Raspberry berry is familiar to everyone since childhood. What kind of child did mom not treat with raspberry jam in winter? And in the summer, many climbed into thorny bushes to enjoy this berry. Over the last period, a relative of raspberries - a sweet blackberry - began to appear more often in summer cottages.
Blackberry in the garden
The blackberry plant belongs to the Pink family, which, in turn, belongs to the genus Rubus. It is a shrub with erect or spreading stems, which are covered with a large number of thorns. Recently, several hybrids without thorns have been bred, which greatly simplifies harvesting, and pruning blackberries in the fall is much easier and more enjoyable.
In the wild, blackberries can be found in forests, by marshy places and rivers, where there is moist and moist land. You can meet such bushes on the territories of many continents: America, Europe and Asia. Of course, cutting blackberries in the fall is carried out only in cottages and gardens. In nature, the branches are woven into a dense growth and form large thickets. Walking through the forest, you can enjoy the wild berries of this plant.
The blackberry belongs to perennial shrubs, its height can reach 4 meters. It has a powerful root that grows deep in the ground, making the blackberry drought resistant. The large leaf of this plant consists of 5-7 small, connected by a common petiole. They are colored green above, and the underside is light. The leaves are pubescent and have small spikes. The blackberry blooms in late June with white large flowers, which are collected in panicles. The fruits begin to ripen by August. Since flowering lasts until the end of autumn, the picking of berries is long. When ripening, the fruits of the blackberry first acquire a green color, after pink, brown, and the ready-to-eat berry has a black color.
Of the many varieties, Garden Blackberry is popular. Care (pruning, watering, top dressing, etc.) for this variety is no different from caring for other species of this plant.
Care
Blackberry is an unpretentious plant, this is due to the fact that it was cultivated from a wild plant. In nature, it grows in humid places and, thanks to deep roots, feeds on moisture from the earth almost all summer.
However, at home, the plant should still be given some attention. This applies to soil, watering and reproduction. Cutting blackberries for the winter is also important. This strengthens the root of the plant and strengthens the bush.
Pruning
This blackberry care item is one of the most important. Autumn pruning of a blackberry, especially a young bush, guarantees a good wintering and subsequent strong shoots in the spring. By type of growth, the bushes are divided into upright and creeping. Accordingly, different care is needed.
Formation of erect bushes
Near a young bush they pull the wire and make supports so that the branches can be tied up. In the first year after planting, all shoots are fixed on one side, and the next - on the other. When lateral shoots appear, they are cut off, leaving 3-4 buds. Fruiting occurs on second-year branches. Cutting blackberries in the fall is to remove the branches on which the fruits were. They are cut off and carefully removed from the wire so as not to damage the rest. This pruning of blackberries for the winter allows you to make room for new shoots, which are braided in place of the old.
The formation of creeping bushes
The branches are selected for power, 6-8 pieces, and tied to the supports fan-shaped, they can also be placed close to each other. Blackberry garden, care (pruning and garter) for which occurs in this way, can densely braid the supports. It can be planted at the fence, although this reduces the amount of yield due to poor permeability of solar heat and light. It is also recommended to remove several lower kidneys on each branch. With the development of shoots and ripening of fruits, they can be smeared on the ground or simply deteriorate from watering.
Blackberry pruning is also necessary in the spring, while cutting off the upper parts of the shoots, leaving branches no more than 1.5 meters in length.
The soil
For planting a bush, you can choose any soil, but it should be well warmed up by the sun, so the place must be found open. Also, the soil should be quite loose and well-drained, as blackberry roots die due to lack of oxygen from stagnation of water.
Watering
Despite the fact that the blackberry bush is moisture resistant, it should be watered during the period of shoot growth and fruit ripening. Especially if the summer is hot and arid. But it is worthwhile to ensure that moisture does not linger for a long time under the bush. Garden blackberries, which are trimmed correctly, create a dense shadow with their branches and leaves, which retains moisture for a longer time.
Breeding
Blackberries can be propagated by root offspring or rooting of green tops. These methods are easy and do not require special skills or equipment. When propagating using root offspring, it is necessary to dig out a small piece of the lateral root in the early spring and transfer it to a constant place of growth. Planted in prepared soil, where it must be placed horizontally.
Several
varieties of blackberries do not give root shoots, they can be propagated by rooting the tops. To do this, one or several branches are bent to the ground, bending the branches in an arcuate manner, and placed in a pit, the depth of which is not more than 10 cm. The tops of the branches should remain on the surface by about 10 cm. The pit is covered with fertile soil. This process is carried out in late summer or early fall.
The following year, by autumn, you can separate the shoots from the mother bush, after checking the presence of roots and their strength. If necessary, the process can be repeated or left to take root for another year.
Bush planting
Before planting, it is necessary to loosen the soil well. The pit should be up to 50 cm deep. Pour humus or compost and top dressing containing potassium to the bottom. Fertilizers are preferably mixed with the ground. The distance between plants in a row should be at least 1 meter, and between rows - 1.5 meters. In a row, it is necessary to plant blackberries of various varieties for good pollination and a high yield.
Top dressing
After proper planting of the blackberry bush, fertilizer is not required for 2-3 years. Starting from the fourth year, it is necessary to bring a good layer of rotted manure under the bush every fall after pruning. Also, during the spring-summer period, feed with fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Blackberry, pruning and care for which is done according to the rules, annually pleases with plentiful flowering and a good harvest. Berries are picked from the bush in several stages, since flowering stretches over a long period. The fruits of blackberry are very useful, and careful care is not needed behind the bush, so keeping such a plant in your area will not be a hassle. Cutting blackberries in the fall, timely watering in spring and summer - and on the table until the end of autumn there will always be blackberries.