Until now, we have associated blackberries more with forests. Since blackberries can be grown in the garden, more and more people are choosing to find a place for them. Blackberry fruit is not only very tasty, but also has many unique healing properties. Furthermore, cultivate thornless blackberry It's not difficult at all, and even beginning gardeners can do it.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you about the main care of the thornless blackberry.
Thornless Blackberry
Thornless blackberries are one of the most interesting and popular varieties to grow in our garden. It is a hybrid of several wild species. Therefore, the habits of blackberry varieties are cleaner and thornless, making them suitable even for small gardens. It really pays to indulge - growing blackberries in the garden is quick and easy, and fruit is a special gift for everyone.
One characteristic of these particular plants is that thornless berries will develop brown, slightly slender shoots completely free of thorns. Its stems vary in length, reaching some varieties up to 5 meters, but many more around 3 meters. Thornless blackberries produce small, unattractive flowers in May that have no decorative value but will attract many flying insects to the garden.
However, growing blackberries in the garden is aimed at the beautiful and delicious fruit on the branches, which begin to appear individually in July. Their true eruptions only appear in late August and September, when they are also at their sweetest. Blackberry fruits typically have a black or dark blue structure, similar to raspberries. They have a distinctive slightly tart flavor that is difficult to remove from the stems. Its dark red juice is dirty and difficult to wash off.. Blackberry leaves have a distinctive lobed shape and a dark green color.
Blackberry and bent blackberry
The thornless blackberry is not the only variety of blackberry that you can invite into your garden. Blackberries and blueberries also do well in cultivation. They are easily distinguished from the former mainly by the presence of spines, but there are more differences. The blackberry is a low shrub, about 110 cm tall, with many strongly crooked branches that do not climb very far.. It is a widespread plant, common in the forests of Poland and throughout Eastern Europe, and produces fruit that is more acidic than thornless blackberries. Blackberries, like blackberries, are considered a medicinal plant. The latter is similarly low and only occurs in the lower mountainous regions of the country. You can find more information about medicinal plants here.
It is possible to grow blackberries in the garden thanks to the efforts of breeders, who each year provide more resistant and valuable varieties. One of the most popular varieties in Europe is the Polish variety Orkan, which it is characterized by fairly good frost resistance. The blackberries of this variety produce a delicious and aromatic fruit, black in color and large in size, with a high dessert value.
The most valuable variety of thornless blackberries
Other interesting varieties are Loch Ness and Navajo. Both are known for their very high resistance to frost, which is why they can grow in our climate. Loch Ness Blackberries they are large, black and unique in the market for their sweetness and high juiciness content. The Navajo, on the other hand, is known for its enormous fertility, which is why it is often used in commercial plantations. These blackberries are so delicious that they all came out at the end of August.
The rest of the blackberry varieties are not very useful to grow in Poland because they may not have enough frost resistance. However, it is sometimes chosen, especially in warmer parts of the country, because of its fruity flavor. However, it is worth protecting them carefully from frost in winter, preferably with a cover of agricultural fabric.
Thornless blackberry care
To successfully grow blackberries in the garden, the soil must be rich in organic matter, so it is worth enriching the place with compost or fertilizer, or at least a multi-component fertilizer, before planting. Thanks to them, the seedlings will be better accepted and will begin to grow faster. Like raspberries, growing blackberries requires mulch to keep the substrate moist and suppress weeds.
The best solution is to plant balloton: these cuttings do not inhibit development and their roots are in better condition than bare roots. Seedlings of all varieties can be easily found at various garden stores, so there are plenty of options. Blackberries are planted 1,5-2 meters apart because they grow fast and require a lot of space. Sow in spring and fall.
Growing garden berries, like raspberries, can be demanding, especially at first. Young plants need frequent watering, as they cannot tolerate even a temporary lack of water. At a later stage, you don't have to worry about it, only water plants during standard garden watering on hot days. However, one of the most important treatments is fertilization to make the fruit sweet, juicy and very large.
During the spring, the plants should be fertilized regularly every few weeks, preferably with multicomponent fertilizers, especially NPK fertilizers, which are fertilizers that contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to maintain proper soil pH for lusher, stronger plants. In the fall, it is worth giving the bushes a small amount of fall fertilizer to prepare them for winter frosts. If you are preparing the support by adding fertilizer or any other type of fertilizer, you do not need to fertilize the seedlings.
Thornless Blackberry Care and Cutting After Fruiting
The most important method of caring for garden blackberries is pruning. As a result, the bushes quickly thicken and bear more fruit. In the first year, the plants just sprout, so it is not necessary to prune them. In the second year, the first such treatment can be carried out, but only after harvesting. The plant bears only once on last year's shoots, so cut the fruit in late summer. In spring, however, repeat the treatment: carefully inspect the plant and remove any frozen or dead branches.
Some varieties of thornless blackberries are hardy, but they are worth protecting from frost. The shoots can be placed in the ground and covered with leaves, coniferous branches, jute cloth or good quality winter agricultural cloth. You can also build small mounds around the trunks, so the roots of the plants will be better protected. This is important because plants can die quickly in very cold winters.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the care of the thornless blackberry.