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Care
of Blackberries
Care
of your Blackberry
Harvesting
Blackberries It
should be possible to start harvesting the berries in
early July
depending
on the variety. Most varieties can be harvested from
early August
up
until
early October
if the weather is good. There are two methods to determine if blackberries are ready for
harvest. First look at the colour, the berries should be deep purple or
burgundy (almost but not quite black) and look plump. The second method
is to pick a test blackberry. Grasp a berry between your thumb and
finger then gently twist. If the fruit comes off easily leaving the
stalk behind then it's ripe. Eat the blackberry to taste it! Some trial
and error is required but if you start the harvest process from late
July onwards you will soon be able to judge the correct time for
harvest. It's
best to pick the fruit little but often to encourage the formation of
more fruit. Frequent picking will also reduce the risk of the fruit
over-ripening and rotting which will only encourage disease. The best
time to pick blackberries is when the weather is dry, wet blackberries
do not keep longer than a day before they begin to rot. As soon as the
berries are harvested place them out of direct sunlight in a cool area. Blackberries do not ripen when picked and they should be eaten within
a day or so of harvest. If you want to keep them longer then place them
in the refrigerator and they will be good for three or four days. Keep
them slightly moist in the refrigerator for the best results.
Propagate Your Blackberry The
stem tips will root in a couple of month's time, and can be dug up and
moved to their final position early Spring next year. To do this, cut
the parent stem about 30cm (12in) from the new plant. Dig up the new
plant, trying to avoid any root disturbance and plant in their new
positions.
Early
Season
Bedford
Giant
Thorny,
vigorous grower
Large
black fruit, very good taste.
Heavy
crops for four weeks.
Merton
Early
Thorny,
very compact grower
Glossy
fruit, good taste.
Heavy
cropper for around a month
Middle
Season
Himalayan
Giant
Very
thorny, very vigorous
Large
black fruit, slightly acidic taste
Heavy
cropper over six or seven weeks
Merton
Thornless
No
thorns, medium vigour
Medium
sized fruit, the best taste
Good
cropper over 6 weeks
Late
Season
John
Innes
Medium
thorns, vigorous grower
Large
black fruit, excellent taste
Good
cropper, avoid cold sites
Plant your Blackberry cane well and it will require little care. Water them when conditions become dry,
especially if this occurs when the berries are forming. An annual
dressing of well-rotted compost will see them throughout the season.
Where compost is not available, use a log lasting fertiliser such as
bonemeal. Blackberries are self-fertile and so will produce fruit even
if only one plant is grown.
The berries are produced on the previous year's growth, and for this
reason, no blackberries will be produced during the first year.
It is an easy job to propagate a blackberry, even for novice gardeners. The best time is
around
mid-September.
Select a stem
which is in perfect condition (growing vigorously with no blemishes) and
bend its tip to the ground. Where it touches the ground, dig a small
hole about 15cm (6in) deep and bury the tip of the stem into the hole.
Cover with crumbly soil to the surrounding soil level. If the stem looks
like springing out of the hole, place a few largish stones over the soil
to keep it in place (remove them two months later). Water well if the
conditions are dry.
Name: john
E-mail: jthomas@absit.com
Date posted: August 29, 2011 - 11:34 am
Message: My blackbery bush has not put out one berry this year. This is it's 2 year in the ground. It is huge, maybe 12 feet tall and shoots everywhere. What did I do wrong.
Name: vicki brown
E-mail: Private
Date posted: July 29, 2011 - 11:32 am
Message: dumb question: this is my first year for my blackberry bush to bloom and produce and I have it running a white picket fence. Two large "stems" keep growing higher (non-producing) and I wasn't sure what to do with them. they seem to be thriving in the not wether but my original "running" vines are dying. Are these large stems what should be bent over and put in the ground to grow?--or do they need to be cut back?
Name: Carol
E-mail: cartref@37morton.fslife.co.uk
Date posted: July 26, 2011 - 07:14 am
Message: Please can u help? My blackberries flowered but some of the buds/flowers died and a small fruit is dark brown and shrivelled. I have been looking each day and taking the died ones away in the hope of stoping the deterioration spreading. We have sprayed the bush but no joy!!!!!!!!
Name: John
E-mail: a3hawks4u@gmail.com
Date posted: July 23, 2011 - 09:33 pm
Message: We live at 6,700 ft and our blackberry bush does great...gets full sun and we compost each year and always apply some each spring. Last year we put long tips into the ground as this article states and this year we have four healthy new bushes and will do the same this year so we can give some away. Best wishes to all who plant these...they taste great!
Name: Jamal
E-mail:
Date posted: July 08, 2011 - 11:02 am
Message: dont pick blackberrys it is racist
Name: Michael
E-mail: mreppl@yahoo.com
Date posted: June 22, 2011 - 12:16 pm
Message: Just planted a small blackberry plant. But i dug a big hole in the ground to loosen up the soil on top plus there was clay way down. When I put the plant in the hole i filled it up with some of the dirt i took out and some good dirt from a compost pile. So im hoping this little plant will take off in a year or two. Will keep everyone informed of my first time garden. Good Luck to everyone trying to grow something. Today is the second day and another T-storm approaches.
Name: megan
E-mail: flamonkie@comcast.net
Date posted: May 17, 2011 - 12:13 pm
Message: I live in Northern Florida, and theres wild blackberries growing EVERYWHERE! In my backyard, theres a huge bush and several other little ones growing around it. In the middle of the large bush theres dead, old stems. They seem to be attached to the whole bush, will it hurt the bush if i pull those out? Should I clip them?
Name: Wayne Fritsen
E-mail: thumzup45@gmail.com
Date posted: December 28, 2010 - 06:42 pm
Message: we live in Pahrump Nevada, just north of Las Vegas and would like to grow black berries.
will the do well in our 100 degree summers? what species would you recomment
Soil is VERY hard clay but we can amend with much to loosen it up. will that be necassry.
thanks
wayne
Name: BERINITA GILL
E-mail: Private
Date posted: October 21, 2010 - 01:08 am
Message: can you please help me i have bought a blackberry called murrindindi thorness i live in s,a i have make a [small]runner for it was not such if it grows on a treis or not?It is local under a peach fruit tree where it gets morning sun and shade in the ground i have cow.sheep.chicken compost have i done the correctful thing for this blackberry or not or do i have to move it as i do not know anything about this plant my soil is not adic can you please tell me if i need to do anything else or it is in the right place
Name: JANET Van Craeyenest
E-mail: Private
Date posted: September 21, 2010 - 09:35 am
Message: I live in Spain and bought my blackberry plant from the Garden centre but it has not produced any berries, why is this it is growing very tall
Name: Robert Buser
E-mail: debrobb@verizon.net
Date posted: August 05, 2010 - 03:02 pm
Message: I have looking for a plant nursery that sells black currant bushes and getting nowhere.Can you help? Thanks.