Quick guide:
· Blackberries are an excellent fruit plant for home landscapes.
· They are relatively easy to grow in small areas, they tolerate hot summers well, and they bear good fruit in spring, summer, and fall.
· Although blackberries have some challenging diseases and insect pests, they produce well.
· Blackberries can also be a profitable commercial crop. Mature blackberry plants can produce 5,000 to 10,000 pounds per acre per year.
· However, because of the high labor requirements for harvesting, most commercial plantings are restricted to small-acreage ventures.
Growing blackberries
· Blackberries flowering plants take 2 years to complete a biological life cycle.
· Blackberries have 2 types of canes: primocanes, which grow during the current season; and floricanes, which are 1-year-old, flower-bearing canes that die after the berry crop matures.
· Cultivated blackberries are classified into two fruiting types:
- Floricane-bearing, which flower and set fruit only and
- Primocane-bearing, which flower and set fruit on primocanes late in the growing season, and then bear on floricanes also the following spring.
· With proper care, they may remain productive for 20 years or longer, generally produce for only 5 to 10 years, depending on the variety and growing location.
· Good yields on healthy, mature plantings range from 5 to 10 pounds per plant or 5,000 to 10,000 pounds per acre.
Soil
· The best soils for blackberries are well drained soils, are at least 1 foot deep, and have a pH range of 4.5 to 7.5.
· On soil with a pH of 8.0 or above, the plants will experience iron chlorosis, which requires that chelated iron products be added to the foliage and soil.
Location
· If the soil drains slowly, plant the blackberries on raised beds or berms (mounded planting rows)
· This will enable the soil to dry faster and help keep water from ponding near the crown of the plant.
Types
· Thorny varieties are generally most productive and bear larger fruit.
· Thornless varieties are easy to harvest, train, and prune.
· Primocane-bearing varieties have been introduced only recently, and their potential for long-term performance is not well understood. They should be considered experimental and planted in limited quantities.
· New blackberry growers should consider experimenting with all three types to learn which grows and fruits best in their area, and which they prefer to maintain.
Planting
· Blackberry plots may be established from rooted cuttings, bareroot plants, or small, tissue-culture plants.
· Dormant bareroot blackberry and rooted cuttings are planted in mid to late winter.
· Space the plants 2 to 3 feet apart in rows 8 to 12 feet apart.
· Tissue-culture plants are generally disease free and grown in propagation labs.
· Nursery plants in containers are generally bigger and have more extensive root systems.
Watering
· Blackberry plants must be watered regularly to grow well and to produce full-sized fruit. Drip irrigation lines can be laid at planting, attached to trellis wires, or laid on top of the ground beside the plants and covered with mulch.
· Begin irrigating in March or April, paying careful attention to watering well during the bloom and early fruit-sizing periods, continue watering through the harvest period, and reduce it by September to slow new growth and to allow the canes to harden. In the winter of drought years, the plants may need to be watered occasionally.
Fertilization
· The most important nutrient in annual fertilization is nitrogen.
· For best results, apply it in split applications, the first in spring as the buds begin to break dormancy, and the second in summer after the fruit harvest is completed.
· Other nutrients may be deficient occasionally.
· Have your soil tested at least every 3 years to identify potential deficiencies and pH changes.
· If soil pH is over 8.0, blackberries can exhibit interveinal chlorosis (leaf yellowing between the veins) from iron deficiency, which is corrected by applying iron chelate products to the soil and/or foliage.
Care
· Although the growth is generally upright, a heavy fruit crop can cause the floricanes to bend over and touch the ground.
· Trellises can help prevent fruit decay caused by ground contact.
· In home gardens, blackberry plants may be trellised, planted near a fence for support, or left freestanding.
· They should be regularly tip-pruned—pinched or pruned back a few inches—to prevent the canes from growing too long and to encourage many short floricanes to form. All floricanes die after fruiting.
· To reduce disease-causing organisms, prune and remove all dead canes every year as early in the growing season as possible.
Weeds control
· Weeds should be controlled to increase fruit yields, reduce disease pressure, and make it easier to find and harvest lowhanging fruit.
· Before planting, kill all perennial weeds, especially native dewberries, which can harbor diseases and are nearly impossible to remove later.
· Organic mulches of hay, chipped limbs, pine straw, or bark chips reduce weed growth and make it easier to control weeds.
· Do not use pruned blackberry canes as mulch.
· Weed-barrier fabrics may also be used in strips to retard weed growth.
· Both organic and fabric mulches help retain soil moisture and cool the soil in the summer, which enhance plant growth and development.
Harvest
· Blackberries do not continue to ripen after harvest - their flavor is best when they are fully mature, having changed color from red to glossy black to dull black at maturity.
· To prevent the loss of ripe fruit, usually harvest 3 to 4 times a week.
· Varieties differ in shelf life, but they all will soften in a matter of hours if not refrigerated after harvest.
Source: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut
