Blackberries, like raspberries, are a very easy berry to grow. Once this native berry is ripe, get ready for an abundant harvest, picking every couple of days! Here’s how to grow and harvest blackberries in your backyard.
Basically, there are three types of blackberries:
- Erect thorny blackberries
- Erect thornless blackberries
- Trailing thornless blackberries
Erect blackberries are bushes that support themselves, while the trailing blackberries have long canes that must be trellised for support.
All blackberries are perennials; the roots survive year after year. However, the top of the plant above the soil is what we call biennial. This means that the canes grow vegetatively for a year, bear fruit the next year, and then die. However, every year the plant sends up new canes to replace those that died! For a great fruit harvest and to avoid a messy plant, pruning is important. (See more below.)
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It sounds like the berries
It sounds like the berries have the Spotted Wing Drosophila fruit fly larvae in them. This will cause the berries to be very bitter and will make them just drop to the ground. Get some of the berries and put them in a closed jar after a few days see if you can see some very small whitish insects flying around inside the jar. If you know someone that has a microscope you can the eggs and larvae under the skin of the drupelets. Or you can take some of the berries to the local county agents office to get them to test the berries for insects.
I am concerned about viruses
I am concerned about viruses in my wild blackberries. If my blackberries are producing normally and fervently can I assume they are free of virus?
Is there any way to treat the
Is there any way to treat the virus in wild blackberries?
There are many types of
There are many types of viruses. Unfortunately, in most cases, infected plants should be removed and destroyed to minimize the spread of viruses. The best prevention for the future is to spray fungicides in the winter before growth starts, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer, thin plants to improve air circulation, control weeds, irrigate early in the day so that foliage can dry out in the afternoon, and avoid leaf wetness. Also, remove and destroy all old canes after the final harvest and remove any new canes that have lesions.
I had the same problem this
I had the same problem this year as in previous years, so I suspect that my plants are infected. I cut all the canes and tilled the soil and will be adding new topsoil. I will be attempting to start a new crop from seeds (from another source) in the spring, and plant the new canes in the same spot.
Can I treat the soil with a fungicide before I plant the new canes and, if so,what fungicide should I use?
Thanks in advance for your response and I really appreciate your website.
Jack if your plants have a
Jack if your plants have a virus then after you get rid of the plants completely, you nee to wait at least 3 years before planting more berry plants in that location.
I was hoping for an answer to
I was hoping for an answer to my last question, but since I didn't get one I'll try again.
I have wild blackberries growing near my house. The new canes look very green and healthy but the ones with berries on them are brown and almost look dead (they do have green leaves on them). In years past they have produced very small, hard and dry fruit. Does this sound like the virus that has been mentioned here? I have been using Miracle Gro fertilizer this spring to, hopefully, produce better results this year. Any Comments?
there are mot any effective
there are mot any effective chemical control for any virus in blackberries that I know about. The only thing you can do is dig up infected plant before it infects the rest of the plants. last year I had 3 plants with orange rust that I dug up. The plants the virus was on is resistant to that virus, BUT just because it is resistant doesn't mean it wont get the virus just less likely. i would recommend going to oklahoma state univ. website and dept of ag on that site then scroll down to Damon Smith pdf file of blackberry diseases to see some of the diseases as well as what they look like on the plants.
I have a tree that produces
I have a tree that produces enough berries in a typical year to make two pies. This year the fruit yield is at least 15 times what is typical. I live in NE Ohio. I was picking some berries then I noticed the most ripe ones are on the ground. What do I do with them to make sure they're safe to eat? There are bats living in the tree.
Yes, it's as safe as the
Yes, it's as safe as the fruit on the tree as long as your ground doesn't have dangerous chemicals on it. There are some people who only eat what falls naturally from a plant!
Does blackberries have
Does blackberries have thorns?
Blackberries may be thorny or
Blackberries may be thorny or thornless. (They're not technically "thorns" but they certainly are thorny and can make picking a challenge!) Some readers say that the thorny blackberries taste better while others just can't take the thorns and go for a thornless cultivar.
