Today, more than 300 varieties of garden blackberries are known. On an industrial scale, it is grown in the United States. The leader in the export of berries is Mexico. In our areas, this is a relatively new fruit and berry culture. They don’t really want to grow it because of prickly branches, sour berries and poor tolerance to low temperatures. But these characteristics are more suitable for forest blackberries. New varieties are the exact opposite: the berries are sweet, frost resistance is good, bushes without thorns. Blackberries are successfully grown in all regions of Russia, and the Urals are no exception. For a good blackberry planting, you need to get acquainted with the species and varieties and find out the features of the agricultural technology of this fruit and berry culture.

Varieties

Despite the wide variety of varieties, blackberries are divided into 3 main types:

• Cumanica or upright;
• mildew or creeping;
• half-spreading.

All this is a blackberry, but each species has its own distinctive characteristics:

1. Cumanica - branches grow straight, more than 200 cm long. The stems are powerful, spike, the tops are often bent by an arc. This species is characterized by good resistance to frosty winters. The mass of berries is on average about 4 g. Propagated by root offspring, which are formed in sufficient quantities.
   

2. Dewdrop - has long shoots up to 5 m long, which spread along the ground. The branches are heavily covered with thorns. It is characterized by high productivity and large-fruited, the weight of the berry is about 12 g. This species reproduces well in the shade, is resistant to drought, but does not tolerate frosts. Without insulation in the winter, the bushes will die. Propagated by cuttings from shoots of substitution, or rather, their tops.
   

3. Half - spreading is a medium view, first the branches grow straight, then eventually bend and spread along the ground. The shoots are very long, up to 6 m, without thorns. Berries have an average mass of about 6 g. Propagated by root offspring and rooting of the tops of shoots of substitution. Winters well in mild frosts and requires shelter in severe winters.
   

But all this is a characteristic of species. As for the varieties - they may not quite match their appearance.

The best varieties for growing

For growing blackberries in the Urals, it is worth choosing varieties that are resistant to frosty winters, mid-early or mid-ripening. Later varieties do not have time to ripen; in very early varieties, flowers can freeze during spring frosts. It is also worth giving preference to the direct-growing species of blackberry, as they are more resistant to harsh winters.

Find out what the blackberry on the plot is incompatible with.

The following varieties received the best reviews from gardeners in the Urals:

1. Early - Eldorado, Snyder, Polar.
2. Medium - Gazda, Lawton, Thornfrey.
3. Late - Texas, Oregon Thornless.
4. Winter - hardy - Agavam, Giant, Darrow, Amara, Ruben.

A brief description of each blackberry variety:

• Eldorado are upright bushes with many small, soft spines. Productivity is high, fruits are large, early ripening period. Resistance to frost is mediocre. Requires warming for the winter;
  

• Snyder - bushes upright, spike. Marked by high yield, early ripening, good winter hardiness and resistance to damage by fungal diseases. The berries are not very large, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste;
  

• Polar - bushes with upright stems, without thorns. Productivity is good. The berries are sweet, fragrant. Winter hardiness is high. He does not like waterlogged soil;
  

• Gazda is a tall bush, spiked shoots. The fruits are large, with dense pulp, sweet and sour taste. It tolerates cold temperatures well, but needs a sufficiently lit landing site;
  

• Lawton is a high-growing upright bush, shoots are strongly spiked, thorns are solid. Productivity is high. Fruits are sweet with a sour note. It does not tolerate low temperatures, it requires the bending of stems and shelter for the winter;
  

• Thornfrey is a bush with semi-growing solid shoots. Absolutely no spikes. Fruiting is high, stretched. The berries are large, sweet and sour taste. Winter hardiness is average, winterization is necessary;
  

• Texas - refers to the species of dewdrops, shoots are long, strongly spike, spread along the ground. The variety is marked by large fruits, high productivity. The berries are sweet, with a pleasant sour note. Requires warming for the winter;
  

• Oregon Thornless - Creeping shoots, without thorns. Large-fruited and high-yielding variety. Berries with excellent taste and aroma. Frost resistance is average, requires shelter for the winter;
  

• Agaveam - the variety belongs to the kumaniki, has tall, powerful and strongly spike shoots. Productivity is good, the berries are medium in size. The variety is marked by high frost resistance and has a good immunity to diseases. It tolerates dry periods and can bear fruit in the shade;
  

• The giant is a tall bush, with powerful flexible branches, without thorns. Productivity is very high. The berries are large, conical in shape, with a pronounced blackberry flavor. Frost resistance is high, but tolerates drought poorly;
  

• Darrow is a growing bush. Shoots with small soft spikes. Productivity is high. The berries are medium, sweet and sour dessert taste. Winter hardiness is high;
  

• Amara is a remontant new variety. Tall bush, with direct studless shoots. The yield is high, the berries are large, with dessert blackberry flavor and aroma. Winter hardiness is good, since most of the shoots for the winter are removed, and only the root needs to be insulated;
  

• Ruben is a repair grade. The bushes are tall, with powerful growing branches, covered with spikes that crumble after fruiting. The berries are large, sweet and sour. Productivity is average, fruiting variety twice a season.
  

