In recent years, among summer residents and gardeners, planting on their blackberry plots begins to gain popularity. A worthy representative of this plant is the variety Leader Joseph.

Selection history

Grade Chief Joseph (Cheif Jozeph) was bred at the University of Arkansas. Parent plants are unknown, therefore it is difficult to talk about the origin of the variety. This blackberry is named after the leader who led the Indian war in the century before last.

Botanical Description

Leader Joseph has a strong bush with strong shoots that grow up to 3-4 m. Strong semi-spreading shoots can withstand a plentiful blackberry crop and not break. The leaves are medium sized, bright green, forming lush green on the bushes. The flowers in the variety are large, white. It is noteworthy that there are no thorns on the shoots.

Did you know? There is blackberry honey: it is completely transparent and very tasty. From 1 ha of blackberry, bees can collect up to 20 kg of such honey.

The root system is developed, allows you to keep a large bush on yourself. Overgrowth is almost not observed - it appears only in rare cases after damage to the root system. The variety bears fruit in large berries weighing up to 20 g. They are elongated, bright black with luster, collected in clusters on the shoots. It tastes sweet, with a pronounced aroma reminiscent of a wild blackberry.

Characteristic

The described variety is remontant, that is, the bushes bear fruit twice a season. This feature is very attractive to gardeners when choosing a blackberry for planting and breeding.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

The variety withstands both dry periods (it is considered drought tolerant, therefore it does not require abundant watering) and low temperatures in winter (up to –23 ° С).

Find out when to remove your winter blackberry shelter.

Productivity, fruiting

In the southern regions, the crop ripens in the third decade of July, in central Russia - in the first half of August. Fruits a blackberry for 5-6 weeks, from one bush during this time you can collect up to 35 kg of fruits. The bush begins to give such crops 3-4 years after planting, in the first years the fruiting is slightly lower.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Grade Leader Joseph has such advantages:
• strong bushes with high growth energy, developed lateral branching and multiple substitution shoots;
• early ripening of the crop;
• high productivity;
• the rapid growth of new shoots;
• large berries;
• the fruits tolerate transportation well.

• The variety has a few drawbacks, but they are present:
• with heavy rainfall in the fruit, the sugar level decreases, which spoils the taste;
• a large number of substitution shoots makes it difficult to care for the bushes;
• after removal in the fall, the shoots may break due to their intractability;
• the first year after planting gives berries with a mediocre taste.

Landing Features

Like any plant, a blackberry has its own planting characteristics, adhering to which everyone can grow it in their own area.

The timing

It is better to engage in planting of the considered variety of blackberry in the spring - so the plant will have time to take root, develop in order to successfully transfer the winter period. If it did not work to plant seedlings in the spring and you postponed the planting in the fall, then be sure to warm them with any available suitable material (better than plant origin) before the onset of cold weather.

Did you know? According to recent studies, the substances contained in blackberries can destroy cancer cells, inhibiting their development and without harming healthy ones.

Seat selection

It is best to choose a site that is constantly lit by the sun, but partial shade is also suitable. Do not plant blackberries in constantly shaded areas, as this will negatively affect the taste of berries. The landing site can be either completely open or located near obstacles or buildings.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Select seedlings 1-2 year old. They should be strong, with fresh leaves, without damage, stains or other signs of disease. It is best to purchase seedlings in the nursery, where you will be provided with varietal quality material. Before planting, their roots need to be soaked in a special growth stimulator - so the plants will better take root in a permanent place.

You will be interested to know what the blackberry is getting on with and what is incompatible with.

Landing pattern

After selecting a site for cultivation, a suitable planting material and its preparation, you can proceed directly to planting seedlings in a permanent place:

1. Dig a chosen place, remove large clods of soil.
2. At a distance of 2 m, dig holes with dimensions of 40 × 40 cm with a depth of at least 0.6 m. If there is more than one row, then the distance from one to the other should be at least 2.5 m.
3. Pour drainage from small stones or broken brick into the pits, sprinkle with soil.
4. Dip the seedling in the pit, cover the roots with a mixture of humus and fertilizers.
5. Top up the ground to the root neck.
6. Water the soil.
7. Around the trunk of the seedling, lay straw, dry leaves, or aged manure.
8. Cut the shoots so that 1-2 kidneys remain on them.

Care Rules

In order for the seedlings to take root and develop well, they must be carefully taken care of constantly. Basic care consists of watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing the soil and fertilizing the plants, pruning the shoots and proper harvesting. For your convenience, make supports for the bushes and pull a wire between them. If you leave the bushes to spread along the ground, then they need to be trimmed shorter than with supports (at a height of 2–2.5 m).

