Content
Black Butte blackberry is an American variety distinguished by very large, sweet berries (weight reaches 20 g). It can withstand frosts down to -20 degrees, so the crop can be grown in different areas of the Central region. The variety is demanding on watering and fertilizing.
Origin story
Black Butte blackberries are an American hybrid produced by breeder Chad Finn, an employee of the Agricultural Research Service of the Department of Agriculture. The work was carried out at the experimental station in Corvallis (Oregon, Northwestern USA).
Black Butte blackberries became widespread already in 2000. It appeared in Russia several years later, it was imported from Ukraine. The variety is not included in the register of breeding achievements, but is known to many summer residents and farmers. There are several names in the domestic literature:
- Black Butte;
- Black Butte;
- Black Butty;
- Black Bat.
Description of blackberry variety Black Butte
Black Butte is a shrub with powerful shoots creeping along the ground (length 3–4 m). The branches are quite flexible, do not break, and are covered with small black thorns along their entire length. The bush is moderately spreading. The roots are well developed, there are no basal shoots.
The leaves are bright green, with a corrugated surface, and serrated edges. The shape of the plate is trefoil. Black Butte blackberries bear fruit on last year's shoots. Fruit branches appear in a maximum number of 5–6. Berries are formed in 4-5 pieces on one brush.
They are elongated and black in color with a bluish tint. The dimensions are atypically large: up to 5 cm in length, average weight 12–15 g, specimens up to 20 g are often found. The pulp is juicy, the taste is with pronounced sweetness and slight sourness.
Characteristics of Black Butte blackberry
Black Butte blackberries are characterized by sufficient winter hardiness, which allows them to be grown not only in the south, but also in certain areas of the Central region (for example, in the Lower Volga region). At the same time, the bushes prefer abundant moisture - prolonged drought has a bad effect on the harvest. Therefore, during hot periods it needs regular watering.
Black Butte blackberries produce berries from June to the end of July.
Ripening time and yield
The bushes begin to bloom in mid-May. The berries ripen in about 1–1.5 months. Therefore, the variety is classified as early. Fruiting is extended, lasting on average 6–7 weeks, during which all the fruits are harvested.
The productivity is quite high. If you follow the basic rules of care, 3–3.5 kg of blackberries are collected from one bush, sometimes up to 4 kg. The fruits are used fresh. They are suitable for various dishes and preparations (baked goods, jam, jam, cake decoration).
The keeping quality of Black Butte, like other blackberry varieties, is low. Berries can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1–2 days. Therefore, they must be consumed fresh or used for preparing preparations. Shock freezing is allowed, which will preserve useful substances.
Winter hardiness of Black Butte blackberries
Black Butte is a winter-hardy variety - it can withstand frosts down to -29 °C, which corresponds to zone 5. These are the regions of the Lower Volga region, the Black Earth Region and all southern regions, including the Krasnodar Territory, the North Caucasus and others. There is evidence that bushes can tolerate frosts down to –18 °C. If the winters are colder, then the crop must be covered (especially if it was planted recently).
Black Butte can be grown in different regions of Central Russia
Resistance to diseases and pests
Black Butte blackberries have good resistance to most diseases and pests. Bushes may suffer from gray rot. This is a fungal infection, the signs of which are rotten berries with a white coating. Brown spots pressed inward also appear on the apical shoots. This phenomenon is especially common during the blackberry flowering period (May and early June).
As a preventive measure it is necessary:
- Raise the creeping branches of Black Butte blackberries above the ground.
- Periodically trim the shoots, avoiding thickening of the crown.
- Harvest on time.
- Periodically inspect the plants, remove affected leaves and branches and burn them.
On the eve of flowering (end of April), it is recommended to completely treat all bushes with Bordeaux mixture or other fungicide:
- "HOM";
- "Quadris";
- "Skor";
- "Topaz";
- "Ordan".
During the growing season, pests can settle on Black Butte blackberry bushes:
- spider and blackberry mites, which often leads to the loss of up to half the crop);
- mole cricket (digging up roots);
- Chafer.
