- Blackberries for the garden
- Caring for blackberry plants properly
- Encourage and propagate the blackberry plant in growth
- tips and tricks
Wild blackberry plants are among the true survivors, after a certain period of growth of the roots they can only be removed with great difficulty.
Blackberries for the garden
The blackberry varieties bred for the garden are also relatively fast-growing, but they are much easier to tame than their wild relatives. Green rods grow out of the ground from the strong and widely branched blackberry roots, which entwine in curved shapes towards the light. Depending on the species, the individual blackberry tendrils can grow up to four meters long. In addition to thornless cultivated forms, there are now also blackberry plants in specialist shops that tend to grow more upright.
Caring for blackberry plants properly
A wooden stick is usually sufficient for stabilizing upright blackberry varieties, while climbing varieties should ideally be brought into a neat shape with a trellis. Since blackberry plants always bear their fruit on the biennial canes, harvested canes should be cut off close to the ground in autumn. You can keep a better overview on a trellis if you alternately tie the rods to both sides every year. Fixing the rods at different heights also helps to distinguish them. If you want to pick lots throughout the summer, you should fertilize the blackberry plants regularly with a special berry fertilizer (€3.94) or organic alternatives such as horse manure and lawn clippings.
Encourage and propagate the blackberry plant in growth
A targeted cut can promote the vitality and fruiting of the blackberry tendrils. For this purpose, one-year-old tendrils should be cut at a length of about 2.5 meters to encourage the development of side shoots. In addition, fruit mummies and moldy fruits must always be removed as quickly as possible so that other fruits are not infected. The easiest way to propagate blackberry plants is through cuttings, which are ideally cut from the annual canes. If necessary, however, pieces with three or four leaf buds can also be cut from the old rods and placed in humus-rich potting soil.
tips and tricks
The blackberry plant is basically relatively undemanding. However, specimens cultivated in pots should be watered regularly so that they are not damaged if the drought persists.