These are the most popular blackberry varieties, but every year breeders delight gardeners with new, improved fruits of their activities.

The specifics of agricultural technology

When growing garden blackberries in the harsh climate of the Urals, you need to adhere to the basic rules:

1. You must correctly select and prepare a place for landing.
2. Know the timing of disembarkation.
3. Choose a good planting material.
4. Provide proper shrub care.

Armed with the necessary knowledge, you will provide yourself with a constant crop, healthy shrubs and minimal work to care for the plant.

Did you know? Modern varieties yield more than 30 kg per bush per season.

The timing

Experienced gardeners recommend planting young animals in the Urals exclusively in early spring, in the first half of May. So plants are more likely to root successfully. But if, for some reason, spring planting is impossible, then seedlings can be planted in the first ten days of September.

Site selection, site preparation

For good fruiting, a blackberry needs sunlight, it does not like to be blown by cold winds, moisture should not stagnate, the groundwater level can pass at least 1.5 m. The plot for blackberry planting can be with a slight slope, the soil with good drainage.

The plot must be prepared in advance. Peel it of weeds and their roots, dig deeply. Blackberries need soil with neutral acidity, on alkaline and soils with a high pH level, it does not develop well, so when preparing, you need to level the acidity of the soil. Fertilize in weak soils. Ideal blackberry bushes bear fruit on loams or sandy soils.

Selection of planting material, how to prepare

Of course, if there are already blackberry bushes on the site, then there will be no problems with planting material. But if the landing is the first, then the selection of material should be taken seriously. It is recommended to buy seedlings only from trusted sellers, it is better to do this in specialized nurseries and farms, as they grow varietal blackberries, corresponding to the region, treated for diseases and pests.

Important! Better take root annual seedlings.

So there is a greater chance of acquiring the exact variety that you have chosen for your garden, and less likely to bring a diseased plant to the site.

Seedlings are suitable if:

1. They are powerful, strong, resilient.
2. They have well-branched roots.
3. There are at least two shoots with a diameter of about 3-5 mm.
4. Near the roots they already formed a kidney.

The roots should be moist, if they are dry, they must be lowered into the water for 3-5 hours. Instead of water, you can use a solution with a growth stimulator.

Where to plant: in the shade or in the sun

Blackberry tolerates drought well and loves sunlight. It can be planted in open areas or along the fence. The optimal solution would be partial shade. In the shade, it will also grow, but the shoots will be greatly extended, there will be fewer berries, they will ripen worse in the shade and lose their original taste.

Read also about how to plant a blackberry in the spring.

In the sunshine, the berries can be fried in the sun, which is also not very good for the taste of the fruit.

Landing algorithm

The landing scheme is quite simple. Blackberries can be planted as separate bushes, if these are single bushes, or in rows, if you plan a large planting.

To plant correctly, you must adhere to the following instructions:

1. First you need to dig holes 50 × 50 cm in size. The distance between seedlings of upright species should be at least 100 cm, for creeping - at least 200 cm. Between the rows - more than 150 cm.
2. Then prepare the planting substrate - mix the soil from the pits with humus (8–10 kg), add superphosphate (150–200 g), potassium salt (50–70 g), mix everything thoroughly.
3. Next, fill the recesses with more than half, pour, let the water soak into the ground.
4. Arrange the seedling vertically, spread the roots well (they should not stick out), sprinkle with a nutrient mixture.
5. Pour the fertile layer of soil from above, tamp well. The root bud should be approximately 5 cm underground.
6. Make a trunk circle, water.
7. Apply mulch about 5–7 cm thick. To do this, use peat, straw, sawdust, etc.
8. Cut seedlings, leave 5-10 cm of the total length.

After planting and pruning, it is recommended to treat the plants with Bordeaux liquid.

Care Rules

To plant a blackberry plant with a good harvest and healthy bushes, you need to take care of it. The first year, shrubs should be well watered so that the ground under the bush is moist, but without stagnation of water. After engraftment, plants are watered only as the soil dries in particularly dry periods. This is about once a week. During the ripening period, regular watering is required.

Also read about how best to transplant a blackberry in the spring.

