How to Grow Blackberry From Cuttings
Perhaps all of the gardeners have an out-most desire to grow some blackberries and that’s why everybody wants to know how to grow blackberry from cuttings. This is because of the food values and delicious taste of blackberry. For being packed with some of the essential elements like antioxidants and fiber, they are called super food at the same time.
And if you have the plan to grow some blackberry of your own, all you need is to plant accordingly. You can easily propagate it from your friends or neighbors. Blackberry is one of the most easily grow-able plants from cuttings. And according to me, it will be best for you if you choose a thorn-lees variety. This will ensure less discomfort during handling the plants or picking the sweet fruits. But for the gardeners of zone 6-10, it’ll be a hard choice if you select a variety that is thorn-less.
How To Propagate Blackberry
Blackberries can easily be propagated and so you can easily produce a lot of plants from a mother plant. Again, if you want to propagate from your friends or neighbor, it’s also possible and most probably they won’t disagree. Because, propagating blackberries don’t harm or let the mother plant die. There are many ways to propagate them and some of the best known and easiest methods are given below that are mostly effective and proved.
Cutting The Stem
It’s really fun to produce a lot of new plants from a single plant cutting its stems and I like it most. It is easy and less laboring. All you need to do is to cut some 4-6 inches pieces off the tips. Fill some pots with moist potting soil. Place the cuttings into the pots. Ensure enough brightness and shadow till you can see the development of rooting system. Ensure enough moisture in the soil. If you have some rooting hormone, you can apply it before placing them into the pot. If you don’t have, don’t worry. It’s not mostly necessary.
Recommended Time To Grow Cuttings
Spring is the best suited time to grow some cuttings as the canes are dormant then. But, you can grow some of the cuttings in the fall also. To do so, you must plan at least two weeks before the last frost. You must remember that sever cold can kill some of the varieties. To know about frost in your reign, take help from nearest nursery or agricultural offices.
Necessary Things
To grow blackberries from cutting will cause you less expense. So, here is the list of a few things that you’ll need.
- A pot or container of 4 inches depth.
- Potting mixture that is soilless, is best for developing the cuttings.
- Bypass pruners.
Steps To Follow:
Filling the pot with soil-free potting mix
- You can select any kind of potting mix from a huge collection but a soil-less potting mix will be the best. This is because it helps you minimizing the possibility of diseases and some unexpected fungal growth.
- Ensure a combination of prat moss, perlite, coconut coir, vermiculite and pine bark will do best. And if you think yourself too innocent to realize the formula, you can take help from a local gardening supply company.
- Make ready the combination, fill the pot loosely.
- Pruning the cane
- Find out a healthy primo-cane. Apply a sharp pruner to cut. Ensure preciseness and cleanliness of your cuttings.
- Cutting the cane into pieces and prepping the stem
- Cutting should be of 4-6 inches long. There is no problem with longer than that. Find out a bud from where new rooting system will develop and cut the stem.
- Don’t forget to scrape the bottom inch. It must help the new rooting system. Place the cuttings into some rooting hormone if you have. It’s not a major task and you can skip it if you don’t have rooting hormone or simply if you don’t want. Place it into the potting mix. At least one or two buds will be buried and two or three buds will be visible above the surface.
Sticking The Cuttings In The pots, Watering Them
I highly recommend you to dip the cuttings into some rooting hormone so that you can increase your success rate. After you have placed the cuttings into the pots, start watering gently. Ensure moist to develop the roots and leaves. Wait two or three weeks, you will be able to see some real rooting system developing.
Transplanting The Cuttings
- Select sunny raised bed in your garden. There should be at least 6-8 hours of sunlight for the healthy development of your cuttings.
- Spread 2 inches of compost preparing your bed/beds. Apply one pound of fertilizer that combines 5-10-5 for every hundred feet. Apply spade to turn the compost and fertilizer.
- Dig a hole measuring the size of your pots. Dig more if you want some of them. But, ensure a distance of 2-4 feet between the holes. Also the rows will be 8 feet apart. plant the plant in the hole.
- To settle the soil around the plants, water them. Ensure 1-2 inches of water for your plants in a week. Moisten your soil to save the plants from being dried.
- Apply 2-4 inches of mulch all over the top of the soil to maintain moisture. It’ll also resist the growth of some unexpected weeds. You’ll pull any weeds immediately to prevent them from forming deep roots.
Tip Rooting
This is another funny way to propagate your blackberry. Take a tip of one cane of the mother plant that is developing. Force it down to the ground and apply some soil to bury it. Within two or three weeks, you will be able to see that there develops a real rooting system. Cut off the part from the mother plants and plant it separately. It’s now a new plant; produce more in this way.
Types Of Blackberries
Blackberries are of different kinds. They are a part of rose family. They grow on thorny canes. Some of them are here:
Trailing Varieties Of Blackberry
Such plants can grow up to 20 feet. They need support so that they can elevate the canes. This types of plants cannot tolerate cold; severe cold can destroy the canes. They have an excellent aroma and flavor. They are so delicious that you cannot resist eating some of them at least.
Erect Varieties Of Blackberry
This kind of berries are not so large. Also, they are less tasty than the above one. But, if you like to have a hardier plants and fruit that is sturdier, you can select this kind of blackberry.
Home production of this kind does not need any support to prevent breakage but commercial production may need. My recommendation for you to select the thorn-less Wild Treasure. Always you have other option from Silvan, Obsidian and Columbia Star.
Semi-erect Varieties Of Blackberry
If you are looking for a high yield and huge harvesting, you can think this category of blackberry. Such a plants needs support but is not so tasty as trailing one. Such type of plants is easy to handle due to thorn-less canes. You have your freedom to select among Black Satin, Loch Ness, Hull Thorn-less and Triple Crown.
Primocane-fruiting Varieties Of Blackberry
This types of blackberry belong to erect family. So, you’ll have gentle flavors and smaller yields. Prime Jan, Prime Jim and Prime Ark 45. Among them, the later will be able to provide you the best outcome considering its flavor.
Again, this types of plants can produce fruit at the very first year of planting. They are easily manageable. If you cut the back in every fall, you will get new canes in the spring.
Tips To Plant Blackberries
- Here are some helpful tips for you to grow blackberries. I think it’ll help you developing a plant or garden from cuttings and to get better results.
- Ensure moist in the soil at least for the first two weeks. Use finger to check moisture level in the soil. Water it if you feel dry. Ensure moist for the top inch of your beds, don’t wet it.
- Water your plats regularly if you are from a dry reign. This’ll help the plants to adjust in the new environment. Morning is the best time to water your plants. After 2-3 weeks, apply only 2 inches of water per week.
- If you are from a moderate winter reign, plant them in the late fall or you can wait for the last frost to pass in your spring.
- Select a place where there is 6-8 hours of sunlight. It is mostly needed for the actual development of your plants. If you fail to ensure required sunlight, be sure of less fruit or no fruit at all.
- Well drained and rich soil is necessary with a PH of 5.5-7.0. use a testing kit to know the level. Add some lime if you want to increase the PH or Sulfur to decrease.
- Increase watering when your plants start producing. Besides accelerating the production rate, it’ll help producing juicy and plum berries.
- To keep the plants happy and upright, trellis has hardly other option. You need not to install a trellis at the first year. You can easily make a trellis or can collect from a nearest gardening store. In cause of your having a very low budget, train the plants on a near fence.
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