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In recent years, blackberries have become a popular crop in the post-Soviet space. Unfortunately, domestic breeders are hopelessly behind American ones - most interesting new products come to us from overseas. For more than 20 years, the thornless blackberry Triple Crown has remained one of the best varieties. You may know it under the names Triple Crown or Triple Crown.
History of selection
Triple Crown blackberries were developed in 1996 through a joint effort between the Northeast Area Research Center (Beltsville, Maryland) and the Pacific Western Agricultural Research Station (Portland, Oregon). The mother varieties were Black Magic and Columbia Star.
Triple Crown blackberries were tested in Oregon for 8 years before they went on sale.
Description of the berry crop
Triple Crown blackberries have been and remain one of the best dessert varieties. In our country it is grown on private farms, but for America it is an industrial variety. There, in blackberries intended for fresh consumption, the main thing is taste, not yield.
General idea of the variety
Bushy blackberry Triple Crown forms a powerful bush with semi-creeping shoots. Already in the first year after planting, the lashes grow up to 2 m; later, without pinching, they reach 3 m. There are no thorns along the entire length of the shoot.
The leaves of the Triple Crown blackberry are difficult to confuse with another variety - in shape and density they are similar to black currants. Shoot-forming ability is good. The root system is powerful. Flowers and berries are formed on last year's growth.
Berries
Triple Crown berries are large, with an average weight of 7-9 g, collected in clusters. Their shape can be round, slightly elongated or oval, the color is black, with a characteristic glossy sheen. According to gardeners' reviews of Triple Crown blackberries, the fruits of the last harvest are as large as the first berries. The drupes are small.
The berries are sweet, with a plum or cherry aroma and a pleasant sour note. Tasting evaluation of fruits and blackberry reviews The Triple Crown of domestic connoisseurs coincides - 4.8 points.
Characteristic
The characteristics of the blackberry variety Triple Crown (Triple Crown) are reliable, as they have been time-tested. Twenty years is a long period of time, and you can check the yield under different conditions and the reaction to weather disasters.
If in America the Triple Crown blackberry is grown mainly on industrial plantations, then in our country it has mostly won the hearts of amateur gardeners and small farmers. It's all about priorities. Triple Crown's yield is average, although sufficient for a dessert crop. And in Russia and neighboring countries, the main thing for large farms is abundant fruiting. In the USA, they pay attention to the taste - consumers there are spoiled by the variety of blackberry varieties and will not eat sour or bitter berries just because they are healthy.
Main advantages
When describing the blackberry variety Triple Crown (Triple Crown), the main emphasis is on excellent taste, high transportability of berries and the absence of thorns. But in America, where this crop is industrially grown, the climate is mild and the winters are warm. Therefore, other characteristics are of great importance to us.
The winter hardiness of Triple Crown blackberries is low. It needs to be covered even in the central and some southern regions of Ukraine. In Russia, especially in the central zone, without insulation for the winter, the bush will simply die.
But the resistance to heat and drought in the Triple Crown variety is excellent. The berries do not bake in summer, and with sufficient watering they do not shrink. Moreover, the variety needs to be shaded only in the hottest summer with active sun.
Triple Crown blackberries have increased demands on soil fertility. The variety is not very picky when it comes to care, but when growing there are some nuances that must be taken into account if you want to get a decent harvest.
Yield indicators, fruiting dates
Fruiting of Triple Crown blackberries, depending on the region, begins in late July or early August and lasts a month or more. This is considered a medium-late ripening period for berries.
For cold climates, the Triple Crown variety is very controversial. Late flowering allows you to avoid return frosts, but fruiting extended until September may not allow gardeners to collect 10-15% of the berries.
The yield of the Triple Crown is about 13 kg of berries from an adult bush. Perhaps this may not seem enough to some, but only against the backdrop of technical varieties. Among the elite blackberries, the most productive is Triple Crown.
Area of application of berries
Triple Crown blackberries are a dessert variety. It is eaten fresh, the berries are well stored in a cool room and transported without loss. Juices, wines, preparations and freezing for the winter, berry desserts and baked goods - all this can be made from the fruits of the Triple Crown.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The blackberry variety Triple Crown is resistant to diseases and is rarely affected by pests. This does not negate preventive treatments, especially in dense plantings on industrial plantations.
Advantages and disadvantages
Triple Crown blackberries are both a dessert variety and grown commercially. For more than 20 years in the USA it has been considered one of the best varieties. The undoubted advantages include:
- Beautiful large berries.
- Good taste.
- High (for a dessert variety) yield.
- No thorns.
- Excellent transportability of berries.
- High resistance to heat and drought.
- Possibility of compacted landing.
- High resistance to diseases and pests.
- The berries of the last harvest are almost the same in size as the first ones.
Among the disadvantages of the Triple Crown variety are:
- Low frost resistance.
- Average yield.
- Powerful shoots make shelter for the winter difficult.
- Late fruiting.
- In the northern regions, not all berries have time to ripen before frost.
- When planted sparsely in the southern regions, the variety still suffers from the heat.
Reproduction methods
Propagation of Triple Crown blackberries is easy by rooting apical cuttings. True, the selected shoot will have to be tilted towards the surface of the earth as it grows - adult lashes bend reluctantly.
The variety is well bred using root cuttings - green ones take root worse. You can divide an adult blackberry bush.
Landing rules
Planting and caring for Triple Crown blackberries in the spring and throughout the season differs little from other varieties.
