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Propagating blackberries by cuttings is one of the common ways to increase the number of shrubs on a site. The method can be used by any novice gardener with certain skills and equipment.
Advantages of propagating blackberries from cuttings
When growing a crop, you should use its various parts: rhizome, stem and even leaf. The vegetative method implies the ability to grow blackberries from cuttings. This method allows you to recreate an instance that is identical in characteristics to the parent.
The method does not require large financial investments and physical effort. If the outcome is successful, cuttings make it possible to quickly propagate the plant on the site.
A culture grown from cuttings has weak immunity, so it is not recommended to use it for subsequent propagation
Features of blackberry cuttings depending on the variety
This breeding method has its own characteristics.It cannot be applied to all varieties of blackberries.
Propagation of the thornless species by cuttings is not recommended. As a result, the gardener will receive a bush with thorns. When cuttings become lignified or green in thornless varieties, seedlings often die during such propagation.
Remontant blackberries can bear fruit twice a year. Cuttings should be carried out in the summer, and the finished seedlings should be transferred to the site in August or September. Young bushes can please you with a harvest next year after propagation.
Standard and common blackberries lend themselves very well to propagation from woody shoots. For successful growth and development, the seedling should be provided with proper care.
When to harvest garden blackberry cuttings
There is no specific time frame for the procurement of planting material. Spring propagation by cuttings should be completed before the buds open. The rhizome is separated at a later date. If you need to germinate “green” cuttings, then the optimal time is summer. The finished material is transferred to a permanent place in September.
Blackberry varieties that lend themselves well to cuttings are best propagated in the fall. When choosing a time frame for the procedure, consider the following nuances:
- Spring preparations cannot be stored for a long time. They must be immediately assigned to a new place of residence and covered with a layer of mulch. All work on propagating the crop should begin in early spring and be completed before the leaves bloom.
- Summer shoots are cut in July and immediately placed in greenhouses with high humidity. They don't last long.
- Autumn shoots are woody, they can be cut, prepared and stored until spring. The room must have a humidity of up to 95% and a temperature of up to + 4 °C.
The quality of seedlings and the harvest in the future depend on the competent preparation of material.
How to take blackberry cuttings
You can work with different types of cuttings for propagation: green, root or lignified. Each of them has a number of features in preparation.
Gardeners fail when:
- The deadlines for cuttings were not met, or the manipulation of variety propagation was carried out incorrectly.
- The transfer of seedlings to open ground was carried out incorrectly.
- The plant is not provided with proper care. Culture is capricious until it is fully established.
Propagation of blackberries by root cuttings
This method is recommended for creeping varieties whose root shoots are poorly developed. You can also use cuttings to propagate upright varieties.
To grow blackberries you should follow the following algorithm:
- In late autumn or early spring, dig out an adult shrub as carefully as possible.
- Divide it into parts or cut off the roots so that they are no closer than 60 cm from the plant.
- Immediately transfer the finished seedlings to a permanent place or leave them for the winter.
To preserve root cuttings, they should be placed in damp sand. Move the container with future shrubs to the basement.
The offspring can also be stored in damp sawdust in a cool room.
Propagation of blackberries by green cuttings
In June-July you can work with green blackberry shoots. The procedure is recommended to be carried out during the summer pruning period.
This method is well suited for varieties such as Thornfree, Black Satin, Thornless Logan. Smutstem and Dirksen Thornless show worse rooting and poor growth for next spring.
Propagation of blackberries by green cuttings occurs as follows:
- In July, cut the shoots that still have several buds. It should be taken into account that the upper third of the shoot is suitable for rooting, but the outer two buds must be removed.
- An ideal cutting should have two leaves, each of which is located at the top. Trim the lower leaf blades.
- Plant the finished seedlings in pots or cups. Fill them with a soil mixture that includes peat and baking powder (sand or perlite).
- Transfer the containers to a greenhouse or under film to maintain a humid climate. Water the soil in pots regularly.
- After 25-30 days, when the root system is formed, move the blackberries to a permanent place on the site.
To increase the chances of rooting, it is recommended to treat the shoots with a root formation stimulator: Kornevin or Heteroauxin
Propagation of blackberries by woody cuttings
Gardeners who did not have time to cut shoots in the summer can prepare everything in the fall.
How to propagate blackberries using woody cuttings:
- Trim branches to 20-30 cm in length.
- Bury them in the area until spring so that they protrude 10 cm above the surface of the ground.
- After the snow melts, dig up the cuttings, renew the cuts on them and arrange them in rows, maintaining a distance of 5-10 cm, and cover them again with earth.
- Water and remove weeds until shoots emerge. As soon as they appear, place arcs with film over the seedlings to provide the plant with a high level of humidity.
