in the spring months. To do this, the climbing stem is simply attracted to the surface of the garden, and its top is covered with earth. After a short time interval, the root shoots peck at the cut, and the buds, which are in the ground, release new branches.At this point, the new baby is allowed to detach from the original instance. Reproduction by horizontal layers occurs at a similar age. The shoot leans towards the ground and is completely buried. As soon as new bushes appear above the surface, they can be separated from each other and transferred to a new habitat. Reproduction by root suckers is also quite simple. It is better to choose those specimens that are at least 10 centimeters long. When choosing a dividing method, the bush is completely removed from the ground and divided into several developed fragments.

Propagation by cuttings is used for the most valuable varieties. Planting material is harvested in May or July: it should be part of the shoot with a bud and leaf. The lower cut of the twig is treated with a stimulating agent, after which it is planted in a container filled with peat and vermiculite. In order for the twig to form a full-fledged seedling, it must grow under cling film or a transparent cap. In principle, suitable for garden blackberries and the seed method. The seeds are first kept for 3 hours in water and for 3 days in a damp cloth, and after swelling they deepen into the ground by 8 millimeters. The soil is compacted and irrigated, and the containers themselves are transferred to a space where the temperature does not exceed +5 degrees. After a couple of months, the containers are transferred to heat.

One of the most common diseases of garden blackberries is columnar rust, which is indicated by the appearance of rusty specks on the leaf blades. For prophylaxis, the culture should be sprayed with one percent Bordeaux liquid. The procedure is carried out twice: when young leaves appear and after fruiting. Anthracnose manifests itself in late spring or early summer, especially aggravated by heavy rainfall. In order to prevent the appearance of purple and pale red spots, the plant will need to be fed and weeded in a timely manner.

To prevent the development of various kinds of rot, plantings should not be thickened. Cope with spotting and powdery mildew will be treated with the same preparations as for rust. Among insects, blackberries most often suffer from ticks, caterpillars, aphids, nutcrackers, as well as a special variety of moths, weevils and beetles. To combat them, plantings need to be treated with insecticides: "Aktellik", "Akarin" or "Fitoverm".

One of the main mistakes of novice gardeners is the decision to grow representatives of a previously unknown variety. In this case, it is very easy to confuse both with the timing of transplanting into open ground, and with the general care of the crop.

Certain problems are caused by the use of spoiled or contaminated planting material. Common violations include non-observance of the gaps between individual seedlings, planting in the shade, excessive application of organic matter, or installation of a trellis after transplanting seedlings into open ground, which significantly harms the root system.