Recommended timing
In the southern regions, it is recommended to plant blackberries in the fall, at least a month before the first frost. It’s even better to start excavation work as soon as the heat subsides. Usually the right time is late September - early October. In the central regions of Ukraine and southern Russia, planting can be done until the beginning of November.
In other regions, spring planting is recommended. During the warm season, the blackberries will have time to take root and safely survive the harsh winter.
Choosing a suitable location
In the middle zone and colder areas, Triple Crown blackberries are planted in a sunny place protected from cold winds. In the south, you can choose a slightly shaded area of the garden. Groundwater should be located no closer than 1-1.5 m from the surface.
Triple Crown blackberries are more demanding on soils than other varieties, especially when planted in dense areas.
Soil preparation
A hole is dug with a diameter and depth of 50 cm. A fertile mixture for planting must be prepared - mix the top layer of soil, a bucket of humus, 50 g of potassium fertilizer and 120-150 of phosphorus.Add acidic peat to alkaline or neutral soil. Calcareous soil is improved by adding humus, and clayey soil by adding sand. Lime is added to acidic soil.
The planting hole is filled 2/3 with fertile soil, filled with water and allowed to settle for 10-14 days.
Selection and preparation of seedlings
Seedlings should not be bought secondhand. So you may end up with a variety that is completely different from what you expected. It is better to purchase them from nurseries or trusted retail chains.
The seedling must have a strong, flexible shoot with smooth, intact bark. In the Triple Crown variety it is devoid of thorns. The root should be developed, flexible, and smell of fresh earth.
Before planting, container blackberries are watered and the exposed root system is soaked in water for 12 hours. To improve survival rate, heteroauxin or another stimulant can be added to the liquid.
Algorithm and landing scheme
The planting scheme for Triple Crown blackberries is calculated differently from other varieties. To obtain a larger harvest, bushes should be placed at a short distance from each other - 1.2-1.5 m. At least 2.5 m are left between rows. Industrial plantings are compacted even more.
Planting is carried out in the following sequence:
- A mound is formed in the center of the hole, and the blackberry roots are straightened around it.
- The fertile mixture is poured and compacted. The root collar should be buried 1.5-2 cm.
- The bush is watered with a bucket of water, the soil is mulched with acidic peat.
Subsequent care of the crop
In regions with cold and temperate climates, after planting, spring care for Triple Crown blackberries consists of regular watering twice a week. In the south, the variety is planted in the fall; if it rains often, additional moisture is not needed.
Growing principles
The yield of blackberries of the Triple Crown variety is affected by the planting scheme and garter. It has been noticed that fruiting increases if the bushes are located close to each other, and the shoots are attached to the trellis almost vertically. This is what distinguishes Triple Crown from other varieties, which prefer to grow freely and produce greater yields with increased feeding area.
The trellis can be chosen multi-row or T-shaped. The optimal height is 1.8-2 m; more is simply not advisable. The canes are tied almost vertically, last year's fruiting ones - in one direction, young ones - in the other.
A decent harvest of Triple Crown blackberries can only be harvested with intensive feeding.
Necessary activities
The Triple Crown variety should be watered in dry weather once every 1-2 weeks. The frequency of moistening depends on the ambient temperature and soil structure. Blackberries love water, but not waterlogging of the root system. The rule applies to this crop: “If you are in doubt whether it is worth watering, water it.”
The Triple Crown variety needs intensive feeding - with dense plantings, the feeding area is small, and the load on the bush during fruiting is large:
- In early spring, the plant is given nitrogen.
- At the beginning of flowering, blackberries are fertilized with a complete mineral complex.
- During the formation of berries, the bush is fed 2 times with a solution of mullein infusion (1:10) or grass (1:4).
- After fruiting, the blackberries are watered with a solution of potassium monophosphate or another fertilizer of similar effect.
- Throughout the season, once every 2 weeks it is useful to spray the bush with foliar fertilizers, adding a chelate complex and epin or zircon.
In spring and autumn, the soil under the blackberries is loosened. During the flowering and fruiting period, the soil is mulched with acidic peat or humus.
Shrub pruning
Immediately after fruiting, old shoots are cut into a ring close to the soil surface. In the spring, the lashes are normalized - 8-12 of the strongest are left. In order for the berries to be larger and ripen faster, the number of fruiting shoots should be reduced. This way the harvest will be reduced, but its quality will increase.
Young shoots are pinched 1-2 times in summer when they reach 40-45 cm in length. Some gardeners don't do this at all. Try what's best - everyone's conditions are different. Naturally, broken and weak shoots are cut out throughout the season.
Preparing for winter
In the fall, before the onset of frost, the lashes are removed from the trellis, bent to the ground and secured with staples. The easiest way to deal with upright thick shoots is to make a tunnel shelter.
A shelter for blackberries is constructed from spruce branches, straw, corn and Jerusalem artichoke stalks, agrofibre or spandbond, and dry soil.
Diseases and pests: methods of control and prevention
The blackberry crop, in particular the Triple Crown variety, is resistant to diseases and pests. But dense planting contributes to the spread of infection. It is imperative to spray blackberry shoots with copper-containing preparations before wintering and after removing the cover.
Conclusion
The Triple Crown variety has been considered one of the best for more than 20 years. It is not for nothing that they call it a pearl - it is the most productive among dessert blackberries. And the beautiful black berries are not only large, but also really tasty.