To kill insects, folk remedies are used (for example, an infusion of tobacco dust, wood ash with laundry soap, a decoction of marigolds, and potato tops). If this does not help, the bushes are treated with insecticides:
- "Tiovit Jet";
- "Decis";
- "Karate";
- "Karbofos";
- "Inta-Vir";
- "Spark".
Advice! To treat Black Butte blackberry bushes during fruiting, it is better to use biological preparations, for example, “Vertimek”, “Fitoverm”, “Bitoxibacillin” and others. Harvesting can be done 3-5 days after spraying.
Pros and cons of the variety
Black Butte blackberries are valued by summer residents and farmers for their good harvest, tasty and large berries. The variety has a number of advantages, which allows you to successfully grow berries both for yourself and for sale.
Black Butte blackberries produce very large marketable berries
Pros:
- consistently high yield;
- pleasant taste;
- bushes are not picky about soil;
- early ripening;
- universal purpose;
- resistance to diseases.
Minuses:
- average winter hardiness, the plant needs shelter;
- the bushes grow strongly and require pruning;
- too many thorns - difficult to care for and harvest;
- low keeping quality;
- requirement for watering.
Landing rules
Blackberry seedlings are purchased from nurseries or suppliers. Planting can be done in early May (in the south - in October). The night temperature should not fall below +12 °C. For planting, choose an open area with fertile, light soil. A month before planting, compost is added to it (a bucket per 1 m²) or complex mineral fertilizer (30–40 g per 1 m2).
Standard landing rules:
- In a few weeks, it is necessary to prepare holes of the same depth and diameter (40x40 cm) with an interval of 80–100 cm from each other.
- Small stones are placed at the bottom.
- On the day of planting, seedlings are soaked in a solution of a growth stimulator (Kornevin, Heteroauxin).
- Plants are planted, sprinkled with fertile soil, compacting it a little.
- Pour out a bucket of settled water.
Optimal soil – fertile, loose loam
Care
When growing Black Butte blackberries, special attention is paid to watering. If there is no rain, give 1-2 buckets weekly (in drought - 2 times more often). In this case, the soil should not be too wet or swampy. Fertilizers begin to be applied from the second season:
- in April, use urea 15–20 g per bush;
- during flowering, rotted compost and an infusion of wood ash are needed;
- after another week - superphosphate (40 g per bush) and potassium salt (20 g per bush).
The soil is regularly loosened and weeded. For the winter, sawdust, peat, spruce branches and other mulch are laid on the ground. In regions with a cold climate (below -20 degrees), young seedlings are recommended to be wrapped in agrofibre.
Due to the abundance of moisture, the berries of this variety will become more watery, they will increase in size, but this will have a bad effect on the taste.
Black Butte Blackberry Formation
The bushes grow strongly, and the branches spread along the ground. Therefore, Black Butte blackberries need shaping. Do this gradually:
- As soon as the erect shoots grow to 40 cm, they are bent and pinned to the ground.
- After they grow to 1 m, the mount is removed and fixed to the trellis.
To keep the bushes compact and not take up much space, proceed as follows:
- In a seedling aged 1–2 years, pinch off the upper growth point in July (as soon as the shoot reaches 1 m) to stimulate the appearance of lateral branches.
- In early April, before the buds swell, all low side shoots (up to 40 cm) are removed, and taller shoots are cut off - then they will begin to grow even faster.
- All branches that have given away the harvest are removed closer to frost (early October).
Reproduction methods
Black Butte strawberries can be propagated by layering. The procedure begins in early August. Sequencing:
- Mark several young green shoots, remove their apical parts (by 2 cm).
- Step back 15 cm and remove all leaves below this mark.
- Bend the branch and pin it to the surface of the ground.
- Sprinkle fertile soil on the part that remains without leaves.
- In early October, mulch thoroughly with spruce branches, sawdust or other material.
- Next spring, organize enhanced care - fertilizing, watering.
- After another year (i.e. in the second season), separate the cuttings from the mother Black Butte blackberry bush with a shovel or knife and plant them in a new place. Water and mulch again for the winter.
Conclusion
Black Butte blackberry is a variety that has not yet become widespread in Russia. It is suitable for lovers of large and sweet berries. The fruits are used both fresh and in various preparations for the winter.
Reviews from gardeners about Black Butte blackberries
