any suggestions about how to start a blackberry patch?
have been looking up order info on different sites,
the Kiowa variety seems to be a zone 5 tolerant variety. I would like to start a significant patch. I could dig up some natives and transplant.... any suggestions greatly appreciated.
-
earthlingom
- Full Member
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:08 pm
- Location: Upper Peninsula MI
Hi earthligom.
I don't know how much you know about Blackberries ....but one thing you will soon learn is that they are no respectors of other plants space.
Unless the planting area is huge you must be prepared to get some support system in place and prune the beasts regularly.
One system that truely works very well is as follows.
Place a row tall stakes..around 5-6ft out of the ground and around 8ft apart. The length of the row depends on how much space you can give, but each plant will want two stake lengths each.
Fasten three wires to the stakes. the lowest a quarter of the way up the stakes. Another at the top and the third a little over half way up.
Once you cane is growing well train the canes along the top two wires
On year two these canes will commence cropping. The new canes that the plant produces now are tied to the bottom wire as they grow, out of the way of the cropping cane and out of the way for picking too.
Once the season has finished the top two cropping wires are pruned out completly and the fresh canes that you have tied in on the bottom canes are lifted up and tied to the top wires ready for the new season.
This way the canes are kept young and under full control.
Hope that helps.
I don't know how much you know about Blackberries ....but one thing you will soon learn is that they are no respectors of other plants space.
Unless the planting area is huge you must be prepared to get some support system in place and prune the beasts regularly.
One system that truely works very well is as follows.
Place a row tall stakes..around 5-6ft out of the ground and around 8ft apart. The length of the row depends on how much space you can give, but each plant will want two stake lengths each.
Fasten three wires to the stakes. the lowest a quarter of the way up the stakes. Another at the top and the third a little over half way up.
Once you cane is growing well train the canes along the top two wires
On year two these canes will commence cropping. The new canes that the plant produces now are tied to the bottom wire as they grow, out of the way of the cropping cane and out of the way for picking too.
Once the season has finished the top two cropping wires are pruned out completly and the fresh canes that you have tied in on the bottom canes are lifted up and tied to the top wires ready for the new season.
This way the canes are kept young and under full control.
Hope that helps.
-
ElizabethB
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2105
- Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
- Location: Lafayette, LA
Some of this info is not applicable to your region such as varieties but general care and pruning applies to all regions.
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres ... sFINAL.pdf
Give them lots of room. Fruit produces on last years growth. In your region you will have to prune after fruit production. In south Louisiana our growing season is long enough that blackberry frowers just mow down entire fields. The season is long enough for canes to grow and mature for next years crop.
Good luck - LOVE blackberry cobbler
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres ... sFINAL.pdf
Give them lots of room. Fruit produces on last years growth. In your region you will have to prune after fruit production. In south Louisiana our growing season is long enough that blackberry frowers just mow down entire fields. The season is long enough for canes to grow and mature for next years crop.
Good luck - LOVE blackberry cobbler
-
The Natural
- Cool Member
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2012 9:21 am
- Location: La, USA
I am also new too starting blackberries. My Ouachita just started turning green, and my apache is a few days behind it but no greenage yet. The Lsu ag does have alot of good info. Also find an appropriate match too the kiowa. Cross pollination from a different variety produce better.
Just do some web searches and PDF everything for future reference.
Alot of good info around. Anything I find out through experience I will share. Hope you get some going
Just do some web searches and PDF everything for future reference.
Alot of good info around. Anything I find out through experience I will share. Hope you get some going