In the first year after planting, for good bush development, he needs frequent watering. In subsequent years, such abundant watering is not needed: the plant perfectly manages several procedures per season (the exception is very dry seasons). After watering, the soil around the bushes needs to be loosened - do it carefully, affecting only the topsoil so as not to damage the root system.

Important! If you mulch the root zone of the bushes, then you do not need to loosen the earth after watering.

In the first two years after planting a bush, only damaged, dry or frozen shoots need pruning. From the third year, on the contrary, the bushes need reinforced pruning. In the autumn period, all fruiting shoots are pruned to the root, only young shoots of this year are not affected.

In the spring and summer periods you only need to remove the extra stems, forming bushes of 8-10 stems. Blackberry is fertilized independently of the variety as standard: in early spring, nitrogen-mineral complexes are introduced, immediately before flowering and fruit formation, a complete mineral complex is introduced.

Harvesting and storage

You need to pick berries as they ripen in dry weather (wet berries spoil much faster). Pay attention to their appearance: the ripened fruit is solid, black with purple or low tide on the side. Berries that are too soft or eaten by bugs are considered overripe, they should not be collected in a common container.

For the collection and storage of blackberries, you should choose a wide and low dish so that the berries do not crush under their own weight. If you can’t immediately use the crop, place it in the refrigerator for several days, be sure to leave a place for air circulation in the tank. Do not cover dishes with blackberries. In addition, blackberries are frozen, grated with sugar or made from them jam.

Important! When harvesting, try to collect all the ripened berries from the bush, then the subsequent ones will grow larger.

Winter preparations

Despite the fact that the culture is frost-resistant, they cover the bushes for the winter. In autumn, shoots carefully, so as not to break, they are removed from the supports, several pieces are tied together, laid on the ground, covered with available material for warming the bush and a layer of soil is poured on top. In this form, the plant survives winter, after which the shelter is removed.

Breeding methods

Leader Joseph propagates by rooting shoots and cuttings. For rooting at the moment when the shoots reach a length of 2 m, their tops are placed in grooves dug near the main bush and, without cutting them off from the main bush, sprinkle with earth. The place where the top is placed is abundantly watered until the fall. In the fall, cuttings are cut off from the mother bush and planted in a permanent place.

Also read about how to grow blackberries from seed at home.

From young shoots, cuttings can be cut. To do this, cut off part from the top of the shoot so that one kidney remains on it. Cuttings are planted in plastic cups or small pots with fertilized soil. Then the pots are placed in a greenhouse where rooting takes place. It is important not to forget to moisten the soil in pots.

Diseases and Pests

The variety is quite resistant to pests and diseases. With proper care and fertilizer, the plants do not get sick, so they can be bred without the need for chemical treatment. However, sometimes, despite the departure, the plant is sick with rust (a fungus on the leaves of a blackberry).

The main symptom of the disease will be yellowing of the leaves, while they frown. To combat the trouble, you should spray the bushes with garlic. To do this, mash 100 g of garlic in a pulp and mix with 1 liter of water. Strain this water through several layers of gauze, add another 3 liters of water, mix and spray.

Learn how to deal with blackberry diseases and pests.

Garlic can also be used when aphids appear on plants. By planting this still rare plant - Blackberry Leader Joseph on your site, you will get aromatic and delicious berries. And observing the simple rules for caring for the bush, you will receive an excellent harvest from year to year.

Reviews

Blackberry Leader Joseph (CHEF JOSEPH) A unique blackberry variety that was named after the leader of the Native Persian tribe, Leader Joseph. He was a supporter of peaceful relations with the Americans, but entered the history of the 19th century as one of the greatest military leaders of the Indians of North America. This variety forms a powerful bush with long branches without thorns. The berries ripen from the beginning of August and lasts for 5 weeks, which provides an impressive total yield. The berry is very large, in size, like a Kiowa berry, bright black, shiny, weighing up to 25 g. The berry's density is high (denser than Kiowa's) and, as a result, the berry has good transportability. The taste of the berries is very high, sweet, fragrant, with a bright taste of wild blackberries, without acid. The variety was named after the leader of the Indian tribe for high productivity, extreme endurance, wide adaptability to growing conditions and shiny black berries of enormous size. Chief Joseph tolerates heat and drought, like a true inhabitant of the prairies. Thanks to the open habit of the bush, it is easily formed and easily grown. Branches in winter need shelter, but due to the semi-creeping branches, this is not difficult. Devidoff //forum.vinograd.info/showpost.php?p=850385&postcount=1