Berry blackberry is a subgenus of the genus Rubus of the Rosaceae family. In our climate it is most often grown blue blackberry (Rubus caesius)– in Ukrainian “ozhinu”, and bushy blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), which is usually called bramble. Despite the fact that blackberries are a close relative of the medicinal raspberry, this berry is not grown on an industrial scale in Europe, but in America blackberries are one of the most popular berry crops. The world leader in blackberry cultivation, Mexico exports almost its entire blackberry harvest to the USA and Europe. In our country, blackberries grow only in wildlife and in a few private gardens, however, the popularity of the berry, which has superior healing properties and taste qualities raspberries, gradually and steadily increases.
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Planting and caring for blackberries (in brief)
- Landing: at the end of April or at the beginning of May, when the soil warms up.
- Lighting: bright sun.
- The soil: drained, breathable loamy and sandy loam soils with a slightly acidic reaction.
- Watering: during the period of flowering and ripening of berries - moderate but sufficient. The rest of the time - as needed: blackberries are drought-resistant.
- Trimming: spring, summer and autumn .
- Feeding: at the beginning of the growing season - with nitrogen fertilizers, in the fall - with chlorine-free potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. When mulching an area with manure, phosphorus fertilizers do not need to be applied.
- Reproduction: seeds and vegetatively: creeping - by horizontal and apical layering, bush - by dividing the bush, cuttings and root shoots. Vegetative propagation can be carried out throughout the season.
- Pests: spider and hairy raspberry mites, kidney moths, raspberry beetles, raspberry-strawberry weevils, gallworms, aphids, gall midges and caterpillars of moths and glass beetles.
- Diseases: goblet and columnar rust, anthracnose, powdery mildew, botrytis, purple spot, didimella, septoria.
Read more about growing blackberries below.
Garden blackberry - description
- a shrub or shrubby vine with a perennial rhizome and flexible stem shoots lined with sharp thorns, although now, thanks to the work of breeders, thornless blackberries have appeared, characterized by stable yields and resistance to pests and diseases. If there is support, blackberry shoots can rise to a height of up to two meters. Blackberry leaves are trifoliate or five to seven-parted, jagged, light green in color, pubescent on both sides. Blooming blackberry is a honey plant. White blackberry flowers, about three centimeters in diameter, open from June to August, depending on the variety and climatic conditions. Juicy blackberries, black with a bluish tinge, ripen in August.
Planting blackberries
When to plant blackberries
Growing blackberries is an unusual and difficult task, but the benefits of blackberries for the human body are a convincing reason for amateur gardeners to master the agricultural techniques of this rare berry for our gardens. Unlike other rosaceous crops, blackberries are most often planted in the spring, and not in the fall - at the end of April or beginning of May, when the soil warms up. Find a place that is well-lit by the sun and protected from the wind, as wind can damage the leaves and berries of blackberries and interfere with pollination of flowers. It is best to plant blackberries not on flat areas, but on southern or western slopes, so that the blackberry bush is not damaged by the eastern or northern wind. Blackberries grow well on drained, breathable, nutritious loams; they also do well on sandy loam soils. On carbonate soils, blackberries will lack magnesium and iron. The optimal pH value for blackberries is pH 6. Before planting blackberries, it is necessary to bring the soil on the site into compliance with the agrotechnical requirements of the crop. To do this, it is advisable to free the area from weeds, pests and pathogens in the fall. If you regularly fertilize the soil in the garden, then you do not need to apply fertilizer specifically for blackberries, otherwise they will rapidly grow greenery to the detriment of fruiting. But if the soil is depleted by crops that preceded blackberries, then when digging holes or furrows for blackberries, mix organic and mineral fertilizers with the top, folded layer of soil at the rate of 10 kg of organic matter (manure, compost or humus), 15 g of superphosphate, 25 g of potassium sulfate per one square meter of area and fill the roots of blackberry seedlings with this soil when planting.
Planting blackberries in spring
If you don't know how to grow blackberries or how to care for blackberries, then you've come to the right place. We will try to cover this topic in detail, understanding how complex the issue is - caring for and growing blackberries and how important it is for a gardener to have clarity on it.
In order to minimize the risk of failure, it is advisable to purchase planting material from well-known nurseries, and it is best to buy annual blackberry seedlings with a well-developed root system, two stems more than 0.5 cm thick in diameter and (this is the main thing!) with an already formed bud on the roots The depth and width of the hole for the seedling is determined by the quality and age of the seedling, but the distance of the blackberry plot from plantings of other crops or buildings should be at least one meter, and preferably more. The size of the gap between the bushes depends on the ability of the variety to form shoots and the method of cultivating blackberries, and there are two of them - strip and bush. With the bush method, two or three blackberry seedlings are planted in one hole with low level shoot formation and pits are placed according to a 1.8 x 1.8 m pattern. The tape method is more suitable for varieties with enhanced shoot formation: seedlings are planted in a furrow in a continuous chain with a distance between specimens of about a meter, and a gap of 2-2.5 m is maintained between rows.
The seedling is lowered into a hole or furrow, spreading the roots in different directions, and covered with fertilized soil so that the bud located at the base of the stem is two or three centimeters underground. However, the soil is not backfilled to the surface level, but so that there remains a hollow or recess several centimeters below the level of the site. This is done to save water during irrigation and to allow snow, rain or melt water to accumulate in the excavation. Then the soil around the seedlings is compacted and each of them is watered with three to six liters of water, and when the water is absorbed, the holes are mulched with peat manure compost or simply manure. After planting, the shoots of the seedlings are cut at a height of 20 cm above the surface, and the fruit branches are completely removed.
Blackberry care
Growing blackberries in the garden
Caring for garden blackberries consists of regular watering, loosening the soil, weeding (if for some reason you have not mulched the area), fertilizing, as well as taking preventive or, if necessary, therapeutic measures to combat diseases and pests and, in addition all of the above, in pruning and shaping bushes. As you can see, planting and caring for blackberries is labor-intensive and requires special knowledge, so take our advice seriously.
Blackberry care in spring
First of all, it requires the installation of trellises, to which you will later tie the fruiting shoots of the plant with twine. Strong pillars up to two meters high are dug in at the beginning and end of the row on both sides of the bushes, as well as between the first and last every 10 meters; three rows of galvanized wire are stretched between the pillars: the first row is at a height of 50-75 cm from the ground, the second - at a height of 125 cm, the third - at a height of 180 cm. The stems of the second year, which will bear fruit this year, are tied to the highest wire; young shoots do not need to be tied to the wire, you just have to direct them, and they themselves will grab the wire. The shoots need to be constantly directed; they should not grow chaotically.
If you grow straight-growing blackberries, know that in the first year they will not produce a harvest, and in order to get a harvest next year, you need to pincer the main young shoots that have reached a height of 100-120 cm - their tops are shortened by 10 cm, and when they begin to grow side branches, they are slightly shortened as soon as they reach 50 cm in height. As a result, the blackberry bush looks compact, but this does not affect the harvest.
Blackberry seedlings planted this year are watered regularly during the first month and a half, as well as during dry periods. Fruiting bushes need watering during the period of intensive growth and ripening of berries. To moisten the soil, you cannot use a well or cold water, it is best to collect rain or tap water in a barrel or other large container and let it sit in the sun for a day or two.
For a good blackberry harvest, the condition of the soil on the site is very important. If in the first two years you can grow row vegetables or green manure crops (used for fertilizer) in the inter-rows of blackberries, then in subsequent years the aisles are kept under black fallow. As weeds appear, they are removed, and the soil between the rows is loosened 5-6 times per season to a depth of 10-12 cm; around the bushes themselves, the soil is hoeed or loosened with a pitchfork to a depth of 5-8 cm 2-3 times during the growing season. If you mulch the area with straw, sawdust, pine needles or fallen forest leaves, you will have to loosen the soil and fight weeds in the blackberry area much less often. In addition, mulching the area with a five-centimeter layer of rotted manure or peat compost will not only protect against weeds and prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface, but will also become a source of balanced nutrition for blackberries.
Another feature of blackberry cultivation is the need to shade the area from the sun during the period of fruit ripening, since the sun's rays can “burn” black blackberries, deprive them of their marketable appearance and reduce their quality. To minimize the harmful effect of sunlight, you need to stretch shading nets along the rows.
