How to grow blackberries: planting, requirements and care

Do you like blackberries? If so, growing blackberries at home is a great idea. This vegetable is undemanding and tends to grow well in temperate regions. Depending on the variety, it can tolerate even warmer environments, including tropical ones. However, there are a number of aspects that we must take into account if we want to have blackberries in our orchard or garden. To help you, we will explain in this article how to grow blackberry

For you to succeed in harvesting blackberries, we will not only tell you how to plant blackberries step by step, but we will also comment the needs of this plant, when to grow it and how long it takes to bear fruit. I hope this information is useful for you!

How to plant the blackberry?

The first thing we must do if we want to grow blackberries is get the seedlings. The varieties usually used for cultivation can be classified into two groups:

• Thorny: Ashton Cross, Bailey, Bedford Giant, Cherokee, Dewberry, Himalaya, Loganberry, Runguer, Tupi, Youngberry, etc.
• Unarmed (without thorns): Aurora, Black Diamond, Black Satin, Darrow, Dirksen, Evergreen, Loch Ness, Smoothstem, Thornfree, Thornless Evergreen, etc.

The type we choose will depend on the area in which we are, since its resistance to different environments and climates varies according to the characteristics of each variety. Their common point is the time of planting. This task must be carried out in the rainy season, They require abundant watering. This means that the most appropriate time is spring, if we live in regions with very cold winters. On the other hand, if we are in regions with more temperate winters, we can plant these vegetables in the fall.

In addition, there are a number of aspects that we must take into account when growing blackberries, since basic needs must be met if we want them to grow and eventually bear fruit:

• Location: Although blackberries are sun worshipers, too much can be bad for them. Therefore, if we live in a fairly warm region, it is best to place this vegetable in a semi-shaded place.
• Usually I: It is also important to consider the terrain. It should be clayey and have good drainage. In this way the water is better retained but the excess is evacuated quite easily.
• Climate: Blackberries generally need sunny, cool weather. The optimum temperatures for this vegetable are between 16°C and 25°C. The ideal humidity is between 80% and 90%.
• Irrigation: As for irrigation, it should be short but frequent. This is of the utmost importance, especially during the flowering season.

plant blackberry step by step

Once we have acquired the type of blackberry we want, it is time to plant the seedlings. It can be done directly on the ground in the garden or orchard, or in a pot. Let’s see how it’s done step by step for planting blackberry in the ground:

1. Clear the field: First you have to clear the ground. To do this, we will eliminate the remains of previous crops, weeds and any other residue that may be present. In this way we will ensure that the blackberry receives enough nutrients to grow. Placing a layer of mulch will prevent weeds from growing.
2. Land preparation: It is important to moisten the soil before sowing. In addition, it is strongly recommended to plow the land to aerate it. The minimum recommended by experts is 30 centimeters. Then we can fertilize the soil by spreading earthworm humus and peat. Another option would be to create a two-inch layer of a manure mix.
3. Introduce the seedling: At the time of introducing the seedling into the ground, the soil should be moist, but not waterlogged. To place the blackberries, we must create furrows and leave a distance of about one and a half or two meters between each plant. If we want to make several furrows, the distance we must respect between them is two meters.

How to grow a blackberry: care after planting

Now that we know how to plant blackberries, it’s time to talk about the care they need. First, irrigation should be highlighted. If we manage to do it correctly, the plant will give us more fruits which will also be larger. It is of utmost importance that the soil is always wet, but without flooding so as not to kill the plant. Indeed, its root system is not deep, which makes it very sensitive to drought. It is best to use a drip irrigation system. A little trick to better conserve soil moisture, especially during the hottest seasons, is to apply a layer of mulch between three and five centimeters thick.

Another fundamental aspect is to fertilize the land. It must be done after winter by spreading compost or manure. In this way, we bring nutrients to the soil before the start of the blackberry growing season. If we do this every year, the plant will continue to bear fruit for at least 20 years.

Besides watering and fertilizing, we also have to do something support the plant to prevent its stems from touching the ground and becoming tangled. If we do not do this, the harvest of blackberries will be very difficult, especially if it is a prickly variety. For this we can use frame or box trellis, or line trellis.

How to grow a blackberry: pruning

Finally, it remains to highlight the size of the blackberry. Through this process we can control the growth of the plant and the harvest. In addition, it will allow us to produce higher quality blackberries and help prevent disease. These are the three basic sizes of the blackberry:

1. Training size: It is carried out when the blackberry is still growing, before the first harvest. All twisted and broken branches must be removed. It is best to cut between six and ten branches for each bush.
2. Fruiting size: This is done after harvest to stimulate the formation of new, more productive branches and for the growth of side branches. In addition, we can take the opportunity to prune the male branches, since they do not produce fruit. They are those that have the shape of a whip and whose tip is closed.
3. Renewal size: Every ten years, it’s time to prune all those stems that are ten centimeters above the ground.

Now that you know how to grow blackberries, all you have to do is get to work and enjoy some delicious blackberries from your own harvest.