Blackberry Thornfree: description of the variety, how to plant and care for the berry

Blackberry bushes are extremely decorative. Most varieties have fast growing and well branching shoots. To maintain an attractive appearance, as well as to obtain a plentiful and tasty harvest, the blackberry must be regularly trimmed and its crown properly formed. Spring pruning is a must for this plant.

• 2 When to prune blackberries in spring
• 3 Spring pruning rules

  3.1 Video: Spring Blackberry Pruning

Description of the variety

Blackberries of the Thornfrey variety are more productive than most other types of this berry and are planted both by garden owners and on an industrial scale. The main feature of this variety is the absence of thorns. It is very convenient to pick berries from thick, dark green thornless shoots, reaching a height of 5 meters. Another positive quality in the characteristic of Thornfrey blackberries is the ability to collect up to two harvests of berries - the first appears in June, and in August you can get the second.

Yield

On a fruit shoot there can be 20-30 berries, each weighing up to 7 g. The bush has a lot of branches, so from one plant you can collect up to 20 kg of berries, which have an excellent taste.

How can you cover a blackberry for the winter

For shelter, you can use improvised or purchased materials.

Materials at hand

Suitable materials for shelter are:

1. The soil - this type is time consuming, but gives a good effect. The disadvantages include difficulties in removing this type of shelter in the spring - thorns can scratch hands, and the remains of soil on the tops of the bushes cause increased growth of lateral shoots.
2. Snow - in a snowy winter, it will reliably protect the plant, however, in the event of a thaw, it can be a dangerous source of excess moisture, which, when cold weather sets in, will freeze and damage the plant.
3. Vegetable tops - dried and healthy is used, which is harvested in the process of harvesting vegetables.
4. Hay and straw - both materials are easy to use, easy to remove in spring. Of the minuses, such a shelter can attract mice for the winter, which will willingly eat blackberry bushes.
5. Fallen tree leaves - this species is characterized by low labor intensity, but here it is important not to cover with foliage from fruit and berry trees, since pest larvae can be transmitted with it.
6. Corn leaves - this material is characterized by rigidity, so it can protect the shrub well, it also does not absorb water well. Leaves are dried after harvesting corn or used naturally dried, laid in a thick layer. Keep the leaves healthy and free from damage.
7. Sawdust and shavings - not recommended for use due to the fact that they reduce the nitrogen content, acidify the soil, strongly absorb water, which then freezes into an ice block, and contribute to the reproduction of pests.
8. Peat - characterized by a high degree of moisture absorption, therefore it does not fit well.
9. Coniferous tree branches - a thick layer of this shelter allows the shrub to breathe, retains heat well, and repels rodents and pests.
10. Husk of sunflower, buckwheat, rice - the material is good because it does not absorb water well, but it will take a lot to cover it.

The positive side of using scrap materials is the absence of financial costs, the negative side is the impossibility of using them on large areas.

Synthetic materials

You can cover blackberries using synthetic materials purchased in the store:

1. Film - its thick layer will serve as a good shelter in a snowy winter, but can create problems if a thaw comes. In this case, a lot of moisture and heat forms under it, which will lead to decay. Snow-free winters are dangerous, in this case there is a greenhouse effect, which is created on a frosty day by the sun and forms a high temperature under the film. After sunset, a drop in temperature leads to frostbite. Alternatively, you can put paper under the film or sprinkle it with sawdust on top.
2. Roofing material, pieces of old linoleum - the ease of use of this type of shelter resists fragility during frost.
3. Felt or synthetic winterizer - this type is suitable only for northern latitudes, where there are snowy and frosty winters, since during the thaw the material can gain moisture, and the blackberries will rot.
4. Burlap - used as an additional covering material in conjunction with improvised shelter.
5. Non-woven fabric (spunbond, agrotex, lutrasil, agrospan) - the advantage of this type of material is good protection against frost and the ability to pass air. It does not create a greenhouse effect, so you can cover it before the frost begins, and remove it long after it ends.
6. Styrofoam - protects well, but expensive and easily gnawed by mice.

