Content
Blackberry Doyle is a hardy variety of berry bush with a long fruiting period. The plant is well suited for cultivation in temperate climates, but you should familiarize yourself with the key features before starting to grow.
Origin story
Doyle’s blackberry is an American variety that has been known in cultivation relatively recently. Named after Tom Doyle, who first discovered the unusual plant in his own garden in 1970. The blackberries that grew on the American's plot bore a huge amount of fruit - up to 70 kg per bush. Upon further study, it turned out that the plant, when propagated, perfectly retains its characteristics, like ordinary cultivated varieties.
Doyle blackberry shoots are completely free of thorns
For several years, breeders, together with the Doyle family, continued to study blackberries. The new variety of bushes were presented at agricultural exhibitions and won recognition from visitors and experts.In 1994, Doyle's blackberry received an official patent and went on sale throughout the world. Today, the variety is grown not only in America, but also in Europe, the CIS countries and Russia.
Description of the bush and blackberries of the Doyle variety
Doyle's blackberry is a spreading, semi-erect shrub with horizontal shoots up to 4 m. The lower branches are longer than the upper ones, covered with complex palmate leaves consisting of five separate plates.
From late July to mid-autumn, the plant bears fruit - deep black berries of medium size and slightly elongated shape. The variety is characterized by a pleasant aroma. Doyle's blackberries have a specific taste - sweetish with pronounced sourness. The berries are very refreshing, but they cannot be called dessert.
Doyle blackberries reach 5-8 g in weight
Characteristics of blackberry Doyle
Before planting varietal blackberries on a site, it is necessary to study its main features. This will help determine whether the plant meets your specific needs.
Ripening time and yield
The blackberry variety Doyle ripens in the middle period from the end of July. The bush bears fruit for a very long time, lasting until the second ten days of October and the first frost.
With good care, one adult plant can produce 50 kg of berries or more. Up to 100 fruits are formed on a single blackberry cluster, and a well-developed bush can have up to 300 such clusters. The berries do not fall from the branches for a long time, have good keeping quality and, after picking, retain their presentation for about a week. They can be grown not only for personal use, but also for sale.
Frost resistance
Blackberry Doyle demonstrates average frost resistance and tolerates cold snaps down to -30 ° C. Thanks to this, it can be grown in the Moscow region, in the middle zone and in the Urals. In Siberia, the culture also develops well, but requires winter shelter and insulation of the root system.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Blackberry Doyle has strong immunity and rarely suffers from fungal diseases and garden parasites. But some diseases still pose a threat to her:
- Powdery mildew. A whitish coating appears on the leaves and fruits, and the berries become deformed.
When affected by powdery mildew, the blackberry crop becomes unsuitable for consumption.
- Anthracnose. Gray spots with a purple border appear on the plates of the plant.
Anthracnose reduces blackberry yields and leads to plant death
- Purple spotting. Blackberries' buds and leaves dry out, and necrotic areas appear on the blades and trunk.
With purple spotting, blackberries may not form ovaries at all.
- Spider mite. The insect feeds on the sap of the plant and entangles the shoots with a thin web.
The presence of a mite is indicated by yellow spots and brown dots on the leaves.
- Blackberry aphid. The pest draws juice from young stems and leaves and settles on the lower sides of the plates.
When infected with blackberry aphids, the leaves of the crop become curled and deformed.
- Raspberry stem fly. When attacked by insects, the plant stems often turn black and rot at the tops.
Raspberry fly larvae gnaw tunnels in blackberry shoots
For symptoms of fungal diseases, Doyle blackberries are treated with fungicides and Bordeaux mixture 2%. Spraying is carried out in early spring three times per season.An infusion of onion peels and a solution of laundry soap helps against pests; treatments are also performed several times at short intervals.
Advantages and disadvantages
The popular blackberry variety has positive qualities, but it also has weaknesses.