Blackberry feeding
The timing of fertilization for blackberries is the same as for raspberries, gooseberries and other berry bushes. Nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or urea at the rate of 20 g per m²) and organic matter with a high nitrogen content (4 kg per m²) should be applied only at the beginning of the growing season. Potassium fertilizers, for example, potassium sulfate at a rate of 40 g per m², are needed by blackberries every year, but not those that contain chlorine. If you use manure as mulch, you will not need to apply phosphate fertilizers, but if you do not use manure or any other organic matter, phosphates must be applied to the soil at the rate of 50 g per square meter every three years.
Blackberry propagation
Blackberries reproduce in summer, winter and spring. Creeping blackberries are propagated by apical and horizontal layering, and bush blackberries are propagated by dividing the bush, root shoots or cuttings.
Reproduction by apical layering- the simplest method, which consists in the fact that in the spring any climbing shoot can be bent to the ground and its top buried with soil - the top quickly gives roots, and then new shoots from the buds that are underground. After this, you can separate the shoot from the mother plant.
With the method propagation by horizontal layering bends down to the ground and covers not the top with soil, but the shoot along its entire length. As a result of this, several bushes are formed and, having cut the buried shoot between the newly formed bushes, the young plants are divided and planted in a permanent place. This method gives the best results in spring.
Bush blackberries are better propagate by root suckers, which appear around the bush every year. Only those that have reached 10 cm in height are suitable for separation and planting in a permanent place. It is best to plant offspring in May or June - they will have enough time to take root in a new place before the cold weather.
There are varieties of blackberries that do not produce offspring, and for propagation of these varieties it is used bush division. The main thing in this method is to divide the dug up bush in such a way that each division is sufficiently developed and can successfully take root in a new place. Part of the bush with old rhizomes must be disposed of.
Propagation by cuttings is used when one wants to obtain offspring from valuable varieties of blackberries. In June-July, blackberry cuttings are cut from the upper third of the shoot, consisting of a bud, a leaf and part of the stem. Treat the lower cut of the cuttings with a root-forming agent, plant them in small cups with a mixture of peat and perlite (or vermiculite, or sand, or crushed expanded clay) and place the cups under the film, maintaining a 96% humidity level in the greenhouse. After about a month, the cuttings will form roots and can be planted in a permanent location.
If you are wondering how to propagate blackberries using some other methods, then it is much less common to resort to propagating blackberries by seeds, air layering, lignified cuttings, or root segments, but all these methods are more difficult to implement and do not always lead to success.
Blackberries in autumn
Caring for blackberries in the fall involves preparing the bushes for winter. The first thing you will need to do is trim the blackberries, but you will read a detailed and thorough description of how to do this in a special section (below). After pruning, mulch the ground around the roots with dry sawdust or peat. Carry out preventive spraying of blackberry bushes and the soil under them against diseases with copper sulfate, and against pests with Actellik. If in your climate frosts in winter reach -10 ºC, the blackberries will have to be covered. True, frost-resistant varieties tolerate this temperature well; frosts below 20 ºC are dangerous for them. There are several ways to cover blackberries. You can, for example, after pruning, remove the branches from the trellises, lay them on the ground, cover them with corn leaves, and lay a covering material on top - plastic film. It is not easy to lay shoots of erect blackberry varieties on the ground without breaking them, so we recommend last month In the summer, attach a load to the top of the shoots, which will gradually bend the branches to the ground. Blackberries are not prone to damping off under cover, so humus, hay, straw or sawdust can be used as insulation. It is not recommended to use fallen trees for this purpose. fruit trees foliage, since it may contain microorganisms dangerous to blackberries. It is also advisable to rake and burn blackberry leaves that fall off in the fall.
Blackberry pruning
When to prune blackberries
Pruning blackberries is a troublesome task, but it must be done regularly. Blackberry bushes are treated with pruning shears in spring, summer, and autumn. Blackberries are divided into upright ones, which are called brambles, and creeping ones, called dewberries. Cumanica shoots reach a height of three meters or even more; it forms many replacement shoots, like raspberries, straight-growing blackberries bear fruit on two-year-old shoots. Most varieties of dewberry do not produce root shoots; their shoots look like whips with a large number of fruit branches.
How to trim blackberries
In the spring, before the buds awaken, dry and broken stems from blackberries, as well as frozen shoot tips, are cut off to the first healthy bud. Bushes of the first year of growth are subjected to double pruning: to stimulate the growth of side shoots, in May the tops of the branches are shortened by 5-7 cm, and in July the tops of those side shoots that have reached half a meter in length are pruned by 7-10 cm, in addition, only 6-8 of the strongest, and the rest are subject to removal. In mature bushes, in addition to frozen and broken branches, all weak shoots are removed in the spring, leaving only 4-10 strong branches on the bush, the side branches are shortened to 20-40 cm so that 8-12 buds remain on them. During the growing season, remove root shoots that appear in the summer, leaving only those that have grown in the spring - they will bear fruit next year.
These spring shoots in the fall need to be pruned at a height of 1.7-2 m. In addition, remove all weak branches and, most importantly, cut out all shoots of the second year at the root immediately after they have stopped bearing fruit - they will no longer produce berries, so in vain The plant does not need to waste food and energy on them.
Blackberry pests and diseases
Blackberry diseases
Blackberries and raspberries have common diseases and pests. Just like raspberries, blackberries in our gardens suffer from rust, powdery mildew, anthracnose, septoria or white spot, didimella or purple spot, botrytis or gray rot, as well as from a lack or excess of microelements in the soil and violation of the rules of agricultural technology of the species . Rust that affects blackberries can be goblet or columnar. The first appears in the garden if sedge grows somewhere nearby on the shore of a reservoir, the second is carried by the wind from cedars or pines growing nearby. In both cases, only weakened plant specimens become ill. The disease manifests itself in early summer with the formation of orange-brown dots on blackberry leaves, which later turn into pads on the underside of the leaf. If the development of the disease is not stopped, it can deprive you of 60% of your harvest. As a preventive measure, plants are treated with one percent Bordeaux mixture on newly blossoming leaves; after harvesting, another session of such treatment is carried out - it will help you protect blackberries not only from rust, but also from many other diseases. As a cure for rust, diseased bushes on a warm day (the temperature should not be lower than 16 ºC) are treated with sulfur preparations - a solution of colloidal sulfur, for example, which is used against other fungal diseases, as well as against aphids and mites.
Anthracnose can affect blackberries at the end of May or beginning of June if rainy, humid weather lasts for a long time: oval purple spots appear on newly emerging shoots, which, gradually increasing and reaching the bark tissue, form gray ulcers with purple edges on it. Spots with a reddish border also appear on the leaves. In winter, the affected shoots die. As a preventive measure, carefully inspect the planting material when purchasing. Fertilize blackberries with peat manure compost and remove weeds from the area. Prevention and treatment of anthracnose is carried out using the same means as the fight against rust.
Septoria, or white spot widespread everywhere. It affects the leaves and shoots of blackberries and looks like pale brown spots, which later lighten, with a darker border.
Purple spotting, or didimella, destroys blackberry buds, the leaves dry out and fall off, and the stem may also dry out. The disease begins with the appearance of small brown-purple spots on the lower and middle parts of the plant. As the disease progresses, the buds turn black, the leaves become brittle, and necrotic dark spots with a yellow border form on them.
Botrytis, or gray mold It also develops more actively on blackberries in wet weather, affecting the berries with rot. To avoid damage by botrytis, try not to grow blackberries in close quarters - the bushes should be well ventilated.
And finally, the main enemy of raspberries and blackberries - powdery mildew, or spheroteka, covering fruits, leaves and shoots with a loose white coating. The fight against all these diseases is carried out in the same ways and with the same means as the fight against rust or anthracnose. And most importantly, try not to violate the agrotechnical rules for growing blackberries, so that any disease does not become attached to a plant weakened by improper care.
Sometimes it happens that The blackberries are turning yellow. This is most likely a sign of a lack or excess of microelements. Analyze the quantity and quality of fertilizers you apply and find where your mistake is.
