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The wild berry blackberry is not found on every gardener’s plot. The culture is not popular due to uncontrolled growth and thorny branches. However, breeders have developed many cultivated varieties that bear large berries and even without thorns on the stems. To grow such a miracle, you need to know how to care for blackberries in the fall, when to prune them, what month is best to choose for planting and other subtleties of agricultural technology.
When is it better to plant blackberries: autumn or spring?
The question of determining the time to plant a plant interests any gardener. Both seasons are favorable for blackberries. If agricultural practices and care are not followed, the seedling may die in spring and autumn.
The optimal time for planting seedlings is still considered to be autumn. In the south, this time is accompanied by warm, rainy weather, which makes maintenance easier. Before the onset of cold weather, the crop has time to take root, develop immunity, harden over the winter and begin to grow sharply in the spring. The disadvantage of the autumn process is the death of the seedling if the planting date is incorrectly determined.
Spring planting gives the seedling an incentive to accelerate development. Blackberries quickly grow young roots and drive out new shoots. However, for the southern regions, spring planting complicates care and brings many problems. With the onset of early heat and drought, a fragile seedling may die. In addition, during this period, an abundant invasion of pests and the spread of fungal diseases begin.
The video talks about choosing the best time to plant seedlings:
In what month should you plant blackberries in the fall?
The period of autumn planting of blackberries is optimal for the southern and middle regions. The plant will steadily develop its root system until winter, until the soil temperature reaches -4OWITH.
In the south, the best month for planting seedlings is considered to be the end of October. The crop will have time to take root before winter if it is planted in early November. In cooler regions, blackberries are planted from early October.
Site selection and soil preparation
The place for planting seedlings is chosen taking into account the characteristics of the plant and the ease of caring for it:
- Despite its forest origin, blackberries are light-loving. The plant requires sun or light partial shade. Under the canopy of tall trees or in the shade behind the wall of a building, the berries will be small and sour. Young shoots of the plant stretching towards the sun will cover the fruit-bearing branches from the light.
- Blackberries should not be planted in lowlands where melt and rainwater flows, as well as in areas with a constantly high level of groundwater. Oversaturation with moisture slows down the ripening of shoots. In winter, such a plant will disappear even with proper care.
- Breeders have developed many frost-resistant blackberry varieties, but the plant's winter hardiness is still weak. For cultivation, choose an area well protected from northern winds.
Loamy soil is better for blackberries. The plant does not take root well in carbonate soil. Sandstones do not suit blackberries due to their poor nutritional value and poor moisture retention. Bushes are often planted along the fence of the site with a distance of 1 m from the fence. Preparing the soil before planting seedlings involves digging with a shovel to a depth of 50 cm while simultaneously adding humus or compost in an amount of 10 kg/m2. Mineral fertilizers are additionally added to organic matter: 50 g of potassium, 100 g of superphosphate.
Any plants can grow in the area in front of the blackberries. Only nightshade and berry crops are considered bad predecessors.
Planting blackberry seedlings in autumn
Blackberry seedlings grown in flower pots are the easiest to plant. Planting material is removed from the container along with a lump of earth. If a seedling grows in a peat cup, then it is planted together with the container.
A hole is dug 10 cm deeper from the root with a lump of earth. A reserve of space is needed for adding humus. The seedling is lowered into the hole. The side gaps are filled with humus and a thin layer of organic matter is poured on top. The blackberry seedling is watered abundantly. After moisture is absorbed, the soil around the plant is mulched with a 10 cm layer of peat.
Caring for autumn-planted seedlings consists of timely watering in the absence of rain every 6–7 days. Potassium fertilizer is mixed into the water. With the onset of frost, watering is stopped.
If the seedling was purchased with an open root system, a hole is dug according to its size, and a mound is formed from the soil at the bottom. The fibrous root of the plant is spread along the slopes, sprinkled with a mixture of earth and humus, watered, and mulched with peat.
When planting several seedlings between upright bramble varieties, maintain a distance of at least 1 m. The row spacing is 2 m. Between creeping dewberry bushes, a distance of 2 to 3 m is maintained. A space of 3 m wide is left between the rows. Immediately after planting, the branches of the seedling are cut to two or three kidney
Blackberry propagation in autumn
If your favorite blackberry variety is already growing on your site, you can propagate the crop yourself before winter in two ways:
- By layering. The method is considered the simplest and most accessible for a novice gardener. At the beginning of October, the stems from the bush are laid on the ground and pinned with pieces of stiff wire. The end of the plant's lash is covered with earth so that a section of at least 20 cm long remains above the ground. After winter, by spring, the layering will take root. In May, the vines are cut from the mother blackberry bush, transplanted to a new place, provide careful care.
- Cuttings. The method does not provide 100% engraftment of all seedlings, but it is also good in its own way. To propagate blackberries in the fall by cuttings, in August, cut twigs 15–20 cm long from the bush with pruning shears. The bed is well fertilized with humus. The cuttings are buried in the ground at an angle. The soil around is mulched with peat. Watering is carried out constantly before the onset of frost so that the cuttings do not dry out.
Some gardeners like to germinate twigs in a jar of water first. When roots appear, the cuttings are planted in the ground.
Preparing blackberries for winter
All varieties of blackberries tolerate heat easily. One fruiting branch of an adult bush can bear up to 200 berries. Cultivated varieties can bear fruit up to three times per season. However, with the onset of autumn, the gardener is faced with the question of how to prepare blackberries for winter in order to get the same rich harvest from the bush the next season.