When I pick my berries I
When I pick my berries I sometimes have a small green stem attached. Do you pick this off or is is safe to eat?
It sounds like you are
It sounds like you are picking too early. Ripe blackberries will release easily from the stalk.
My Blackberry bush has load
My Blackberry bush has load of unripened blackberries. I noticed there were about 8 thck branches with no fruit gorwing in the middle of the plant from the ground up.. I cut those back to the ground. Ever since i cut those back the leaves and plant appears to be dying..did cutting back those brances cause the plant harm?
Thank you for your assitance
Peggy Spinelli
Peggy it sounds like you cut
Peggy it sounds like you cut the primocanes (first years growth) of the vines. It is the floricanes (second years growth) that produce the berries on most varieties. Do not cut any vines or canes back during the flowering or berry ripening stages. Always wait until you pick the last of your berries before any type of pruning, you have cut your production of berries next year by cutting those canes out.
I have a small bush that is
I have a small bush that is very healthy looking. It blooms every spring, but the fruit dries up after the petals fall. Is this a black raspberry or blackberry? I transplanted it two years ago to a sunnier spot and made sure it had plenty of water this spring, but it still doesn't produce. It had black raspberry looking fruits on it years ago. Is it just too old? It produces beautiful new shoots. HELP!
it sounds like you may have
it sounds like you may have the mummy berry virus google it to see the info on it.
I have a wild blackberry tree
I have a wild blackberry tree at my work. We just picked some today. When we soaked them in water we noticed very small insects that look like very small grass seed. What are they and what should we do. If we hadn't soaked them we would not have found them. Are they something to worry about?
It's hard to tell what insect
It's hard to tell what insect you spotted. Thrips and mites sometimes cause damage to the berries. Usually blackberries are attacked by bigger bugs, like stink bugs and Japanese beetles.
Blackberries are attacked by
Blackberries are attacked by several very small insects, thrips, aphids and fruit flies. There is a new fruit fly called the spotted wing drosophila that has hit the U.S.A. in last 6 years that will wipe out whole crops of blackberries and blueberries as well as other fruits. I have a friend that lost over 50k pounds of blueberries 2 years ago in south Ms. to this fruit fly and another aquantance in Oxford Ms. that lost their whole crop of berries. I have a researcher from USDA/ARS in Popularville Ms. that told me 75% of all of the berries he has bought in several chain stores have the eggs or larvae in the blackberries also in the blueberries.
I purchased 2 plants from a
I purchased 2 plants from a store at 2 different times. neither plant has sprouted/
When is the best month for
When is the best month for picking blackberries
When you pick blackberries
When you pick blackberries depends on your location in North America as well as the variety. In general, blackberries are picked during June in the South, and in July and early August in the North.
It depends on the varieties
It depends on the varieties of blackberries. I have 9 varieties and my berries start to get ripe on or around May 22nd and don't stop until end of Aug. and into Sept. each variety will get ripe for 4-6 weeks and each variety will start to get ripe at a different time. The longest growing season I have had was 2009, I picked my first blackberry on May 19th and the last on Thanksgiving Day. 6 months and 1 week of non stop picking.
How do I know if the
How do I know if the blackberry plants i purchased have a virus?
Unfortunately, blackberry
Unfortunately, blackberry plants may show no evidence of virus just by looking at them. You will know your plant has a virus if the berries do not produce well, they mature in a misshapen way, or the berries grow but are very small.
potatoes and berrires
why do you not plant potatoes and berries near
each other and how far apart should they be
According to our cooperative
According to our cooperative extension: Do not plant raspberries where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, or eggplant have been grown within the past four years, because these crops carry a root rot called Verticillium that can also attack raspberries. Destroy all wild raspberry and blackberry plants within a distance of 600 feet of your planting site if possible, to reduce the possibility that virus diseases might be spread to your planting.
Blackberry plants should be set 4 feet apart in rows 8 to 12 feet apart.
Sour Blackberries
I have a raised bed of blackberries, the production is great. Some of the berries are more sour than sweet. Is there anything I can do to reverse this situation?
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