Blackberry pests
Insects that can harm blackberries: mites (spider mites and raspberry hairy mites), raspberry bud moth, raspberry-strawberry weevil, raspberry beetle, gallworm, as well as aphids, gall midges and caterpillars of butterflies - moths, raspberry glassworts. In the fight against these pests, spraying blackberry bushes with Actellik or Karbofos gives good results; Fitoverm and Akarin cope well with them. If you make it a rule to carry out preventive treatment of blackberries with these drugs in the spring, before the buds open, and in the fall, after harvesting, you will be able to protect the blackberries and yourself from unpleasant surprises - insect attacks that destroy your hopes for a good harvest.
Blackberry varieties
We have already introduced you to the differences between upright and creeping blackberries. The description of blackberry varieties does not allow us to adhere to a strict classification, because modern hybrids and cultivar forms of this increasingly popular berry sometimes combine both the characteristics of an erect species, conventionally called bramble, and the characteristics of a creeping blackberry, called for convenience dewberry. So, the best varieties of blackberries:
- Agawam- one of the oldest American varieties, mid-season and characterized by incredible winter hardiness: its fruit buds are damaged only at a temperature of -27 ºC, and its roots and stems can withstand cold temperatures down to -40 ºC. The shoots of this blackberry variety are powerful, faceted and strongly thorny; the berries weigh about three grams. And the yield reaches four kilograms per bush. Agave is resistant to rust, stem canker and anthracnose;
- Thornfree- a hybrid thornless blackberry, bred many years ago, but still popular among summer residents. This variety ripens early, is characterized by high yield, unpretentiousness to growing conditions, is quite winter-hardy and combines the properties of both brambles and dewberries;
- Karaka Black– a new variety, ultra early ripening, but at the same time bears fruit until the cold weather. The berries of this variety are elongated and weigh from 20 to 30 (!) grams; they have excellent taste, characterized by high sugar content and juiciness. Karaka Black is one of the most drought-resistant varieties blackberry, it is immune to all blackberry diseases, there are very few thorns on its stems, and they bend well. The only drawback of the variety is its low frost resistance;
- Natchez– the early ripening berries of this variety are truly huge, their cherry taste is amazing, and there are no thorns on the stems. This is one of the latest products of American breeders from Arkansas;
- Polar- Polish winter-hardy variety that does not require winter shelter. Compact bushes give a good harvest, the berries are large, the taste is pleasant sweet and sour;
- Waldo- a product of English breeders - miniature, compact bushes that take up little space and require almost no shaping. Gives high yields from mid-July, winter-hardy;
- Loch Tay- also an English variety, unpretentious to growing conditions. The berries are small, but very tasty. From one bush you can collect a couple of buckets of fruit.
Remontant varieties of blackberries They were bred by breeders not so long ago, so they have not yet been well studied. They bear fruit until frost, before winter you can cut off all their shoots, and, nevertheless, next summer they will still produce a harvest: the berries will begin to ripen on the shoots that have grown since the beginning of spring. The first harvest can be harvested as early as June, and the berries of the second harvest will begin to ripen in August. Sometimes remontant blackberries bear fruit almost without interruption. The problem with remontant varieties is their sharp thorns, but the permanent flowering of the bushes is extremely decorative - the flowers sometimes reach 7-8 cm in diameter. Among the remontant blackberry varieties, the American hybrids of the Prime series have proven themselves well:
- Prime Arc 45 launched in 2009. The bushes reach two meters in height. Straight, strong shoots are studded with thorns, the berries are elongated, dense, very sweet. The first fruits appear in June, the second time fruiting begins in August and lasts until frost;
- Prime Yang– erect spiky shoots, medium-sized dense elongated sweet berries with the aroma of apples. The earliest of the remontant varieties;
- Prime Jim– the variety was bred in 2004. The shoots are straight, strong, spiny. The berries are large, elongated, with a sweet and sour taste. The flowering bush looks amazing with large white flowers and soft pink buds.
Properties of blackberries - harm and benefit
Useful properties of blackberries
Blackberries, like the berries of their related raspberries, represent a whole vitamin complex– carotene (provitamin A), vitamins C, E, P and K. Contains blackberries and minerals such as sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron, chromium, molybdenum, barium, vanadium and nickel. They are rich in fiber, glucose and fructose, pectin, as well as malic, tartaric, salicylic and citric organic acids. Blackberries improve metabolism and strengthen the immune system, they have antipyretic and antioxidant effects and are a natural substitute for aspirin, but unlike it, blackberries are not only completely safe, but also have a healing effect on absolutely everything internal organs person. Blackberries also have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system, so they are often included in the diet of patients suffering from diseases gastrointestinal tract. The beneficial properties of blackberries are successfully used in the treatment and prevention of urolithiasis and diabetes mellitus. Juice from berries and young blackberry leaves is effective for tracheitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, sore throat, fever, gynecological diseases, dysentery and colitis. External use of the juice treats wounds, dermatoses, trophic ulcers, eczema, and gum diseases.
Not only the berries, but also other parts of the plant are used for medicinal purposes. The amazing properties of blackberry leaves are rich in tannins, vitamin C, amino acids and have wound-healing, astringent, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, blood purifying and diuretic effects. An infusion of blackberry leaves is recommended for heart disease and nervous disorders; a decoction and tea made from them is indicated for anemia and as a sedative and restorative for menopausal neurosis. A decoction of blackberry leaves is useful for gastritis, and fresh leaves treat old leg ulcers and lichen.
A diuretic for dropsy is made from blackberry root, and a tincture of it is recommended to be used for poor digestion and bleeding.
Garden blackberries are a close relative of raspberries; the main difference between this crop is the color and taste of the berries. Care and cultivation of blackberries on personal plots in climatic conditions Growing raspberries in the Moscow region is more difficult than growing raspberries, since the shoots of these dark-fruited shrubs are more often susceptible to the harmful effects of frost. If you choose blackberry varieties that are optimal for the middle zone, you can get a very good harvest.
In recent years, amateur gardeners have increasingly begun to grow blackberries. The crop is not widespread today, but has recently become increasingly popular; it has a number of advantages and limiting factors (freezing of shoots and lack of planting material).
The blackberry plant is a shrub with a perennial rhizome. Shoots and two-year-old stems are covered with straight or curved thorns up to 1 cm long. When describing blackberry varieties, it is necessary to mention which group the shrubs belong to based on the nature of stem growth: dewberry (with creeping stems) or bramble (with erect stems). Depending on this, the agricultural technology of blackberries is determined - each group has its own growing characteristics.
The shoots have a pentagonal shape in cross section. Blackberry leaves are complex, 3-5-leafed. The flowers are collected in racemes, large, bisexual, self-pollinating. The flowering period is extended; longer flowering is typical for dewberries. In view of late date Flowering blackberries are not afraid of returning low temperatures. Repair forms are available. The blackberry fruit is a complex drupe.
Pay attention to the photo and description of various varieties of blackberries. The berries of well-known varieties are purple-black, weighing 3-5g (Thornfree, Lawton, Izobilnaya Michurina) or dark red (Texas), with a bluish bloom, shiny, firmly attached to the receptacle. Most varieties bear fruit well in single-varietal plantings.
The ripening of berries is extended - from mid-August to mid-September. The berries are harvested in several stages as the berries ripen.
It is recommended to pick blackberries when the small depression in the center of each drupe is completely filled. The berries can remain on the branches for a long time without losing their commercial qualities. The collected berries cannot be exposed or kept in the sun, even for a short time, as they immediately acquire a bitter taste and a reddish color. Without losing their quality, blackberries can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days at temperatures close to zero. Productivity depends on the variety and its preservation in the autumn-winter period.
In a state of full biological maturity, blackberries are similar in chemical composition With . Blackberries contain a significant amount of P-active substances, less acids, and they have a unique, persistent, subtle aroma. Blackberries contain up to 8% sugar, a lot of tannins, and there are volatile antibiotics that have an antiseptic effect on the upper respiratory tract. Not only berries are used for medicinal purposes, but also decoctions and infusions of leaves and flowers.
Growing blackberries in garden plots
One of the limiting factors for growing blackberries on personal plots and garden plots is warmth and low negative temperatures, characteristic of the southern region. Frost damages mainly the above-ground part - the shoots. Based on this, it is necessary to grow winter-hardy varieties brambles - Lawton and Erie, Kittatinny, Wilson, Cherokee, Darrow, which grow well and bear fruit in the conditions of the southern region. The American Agawam variety, widespread in amateur gardens, bears fruit well and has large juicy berries. good taste, produces many root suckers. Ripening later. There are many thorns, but they are soft. And the low-winter-hardy Thornfree (thornless), Izobilnaya Michurina, Texas, and Smutstem are used only as a cover crop; they are classified as dew plants. The shoots of the dewberry initially grow vertically, then bend and spread low above the ground, reaching a length of 2.5 m or more. This explains their freezing in the upper part of the shoot, the wood of which does not have time to ripen due to strong vegetative growth. Cumaniki maintain a vertical position of the stems with an inclined top.
