The Natural
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Location: La, USA

Blackberries

1st off, I have a few q's about these bushes. Some of the questions I'm going too ask are probably going too seem strange lol.

The plan I have in-mind. I wanted too order 2 species of blackberry in feb. Ive decided on apache and ouachita, ive read severals sites saying they are a good pair for cross pollination for good fruit.

1st question. I'm wanting too keep my originals, basically(mother plants), groomed very small and keep them managable in my indoor closet. Is there anyway of making these plants not produce fruit, like changing the times on a tomato can make it not fruit or fruit early? I want these mothers just for the purpose of cloning my outdoor rows, and re-up the stock if they die.

2nd question. I'm having excellent luck starting up my dragon blood tree's under a 255 Led grow panel in a custom storage bin growroom ive made. Will Leds be enough too support good indoor growth or should I mix Led and fluorescent?

My idea is 4 255 Led grow panels all attached too a thin sheet of plywood giving me a 2ftx2ft light area, but I was thinking of adding 2-18inch compact fluorescent lights attached on either side of the grow panel with good natural blue bulbs.Very little heat could be managed with a few desk fans. Think this would work? The closet seems big enough I could keep atleast 2-5gallon buckets for pots.

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ElizabethB
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Natural - this is some region specific info for you.

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_gard ... isiana.htm

We are very fortunate in Louisiana to have responsive
Count Agents and lots of free, research based, region specific info available through LSU Ag Center.

I have a folder in my favorites just for LSU info on all subjects from vegetable gardening, home orchards, composting, canning, fertilizing --- the list of wonderful info just goes on and on. I have been very dissapointed to find that many forum members do not have access to the wonderfulful free resources that we do. Take advantage of what is there.

The best thing is that if you follow the variety guidelines you will have much better success. Check out the link on pruning your berries. There is a science to it.

You will also find info on how to plant and stake your berries. All at the best price - FREE :!:

The Natural
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Location: La, USA

I have a good knownledge of the outdoor work involved in harvesting and maintanence, but I havn't ran across anything about stopping the fruiting cycle, and just keep my main mothers in full grown all year round indoors.

Thanks for the Lsu hook-up, I seem too have forgotten all about them :? will def. look into it.

The Natural
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Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:21 am
Location: La, USA

I Read the LsuAg departments pdf last night. Was very informative. But still nothing about vegitation and fruiting cycles indoors. Seeing as mostly everyone is inducing fruiting at 12/12 indoors, Ill just keep my mother plants at a 18/6 too keep them lush and keep the prunings coming.

I cant find too many people on the net that actually want too keep blackberry bushes inside.

But ill give it a hella good try too keep my originals alive, once I get them.

The Natural
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Location: La, USA

This is the PDf I found it a very good read.

https://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres ... sfinal.pdf

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applestar
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This is a link to a reply I posted about my blackberries in another thread. OP had been thinking about planting blackberries in "huge" containers outside.
https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewt ... 384#282384

The OP had understood my intent and I believe has given up the idea of growing blackberries in containers... Or at all in limited space.

I suspect that you are not seeing much information on indoor cultivation of blackberries in containers because -- frankly -- it is not a very practical idea.
...especially in this case where you want these plants to be the mother plants and source of healthy clone stock.

Aside from container size issues -- based on my description you can readily see that they demand a very large sub-soil space as well as above ground growing space, Blackberries are related to roses and as such, will experience many of the typical pests and diseases when grown in stressed conditions.

It would be another story if you wanted to try severely pruning them bonsai style to keep in small containers. But then they would not be of any use to you as clone source mother plant.

Larger the mother plant, the healthier and sturdier new canes that grow from it. You will find that once established, blackberries will readily propagate vegetatively. I don't really see the need to restrict fruiting at all. The crowns will spread whether you want them to or not. :lol: Absolutely easiest to let the cane tips touch ground and take root, then cut off from the nursing mother plant when the roots have grown well and established. New shoots grow from established underground root systems as well. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW :roll: -- What I had not mentioned in the previously linked post is that I have given away rooted plants and have started growing them in two other locations along the backyard fence. It really is more a question of disciplining one's self to strictly keep them within designated bounds.

If you are concerned about your plants somehow dying, then my best advice is to plant them in several different suitable locations that meet their requirements to see which is the very best, or to pick a site where another similar requirement plant is growing. It is much more difficult to keep plants that need outdoor growing conditions healthy indoors.

The Natural
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Location: La, USA

The bonsai is more less what I was going for, How healthy does a mother plant really have too be?? Your not fruiting her, just cutting her back every now and then. The trimmings I was going too clone. Ive had pretty good success so far cloning mostly anything from trimmings and without rooting compounds. I also don't have alot of room in my clone/grow out box. Maybe 15(16.0z,) party cups as pots so they wouldnt need too provide me with hundreds of cuttings. seeing as they suck the nutrients, ill just use a supersoil mixture, with slow release nitrogens,blood meal,bone meal, w/e it takes.

I'm still going too give it a shot if I fail I'm out of $25 in blackberry bushes, but will have $120 spare lighting equip. for a new project. So its a win/win it my situation. Experience gives wisdom.

The Natural
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Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:21 am
Location: La, USA

I just want too clear this is up. Are the crowns the berries?? Your saying if I put them on a 18/6 light schedule they will fruit anyway? If they don't fruit they don't suck as much fert., I do know the vegatative state of a plant sucks a good bit fert. but when something is fruiting/budding they really go through the nitrogen.

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rainbowgardener
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No crowns are NOT berries. The "crown" of the plant is where the stem meets the roots. Most things are planted with the crown just at soil level.

Sometimes catalogs will say they are selling "crowns" of berry plants or asparagus or something. That means what you will get is roots and the crown area and little to no stem.

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ElizabethB
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Natural - I would not count on keeping your mother plants in a closet. If you want to experiment consider those plants disaposable. Blackberries are actually hard to kill especially in our climate. In colder regions of the country fruiting canes are removed after harvest and the young canes are left to produce next seasons fruit. Because of our very long growing season commercial growers mow their fields after harvest. There is enough growing season left for new canes to sprout and grow for next years production.

My childhood home is on a long narrow acre of land. Dad played around with lots of different things over the years including blackberries. He built a support structure about 20' long and planted his berry bushes on both sides. In addition to all of the jams, jellies and preserves that Mom made, we had fresh frozen berries plus lots of wonderful baked goods - blackberry cobbler and blackberry pancakes were my faves. There were lots left over to sell at the farmer's market. When Dad got tired of the berries (he was easily bored and always looking for something new to try) and decided to try muscadines he had a hell of a time getting rid of the bushes. He had to cut them back back and dig them up and dig them up and dig some more. :evil:
He was not a happy camper.

They are much more difficult to get rid of than they are to grow.

I am interested to see how your experiment works out. :)



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