Blackberry Basics

 Basics:

 

Blackberries grow from a crown.  

The crown sends up a stalk or cane in the first year.  No berries will form on this cane the first year.  If you head this cane at 3-4 ft, it will promote branching and leaves.  The branched vines should be loosely tied to a trellis wire for support.

The second  year, this cane will produce flowers and berries.  These should be harvested during the summer months.  At the end of this second season, the cane is spent and will eventually die.  The dead canes should be removed as soon after harvest as practical.

At the same time this second year, the crown will send up a new cane, which is green and growing and has leaves, but will not produce any fruits this year.  In a two wire system, this new cane should be headed at the height of the second wire and the resulting branches should be guided along the second wire.  Next  year, this cane will bear fruit.

Two wire system.

A two wire trellis system simply helps keep the two cane years separate.  In year one, the primocane grows and is headed to the lower wire.  All the branches are guided along the lower wire and all the fruit is on this same level.  For the second year, when the lower wire is fruiting, the new primocanes are allowed to grow up to the higher level wire.  The unfruitful branches will be guided along the upper wire and will not mix with the fruiting branches of the lower wire.

When the time comes to prune and remove canes, the system makes it very ease to tell which vines are primocanes and should be saved, and which are the spent fruited canes that need to be removed.

Pruning

The main stalk should 4 feet tall.  The laterals are about 20 - 24 inches.  Longer canes just get in the way.  

Keep the ground under the brambles mowed.  Don't allow the grass to compete with the crowns for resources.  At the same time, mulch around the base of the blackberries, as much as a foot if possible with straw or grass clippings. (wood chips are not recommended because they prevent new shoots from coming up through it.)  Needed to retain moisture.