Blackberries are infrequently found on garden plots of modern summer residents. A pity, because this berry has a wonderful taste and a lot of useful qualities. To the bramble bush annually pleased you with a large and rich harvest, you need not only to plant the plant properly, but also to look after it regularly. To compulsory procedures, which need to be repeated periodically in the first place, it is necessary to include the care for the blackberry in the spring, namely the pruning of the bush.
Where to plant a blackberry bush?
It is much easier to care for the garden blackberry, if the place for planting was chosen correctly. If the bush lacks sunlight and does not bother the wind, then the plant will and develop much better than planted in the shade or on a purged site. Taste qualities of berries are also able to change not for the better, if the plant does not have enough sun and heat.
Care for the blackberry bush
The main feature during care of the garden blackberry is the correct procedure for pruning the bush. Every spring, it is necessary to remove all dead, withered and broken branches, as well as shoots that have developed poorly.
A small bush of blackberry should leave about 8 powerfully developed shoots. For larger shrubs, this figure will grow proportionally at the rate of about 15 shoots per square meter of the plant.
An important point in caring for the blackberry is the so-called pinzirovka - removal of the tips of young shoots. This procedure allows stimulating the growth of new stems, as well as several times increase the yield. In addition, the total volume of the plant will be much smaller, the bush will look neater and will become more healthy, and the number of fruits will only increase.
Before the onset of cold weather, the fruiting stalk of the bush should also be shortened somewhat.
The garden blackberry needs regular watering, especially during the flowering and fruiting period. The ground at the roots of the bush should be periodically loosened.
The plant develops well in one place for 13-14 years. After that, the blackberry bush is best transplanted to a new place.
Blackberry variety
Prickly thorns are perhaps the main drawback of blackberry. However, there are varieties without spines. Care for a blackberry without thorns is much more enjoyable.
The best blackberry varieties with spines are: Darrow, Agavam, Wilsons Earley, Izobilnaya, Lucretia.
The first places for popularity among the blackberry varieties are Hull Thornless, Smutsem, Thornfrey, Lochness, Black Satin .
The rules for planting and caring for blackberry varieties do not differ from the characteristics of cultivation of the "classic" prickly berry.