Selection of seedlings

How to choose seedlings:

• the best for growing are annual plants with a well-developed root system;
• each seedling must have at least two shoots with a diameter of 0.5 cm;
• formed kidneys should be on the roots.

If non-lignified seedlings are purchased, then they must be shortened to 25 cm. This is done because the unrooted stem is not supplied with moisture. And if you leave most of the cutting, the leaves on it, due to the evaporation of water, will dry the stem before the blackberry takes root.

When is the best time to start hiding

Blackberry bushes freeze at a temperature of about -17 ° C, a sharp drop in temperature is especially dangerous, which can destroy the plant even at -10 ° C. The best time for shelter comes during a period when the temperature is constantly kept at -5 ° C, that is, usually at the end of October or at the beginning of November (the time period may vary depending on the region).

If you cover the bushes ahead of time, then under the influence of heat they will continue to grow, and in the absence of light and ventilation, the young growth will rot and rot. The decay of roots and ground shoots is facilitated by condensation formed under the shelter from excess heat and lack of air.

Read also: How to root a bay leaf with a cutting

How to plant?

Since each Thornfree blackberry bush gives many shoots, the distance between adjacent bushes should be quite large - at least a meter.

There are two main ways to plant a berry:

1. Kustovoy. With this method, the cord is pulled, and planting holes are marked along it after 1.2–1.5 m. After marking the first line, the second is marked, etc. The location of the holes in the second and subsequent lines can repeat the first or be staggered. The main thing is to keep the distance.
2. Tape. With such a landing, the distances between the holes in a row are made less - from half a meter. But the distance between two adjacent rows is 2–2.5 m. This planting method is more laborious. In addition, the subsequent care of shrubs is more difficult. The advantage of the tape solution is that it accelerates the onset of fruiting blackberries by two years.

The video shows the Thornfrey Blackberry from planting to wintering.Filmed by SAOS + about everything.

Boarding time

Thornfrey Blackberry can be planted in the fall - mid-September to early October before frost. Another option is to plant in spring. It should be carried out as soon as the weather is warm, but the buds on the shoots have not yet awakened.

Landing place

Winter hardiness of Thornfrey blackberry is low. Therefore, for landing, you must choose a well-lit and wind-protected place. It is quite difficult to combine these two requirements, since the protection from the wind creates a shadow.

Optimal soil and its preparation

Blackberries should not be planted in calcareous soils. The fact is that a thin layer of humus on this soil makes it not fertile enough for plants with a developed root system. In addition, the high pH of carbonates (7 and above) inhibits the absorption of iron, manganese and magnesium by plants, which can lead to chlorosis and the death of blackberries. The increased acidity of the soil can be determined without special instruments. If mosses, horsetail or sorrel grow on the site, the soil requires deoxidation. To do this, it is necessary to use crushed limestone, slaked lime or dolomite flour in an amount of 300 g per square meter.

Well-fertilized and drained loams with an acidity of 5.8 to 6.7 pH are optimal for vegetation and fruiting. Drainage is necessary to remove excess moisture. At the same time, clay retains well the water necessary for the life of the roots.

Thornfrey does not tolerate waterlogged soils. Excess moisture causes the plant to rot.

To prepare the soil for planting, it is recommended to dig up the area to a depth of 50 cm and fertilize with a mixture of components from the calculation:

• 11 kg of compost or humus;
• 45 g superphosphate;
• 25 g of potassium chloride or potassium sulfate.

In one place, blackberries can produce good yields for 10-15 years. But it must be borne in mind that the powerful roots of plants remove a large amount of nutrients from the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish their loss in a timely manner.

Landing

Considering that Thornfrey is a late variety of blackberries, it is recommended to plant it in the spring. Autumn planting material after harvest is weakened, such cuttings may not survive the winter.

In this regard, it is better to prepare the site and trenches for future plantings in the fall. Blackberries love a sunny place, but from the intense heat in the southern regions, the berries can bake, and the shoots can dry out and freeze from strong winds. The best location for Thornfree would be a plain, protected from the north or northwest by fences, buildings, or tall plantings. The soil for this blackberry is loamy, not acidified, and the sandy soil will need to be well fertilized, dug up with clay or black soil.