For development, the roots need access of oxygen, so the earth under the bushes needs to be loosened. Doing this once every two weeks is not very deep. The first 2-3 years, the blackberry does not need to be fed. Then make nitrogen top dressing. With weak soils, in the spring every year they fertilize the earth with compost or humus at the rate of 7-8 kg per square meter. Potassium supplements without chlorine (20–30 g) and superphosphate (100–150 g) are added in the fall (calculation per bush).

Weeds also need to be harvested, as they can be disease spreaders. This is done by weeding between rows and bushes. To reduce the amount of watering, loosening and weeding the soil, the ground under the bush needs to be mulched. For this, peat, sawdust, straw are suitable. This will not only facilitate the care of the plant, but also prevent drying of the roots.

Trimming and shaping a bush

Blackberry bushes need regular pruning. An exception are first-year plants. They should not be cut, but if they bloomed, the flowers must be completely cut off. Next spring, pinch shoots 10-15 cm. In summer, damaged and dried shoots are removed.

Important! You need to remove old branches under the root, without leaving stumps, as they will rot and harm the health of the bush.

After harvesting, it is necessary to remove fruiting and diseased branches under the root. Excess basal shoots and weak green shoots are removed. After autumn pruning, only young strong branches should remain in the amount of 7–9 pieces. In the early spring, frozen stems are removed. Healthy stems are pruned, leaving 150 cm in length.

Trellis installation diagram, garter

Whatever the appearance of the blackberry, the bushes must be tied up. This will facilitate the work of caring for the plant and during harvesting. Also, the garter will protect the branches from bending under the weight of berries and kinks. The most effective method of supporting shrubs are trellises. To do this, high strong columns or pipes are driven along the length of the row at a distance of 5-7 m, a wire is attached to them in three rows, to which the branches are tied.

Learn how to make a blackberry trellis yourself.

Plants of the first year do not need to be attached, it is enough to direct them to the support. You can tie bushes to stakes. This can be done in a bundle or fan. For the first method, a tall, strong peg is driven into the middle of the bush, all branches of the bush are attached to it. For the second method, the stakes are driven near the bushes. They are tied to them in half branches from two shrubs growing nearby.

Harvesting and storage

Despite the fact that the fruits of blackberry hold well on the bush and do not crumble after full ripening, it is still necessary to choose the optimal time for harvesting. In some varieties, overripe berries lose their taste, the flesh becomes soft, which reduces the shelf life of fresh berries. You need to collect dark purple dense fruits. This should be done in dry weather, so that the berries are not wet.

Picking berries must be carefully with the stalks. Harvested crops must be removed from the sun and placed in a cool place. The container can be used plastic, with a volume of 2-3 kg. Filling it is not tight. After collecting the fruits, iterate over, the taken ones can be processed, and the berries with mold can be thrown out. You do not need to wash the entire crop before sending it for storage, otherwise the fruits drain and quickly deteriorate. Before freezing, berries should be soaked briefly in cold water, dried on a paper or cloth napkin.

We advise you to find out what the benefits and harms of blackberries are.

Separate from the stalk. Lay out in a thin layer on a board, cardboard or tray and send to the freezer. After freezing the berries, they are packaged in separate containers or plastic bags based on the number of berries needed for one use, since they can not be frozen again. Then they are again sent to the freezer. So do with the rest of the crop, intended for freezing.

From blackberry you get wonderful jam, compotes, jams. To maintain useful properties, you can grind it with sugar, and for longer storage, such a blackberry can be frozen. It also does not lose its properties and is stored for a long time in dried form. The shelf life of fresh blackberries depends on the characteristics of the variety, the berries can be stored for up to 20 days on the lower shelves of the refrigerator or in the basement.

Shelf life in different states:

• frozen and dried blackberries are stored for 36 months;
• grated with sugar - in the coolness of 3-4 months;
• the same only in the freezer - 12-16 months;
• jams, compotes - 24 months.

Video: roll blackberry compote

Preparing for wintering, how to shelter

Bushes should be prepared for winter immediately after harvest:

1. Carefully prune the branches.
2. Old mulch is removed from the ground, branches, leaves, berries, weeds and all this is destroyed.
3. The soil is loosened, fertilizers are applied, if necessary, they make a near-stem circle, watered.
4. Apply a new thick layer of mulch. Spray Bordeaux liquid and carefully remove the branches from the trellis.
5. Something needs to be planted under the branches so that they do not break under the weight of the shelter.
6. In upright growing varieties, the branches can be bundled and bent gradually.
7. It is necessary to cover strictly at a stable minus temperature.

Important! You need to open the bushes in time to avoid fogging.

For shelter, you can use special covering materials, film, straw, hay, sawdust, peat, etc.

