Content
The world leader in blackberry production is the United States. It is there that you can find a large selection of fresh berries and processed products on store shelves. In our country, blackberries are easiest to buy at the market. And even then the choice is unlikely to be large. But farmers have finally paid attention to this crop. The question arises, which variety to plant. To get fresh berries that will store and transport well, you should pay attention to the bushy Chester Thornless blackberry.
History of selection
The hybrid thornless blackberry, Chester Thornless, was developed in 1985 at the Beltsville, Maryland Research Center. The parent crops were the erect (bramble) variety Darrow and the semi-creeping Thornfree.
Description of the berry crop
The Black Satin blackberry also comes from the Darrow and Thornfree varieties, but it bears little resemblance to the Chester Thornless.
General idea of the variety
The blackberry variety Chester Thornless produces semi-creeping shoots. Their maximum length is 3 m. Although the lashes are strong and thick, they bend well, which makes maintenance much easier. They begin to branch low, and with good agricultural technology the lateral branches can reach 2 m.
Chester Thornless blackberries have a high shoot-forming ability and powerful lashes that are not too long. If desired, they can not be tied to trellis, and spread in different directions. This way you can form a spreading massive plant from a bush. True, it will be difficult to harvest a bountiful harvest. But thanks to the absence of thorns and the flexibility of the shoots, it is quite possible.
Fruit clusters are also formed low from the ground, which explains the high yield of the Chester Thornless blackberry variety. The dark green leaves are trifoliate. The root system is branched and powerful.
Berries
The variety produces large pink flowers, mostly with five petals. Chester Thornless blackberries cannot be called gigantic; their weight ranges from 5-8 g. But the variety is classified as large-fruited.
The fruit branches of the Chester Thornless variety are erect. It is noteworthy that fewer berries are formed at the ends of the shoots. The largest number of fruits are collected at the base of the bush. The shoots from last year are productive.
The fruits are almost perfectly oval in shape, blue-black, beautiful, mostly one-dimensional. The taste of Chester Thornless blackberries is good, sweet, with a noticeable but not strong sourness. The fruit aroma is average.
Domestic ratings praised the taste of the berries.Reviews from gardeners about Chester Thornless blackberries are mostly positive. Stingy with their assessments, Russian and Ukrainian tasters rated the variety a solid four independently of each other.
But the main advantage of Chester Thornless blackberries is their high fruit density. They are well transported and retain commercial quality for a long time. This, coupled with its good taste, has made growing Chester Thornless blackberries profitable for large and small farmers.
Characteristic
In all respects, the Chester Thornless blackberry variety is excellent for growing as an industrial crop.
Main advantages
The Chester Thornless variety is superior to other blackberries in frost resistance. It is able to withstand temperatures down to -30⁰ C. Drought resistance is also at the level. But we should not forget that blackberry culture is moisture-loving in general.
The berries of the Chester Thornless variety are dense, tolerate transportation well and look great on the counter:
- they are beautiful;
- the fruits do not flow, do not wrinkle, and keep their shape well during storage;
- large enough to attract attention, but not so huge as to create the impression that there are only a few berries in a basket or plastic box.
Growing Chester Thornless blackberries is less hassle than other varieties. This is due to the fact that, although it is desirable to shorten and tie up shoots, it is not necessary.
The soil composition requirements for Chester Thornless are the same as for other varieties. The shoots are devoid of thorns along their entire length.
Flowering period and ripening time
Flowering in the central zone occurs in June. The berries ripen by early August, which is considered a mid-late fruiting period. In almost all regions they manage to ripen before frost.This is due to the fact that the harvest time for Chester Thornless blackberries is less extended than other varieties, starting in early August and lasting about a month.
Yield indicators, fruiting dates
The Chester Thornless variety is a fast-growing variety. It gives a full harvest in the third year after planting.
The average yield of the Chester Thornless blackberry variety is 10-15, and with good agricultural technology - up to 20 kg of berries per bush. Industrial plantations produce up to 30 t/ha.
Fruiting in the south begins at the end of July, in other regions - in August and lasts 3-4 weeks.
Area of application of berries
Chester Thornless blackberries are consumed fresh and sent for processing. Their taste and aroma are better than most industrial varieties.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Chester Thornless blackberries are resistant to pests, diseases and other negative factors. This does not replace preventive treatments.
Advantages and disadvantages
If we consider the characteristics of Chester Thornless blackberries as an industrial crop, they may seem ideal:
- Good berry taste.
- High transportability and keeping quality of fruits.
- Processed products are tasty.
- High yield.
- Good shoot-forming ability.
- The lashes are easy to bend, which makes it easier to lift onto a support and prepare for winter.
- The shoots are devoid of thorns along their entire length.
- High tolerance to heat and drought.
- It is not necessary to shorten the lateral branching of the variety.
- High resistance to diseases and pests.
- Short fruiting – 3-4 weeks.
- The Chester Thornless variety is one of the most frost-resistant.
But this blackberry is still not ideal:
- The berry taste is good, but not great.
- The fruits in the cluster may not be one-dimensional.
- Due to its low branching, the Chester Thornless variety is difficult to cover for the winter. It is not recommended to trim the side shoots located near the ground - this is where most of the crop is formed.
- The variety still needs to be covered.
Reproduction methods
Chester Thornless blackberries have shoots that first grow upward and then droop. The variety is easy to propagate by rooting layering or pulping.
The variety propagates well by green or root cuttings or by dividing the bush.
Landing rules
The Chester Thornless variety is planted in the same way as other blackberries.
Recommended timing
In the northern regions and the central zone, it is recommended to plant blackberries in the spring, when the soil warms up. Then the plant will have time to take root well and get stronger before the onset of frost. In the south, all varieties, including Chester Thornless, are planted in early autumn, when the heat subsides.
Choosing a suitable location
The Chester Thornless blackberry variety will grow and fruit in partial shade. But such a landing is permissible only in the south. In other regions, if there is a lack of sunlight, the harvest will be poor, the berries will be small and sour. Some of them will not have time to ripen before frost.
The soil needs to be slightly acidic, loose, fertile. Light loams are best suited. Carbonate (sandy) soils are not suitable.
Groundwater should not come closer than a meter to the ground surface.
Soil preparation
Holes for planting blackberries are dug in 2 weeks. Their standard size is 50x50x50 cm. The top fertile layer of soil is mixed with a bucket of humus, 120-150 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potash fertilizers. The soil is improved:
- excessively sour - with lime;
- neutral or alkaline - red (high-moor) peat;
- dense - sand;
- carbonate - with additional doses of organic matter.
The planting hole is filled 2/3 with fertile soil and filled with water.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
Chester Thornless blackberries are not that uncommon in nurseries and organizations selling planting material; the variety is not difficult to find. But it is better to buy young plants from reliable partners.
First of all, you should pay attention to the roots - they should be well developed, without damage, smell like earth, and not like mold or a cesspool.
Smooth, even bark without cracks or folds is a sign of healthy blackberries.
Algorithm and landing scheme
On industrial plantations, the distance between Chester Thornless blackberry seedlings is 1.2-1.5 m, in private gardens - from 2.5 to 3 m, row spacing - at least 3 m. If you want to grow the variety as a free-standing powerful bush, under a large area is left behind. But it will be more of a decorative plant than a fruit-bearing plant - it is inconvenient to harvest the fruit inside.
Planting is carried out in the following sequence:
- A mound is made in the center of the pit, around which blackberry roots are spread.
- They fall asleep, constantly compacting the soil. The root collar should be located 1.5-2.0 cm below the surface.
- The seedling is watered with a bucket of water.
- The soil is mulched.
Subsequent care of the crop
The planting is completed, and caring for the Chester Thornless blackberry begins with abundant watering of the bush. The soil should not dry out completely until the plant takes root.
Growing principles
Chester Thornless blackberries are remarkable in that they can be grown as a large bush without staking.This is due to the natural length of the main shoots - up to 3 m. But such blackberries will decorate the garden. It will be difficult to collect berries hidden inside the bush.
So it is better to tie Chester Thornless blackberries to a multi-row or T-shaped support up to 2 m high. For convenience, fruiting shoots are fixed on one side, young shoots on the other.
Necessary activities
Although the variety is drought-resistant, in the south, in hot weather, blackberries are watered once a week. In regions with cool summers - as necessary - the soil under the plant should not dry out; the crop is moisture-loving. To reduce watering, mulch the soil.
Loosening is best done at the beginning and end of the season. The rest of the time it will be replaced by mulching: on acidic soils - with humus, on alkaline soils - with high-moor peat.
The Chester Thornless variety produces a large harvest, despite the relatively short shoots. It needs to be fed intensively. If the soil was well-dressed before planting, fertilizing the blackberries begins a year later.
In the spring, nitrogen is added, at the beginning of flowering - a mineral complex without chlorine. During the ripening period, blackberries are given a solution of mullein infusion (1:10) or green fertilizer (1:4). Foliar feeding with the addition of a chelate complex will be beneficial. In autumn, blackberries are fed with potassium monophosphate.
Shrub pruning
After fruiting, the old branches are cut out at ground level. In the fall, only broken side shoots and the weakest vines are removed from annual growth - despite high winter hardiness, some of them can be damaged by frost.
In the spring, the branches are normalized. Some gardeners leave 3 shoots. This makes sense if the blackberries will be poorly cared for, for example, in a rarely visited country house. With intensive cultivation, 5-6 vines are left.
You don’t need to pinch the side shoots at all. But this will complicate care, and the need for feeding will increase. Each gardener decides for himself whether to shorten the side shoots as soon as they reach 40 cm.
Preparing for winter
After fruiting, which in the northern regions barely has time to end before the onset of frost, and pruning of old shoots, the young shoots are removed from the support, tied and covered for the winter. To do this, use spruce branches, straw, agora fiber or spandbond, and dry soil. It’s even better to build special tunnels.
Although the shoots of the Chester Thornless blackberry bend well, lateral branching begins quite close to the base of the bush. This complicates the covering procedure, but it is at the bottom that most fruit clusters are formed.
Diseases and pests: methods of control and prevention
Chester Thornless blackberries are disease resistant and are rarely affected by pests. But at the beginning and end of the season, it is imperative to carry out preventive spraying with copper-containing preparations. Need sanitary and lightening pruning.
You cannot plant crops that can infect blackberries with their diseases closer than 50 meters. These include raspberries, nightshades, and strawberries. If this is not feasible, at least position them as far away as possible.
Conclusion
Chester Thornless blackberries are one of the best industrial varieties that produce high-quality fresh berries. It will fit perfectly into a small garden thanks to its productivity, unpretentiousness and thornless shoots.