Shrubs are demanding on soil. Agricultural technology for growing blackberries involves cultivating them on humus-rich, loose, breathable soils with a light mechanical composition. It is more drought-resistant compared to raspberries. This stability is due to the ability of vertical roots to penetrate the soil to a depth of 1.5 m.
Watch the video of growing blackberries, which details the planting, care and propagation of these shrubs:
Propagation of blackberries by cuttings and shoots
The most commonly used method of propagating creeping varieties of blackberries is based on the easy ability to take root at the tips of the shoots. To do this, already at the end of July - mid-August, the shoots are tilted, the ends of the tops are buried 10-15 cm vertically into loose, moist soil and pinned. By autumn they take root; they are mulched in winter to protect them from freezing. But separations from the mother plant are made the next year for planting in a permanent place or planted for growing. To increase the yield of planting material, pinning of a young shoot is used, the buds of which begin to germinate rapidly and produce lateral shoots. The process of pinning new side branches continues; they are covered with wet and loose soil. Rooting in this case also occurs by autumn and the following year: from each pinned side shoot a ready-made, high-quality seedling grows.
Another way to propagate blackberries is by root cuttings or green, non-lignified cuttings. A young, intensively growing shoot is cut into cuttings, treated with stimulants such as kornevin, kornerost, etc. based on succinic acid and rooted in a greenhouse under artificial fog conditions.
Garden blackberry planting scheme
The optimal time for planting blackberry seedlings is in the fall at the end of September and in the spring in April, but in the spring you should not delay planting too much, since high temperatures quickly set in in the southern region, there are no precipitation and the seedling may not have time to take root. It is better to plant in a small trench, first add fertilizers for berry crops and humus or compost. The root system of seedlings must be dipped in mash, the stem must be cut at a height of 25 cm from the soil level. It is recommended to plant seedlings in a row. The planting pattern for garden blackberries is 0.8-2 x 2-3 m. After planting, the shoots are cut off above the soil, watered abundantly and hilled up. Blackberries are planted with rooted tops and are given 20% more organic and mineral fertilizers than raspberries.
Blackberries begin to bear fruit from the 3rd year of planting. By the end of the 2nd year of the blackberry growing season, a trellis with three rows of horizontally stretched wire is installed along the row. A wire trellis is fixed at a height every 30 cm. Free-growing (without a trellis) blackberry is inconvenient to care for due to very strong, clinging and painfully wounding thorns. Young shoots are tied vertically as they grow, and then their ends are directed in one or different directions, along a horizontal wire. It is important from the very beginning to orient the shoots in the direction you need. Young growing shoots are pinched when they reach 1 meter in height for additional lateral branching. In the fall, before the onset of frost, the shoots are laid in a row, pinned and covered with agrospan fabric or well-rotted compost or leaves. In spring, the shoots are freed from shelter and tied to a trellis. Next summer, blackberries will bear fruit on side branches. At the same time, powerful young shoots grow from the base of the bush. They should not be left free-growing; immediately tie them in the desired direction, or at least vertically, and then along the top wire. In any case, fruiting shoots must be separated from young ones.
After harvesting, the fruiting stems are cut out, and the young ones are placed in their place, cutting off only the weak tops. Further pruning includes the annual removal of fruit-bearing shoots and their replacement with young ones.
Upright varieties of blackberries with photos and descriptions: Black Satin and Agawam
Here you can see photos and descriptions of blackberries of the Black Satin and Agawam varieties.
Black Satin. The variety is semi-creeping, pinless. Black Satin is a powerful bush with thornless stems. The shoots are hard, powerful, up to 1.5 m high, cannot be bent down, then move to a horizontal position and reach a length of 4-5 m. The berries are black shiny, oblong-round in shape, berry weight 5-8 g, collected in hanging luxurious multi-berry brushes Black Satin berries are harvested in several stages. Tearing is difficult, the taste of the berry is sweet and sour, pleasant, with a slight aroma. Beginning of ripening of Black Satin berries for 10 days earlier than grade Thornfree. Productivity is high. Requires shelter for the winter.
Agawam. Late summer variety. Annual shoots are green with large thorns; in the second year they change color to brown, bear fruit and die. The description of blackberries of the Agavam variety is similar to the description of the Guy variety. The stems are very tall: up to 3 m or more. Propagated by offspring, flowering in June. Self-fertility is high. The berries ripen at different times, and fruiting lasts for a whole month. The variety bears fruit annually and produces abundant harvests. The berries are black, weighing 3g, large, sweet, have a unique taste, the white receptacle is also edible. Fruits of universal use. The variety is not winter-hardy; the shoots must be insulated for the winter and the base of the bush must be hilled.
Upright blackberry varieties Loughton and Thornfree
Below are photos and descriptions of upright varieties of blackberries, Lawnton and Thornfree.
Lawton– an upright, late-ripening blackberry variety. The bush is powerful, thorny, the berries are large, round, good quality. Ripening is extended, yield is high.
Thornfree. One of the first commercial blackberry varieties with thornless shoots, created in the USA. A very powerful semi-erect bush. The shoots are hard, unyielding, reaching a length of up to 5 m. Thornless form. When describing Thornfree blackberries, it should be mentioned that these shrubs have decorative leaves and beautiful flowering. The berries are large, oval in shape, weighing 5-8 g, black in color, but the ripening of the fruit is not smooth. A berry cluster contains from 30 to 120 berries. The variety has only one drawback - fully ripe berries have a delicate aroma, but become very soft, the variety is not shelf-stable. The berries begin to ripen in the first ten days of August, fruiting lasts until mid-September. The variety is slightly winter-hardy, requires shelter, but is resistant to shoot anthracnose, rust and stem cancer. The productivity is very high.
Creeping varieties of blackberries with photos and descriptions
Abundant. The shoots of this creeping blackberry variety are powerful and thorny. The length of the shoots reaches 2.8-3.5 m. The shoots grow strongly and need to be pinched. The variety begins to bear fruit early and the yield is high. The berry is large, black, elongated, the drupes are large, tightly joined. The berries are of good quality, the average berry weight is 3-4 g. Variety Izobilnaya - late ripening. Low winter hardiness, requires shelter for the winter.
Thornless Logan. The description of blackberries of this variety resembles the description of blackberries of the Izobilnaya variety. The bush is powerful, the shoots are without thorns. The berries are large, shiny, black, round, late ripening. The ripening period is greatly extended. Productivity and winter hardiness are average.
Thornless Evergreen. Almost an evergreen plant, since the foliage does not die during the winter. The berry cluster is branched and drooping. It contains from 25 to 70 medium-sized berries (3-3.5 g). The taste is sweet and sour. When fully ripe, it is sweet, with a subtle pleasant aroma. The berry is suitable for transportation and short-term storage. The drupes are large - this is the only drawback of the variety. The bush is frost-resistant.
Photos and descriptions of blackberries of the Texas and Cheter varieties
Read the description and photo of Texas and Chester blackberries.
Texas. The bush is powerful, vigorous, high-yielding. The shoots are flexible, pubescent, spiny. The Texas variety does not produce root shoots at all. The bush grows only by increasing the number of replacement shoots, which must be normalized, leaving 6-10 pieces each. for each plant. Root system is capable of successfully growing in one place for up to fifteen years without reducing productivity. Late flowering variety. Fruiting and ripening of berries are greatly extended. When ripe, the berries first turn red and then become dark crimson with a waxy coating. The taste is excellent, closer to raspberry than blackberry, and has a pleasant subtle aroma. The berries are large, elongated, up to 5-6 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter, weight - up to 10 g, large drupes. The Texas variety is similar to raspberries even in the shape of the leaves. I.V. Michurin called it blackberry-shaped raspberry. But since the berry is not separated from the fruit, the Texas variety is classified as a blackberry. The fruit is tender, edible, and has a marshmallow-like consistency. The variety is productive, has little winter hardiness, but requires shelter for the winter.
