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nes
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Location: Rural Ottawa, ON

Moving Blackberries?

I'd like to move our blackberries, right now they're in partial shade and I'd like to move them to full-sun so we can get more!

We're having any early spring, can I do it now or will I give up the whole year of berry production if I do that?

What if I move them in the fall?

I would rather not give up the berry production so I can move half now and then wait a year to move the other half (there are quite a few plants).

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

So far, in my experience, they will move themselves to where they want.... :>
...that is, if you are not diligent about pruning the arching tips at the end of the summer/fall, they touch ground, root, and move on.... :roll:

It looks like my patch that I was growing on the fence has decided that they also want to grow along the adjacent garage wall. Well, I can accept that and am planning to built a trellis for them. But I have to go dig up a few that have rooted where they are NOT wanted. :x

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nes
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Location: Rural Ottawa, ON

:lol: I think that is why they were planted in the shade, so they wouldn't grow & spread; but we want to harvest & sell, so I'm not too worried about having too many (neither are my chickens ... or kids!).

Plus they're along side the front of the house & not the prettiest things!

CharlieBear
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Move them asap in the early part of spring. Stake or tie them up and you will proable be ok. Most varieties of blackberries are very hardy, just be sure you don't fertilize them this year. Generally, people recommend cutting the canes down to about a foots so they don't bear the first year. However, it sounds as if you have fairly large crowns. Get as much of the root system as you can. Start out with the shovel about 18 inches or so and angle downwards all the way around. You will need a barrow to move them. Cut off any really weak looking canes. I had to move some of mine twice already over the last 5 years and they are doing just fine.
As for the tip rooting again you didn't say what variety, but it is best to tie up the ends so they don't tip. The smaller the tip that roots the spindlier the resulting plant. Also you lose a lot of the crop on cans that tip, so police them during the late summer and into fall, to keep them from tipping if possible. This first year be sure to cut the canes that bore down to the ground within a week of picking the crop.



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