Blackberries: varieties, cultivation, care, use of berries

Recommendation points

• Growing
• Care
• Using berries

Blackberries are the closest relative of raspberries, but they are much less common in our country. There are reasons for this, because blackberries are a little more susceptible to the negative effects of frosts, but there are varieties for the middle lane that will perfectly take root in our climate. Caring for a blackberry is easy, and its black berries are not only very tasty, but also healthy. Let’s tell you more about this plant.

Growing

In the first step, in order to then get a whole garden or a piece of an area completely planted with blackberries, you will need seedlings. There are two main varieties of blackberries that differ in appearance:

1. Kumanika. These blackberry varieties are distinguished by vertical stems, which can sometimes droop a little. In height it can reach three meters, the tops never take root. This group includes the following blackberry varieties: Darrow, Wilson, Erie, Eldorado, Maxwell Earley, Loughton, Kittatinny and others. Most Kumaniks are frost resistant.
2. Rosyaniki. These are creeping blackberry varieties that multiply by rooting buds growing at the top of the plant. The frost-resistant varieties of dewdrop include Texas, Lucretia, Izobilnaya, Thornless Logan. Other varieties may suffer from spring frosts..

Loganberry Thornless

It is not difficult to purchase blackberry seedlings now, and in the future you will be able to independently reproduce the plant. Experts recommend choosing well-known nurseries, and buying annual seedlings themselves, with an already well-developed root system, with a formed bud on the roots, as well as two stems that have reached a thickness of 5 millimeters.

For planting blackberry seedlings, you should choose an area that is protected from the wind, it is possible on a slope, but with a sufficiently large amount of sunlight. It is noteworthy that it is better to plant blackberries in the spring, at the end of April, and not in the fall. In terms of soil, breathable, drained nutrient loams and sandy loams are well suited. The depth of the seedling pit depends on the size of its root system..

It is best to plant the blackberry within a meter of other crops. Blackberries can be planted using a bush or tape method. The first one implies planting two or three seedlings in one hole, the holes themselves are placed according to the scheme 1.8×1.8 meters, and the second – into the furrow with a chain, while the distance between the seedlings is about a meter, between the rows – two meters. The bush method is suitable for varieties with a low level of shoot formation, the tape method – with enhanced shoot formation.

In the future, blackberries can be propagated in two ways: kumaniks propagate by root cuttings or offspring, and the drooping top of the dewdrop can simply be dug in with soil so that the apical bud takes root.

Care

Taking care of blackberries is not very difficult. The plant is more drought tolerant than raspberries, blackberry roots can penetrate up to 1.5 meters deep, so it is often not required to water it. Weeds will only have to be weeded if you have not mulched the soil. In addition, blackberries grow and other plants practically do not grow under them. The soil should be fertilized if you want to increase the yield or the soil itself is infertile.

But this berry should be cut regularly, best of all in spring and autumn. In the spring, dried or frozen shoots and tops are removed, up to the first healthy bud. It is better to do this even before the kidneys wake up. In autumn, spring shoots are cut at a height of 1.7 meters, all weak branches are removed, and shoots of the second year are cut out at the root, which will no longer bear fruit.

In addition, a sufficiently tall blackberry may require trellises, that is, supports. Plants can be planted near a wooden fence or tied to metal trellises strong enough to support the plant’s weight. However, some gardeners prune blackberries a little harder in the fall, and they do not have time to grow over the summer so that support is required.

Using berries

Blackberries begin to ripen in the southern regions by early or mid-July, in the regions of the middle zone – by August. The berries are red at first, like raspberries, and then darken. Ripe blackberries are considered to be easily removed from the stalk. The crop should be harvested regularly, as it ripens, otherwise the berries will simply begin to crumble.

The scope of application of blackberries is very large. This berry has antipyretic properties, like its relative, raspberry. In addition, there are a lot of vitamins in blackberries, they are tasty by themselves, so it is better to eat fresh berries in summer for future use..

For the winter, you can do anything with blackberries: boil fragrant compotes, grind with sugar to store in the refrigerator in a sealed jar, boil jam, freeze. Blackberries are prized not only for their taste, but also for their color. Pies and compotes with it turn out bright, festive, unusual.

Before freezing in regular bags or airtight containers, the blackberries should be sorted, rinsed and dried. It is stored in this form very well and practically does not lose its useful and taste properties. And other goodies can be added to compotes with this berry, for example, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, cherries. It all depends on your imagination and the availability of the harvest.

We hope we have convinced you that the garden blackberry is a plant that deserves attention and must appear on your site. You will get a lot of benefits and pleasures from these berries, and care is no more difficult than for the more familiar raspberries.