Chester ("Chester Thornless")(USA, Maryland). Obtained by hybridizing the varieties Darrow x Thornfree. One of the most winter-hardy blackberries without thorns. The Texas blackberry description resembles the Loch Tay blackberry. The variety has a medium-late ripening period, the beginning of fruiting is from August 10-15, the harvest is extended. The bush is thornless, of moderate growth vigor, semi-vertical, i.e., suitable for forming and easily covering shoots for the winter. The berry is large, weighing 5-8 g, with a pronounced aroma, black with shine, good for fresh consumption and the market. The berries are transportable and can withstand long-term transportation. In combination with a very high yield, the listed positive qualities have made the variety one of the exclusive commercial varieties in the world in recent years.
New varieties of blackberries for the middle zone
Cherokee. Non-thorny large-fruited variety. The bush is powerful. Garden blackberries of this variety have a high yield - up to 15 kg per bush. The berries are large, up to 10 g, black, sweet, juicy, aromatic. The ripening period is extended. Requires shelter for the winter.
Ebony. New blackberry variety early date maturation. The bush is powerful, the branches are directed vertically, due to which it has a compact structure. The berry is large, up to 20 mm in diameter, sweet, with a delicate taste and pronounced aroma, high dry matter content Brix 15, with dry separation, easily transported. The variety is new. The estimated yield is about 10-15 kg per bush. In home garden cultivation, with proper care, the yield can be an order of magnitude greater. Requires shelter.
Theodore Reimer- one of the best varieties blackberries from the erect group. The shoots are spiny, the flowers are 2-3 cm, white, the berries ripen early, during the ripening period late varieties raspberries The berries are 4-5 g, black, glossy, collected in clusters on large lateral branches. Requires bush formation. Productivity and winter hardiness are high.
Gazda (“Gazda”)(Poland). A variety selected by J. Danek, included in the register of varieties in 2003. It has a medium-sized berry, distinguished by very good taste and yield. The bush is vigorous, with a small number of weak thorns. Ripening - from the 1st decade of August to the end of September. The berries are suitable for both the fresh market and freezing. The variety is very frost-resistant and is not damaged by diseases.
Orkan ("Ogsap")(Poland). A variety selected by J. Danek, registered in 1998 in Brzezne. The variety is non-thorny, with strong bush growth and does not produce basal shoots. The berries are large and very large size, cylindrical, black, shiny, with floral aroma. The variety requires light shelter for the winter, which limits its industrial use in Europe. Not sick. Ripening date is August.
Polar (“Polar”). A new Polish high-yielding variety with increased frost resistance. Like the varieties Gai and Rushai, they are created for coverless cultivation in Polish conditions. All of the above varieties require light shelter in the Russian winter to obtain a stable annual harvest. The variety was registered in 2008. The plants are characterized by strong growth and do not sprout. The shoots are thornless, thick, with powerful and durable laterals. The berry is large, elliptical, black, with a strong shine, and tasty. Purpose: for fresh consumption, suitable for all types of processing. Transportability is good. Ripening period is August-September.
Guy (“Gai”)(Poland) registered in 2008. The variety is in many ways identical to the Polar variety. It also has powerful non-lodging shoots, unsuitable for bending down (the formation of a bush is required). Plant growth is very strong, the variety has high growth energy and does not sprout. The berry is large, barrel-shaped, black and shiny, very tasty. Very good variety for commercial production, high yield and transportable.
Rushai (“Ruczai”)(Poland). The newest variety by J. Danek, entered into the register in 2009. The variety is winter-hardy, characterized by strong growth and high yield, and does not produce shoots. The shoots are thornless and thick. The berries are of medium and large fraction, elliptical, black with a strong shine, tasty and sweet, dense, with high transportability. The beginning of ripening is mid-August.
Loch Tay ("Loch Tay"). A variety of English selection, obtained by Dr. D. Jennings at SCRI based on a complex hybrid of blackberries, loganberries and raspberries. The bush is semi-creeping, compact, thornless. The berries are large, black, glossy, collected in large multi-berry clusters. The taste is sweet, very good, with aroma. A special advantage of the variety is that the berries are hard and suitable for transportation. They are not affected by gray mold, even in rainy summers. Ripening - from the end of July.
Natchez ("Natchez"). One of the newest varieties in the United States (University of Arkansas, 2007). The variety is very interesting: early ripening, the first berry from July 5th, with a long harvest period. The fruits are very large, long, weighing from 8 to 10 g, black, shiny, very aromatic, and are perfectly preserved when refrigerated. The variety is being tested in our nursery.
Apache ("Apache")(USA, Arkansas, 1999). A new thornless variety with erect shoots, strong growth and great industrial potential. The berry is very large, 7-10 g, the stated start of ripening is July 25. The berry is black with shine, barrel-shaped, great taste and aroma (up to 12% sugar), suitable for fresh consumption and freezing. In terms of yield, the variety exceeds all previously released erect thornless varieties in the USA. Frost resistance is high; it grows without shelter in Montreal.
Arapaho ("Arapacho")(USA, Arkansas, 1993). The fruit of the hybridization Ark.631 x Ark.883. The earliest thornless blackberry in terms of ripening. Complex positive qualities makes this blackberry very valuable for commercial plantings and home gardening. The variety is very highly productive, with high frost resistance of shoots - down to -24°C. The bushes are vertical, of medium vigor, thornless, 1.5 m high, resistant to pests and diseases, and not affected by rust. The berries are very large, wide-conical in shape, weighing 6-7 g, black with a strong shine, excellent sweet taste. The important differences of the variety are small and excellent aroma of fresh berries.
Karaka Black ("Karaka Black"). A new large-fruited variety from New Zealand, which has a complex genealogy (it is a complex hybrid of various types of blackberries and raspberry-blackberry hybrids). The variety has very large (average weight - 10 g) black, glossy berries, good taste and aroma, capable of long-term storage, transportation, and freezing. The period of berry ripening and harvesting is extended to 6-8 weeks. The yield is very high. The variety is being tested.
Tupi ("Tupi"). A new variety of Brazilian selection, bred in the late 90s, requiring shelter and bush formation. Berries of this variety sometimes end up in Russian supermarkets frozen from Guadalajara, but this cannot give an idea of the real consumer qualities of the variety. The berry is very tasty, glossy black, aromatic, large, weighing 9-10 g, medium ripening. The bush is upright, with small thorns.
Cuachita ("Ouachita"). The variety was recently obtained by scientists at the University of Arkansas (USA). The shoots are thornless, of medium maturity. The variety's berries are of excellent taste, sweet, weighing 6-7 g, suitable for both fresh consumption and processing. The variety is resistant to pests and diseases.
Black Boutte. A new Canadian variety that produces the largest fruit. The length of the berry reaches 51 mm, weighs up to 15 g, unusually black, excellent taste. The bushes of the variety are prickly, although the thorns on the shoots are smaller. Fruits from early July to September. Requires garters on a trellis and shelter for the winter.
Thanks to its excellent taste, beneficial properties and ease of cultivation, blackberries are considered a real boon for gardeners. However, unfortunately, this berry has not yet received due appreciation and widespread distribution everywhere. But in vain...
The blackberry bush is very productive. 10-12 kg of delicious and healthy berries from one bush is a very real result. Garden blackberries are also suitable for industrial cultivation. Compared to raspberries, this black berry is even more profitable and ideal for growing for sale. One can only hope that gardeners will soon appreciate it, and it will become the same familiar berry bush in our gardens.
Description of blackberry
Belongs to the Rosaceae family, genus Rubus. In appearance it is a shrub or shrubby vine. Under natural conditions, blackberries grow in the northern and temperate latitudes of the Eurasian continent - in forests and floodplains, as well as in North America. Unfortunately, in Europe blackberries have not received the status of an “industrial” berry, while in America they are grown over large areas.
According to the nature of shoot growth, garden blackberries are usually divided into erect and creeping or creeping.
The underground part of the plant is perennial, and the aboveground part is biennial. In many ways, this berry is similar to raspberries.
Blackberries, just like raspberries, are a complex drupe. Leaves - with three, five or seven leaflets. Annual shoots are green in color with a reddish or brownish tint. There are thorns. Recently, thornless varieties of garden blackberries have been developed, which greatly simplifies care. Breeders are creating more and more varieties with different terms ripening of berries.
