BlackBerry Black Satin, Navajo and Triple Crown reviews are the most impressive. Gardeners like these varieties not only for their high productivity, but also because they do not have spikes, which allows you to harvest with great comfort, without scratching. Today we decided to provide a description of Black Satin. Reviews about the culture and photos will be published throughout the article. Where did this miraculous plant come from?
Selection
Illinois is a US state famous for its adverse climatic conditions. It has a very hot summer, often tornadoes destroy everything in their path, and in the winter, snowstorms attack the cities. It was from there that the most persistent and good blackberry varieties came to Russia. Black Satin in Siberia 5, according to gardeners, is growing excellently, but everyone knows how harsh the climate is. But then about the places of growth, and now the question: "Who was able to breed this variety?"
In Illinois, there is the city of Carbondale, it was at his university that American breeders crossed the variety under the number US1482 with Thornfrey and Darrow, and as a result received a superstar of Russian gardens Blackberry Black Satin, the reviews about which are the warmest. Initially, the variety was zoned for California and Illinois, and then it got to Europe, then to Russia. In our country, she quickly acclimatized and began to enjoy incredible popularity.
Bush characteristic
The plant is not prone to thickening, which will delight every gardener. The bush itself is strong and hardy; it does not give offsprings of roots. As we already wrote, shoots do not have spikes. They grow very quickly and can reach five meters. The cross section is strong. At the beginning of growth, the branches stand straight, looking up, when they grow more than one and a half meters, they begin to lie down. Fresh vines are green; they become brown as they mature, while those who are more than two years old have a brown color. The branches are thick, on average, three centimeters in diameter, rigid. Foliage, as expected, complex, serrate, consists of plates in an amount of three to five.
Flowers, blooming, decorate the bush with a saturated pink color. The next day, the plant may not be recognized, as the pigment of the flowers burns out, and they turn white, sometimes they retain a light pinkish tint.
Fruiting and yielding Black Satin blackberries
Gardeners receive the first crop from the bush the very next year after planting the crop. Fruiting varieties are very plentiful. Reviews of Black Satin blackberries claim that the crop matures for a long time, starting in May and ending in October. Some berries catch the first snow.
Productivity is extremely high. For a season from one bush you can get an average of 25 kilograms of excellent blackberries. The berries are large, weighing about 8 grams. The aroma is strong, blackberry, the taste is excellent, sweet and sour. The fruits are juicy, with a thin skin. The color of the berries is black, the surface is satin-glossy, because of which the variety got its name.
Sustainability
It is impossible to say that Black Satin blackberry, reviews of which will be posted at the end of the article, is endowed with high frost resistance. It can winter without shelter, provided that the temperature does not drop more than -22 degrees. If you have severe winters, as in Siberia, then you need to use a special shelter and stably bush additionally cover with snow. By the way, Fumiomi Takeda - a researcher with Apallache - conducted experiments with a variety and created for him unique rotary trellis, thanks to which you can cover the bush without unnecessary trouble. To cover the bush, you do not need to remove it from the trellis, you just need to switch from the "summer" to the "winter" mode.
The variety can be affected by gray rot, so you need to monitor it, properly care for and carry out preventive measures.
As for keeping quality and portability, they are low, like any other blackberry. The fruits are too soft, they are caked, wrinkled, lose their appearance.
Grade Advantages
Judging by the reviews, the blackberry Black Satin has the following positive qualities:
- large and tasty berries;
- the bush does not thicken, it is easy to control;
- shoots do not have thorns;
- productivity is very high.
It would seem that there are few advantages, but all of them confirm the high productivity of the variety.
disadvantages
Among the shortcomings, we highlight the following:
- low keeping quality and transportability of fruits;
- average frost resistance;
- high risk of gray rot.
But all these minuses are adjusted. As a rule, rot encroaches only on overripe fruits, therefore, harvesting on time will protect the bush.
Regarding transportability, I want to note that in older bushes, the berries are covered with dense skin. They are more difficult to choke, it becomes possible to store and transport them.
In winter, the bushes should be covered to avoid frostbite shoots.
Landing
The place for planting BlackBerry Black Satin should be sunny, sheltered from the winds. The variety does not tolerate waterlogging, so it is worth taking care of drainage if necessary.
Landing is best done in spring. But what if the seedling was bought in the fall? It's okay, it just needs to be well covered, even if the frosts in the region are not severe.
The dimensions of the landing pit should allow filling half with high-quality compost. In addition, immediately calculate the place for installing the supports - trellis, on which the lashes will be tied.
Reviews of Black Satin blackberries claim that the variety is not the most ideal for sheltering it for the winter, as it is difficult to bend the branches of an adult bush. We suggest considering options that will not allow your plant to freeze.
"Education" vines
Do not let the bush straighten the shoots too much. When they reach forty centimeters, bend the branch to the ground and fix. When the shoot reaches a height of 1.2 meters, you can release it, let it run horizontally on the trellis, a bend will form, which will make it easy to lift the branch vertically in winter and pack it under cover material.
American cropping
The homeland of blackberry is America, and there people form this variety in a very compact bush. To do this, you must:
- in July, pinch off the tops of one-year-old shoots at a height of 1.1 meters, this will stimulate the growth of side branches;
- in the spring, until the buds are awakened, the lateral growths are normalized: those that grow below forty-five centimeters from the ground are removed, the rest are cut to forty centimeters;
- in autumn you need to remove the branches that bear fruit.
Do not spare the branches, delete them. All the same, they will no longer bring a crop, since they are capable of this only for two seasons. In spring, they will only thicken the bush, they will suck out a lot of useful substances and contribute to the defeat of gray rot.
Watering and feeding
Drought can cause shredding of berries, and excessive moisture causes rot. Watering is necessary regularly, but do not overdo it.
So that the bush annually brings you a good harvest, from the age of three it will need seasonal top dressing. The fertilizer application is as follows:
- Spring. Mix five kilograms of humus and ten grams of urea (this is a calculation for one square meter) to get nitrogen fertilizer.
- Autumn. During this period, phosphorus and potassium are needed, take 25 grams of potash fertilizer and 100 grams of superphosphate for each "square".
Measures against gray rot
Blackberry Black Satin (planting and harvest described above) needs protection from the disease - gray rot. To minimize the likelihood of its occurrence, you must:
- not allow branches to lie on the ground;
- remove ripe berries from the bush on time;
- prevent thickening, cut shoots and eliminate old ones;
- in the spring, until flowering has come, spray with a three percent Bordeaux fluid.
Black Satin Black Satin: reviews
This variety was liked by the Russians, and many, when choosing a blackberry for their site, dwell on it. They write that not a single variety gave such a high yield, the berries are large, very tasty. The fruits are universal, they can be consumed fresh, and can be put on billets for the winter.
The minus varieties of gardeners have identified extended maturation, they write that you have to harvest several times. However, be that as it may, they still recommend Black Satin blackberries for growing.