You can plant blackberry cuttings when they grow into bushes with 2-3 true leaves
There is another way of propagation by woody shoots:
- In February-March, place the cuttings cut in the fall in water, top down. Pour the liquid into the container so that it covers the lower bud. Add water as it evaporates.
- As soon as the roots appear, prepare a separate pot for the cuttings. Pour fertile soil into each container. Move the seedling there.
As soon as the roots appear, you can immediately plant the cuttings in open ground, and not in a pot, if weather conditions permit
How to plant blackberry cuttings
Knowledge of how to root shoots is not enough. In order for plants to take root safely after the propagation procedure, they need to be correctly placed on the site. You can determine whether a blackberry cutting is ready for planting by the degree of development of the rhizome. The lobe should consist of 5-7 branches 10-15 cm long. The length of the above-ground part of the stem is at least 2-3 cm.
In the fall, blackberry cuttings need to be rooted before frost sets in, and in the spring - after the snow melts and the soil warms up. Young plants are placed in holes or furrows, deepened in such a way that the root goes underground at least 2 cm. Then fill it with soil, making sure to fill all the voids.
It is not recommended to bend the roots of blackberries when planting in a hole.
Compact the soil around the bed with the bush, applying more effort along the periphery and leaving loose soil around the trunk of the crop so that it receives air access.
The harvested material can be placed on the plot in the garden bed without germination. To do this, it is placed in furrows to a depth of 8-10 cm, and then sprinkled with earth. It is important to water the plantings abundantly.
It is necessary to divide cuttings after propagation only after young bushes with a good root system have formed
After successful propagation by blackberry cuttings in the fall, when the plants have become stronger and grown, you can decide on the future location of the shrub. Most often, gardeners plant the plant along a hedge to create a living fence.
It is best to place the garden bed in a sunny place protected from the wind, on a south or south-east slope.
The soil should be fertile with good drainage. Preferred loamy or sandy soil, chernozem. It will not take root on clay soil. The optimal acidity of the soil mixture is 5.7-6.5 pH.
Blackberries do not tolerate soil salinity and excess calcium carbonate.
Suitable dimensions for the planting hole are 40 cm in depth and 40 cm in diameter. You can simply prepare a hole whose dimensions are twice the size of the container in which the seedling is located.
To prepare a nutrient soil mixture, you need to mix the following components:
- humus;
- the top layer of earth remaining after digging a hole;
- sand (if sandy soil predominates on the site);
- potassium and phosphorus fertilizers.
From mineral fertilizers, it is recommended to add 30-40 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium sulfate. From organic fertilizers, 100-200 g of bone meal or wood ash is suitable.
Mix all components thoroughly in order to subsequently fill the seedling with the resulting soil mixture during planting.
Work algorithm:
- Place it in the hole, straighten out all the roots.
- Deepen the root collar by 2-3 cm.
- Carefully cover the seedling with the prepared soil mixture and compact the soil around the trunk.
- Form a hole for watering, moisten the soil: at least 10 liters for each bush.
It should be borne in mind that it is important to leave a distance of 1-1.5 m between upright varieties, and 2.5-3 m between creeping varieties
Further care of seedlings
How the shrub will develop in the future after reproduction depends on proper care. The first year after planting is especially important.
If the cutting has not had time to grow, then it is left without pruning. In the case when a young shrub has grown green mass and is transplanted, the shoots need to be shortened so that 25-30 cm remain before the developed bud.
A mandatory step is mulching. This allows you to retain moisture in the soil, avoid abundant weed growth and the formation of an earthen crust. It is recommended to use sawdust and peat as mulch. They need to be laid in a layer of at least 3-4 cm.
An alternative material that can be used as mulch is bark.
No less important for the growth of blackberries is watering after propagation by cuttings. Since the root system is not powerful, the soil should be moistened abundantly, but rarely. The shrub loves water very much during fruiting, so during this period it is necessary to carry out the procedure more often.
Both erect and trailing varieties of blackberries need support in the second year after planting. This procedure allows the bush to form correctly and evenly receive sunlight, which reduces the risk of developing fungal diseases. You can tie blackberries to an arch or trellis.
In many regions with cold climates, the plant needs shelter after the propagation procedure. To protect against frost, you can use any available means. A layer of mulch will serve as a good cover. You can use peat, sawdust or spruce branches. The use of agrofibre and fabric is widespread.If in winter the temperature drops below - 25 ° C, then cover the shrub with film on top.
Preparation of the crop for winter after successful propagation includes pruning the plants and protecting them from pests. The shoots should be tied and bent to the ground, and then covered.
Conclusion
Propagating blackberries by cuttings is an interesting way to grow a crop on your own site. The choice of time for the breeding procedure is at personal discretion. With the right approach, a gardener can get a strong young shrub next year. For abundant fruiting, the plant should be provided with proper care.