The inflorescences are a long or short raceme. During the ripening process, blackberries first acquire a green, then red-brown color. When ripe, the berries are black or black-purple in color.
Creeping blackberries have juicier and larger fruits than erect ones.
Blackberries collected in the forest are inferior in size and taste to garden ones, although they are also useful. Harvest - once a year. It is worth noting that the harvest can take 2-3 weeks, so it is customary to say that blackberries produce their harvest gradually. The maximum yield can be obtained in the 4-5th year of fruiting.
The berry is good not only when eaten fresh. It makes excellent jams, preserves, desserts, ice cream, and marmalade. She is also good at baking. - a real decoration for the festive table.
Blackberry propagation
Garden blackberries have the ability to multiply very quickly. This berry quickly conquers space, so the area for it should be carefully prepared. Blackberries reproduce by suckers and layering.
Offspring– young shoots from the root – must be dug up with part of the mother’s root system and planted in a new place. For this type of propagation, strong, mature plants at least three years old, in which the root system has already sufficiently developed, are suitable. Breeding by offspring is best done in the spring.
Reproduction by layering. The essence of the method is to root annual shoots. To do this, in early August, the shoot is buried to a shallow depth, leaving the very top. The shoot is not cut off from the mother plant. A bush buried in this way must be watered regularly. After about 2 months the plant should take root. In October, this bush needs to be carefully dug up, and after making sure that young roots have appeared, cut off from the mother plant and transplanted to a new permanent place. Such seedlings are excellent planting material for planting in spring.
In order for the plant to take root faster, before digging in, you can slightly cut the bark in the place that will be in the ground.
Due to the fact that blackberries grow in dense, impenetrable thickets, it is best to place them in the garden along the fence on a strong trellis. Blackberry shoots grow very powerful and long - 4-6 m.
Garden blackberry- heat-loving plant. It is better to choose a site for it that is flat, well lit and protected from strong winds. Blackberries produce especially sweet and large berries in the sun. Blackberries grow best in fertile, sometimes sandy, moist soils. Since the root system is shallow, blackberries are very sensitive to moisture. Therefore, especially in the first years, this berry bush should be watered regularly. However, blackberries cannot tolerate waterlogging. Mulching the soil with peat, sawdust and compost will help maintain optimal moisture levels.
Single-row or double-row planting is preferred with a distance between bushes of 0.7-1.5 m for erect blackberries and 2.5 m for creeping ones. The distance between rows is 1.5-3.0 m, also depending on the variety.
When planting in spring, ammophoska or nitrophoska can be added to the planting holes, because they stimulate the growth of green mass. Fertilizers should be applied at the rate of 30 g per 1 sq.m. If you are planting blackberries in the spring, planting should be done before the buds open. Seedlings must have at least 2 stems and a formed bud on the roots.
Autumn planting should be carried out before the onset of stable frosts. Cuttings planted in winter should be cut to 25 cm.
If you have a seedling with a closed root system (a plant in a pot), then such a plant can be planted at any time.
Blackberry planting process
Even if you have a small blackberry seedling, the planting hole should be prepared carefully. In just 2-3 years, the blackberry bush will become tall and powerful. A hole for planting must be dug 50x50 cm in size. The depth of the hole is approximately the bayonet of a shovel or a little more. The top layer of earth dug out of the hole should be set aside - it will be useful a little later.
At the bottom of the hole you need to place any organic fertilizer, then the top layer of soil that you dug. You can add sapropel. All this soil mixture should be thoroughly mixed directly in the hole. Then dig a small hole for your seedling.
Dried roots should be removed, and cuts should be made on the rest. If you are planting a seedling from a pot with a good root system, then you do not need to do this.
The seedling should be placed in a hole so that the bud is approximately 2-4 cm below ground level.
The roots should be straightened to the sides without bending them upward. The root system should fit freely in the hole.
When filling the hole with loose soil mixture, you need to periodically shake the seedling for better compaction. For better drainage of the hole, you can make a circular furrow and fill it with water. You can add a little potassium fertilizer to the water for watering the seedling. This will contribute to better growth of the root mass.
Blackberry care
Basic blackberry care consists of weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing and regular watering. Lack of water, especially in the first years of a plant’s life, can affect the quality and quantity of the harvest. Watering should not be done with cold water. An adult strong plant can be watered less often, but still, do not allow the soil to dry out too much.
Garden blackberries love fertile soil. Therefore, it should be fertilized annually. Under each bush in the fall you need to apply several buckets of organic fertilizers.
Blackberries should also be fertilized throughout the season. This powerful plant develops a large vegetative mass over the summer, taking many useful substances from the soil. Naturally, this deficiency must be replenished periodically. As soon as the inflorescences and berries appear, the plant needs potassium fertilizing. Can be used to strengthen the root system of a plant.
Also at this time you can feed the plant with preparations containing various beneficial bacteria. These drugs have proven themselves well. The principle of their operation is based on the fact that the necessary bacteria settle on the root system and literally help the plant to feed (absorb the necessary substances from the soil). Experts recommend 2 such feedings per season.
Blackberries prefer slightly acidified soils. Therefore, it is better to mulch the ground under the bushes with peat or pine needles.
Needs annual shelter. And this fact seems to scare many gardeners the most. In fact, this process is not that difficult. If raspberries grow on your site, you know the principle of care. In autumn, fruit-bearing shoots should be removed. Annual shoots, on which a harvest should be expected next year, should be covered in winter. These shoots will grow a lot over the summer. In order for them to be easily bent to the ground in the fall without breaking, they should be gradually bent at the beginning of summer and as they grow. This can be done using twigs, hooks or other improvised means.
In the fall, during pruning, you should remove not only fruit-bearing shoots, but also weak, underdeveloped shoots. It is better to leave 5-7 strong shoots on the bush. The upper part of annual shoots should be cut to 1.5-2 m and pressed to the ground using staples or hooks. Next, the blackberries should be covered with non-woven material. It allows air to pass through well and protects against the cold.
The following advice will allow you to significantly save both effort and time. Compost bags can be placed on top of the non-woven material. You should not pack compost into bags too much. You should get some kind of mats. They should be placed on top of the blackberries. You can not lay it on the entire surface of the bed, but only on shoots that can be easily felt. Bags should not be untied. They will cope with their role as insulation in winter perfectly, but in the spring this will make your task much easier. As soon as the time comes, you can easily remove the covering material and pour the contents of the bags into the beds. The blackberry shoots will remain clean.
In the spring, “sanitary” pruning is carried out, during which dry shoots that have frozen over the winter are removed. This is a common spring pruning that all perennial plants need.
The use of a trellis when growing blackberries is aimed at facilitating labor during care and harvesting. Blackberries are a very fast growing plant. If you don’t tie up its shoots, very soon the blackberry bed will turn into impenetrable thickets. Therefore, it is necessary to build at least the simplest trellis. It consists of two rows of wire stretched between pillars. The structure must be durable.
Blackberry varieties
In recent years, many thornless varieties of blackberries have been developed, which makes caring for this berry crop much easier.
Blackberry Thornfree. Perhaps the most common variety of thornless garden blackberry. The first berries appear from the beginning of August until frost. The berries are large and sweet. One of the most delicious varieties of garden blackberries. The weight of the berry reaches 10 g.
Blackberry Loch Tay. It compares favorably with Thornfree by earlier ripening of berries (3 weeks earlier). And also a sweeter taste. Its berries are sweet even at medium ripeness, unlike Thornfree. Also, the berries of this variety are very transportable. It is a good industrial grade.
Blackberry Black Diamond. Early productive industrial variety. Leads Thornfree by 1.5 weeks. The berry is sweet, dense and large. Has a good presentation.
Blackberry Black Satin. It got its name due to its special softness and silkiness. The berries are medium in size, about 5 g. They reach their greatest sweetness when ripe. Ripe berries are very fragrant, but not transportable. In the first years of life, this variety produces very large and juicy fruits. Over the years, the size of the berries decreases and the density increases.
Blackberry diseases and pests
Since blackberries belong to the same genus as raspberries, they are characterized by general diseases.
For example, the fruit fly Drosophila is considered a pest of blackberries. She settles in ripe years and lays eggs. The hatched larvae eat the berries from the inside. Also known are the raspberry aphid and the raspberry flower beetle.