Only a healthy plant with mature shoots will overwinter well. During care, all young growth must be mercilessly pruned. Only replacement shoots are left. Pruning is done to avoid thickening. Care before winter involves feeding blackberries so that the plant gets stronger. Nitrogen cannot be added. This fertilizer stimulates the growth of shoots and is needed during the growing season of the bush. Before the onset of winter, potash fertilizers are applied. Minerals help blackberries survive the frosty winter.
Blackberry care in autumn
Caring for autumn blackberry seedlings is simple. The process consists of timely watering, loosening the soil, and mulching. It would be useful at the initial stage to protect the seedlings from pests hiding in the ground for the winter. Plants are watered with 1 liter of water with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution for two months after planting. The same liquid can be sprayed on the above-ground part of the seedling to protect against diseases. Hydrogen peroxide disinfects the soil and serves as a fertilizer for the roots of the plant, supplying them with an additional portion of oxygen.
How to prune blackberries in the fall
Late autumn care means pruning garden blackberries and preparing fruit-bearing bushes for winter. The formation of a bush helps the plant to winter better and to lay fruit buds on young shoots.
Briefly blackberry pruning in the fall for beginning gardeners it involves doing the following:
- old fruit-bearing branches of two years old are pruned on the bush;
- Excess young shoots that thicken the bush must be pruned;
- all immature young shoots fall under pruning;
- of one-year-old young branches, only the tops are pruned so that in the spring they grow and do not stretch upward.
If a remontant variety of blackberry grows on the site, then care involves pruning all branches at the root. After winter, the plant will send out new fruit-bearing shoots, which will immediately form a bush and give birth.
After pruning, the branches are removed outside the site and burned. They cannot be left, much less used for winter shelter. There are a huge number of pests and fungal spores on old branches. Further care after harvesting the cut branches is aimed at filling the ground under the bushes with a thick layer of peat. Mulch will retain moisture and insulate the roots in winter.
In addition to the lesson on how to prune blackberries in the fall, the video shows the proper care of the crop:
Pre-winter watering and fertilizing
Throughout the season, caring for an adult bush involves watering about three times. Such a small volume of water is explained by the structure of the root system. In blackberries, it goes far deep into the earth, where it is able to independently obtain moisture.With minimal watering, the bush can live in one place for up to 10 years. Surface moisture is partially retained by mulch.
The plant needs mandatory moisture-recharging watering in the fall before winter before frost sets in. At the same time as water, fertilizing is applied to the bush. For the winter, the plant needs potassium and phosphorus. The fertilizer should not contain chlorine. You can dig compost with the addition of superphosphate into the ground under each bush before watering.
How to cover blackberries for the winter
Only an inexperienced gardener might wonder whether it is necessary to cover blackberries for the winter, because they winter well in the forest and do not freeze. It must be answered right away that cultivated varieties are not adapted to severe frosts and require special care. The creeping type of blackberry is the most heat-loving. The plant can withstand temperature drops in winter only down to -17OC. The erect type of blackberry is more resistant to frost and less demanding of care. The bushes can withstand temperatures down to –20 in winter.OC. Without shelter, the crop can only winter in the south, where the thermometer does not fall below the critical level.
For shelter, the shoots are bent to the ground after pruning. There will be no problems with the creeping variety, but the erect variety does not lend itself to sharp bends. In order not to break the branches of the plant, in the fall, after pruning, a weight is tied to the tops. Under the weight before the onset of winter, the shoots will gradually fall to the ground.
To prevent pests from hiding on the bark for the winter and to destroy fungal spores, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate before covering. A fungicide will do. The area of land where the roots are supposed to grow is covered with a thick layer of mulch, and a flooring of boards is laid.
The branches of the bush are tied with twine, laid on a litter, pressed on top with boards or pinned with wire.
For the top cover of blackberry bushes, the following materials are used:
- Agrofibre. The choice of manufacturer is not important. You just need to purchase non-woven material with a density of 50 g/cm2 and lay it in two layers on top of the plant. Agrofibre with a density of 100 g/cm2 laid in one layer on each bush.
- PET film. The material is not suitable as an independent shelter. It is better to lay the film as the second top layer on the main insulation, protecting it from getting wet during rain.
- Organic insulation. Straw, wood shavings, fallen leaves from trees, sawdust retain heat, but create many problems. Rodents live inside organic matter in winter and are not averse to eating young blackberry branches. In spring, wet straw or leaves are difficult to rake out of thorny bushes. In addition, such organic matter absorbs moisture and begins to rot. For winter shelter, it is better to use plants with large stems. Corn is great.
- Spruce and pine branches. If there is a forest nearby, such a free blackberry shelter would be the best option. The needles prevent rodents from breeding in winter. The spruce branches can be laid on the plant without additional covering material or together with film or agrofibre.
With the arrival of spring, after the snow melts, the cover from the blackberry bushes is removed. You cannot delay it, otherwise the fruit buds will begin to rot.
Blackberry shelter for the winter in the middle zone
The climate of the middle zone is full of surprises. The culture can only be saved with competent care. Frosts often occur earlier than expected. Blackberries need to be prepared for winter in advance after fruiting. If it is not yet time to trim the bushes, you need to at least cover the roots with a thick layer of mulch.In the event of an unexpected frost, only the above-ground part of the plant will freeze before the onset of winter. In spring, the blackberry bush will be reborn from the root.
The bush itself, if frost is expected, can simply be covered with agrofibre on top. Non-woven material will protect flower buds from freezing. For the winter, bushes are especially carefully insulated. In the middle zone there are winters with little snow. A natural blanket serves as a good insulator for the plant, but in the absence of snow it must be replaced by artificial material.
Conclusion
Autumn work on caring for blackberries will not take much time from the gardener. In the spring, the crop will reward you for your efforts with a rich harvest of delicious berries.
