. Subscription. Subject of the development of the product. The following operations are observed. Page 17the edges of the blackberry, while remaining a generous and docile culture, has become even sweeter, larger and more fragrant. However, no matter how unpretentious blackberry was, planting and caring for its cultivars require the knowledge and attention of the summer resident.
The wild species of this perennial shrub are more likely to have a creeping shape. Due to the long, spike-covered shoots, they form difficult-passable thickets on old cuttings, edges or river banks. Cultivated plants and varieties derived from them today can be both creeping and erect, resembling raspberries.
The characteristics of planting and caring for garden blackberries depend on the structure of the bush, as well as on climatic conditions. How and when is it better to plant a blackberry? What are the subtleties of growing this berry in different regions?
Planting blackberries with saplings in spring
If other fruit crops have two planting periods, autumn and spring, they plant the blackberry in spring, when the ground is well warmed and nothing prevents the acclimatization of the plants.
A sunny, wind-protected area with loose, well-drained soil has been selected since autumn. For creeping varieties of blackberry, or as it is called "Ross," the slope facing south or west may come up where the shoots and ovaries will be warmed by the sun. Erect species suffer less from the wind, but just like plants adjacent to the ground, especially when planting and caring for blackberries in Siberia, are not too hardy. Therefore, initially it is better to provide for the possibility of sheltering the berry, protecting it from frost.
Although BlackBerry is not too demanding on soil fertility, on soils rich in organic matter and mineral components, it bears fruit better and produces larger berries.
Therefore, landing pits and trenches are prepared in advance, filling the substrate per meter of area:
- 10 kg of humus or rotted manure;
- 25 grams of potassium salts;
- 15 grams of superphosphate.
In the spring, when planting, blackberry saplings of creeping varieties are placed at a distance of 2 - 2.5 meters from each other, leaving the same or longer intervals between rows. For bushy plants with dense, upright stems, a different scheme is used. Between cuttings make an interval of 80-100 cm, and the spacing should be up to 2 meters wide.
Growth buds should be under the surface of the soil at a depth of 3–6 cm. In order to accelerate the survival rate and simplify the care of blackberries, it is important to plant the roots of the seedlings during planting, and pour them over. Then the soil is mulched with peat, humus, mowed grass, straw or other material.
If the seedlings are too long, they should be shortened to 20 cm. The fruit branches that weaken the young plant should be pruned. This measure will allow the plant not to waste extra forces, quickly acclimatize and start growing.
Further care for the blackberry in the spring includes watering the landings, neat, loosening the soil and weeding to a depth of no more than 10–12 cm. In the first year, the berry will not yield, but all the work will pay off when the two-year fruiting shoots appear.
Care for blackberries when grown in open ground
In addition to watering, dressing and weeding that are mandatory for all green plants, care for growing blackberry includes pruning and support of the bushes.
If blackberry planting in the garden consists of creeping plants, they will require support for their fruiting and vigorous growth. Tapestries for berry bushes are made of solid pillars with several rows of wire stretched between them. On the upper level they tie up the scourges, which are already picking up color and will be bearing fruit this year. The stems of the new growth or replacement shoots are directed to the lower trellis so that all parts of the plant are streamlined, receive light and air.
When growing blackberries in Siberia and in other regions that are difficult for fruit-growing, the lash is guided along a wire that radiates from the center of the shrub and is attached to strong but not high poles. This allows you to “hide” the berry from the cold wind and even cover it with non-woven material until the threat of freezing is over.
Erect blackberry bushes are easier to maintain. Their sturdy stems do not need additional support, but to get a harvest, young shoots are necessarily gnawed. Depending on the variety and region of cultivation, they are cut at a height of 100 to 180 cm, forcing them to bush. The lateral processes when reaching 50 cm in length are also cut.
Despite the apparent ease of care, when planting blackberries in the Urals and east, gardeners are faced with the fact that it is very difficult to shelter such plants for the winter. To cope with the shrub:
- in advance on the shoots hang the load, “teaching” them to bend down to the ground;
- slightly undermines the bush and forcibly placed it until spring.
In this form, the plant can be covered with any available artificial or natural material. Culture rarely undermines, therefore, when planting a blackberry in the Leningrad region and caring for it, you should not be afraid of damage to the stems under a spruce branch or straw. But the resulting hard crust or the absence of snow in the cold can cause significant damage to landings.
Non-woven material, which was used to protect against cold in the cold, in the summer will help preserve the berries from burns and preserve their sweet, non-bitter taste.
Watering and feeding garden blackberries after planting
Because of their similarity with raspberries, they use the same care methods for blackberries. However, cultures have significant differences. For example, the root system of a garden blackberry lies deeper, so the bushes suffer less from drought and in favorable climatic conditions can bear fruit even without watering. But it is unlikely that by taking care of the shrubs for free, you can get large berries of excellent taste.
Blackberries, especially young ones, need to be watered throughout the growing season. Most of all, the plant needs water during the formation of replacement shoots and berry pickling.
Growing blackberries is impossible without fertilizing. The application of nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 20 grams per square meter and organic additives of 4 kg is included in the care of blackberries in the spring. At the same time or in the first half of the summer, the berries are fertilized with potassium, 40 grams, phosphorus, 50 grams per meter. Mineral supplements are used if no manure or humus is used. Granular fertilizers are embedded in a moist soil, and the application of liquid formulations is combined with irrigation.
Pruning blackberries when planting and caring in open ground
Pruning blackberry bushes is carried out in several stages, and its technology varies depending on the cultivated variety. When caring for blackberries, dead ones must be removed in spring, frost-affected stems are shortened or cut out.
Young, not yet fructifiable blackberry bushes pruned:
- in May, shortening the tips of the shoots by a few centimeters;
- in the middle of summer, removing the tops of side shoots that have reached a length of 40–50 cm;
- in the summer at the root of all weak shoots, except for 5-10 of the strongest, formed stems, which next year will give the first harvest.
Before sheltering for the winter, the removal of newly emerging root shoots must continue. They do not have time to mature, but only take away the necessary for the wintering force of the bush.
In the northern regions, for example, in Siberia, Bashkortostan, in the Urals and in the North-West of the country, planting and caring for blackberries in the open field is pruning that helps a plant with a long growing season to form the ovary and produce a crop.
For this, fruiting shoots from erect plants are pruned over the first healthy bud, and in creeping varieties, only 3-4 buds are left. Be sure to carry out sanitary pruning bushes and constantly remove root shoots. Cut off the field of gathering berries remove fruiting shoots, and in the winter leave no more than 4 upright and 3 creeping stems for replacement. From September they begin to bend down the shoots, which, with the arrival of winter, not only warm, but also cover with snow.
