Blackberries

9 years ago

This is our third year with our blackberry bush and the first year we've gotten lots of blackberries. I think the birds got most of the berries that ripened last year. I have lots of questions!

The plant is sending out long long shoots - how do I keep them in check? It's against a six-foot wooden fence and the new shoots have already surpassed it.

In early spring, i removed any damaged leaves right away and this seemed to encouraged blooms - do I do this now as well?

Finally, how large will it get? Can someone post a photo of their more mature blackberry please? Ours is planted in bed next to a rose and a fig tree, all young and growing, and In wondering how much room I should give it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Featured Answer

PRO

User

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Blueberries grow on bushes. Blackberries grow on canes.

You can keep your long canes in check by pruning them off perhaps a foot below the top of the fence when they reach fence height. That will cause the canes to form sideways branches (called laterals). You can prune the branches shorter in October.

Removing damaged leaves on blackberries is for cosmetic purposes or disease control and will not affect the bloom.

How large it will get depends on the variety. Certain vigorous blackberries in good soil and watered regularly can grow 25-foot canes. 10 or 15 feet is more likely for the average home gardener.

You only need to keep as many canes and branches to grow the number of berries you can use. Remove all of last year's old canes (the ones with all the little fruiting branchlets) that fruited this year once harvest is over.

Unless your fig tree is a variety that will remain small, most fig trees around here get huge -- 20 feet in all directions.

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Comments (11)

Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you for the all the information. I'll get to pruning!
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aoebhil
9 years ago

I am in MN where they die back to the roots most years and my "BRAMBLE" patch has gone totally out of control! It is coming up in the yard, has totally overcome the gate to the horse paddock (fortunately it is empty) it is taking up 1/3 to one half of the paddock on the long side and is trying to move done the south side! Mind you I started with two plants that by the third year was giving me two rather large bushes! However, by the Fifth year it was sending new bushes from the roots which go way out into the yard and into the paddock and obviously up and down 1/3 of the paddock or more! You will have to give it LOTS of room and ruthlessly cut back any incursions to areas you don't want it! In your area it will thrive and they are very invasive! I do not recommend you leave your two young plants near it since I doubt the have a root system that can compete. Sorry for the bad photos. Didn't realise my thumb was there! Also not sure why 2 prints of the first pic showed up. I don't know how to remove photos so what you see is what you get! Yes, there is more blackberry behind my thumb. That is the gate photo! There are two trees hiding vines between the two photos! My vines grow to by 8 feet or more. I suspect a few ten footers! I blame that on years of horse manure enriching the soil.
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked aoebhil
aoebhil
9 years ago
May I add that there are two mounds in the second photo, one on the fence and behind my thumb and one that is below and to the right of my thumb. Also the bramble patch is about 5 ft deep. This growth is all new since ALL my berry plants (including my grandfathers black raspberry plants that are 60 some years old.) Collapsed completely. Everything is new first year canes.
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked aoebhil
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
Oh man @aoebhil! Those are enormous! Thank you for the photos and for the helpful information.
aoebhil
9 years ago
Thank you! Yea, we think about delicious berries and don't realise they have large very vicious sharp thorns that make raspberry thorns look wimpy! Don't let the bramble patch get deep! (like mine) you won't be able to get to the berries further in and live to tell about it. Well, sorry you will live, but you WILL regret it and WILL never do it again! I let the birds have what I can't reach. My old black raspberries are wicked too but not that wicked!!
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked aoebhil
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
Mine don't have thorns - could I have a different variety?
aoebhil
9 years ago
Oh yes, there are many different varieties! Mine is super hardy which it is why it survives here in zone 4. It also has some wild breeding in it! The thornless would never survive here! LUCKY YOU!
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked aoebhil
PRO
User
9 years ago
Most thornless named varieties are not as aggressive as the thorny thicket pictured above. For either variety, do not allow the canes or branches to arch over and root into the soil unless you intentionally want more plants.
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked User
garymc
9 years ago
You don't say what variety your blackberry is, so it's hard to say what it might do. There are 2 types of thornless blackberry plants, upright and trailing (well, some are described as semi-upright). The upright ones will grow 6 or 8 or 10 feet tall depending on the soil and climate. Supposedly they don't require trellising, but the first good wind will have them leaning over once they get big. You prune them to keep them from growing so tall you can't reach the berries. This also encourages lateral branches which is where the berries grow. The other type, trailing will grow 12 to 20 feet and won't stand up. You run them along a fence or trellis. The picture shows a row of upright thornless blackberries in bloom. You can see white blooms against the roof of the house that are 6 and a half or 7 feet high. I neglected to pinch or top that plant. This row is 120 feet long and I got 2 gallons of berries this year. The rest have been eaten by birds.
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a thanked garymc
Northeast Gardener, Central NJ, 7a
Original Author
9 years ago
@garymc, wow! Enormous and prolific! How old is yours? From your description, it sounds as though I have a thornless upright. I started pruning as soon as I got advice and there many lateral branches growing, so I do think the site is right for it.

I am in New Jersey and it seems as though the berries are just about finished for the season, so I plan to cut back these old canes as soon as all is dry.

Thank you for the information and for the photo!