Pros: · high drought resistance; · very abundant harvests; · unpretentiousness to growing conditions; · resistance to fungi and pests; · long fruiting until late autumn; · absence of thorns; · bushes do not produce root shoots; · large and juicy fruits; · good frost resistance; · fruits are stored for a long time. | Minuses: · berries are distinctly sour; · seedlings are quite expensive; · blackberries can suffer from powdery mildew, anthracnose and spotting; · the variety remains young and has not been fully studied. |
Overall, the benefits of Doyle blackberries outweigh their disadvantages. But when planting plants, you need to take into account that the berries do not have dessert qualities and are poorly suited for fresh consumption.
Landing rules
It is recommended to plant Doyle blackberries in open ground in the spring at the beginning of April after the soil has thawed. In warm regions and the middle zone, the procedure is also allowed in the fall. But in this case, planting is carried out no later than the beginning of October, otherwise the plant will not take root before the cold weather.
The rooting algorithm looks like this:
- In the selected area, two weeks before planting, they dig up the soil and prepare holes about 40 cm deep.
- Garden soil is mixed with river sand and peat and complex minerals are added.
- The holes are half filled with substrate, and then a blackberry seedling is placed in the hole and its roots are straightened.
- The hole is filled completely with soil and the plant is watered generously with 10-15 liters of water.
When planting several seedlings, leave 1.5 m of free space between them. Next to each plant, it is recommended to immediately dig in support pegs for gartering the branches.
The growth bud of the Doyle blackberry needs to be buried to 8 cm
Blackberry Doyle requires loamy and well-drained soil. The shrub grows best in sunny but sheltered areas from the wind.
Features of care
Doyle blackberries do not have any special requirements for growing conditions. In the process of caring for crops, you need to pay attention to several points:
- Watering. The plant needs to be moistened as the soil dries. Usually 15-20 liters of water are added weekly to the root. On rainy days, additional moisturizing is not carried out.
- Feeding. For abundant fruiting, Doyle blackberries are recommended to be supplied with nitrogen fertilizers in early spring, phosphorus in mid-July and potassium in autumn.
- Loosening. Blackberry Doyle likes breathable, light soils. After each watering, the soil at the roots of the plant must be loosened to a shallow depth, while removing weeds.
- Trimming. Doyle blackberries are trimmed twice a season. In the spring, all frozen and dried branches are removed, and in the fall, diseased, weak and too old shoots that are no longer involved in fruiting are cut off.
Reproduction methods
There are several ways to propagate Doyle blackberries in the garden:
- Seeds.Dry grains of the plant are stratified in the refrigerator for two months. In the spring, the seeds are sown in a shallow box and germinated at a low temperature until 3-4 leaves appear, after which they are transferred to the ground.
- Cuttings. A green shoot about 20 cm long is cut off along with two leaves, half of the top one is left, and only part of the petiole is left from the bottom one. The cuttings are treated with mash, which is prepared from soil and a growth stimulant, taken in equal parts. After this, the shoot is planted in a box filled with peat and perlite and kept in a warm, humid place until fresh leaves appear. Then they begin to ventilate the blackberries and after a week they are transferred to open ground.
- By layering. The flexible lower shoot of the plant is laid on the ground and sprinkled with soil, leaving the top on the surface. To prevent the layer from straightening, it is secured with a staple or wire, mulched and watered for 1-2 months. In the fall, the shoot can be separated from the bush, and in the spring it can be transplanted to a new place.
Most often, vegetative propagation methods are used for Doyle blackberries. The plant's seeds germinate poorly, and the varietal characteristics of new seedlings deteriorate.
The Doyle variety does not produce root shoots, so the plant cannot be propagated by offspring
Conclusion
Blackberry Doyle is one of the most productive and unpretentious varieties. The crop is easy to grow, but its significant disadvantage is its sour berries, which are mainly suitable for preparations and desserts.
Reviews from gardeners about blackberries Doyle
