Prune blackberry in the fall. Blackberry garden: care, pruning

Berry raspberries are familiar to every person since childhood. What kind of baby did not the mother treat raspberry jam in the winter? And in the summer many climbed into the thorn bushes to regale this berry. Over the last period, the relatives of raspberries, the sweet blackberry, have been appearing more and more often in country cottages.

Blackberry in the Garden

The blackberry plant belongs to the Pink family, which, in turn, belongs to the Rubus family. It is a half-shrub with erect or spreading stems, which are covered with a large number of thorns. Recently, several hybrids without spines have been bred, which greatly simplifies harvesting, and blackberry pruning in autumn is much easier and more pleasant.

In the wild, blackberries can be found in forests, near marshy places and rivers, where moist and moist lands exist. You can meet such bushes in the territories of many continents: America, Europe and Asia. Of course, pruning blackberries in autumn is carried out only in cottages and gardens. In nature, the branches are braided into dense thickets and form large thickets. Walking through the forest, you can enjoy the wild berries of this plant.

Refers to the blackberries perennial shrubs, its height can reach 4 meters. It has a powerful root that grows deep into the earth, thanks to which the blackberry is drought-resistant. A large leaf of this plant consists of 5-7 small, connected by a common petiole. They are painted green and the lower side is light. The leaves are pubescent and have small spines. Blossomed blackberries at the end of June are white large flowers that are collected in panicles. Fruits begin to ripen by August. Since the flowering lasts until the end of autumn, the harvesting of berries is also prolonged. When ripe, the fruits of blackberries first acquire a green color, after pink, brown, and ready-to-eat berry has a black color.
Of the large number of varieties, the Blackberry Garden is popular. Care (pruning, watering, fertilizing, etc.) for this variety is no different from caring for other species of this plant.

Care

Blackberry - a plant unpretentious, this is due to the fact that it was cultivated from a wild plant. In nature it grows in moist places and thanks to deep roots it feeds moisture from the earth practically all summer.

However, at home, the plant still needs to be given some attention. This applies to soil, irrigation and reproduction. Also pruning blackberry for the winter is important. This strengthens the root of the plant and strengthens the bush.

Trimming

This point of care for the blackberry is one of the most important. Autumn pruning of blackberries, especially young bush, guarantees a good wintering and subsequent strong shoots in the spring. By the type of growth bushes are divided into direct growing and creeping. Accordingly, and care for them is needed different.

Formation of upright bushes

Near the young bush stretch the wire and make supports for the branches to be tied up. In the first year after planting, all the shoots are fixed to one side, and the next to the other. When the lateral shoots appear, they are cut off, leaving 3-4 buds. Fruiting occurs on second-year branches. Prune blackberry in the fall and is to remove the branches on which there were fruits. They cut and carefully removed from the wire, so as not to damage the rest. Such pruning of blackberries for the winter allows to make room for new shoots, which also plaited the place of the old ones.

Formation of creeping bushes

Branches are selected by capacity, 6-8 pieces, and tied to the supports in a fan-shaped manner, and they can also be placed close to each other. Blackberry garden, care (pruning and garter) behind which occurs in this way, can densely brace the supports. It can be planted at the barrage, although at the same time the quantity of harvest decreases because of poor patency of solar heat and light. It is also recommended to remove several lower buds on each branch. With the development of shoots and the ripening of fruits, they can be spread on the ground or simply spoil from watering.
Pruning blackberries is also necessary in the spring, while cutting the upper parts of the shoots, leaving the branches no longer than 1.5 meters.

The soil

To plant a bush, you can choose any soil, but it should be well warmed by the sun, so you need to find the place open. Also, the soil must be loose enough and well drained, as the roots of the blackberry die from stagnation due to lack of oxygen.

Watering

Despite the fact that the bush of the blackberry is moisture resistant, it should be watered during the growth of shoots and ripening of fruits. Especially if the summer is hot and arid. But it's worth keeping an eye on that the moisture does not stay long under the bush. The garden blackberry, pruned correctly, with its branches and leaves creates a thick shadow that retains moisture for a longer time.

Reproduction

Blackberries can be propagated by root offspring or by rooting green tops. These methods are easy and do not require special skills or equipment. When reproducing with the help of root offspring, it is necessary in the early spring period to dig a small piece of the lateral root and transfer it to a permanent place of growth. It is planted in the prepared soil, where it must be placed horizontally.
Several varieties of blackberries do not give root shoots, they can be multiplied by rooting the tops. To do this, one or more branches are bent to the ground, tilting the branches in an arc, and stacked in a pit whose depth is no more than 10 cm. The tops of the branches should remain approximately 10 cm on the surface. The pit is filled with fertile soil. This process is carried out at the end of summer or early autumn.

The next year, by autumn, you can separate the shoots from the mother's bush by first checking the presence of roots and their strength. If necessary, the process can be repeated or left to take root for another year.

Planting a bush

Before planting the plant, it is necessary to loosen the soil well. The pit should be up to 50 cm deep. Add to the bottom of humus or compost and top dressing with potassium content. It is desirable to mix the fertilizers with the ground. The distance between plants in the row should be at least 1 meter, and between rows - 1.5 meters. In a row it is necessary to plant a blackberry of various varieties for good pollination and a high yield.

Top dressing

After the correct planting of the bush blackberry fertilizer is not required for 2-3 years. Starting from the fourth year, every autumn, after cutting, it is necessary to make a good layer of overgrown manure under the bush. Also during the spring-summer period, feed fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Blackberries, pruning and care for which occurs according to the rules, every year pleases with abundant flowering and good harvest. Gather berries from a bush in several receptions, since flowering stretches for a long period. Blackberry fruit is very useful, and behind a bush does not need a thorough care, so keep such a plant in your area will not cause trouble. Pruning blackberries in the autumn, timely watering in the spring and summer - and on the table until the end of autumn will always be blackberries.