When infected with anthracnose fungus, the blackberry stops developing or develops unevenly. Bordeaux mixture is a good treatment.
Timely removal of weeds helps prevent the appearance of weeds.
Having considered all the aspects of growing blackberries, I would like to dwell on beneficial properties this berry. In folk medicine, blackberries have always been considered a source of almost all useful substances. Today its benefits have been proven, and we can safely say that it contains glucose, fructose, sucrose, pectin, fiber, ascorbic, malic, citric and salicylic acids, as well as vitamins P, B, E, C, carotene, potassium salts , manganese, copper, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron. It also contains polyphenols and bioflavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and delay the aging of the body.
Blackberries, like raspberries, have antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. Blackberry leaf tea is used for sore throats, gargling, and stomatitis.
This miracle berry strengthens the walls of blood vessels and improves blood composition.
It has been noticed that regular eating blackberries inhibits the development of tumors.
In the old days, ripe berries were used for constipation, and unripe ones for diarrhea, as a fixative. Traditional healers advised drinking blackberry tea to lower blood pressure and with increased excitability.
Thanks to its diuretic effects Blackberries are good to take for diseases of the kidneys and bladder. It is also useful for prostate hypertrophy.
In the old days, crushed blackberry leaves were applied to wounds and bruises, and also treated eczema and other skin diseases.
It was also considered healing blackberry root decoction. It was used for dropsy as a diuretic.
Juice from fresh blackberries is useful for anemia, sore throat, bronchitis and various gynecological diseases.
Blackberry leaves and fruits are part of many herbal infusions for diabetes.
Leaves and flowers are harvested in July-August. Fruits - starting in July. It is best to harvest roots in late autumn.
The best fruits are selected for drying the berries. The prepared berries are dried on a sieve in drying ovens at 40-50 degrees. At the end, the temperature is raised to 60 degrees. Typical drying time is from 2 to 4 hours. During this time, it is necessary to monitor the process, preventing the berries from burning and sticking together.
Blackberries are contraindicated with individual intolerance. At the first sign of an allergic reaction, you should stop taking the berries. Also, the consumption of blackberries should be limited to people with increased acidity stomach and some kidney diseases.
Blackberry photo
In summer cottages you can find a variety of bushes that bear fruit with berries. Most often you can see raspberry bushes, but for some reason summer residents do not particularly like its fellow blackberry. This plant is not inferior to raspberries in taste, beauty or even difficulty of care. Blackberries are great for canning, making jam, or simply eating.
Blackberry bushes are small in size compared to raspberries, and presence of thorns in small quantities, but this still complicates harvesting. In all other respects, this plant is completely identical to raspberries in care and pruning. It is worth noting that blackberries have one peculiarity. It can bear fruit even during periods of drought or if the bushes are completely left without attention and care, but the amount of harvest will decrease. Berries ripen in different areas, regardless of the amount of sunlight. The berries can be considered ripe as soon as they turn black.
Although blackberry bushes do not require strict care, a lot of moisture and sunlight, these factors can still help increase the fruiting of the bushes. For example, when planting a plant, you need to calculate the place so that the blackberry ends up was protected from blowing. This, in turn, will not only increase the quantity of the harvest and its quality, but will also help the bushes not to die in winter. low temperatures. In areas where there is no wind, snow will not fall from the bushes, which means they will be covered with snow all winter.
In addition, blackberries, like any other plant, must be pollinated, and when strong wind the bees cannot fly up and do their job. Gusts of wind can even break fragile blackberry branches, especially after the winter period, when the plant has not yet reached its full strength.
As mentioned above, when planting blackberries, you can not attach importance to the amount of sunlight. Fruiting occurs equally well both in a dark place and in an open area, but planting in complete darkness cannot be done. If sunlight stops getting on the plant, over time the berries will become smaller, and this will negatively affect the quality and taste of the crop.
Planting blackberries in the garden plot is best produce in spring. In the southern parts of the country I also practice planting in the autumn, but still the best results are achieved with bushes that were planted in the spring. In this case, the cuttings take root better, and there is also no chance of plant death when the cold period sets in.
Soil is precisely the element that does not play any role in growing blackberries. Usually planting is done near the fence, in order not only to increase the convenience of harvesting, but also to further improve this part of the garden plot, hiding the fence.
The entire procedure for planting blackberry bushes can be divided into several stages in order to subsequently achieve high results during plant establishment.
Best for growing in the garden Thornless blackberries are suitable. The most popular varieties include:
- agavem;
- abundant;
- Darrow.
These varieties are great for courting summer cottage. Lack of thorn c simplifies harvesting, and if the plant is no longer cared for, it will not grow as much as other varieties of blackberries.
Although blackberries can grow on their own, the first year is the hardest for them. At this time, all necessary measures must be taken to ensure that the plant takes root in its new location. This includes all basic care, pruning and watering activities. The entire growing procedure must be followed especially carefully in the first year, and then after the bushes have grown, some stages of the procedure may not be used.
First of all you need pay enough attention to watering. In the first year, it simply doesn’t make sense to expect a harvest, but you shouldn’t refuse to water your blackberries, because it’s precisely at this time that the crown and the strength of the root branches are formed. As a result, proper watering in the first year can significantly increase yields in subsequent years. Massive roots ultimately help the plant feel comfortable in dry weather. Raspberries cannot boast of such quality.
Watering at the initial stages of growth of berry bushes should be plentiful, but still do not overdo it. It is necessary to increase the amount of moisture as the blackberries germinate and as the crop begins to ripen. In addition, moisture should flow freely to the root system, so before this procedure it is better to first loosen the bud. Blackberry bushes do not really like it when the soil is compacted too much. In addition, with dense soil layers, moisture simply does not reach the root system, but disperses in different directions from the bush. Fertilizing before watering is carried out exclusively in the first year after planting, and then in the summer you can do without feeding the plant.
To increase the growth activity of blackberries, fertilizers may be needed only in the spring season. Apply fertilizer needed once. To do this, it is best to use components such as:
- mullein;
- ash;
- peat;
- humus;
- bird droppings.
Phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium fertilizers can be used in the form of additional fertilizers, but there is no special need for them. Shrubs do not require large amounts of minerals, and they obtain all the main components exclusively from the composition of the soil.
Basic stages of blackberry pruning
Pruning blackberries is an important stage, which ultimately determines how strongly and evenly the shrub will grow, and from these conditions the amount of harvest and convenience of picking berries. If you do not prune, you can end up with an impenetrable jungle at your dacha. In order to avoid such problems, you need to trim the stems approximately 3-4 times during the period of active growth. Pruning needs to be done very often, because blackberry branches grow quickly. If you don’t want to spend too much time on pruning, then it is best to plant thornless shrubs.
The first pruning begins after the end of winter, as soon as the temperature exceeds the limits of the beginning of the growing season. This time can be determined by the presence of buds that are just appearing on the stems of plants. You need to trim off any stems that have been damaged during the winter or have dried out. Usually, per square meter, no more than 15 shoots are left, or 8 shoots per bush. During the rest of the year, new shoots need to be pruned so that they do not weaken the plant.
Repeated pruning of shoots called pinching. It is produced at a time when the shoots have already grown. Usually, each of them needs to be shortened by no more than 15 cm, but if there is no time for constant care of the bushes, then you can remove 20 cm of the shoot. This pruning is especially important for summer residents who want to significantly increase the amount of harvest on blackberry bushes. Pinching promotes the formation of new branches, which in the future will produce an additional harvest of berries. When pruning shoots, you need to leave only the strongest ones, and cut off all weak branches so that they do not take all the strength from the bush.
The last pruning is carried out in the autumn before the onset of winter. All weak and dry shoots are removed. Particular attention should be paid to branches that show signs of disease. On the contrary, it is better to leave the shoots before the start of winter because due to them, in the spring you can see a formed and strong crown.
The question of how to care for blackberries is not too difficult to understand, unlike the propagation of this shrub. Exists a large number of propagation methods using seeds, seedlings or techniques that in the initial stages do not even require trimming the blackberry stem. The most popular way to propagate blackberries among gardeners is planting a sprouting stem. This method can help propagate blackberries from just one bush.