Video: two ways to cover blackberry seedlings

Breeding methods

As mentioned above, direct growing varieties propagate by root offspring. Creeping blackberry is propagated by the tips of substitution shoots. Half-spreading - in both of these ways. Also, blackberries can be planted with seeds and division of the uterine bush.

But the seed method does not guarantee the safety of the blackberry variety, and when dividing the bush, it takes root for a long time, therefore, we distinguish two most effective and simple ways:

1. Root offspring are formed near the roots. In early spring, they are carefully separated from the selected bush and transferred along with part of the land to a new landing site. They should be young, strong, thick, not less than 1 cm thick and 15 cm long. The root system is well-branched, the roots should be 20 cm in length.
   

2. For cultivation with green tops in the spring, before the start of the growing season, it is necessary to cut off annual strong shoots, leaving two buds on the mother bush. Cut the cuttings from these blanks, they should be with a part of the stem, one bud and one leaf. The lower part of such a handle needs to be soaked in a solution with the drug to stimulate the growth of the root system for 5-6 hours. During this time, prepare the planting mixture and containers. A mixture is peat and sand mixed in equal parts. As landing containers, paper or plastic cups with holes made below or film envelopes are used. Planting containers are filled with the mixture, the stalk is placed there and the seedlings are sent to the greenhouse. It maintains an air temperature of about + 25 ° C, 100% air humidity and 80–90% soil moisture. After 30-40 days, seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place.
   

• These two methods of breeding blackberries have several advantages:
• Guaranteed conservation of the variety.
• Avoidance of infection landing.
• Profitability.

Diseases and Pests

So that the blackberry plantation does not hurt and is not exposed to pest attacks, it must be placed away from strawberries and raspberries, since they have the same illness, and the blackberry itself is less likely to get sick. Также необходимо придерживаться правил агротехники, не допускать переувлажнения грунта, избавляться от сорняков, рыхлить землю и прореживать кусты.

Learn how to deal with blackberry diseases and pests.

Ежевика поражается вирусными и грибковыми заболеваниями:

1. При вирусе листовые пластины приобретают пёструю расцветку.
2. При грибковом поражении на листьях и ветвях появляются разные пятна.

Для профилактики и борьбы с грибковыми инфекциями используются фунгициды. Этими химикатами обрабатывают растение после сбора урожая, перед укрытием куста на зиму и весной, до начала процессов жизнедеятельности растения — это профилактика. При выявлении поражения ими также обрабатывают больное растение и землю вокруг него. Категорически запрещено опрыскивать растения чем-либо во время цветения.

Тля на ежевике. Можно использовать биологические препараты или народные методы борьбы. К сожалению, если куст повредил вирус, его не спасти. Стоит без сожаления выкорчевать его и уничтожить за пределами хозяйства. Не стоит забывать и о вредных насекомых, ведь это они переносят вирусные инфекции. Наиболее часто ежевику атакует тля. Если заметили её появление на побегах, их нужно аккуратно срезать и сжечь.

Did you know? Самый простой способ защитить растение от напастей — ранней весной, до пробуждения кустов, полейте на ветки и землю под ними из лейки кипятком. Затем укройте почву под кустом плотным материалом.

Для профилактики обрабатывают кусты инсектицидами. При выявлении клещей сначала они питаются молодыми побегами, затем поражают цветы и плоды, они деформируются и, не созревая, осыпаются. Для борьбы с клещами используют специальные препараты — акарициды.

Сорта для Башкирии

Для Башкирии подходят те же сорта, что и для выращивания на Урале.

Можно добавить несколько наиболее популярных сортов с кратким описанием:

• Трипл Краун — кусты мощные, сильно растущие. Побеги стелющиеся, без шипов. Период созревания ранний. Ягоды крупные, сочные, с приятным вкусом и сливово-черешневым послевкусием. Productivity is average. Мякоть плотная, собранный урожай можно транспортировать;
  

• Лох Несс — кусты компактные, с полустелющимися длинными побегами, без шипов. Ягоды кисло-сладкие с приятным ежевичным ароматом. Productivity is high. Мякоть плотной консистенции, что позволяет перевозить урожай на длительные расстояния;
  

• Арапахо — сорт раннего периода созревания. Кусты с пряморастущими стеблями, бесшипные. Плоды крупные, сладкие. Productivity is average. Устойчив к болезням и вредителям.
  

Как видим, ежевику можно выращивать везде. Да, в холодном климате будет снижена урожайность, но это не повод отказаться лакомиться этой вкусной полезной ягодой, выращенной своими руками. Она менее прихотлива, чем другие плодово-ягодные культуры. Просто необходимо вовремя утеплить посадку, и урожай вам обеспечен.