Planting Blackberries

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Planting Blackberries

This name is used here toinclude all types of trailing berries, i.e., Logan-berry, Boysenberry, Youngberry as well as thecommonly known Blackberry. Blackberries aregrown commercially in N.Y. as well as in theWillamette Valley of Ore., parts of Calif. andelsewhere. They are not as hardy as raspberries.They grow best on fertile, well-drained soils,and those soils that are in windy areas or areasof late spring frosts should be avoided. Theyare easily propagated by tip layering, that is,merely inserting the tip of a cane in the soil inthe fall, and digging up the young rooted stemthe following spring. They are also propagatedfrom suckers or root cuttings. Also sec RUBUS.

Plants are set 5-10 ft. apart depending on thetraining system used. The plants themselvesshould be planted as early in the spring aspossible and cut back to about 8—to in. highafter planting.

Blackberry canes are biennial, that is theygrow vegetatively one year, produce fruit thenext and then die, and should be removed.Varieties differ in the length to which the canesgrow. Some varieties, especially those grown inthe eastern United States like 'Darrow', 'Bailey'and 'Eldorado', are mostly self-supporting butthe loganberries and boysenberries, as well assome Blackberry varieties grown on the PacificCoast have long trailing stems that must betrained on a trellis, otherwise they would fallto the ground.

If the planting is to be grown without a trellis,the plants should be spaced about 2-3 ft. apartin the row and the rows 8-9 ft. apart. Youngshoots will come up between the plants, butstrict cultivation should be such that it will keepthese suckers to a strip of soil about t ft. wide.If this is not done the plants can become atangle, very difficult if not impossible to managesince they have rigid thorns making any pruninga disagreeable task that is almost impossibleunless thick gloves are worn and long-handledlobbing shears are used. Mulching can bepracticed, but the suckers coming up betweenthe rows should be eliminated from time totime.

Pruning is best done in the early spring,eliminating those that have borne fruits as wellas any weak or broken canes. Those canesremaining (if no trellis is used and these areself-erect varieties) should be about 8-lo in.apart, and the laterals should be reduced toabout 8-12 buds each. The new canes startgrowing rapidly in June, and the tip of theseshould be pinched out when the canes are about21-3 ft. tall. This will have to be done at weeklyintervals since the canes do not all maturetogether, but it does promote sturdy, compact,plant development. When harvesting is over theold canes can be removed any time.

Those varieties with long, trailing stemsare usually trained to a wire trellis of fromone to several wires. Plants are spaced aboutto ft. apart and the canes tied to the wires. Somegrowers use a simple stake, one to each hill. Thestake is about 5-6 ft. tall and the canes merelywrapped around the stake in spiral fashion andthe ends clipped off at the top. The canes canbe trained on single wires, wrapped aroundthem, or on 2 wires or tied fan shaped to severalwires. This takes more labor perhaps but oftenresults in a higher yield.

Blackberries should only be picked when theyare fully ripe and about to be used. They do notripen all at once but over a period of severalweeks in July and Aug. They respond to theapplication of nitrogenous fertilizers in earlyspring, but the amount should be controlled byshoot growth and fruit production.

Varieties

In the eastern United States, the varietiesgenerally are 'Darrow' (best); 'Bailey' (good);`Eldorado' (good but difficult to find in nurseriestrue to name). There is a sterile type that hasbeen distributed which blooms well but does notproduce fruit. This should be dug up anddiscarded wherever it has been planted.

On the West Coast, 'Evergreen' and 'ThornlessEvergreen' are very popular varieties, especiallythe latter, a sport of 'Evergreen', for the canesare easily handled. Fruit is firm and has a goodflavor. Large quantities are canned; it accountsfor the largest Blackberry acreage in Ore.,ripening in Aug. and Sept. These of course arenot hardy in the eastern United States.

Other varieties are 'Cascade' with red fruits,`Marion' with shining black fruits, and'Pacific'.

'Boysen', or the Boysenberry as it is called,originated in Calif., is dark wine red and is notreliably hardy in the East. It is best grown on atrellis for the canes are 8-to ft. long. They ripenfrom early July to late Aug. It has anexcellent flavor and is popular locally wheregrown.

The 'Logan' or Loganberry also originatedin Calif. in 1881. It is vigorous with long caneswhich are best trained on a wire trellis, but itwinter-kills in most parts of the country otherthan parts of Calif., Ore., and Wash. The fruitsare dark red, of medium size and tend to be alittle soft, hence it is grown mainly for juice andwine, for the fruit does not ship well. It ripensfrom late June through July.

Insect Pests

Blackberry sawfly and raspberry sawfly maystrip the leaves in early summer. They are easilykilled with insecticide #5, #9, and # 37.Rednecked cane borer kills many canes byboring in the pith. Careful pruning holds thesein check. Blackberry psyllid and rose scale causeabnormal and weakened canes. Spraying withinsecticide # t5 is effective. In the Northwest theblackberry mites cause the "redberry" disease.These gall mites overwinter in buds. Sprayingwith fungicide # L, # N or # U when canes aredormant is suggested. See MITES. The tarnishedplant bug can be a serious pest also, but can beeffectively controlled by spraying the plants justbefore the first flowers open with insecticide # 9.Cane borers sometimes produce irregularswellings or galls in canes, and infested canesare weakened and may die. They should be cutout and burned. Wild blackberries may havethis insect and they should be dug out anddestroyed if nearby.

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