To propagate blackberries, you will need a stem about 3 meters long from a neighboring bush. A hole 30 centimeters deep is dug and sprinkled with humus. The end of the stem is placed in the hole in a semicircle or in a full circle and sprinkled with a little earth. Immediately after this, you need to make the first watering and wait until the water is absorbed into the ground. The remaining layer of soil completely covers the hole.
With this propagation method, it is important that the stem is buried in early August, and at the end of the autumn period it can be cut off from a neighboring bush. The length of the seedling should be no more than one meter above the ground surface. This is the easiest method of propagation, which requires a minimum amount of effort and does not require the purchase of additional seedlings.
Conclusion
Blackberries, along with raspberries, are considered the most delicious berries. Any summer resident, even those without much experience, can grow it; the main thing is to follow the basic recommendations. The main advantages of this variety of berry bushes are the minimal need for care, high yield, and also a way to improve the aesthetic appearance of the landscape in the garden plot.
» Shrubs
What is commonly called a "berry" in blackberries is not actually a berry. This type of fruit is called a prefabricated drupe. The blackberry flower is multi-pistillate, and around each pistil a small, juicy fruit with one seed inside is formed. A lot of these fruits, collected together, are that very tasty and aromatic blackberry.
Collective drupes are formed in many plants. Some of them are blue-black and so similar to blackberries that they mislead the uninitiated. Plants whose fruits resemble blackberries are discussed in this review.
This plant is still exotic in Russian gardens. By appearance it is, indeed, easy to confuse with a blackberry: a shrub with the thorny shoots and leaves typical of raspberries and blackberries. Fruit black raspberry When ripe, they change color from pink, through dark red, to black. And they taste a little like blackberries.
And yet there is a difference: when harvested, the black raspberry drupes are easily removed from the fruit stalk - like a thimble from your finger. Regular red or yellow raspberries behave in exactly the same way. In blackberries, the harvest is harvested together with the fruit and stalk, because its drupes grow tightly together in their place.
Chokeberry cultivated raspberries originate from the American wild raspberry - blackberry-like raspberry.
Also in early XIX century, this plant began to be introduced into culture by N. Lonavart. In the United States, black raspberries quickly became popular. Through the efforts of breeders, its varieties Remontantnaya from Ohio, Evans, Dundee, and Bristol were developed.
In Russia today, two varieties of black raspberries are cultivated: Cumberland and Ugolyok.
Raspberry Cumberland
This is a very old variety of American selection. It was received in late XIX century by D. Miller, and quickly moved to Europe. Until recently, Cumberland was the only chokeberry variety known in Russia. It has taken root in our gardens thanks to its undoubted advantage - high frost resistance (up to -30⁰C).
Cumberland forms a powerful bush with shoots up to three meters long. Shoots with a large number of thorns grow like semi-creeping blackberries: initially erect, they bend in an arc as they grow. At the same time, the tops, reaching the ground, are able to take root. Therefore, Cumberland, although it does not produce root shoots, can “walk” around the site.
The fruits of Cumberland raspberries are small and their yield is not very high. But the high density allows the crop to be stored for a long time and tolerate transportation well.
Cumberland looks especially decorative in the fall. At this time, its shoots acquire an exotic bluish-blue color. Thanks to these qualities, Cumberland can be used to form a hedge that will be both “tasty”, beautiful, and reliable.
Raspberry Ugolyok
The tradition of American breeders was picked up by Russian scientists from the Siberian Horticulture Research Institute. The Ugolyok variety was introduced recently and is recommended for cultivation in the territory from the Urals to the Far East.
The raspberry bush, which is called Coal, is more compact than that of Cumberland. The shoots are not so strongly thorned, on average 2.3 meters in length, semi-creeping. Annual vines are green in color with a bluish coating. Biennials are brownish-gray.
The fruits of the Ugolyok raspberry are medium-sized, 1.8-2 grams. IN good conditions the variety yields about 8 kg per bush. In terms of ripening time, Ugolyok is considered to be mid-early; it produces a harvest more or less uniformly - within two weeks.
Serious advantages of the variety are high winter hardiness and disease resistance.
A curious feature of black raspberries is that they are unattractive to birds, which usually like to peck at the red-fruited and yellow-fruited varieties.
Mulberry berry
The juicy mulberry drupe looks very similar to the fruit of a garden blackberry. The same slightly elongated shape, the same purple-black color. True, this plant is not only black-fruited, but also white. And yet, it is the black mulberry (also known as mulberry) that is most often cultivated for food consumption.
You can confuse mulberries with blackberries only by looking at the fruits. Its taste is completely different, unlike anything else, very sweet, with an unusual aroma and aftertaste. And the morphology of the plant is completely different. This is not a shrub, but a tall tree (up to 20 meters), sometimes growing into several trunks. For ease of cultivation, cultivated mulberry is formed with a trunk of 1.5 meters - in this case it does not grow higher than 4 meters.
Among the most popular mulberries, one can note the interesting variety Shelly No. 150. The name comes from the first syllable of the word “mulberry” and the initials of the variety’s creator, Leonid Ilyich Prokazin. The fruits of this plant have excellent taste and reach a length of 5.5 cm. The leaf blade of Shelly is gigantic, 0.5 in length.
The chokeberry tree is very thermophilic. In Russia, it is grown in the North Caucasus and the Lower Volga region, where it is often found growing wild. Surprisingly, even in the middle zone, mulberries are sometimes cultivated quite successfully.
Mulberry is a berry similar to a blackberry. Mulberry Smuglyanka
The Smuglyanka variety may be suitable for the climate of the central region. Very pleasant to the taste, slightly sour Smuglyanka fruits are 3 cm long and ripen very early. Already in June you can taste the first harvest. And the yield of this plant pleases the gardener’s heart - 0.5 kg of mulberry is harvested from every meter of fruitful branch.
An important advantage of the variety is its high degree of adaptation to cold and short summers. Mulberry Smuglyanka recovers quite easily when the shoots freeze. This is facilitated by interesting feature plants are prone to shoot fall. With an early onset of cold weather, the ripened part of the branch forms a corky separating layer, throwing off the unripe part, like a lizard's tail.
However, too severe and prolonged frosts have a bad effect on yields. Therefore, it is still better to protect Smuglyanka with cover. To do this, it must be formed so that the height of the crown does not exceed two meters, and with the onset of cold weather, tie the plant with spunbond in several layers.
In Asia, mulberry fruits are used as a medicine for sore throats, stomatitis and coughs. An infusion of the leaves helps lower blood pressure.
Berry lacquer plant
An extremely rare plant in our latitudes, surprising with its exotic fruits. Segmented, juicy black fruits on long “cobs” look like blackberries.
This herbaceous plant The Phytolacca family is native to North America. A perennial that annually produces several thick stems up to 1.5 meters high. Long erect inflorescences of Laconia plant appear at the end of May and vaguely resemble the blooming of hyacinths. Many greenish-pink flowers give the plant a very decorative appearance.
The fruits of the berry lacquer ripen towards the end of summer. By this time, the fruit becomes red, and against its background the black “blackberries” look surprisingly impressive. The juice of this plant has a rich, dense scarlet color.
There is evidence that in the old days this juice was used to tint confectionery products, and in some wine-growing regions of Europe it is still used to “tint” wines. In many countries, Lakonos is considered a medicinal plant. However, unfortunately, the tempting fruits of the lacquer plant are very insidious.
As Paracelsus said, “everything is poison, and everything is medicine.” Lakonos, indeed, is recognized as a poisonous plant. Children or pregnant women should never be allowed to eat black berries. Yes, and adults need to treat them with great caution. Many cases of severe heart rhythm disturbances associated with the consumption of milkweed are described.
And yet you can try to find practical applications for this interesting plant. ethnoscience knows a recipe from the roots of the plant, which can relieve rheumatic pain.
Ingredients:
- 0.5 cups of Lakonos roots;
- 1 glass of vegetable oil or kerosene.
Grind the roots, mix with the base and leave in a dark place for ten days. Rub the resulting product onto sore joints.
When harvesting the roots of the plant for medicinal purposes, you need to pay attention to the color of the fracture. Only white roots can be used. If they are red at the break, it is better to refrain from using them.
In the list of berries similar to blackberries, one could also mention raspberries. For example, the very popular varieties Loganberry, Tayberry or Michurinsky Progress. But ezhemalina is still almost a blackberry, a product of hybridization. Therefore, it deserves a completely separate discussion.