If the site has not been fertilized for a long time, in the fall you need to spread fresh manure, ash, compost over it and dig up the soil. Pour humus with ash or complex fertilizers into the planting pits, mixing everything with the ground. Until spring, fertilizers will partially rot and be absorbed into the soil.

In the spring, just before planting, cuttings are cut to 20-25 cm, planted in prepared pits, deepening the root collar by 2-3 cm, watered, the soil around the bushes is covered with sawdust, peat, dry grass or crushed dry twigs. The mulch will prevent moisture from escaping from the soil and will also slow down the growth of weeds.

Given that the shoots of the Thornfrey blackberry are massive, with long lashes, the distance between them must be left at least three meters, especially if you practice one-sided garter of shoots on trellises.

How to care for Thornfree Blackberries?

In order to get high yields, you need not only proper planting, but also plant care. Without leaving, the blackberry will bear fruit, but its berries will become smaller from year to year, and their taste will deteriorate.In addition, without care, the plant will be significantly more susceptible to disease and damage from pests.

Top dressing

Spring feeding is mandatory, which allows the plant to quickly get rid of the effects of winter stress, accelerates the growth processes. This requires nitrogen fertilization. The basic rule of the gardener: nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring, potash and phosphorus fertilizers in the fall. Additional feeding during fruiting is permissible.

What and in what quantity is applied:

1. Spring feeding. 55 g of ammonium nitrate under a bush. After application, the soil around the bush is loosened and mulched.
2. During the fruiting period, 20 g of ammonium nitrate is added under the bush. Replacement with urea in the amount of 15 g is allowed.
3. In the fall, after mulching, add 95 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium sulfate.

Watering

Freshly planted plants are regularly watered for 1–1.5 months. During the growing season, it is necessary to moisten the blackberry only during a long absence of rain. With the emergence of berries, the shrub is watered for their intensive growth and ripening.

Photo gallery

Fertilization

Watering the blackberry

Loosening

Loosening the soil around the blackberry bushes is used if mulching is not used. In the first years of plant life, the procedure for loosening row spacings is carried out in the summer 5–6 times to a depth of 12 cm and 2–3 times per season the soil is loosened under bushes up to 8 cm deep. This destroys the soil crust. In addition, during loosening, grown weeds are removed and pests and their wintering places are destroyed.

Pruning

A prerequisite for maintaining the large size of the berries is the correct pruning of blackberry bushes. The main procedure is carried out in the spring. In autumn, only dry and damaged shoots are removed. The first pruning is carried out two years after planting the blackberry, then annually.

For pruning, a pruner is used, which removes the upper third of the shoot, as shown in the photo.

Blackberry pruning

Disease treatment

In the spring, after the opening of the buds, it is necessary to remove the pests. For this, Thornfrey blackberries are treated with a 1% nitrophene solution. It is an effective remedy for the control of aphids, caterpillars and gall mites that overwinter on the plant.

At the first loosening, means are introduced to combat pests that live in the soil and damage the roots of the plant (May beetles, bears).

In the fall, the shrub is treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid to prevent anthracnose and purple spotting. In general, Thornfree blackberries are much more resistant to diseases such as anthracnose or stem cancer than raspberries. When signs of a disease appear during the fruiting period, it is not necessary to use pesticides so that they do not get into the berries. Better to use biofungicides.

What is pruning for?

There are several goals for pruning blackberries:

1. Removal of sprouted shoots in autumn allows nutrients to enter the young growth.
2. Removing dry, broken branches or just extra, allows the sun's rays and air to penetrate into the bush, better illuminate the shoots and berries. This helps to increase the yield and sugar content of berries, saves from infections.
3. Removing sick or pest-affected branches in the fall prevents the spread of diseases to healthy shoots and neighboring bushes.
4. Excessive branches interfere with caring for the plant throughout the season and collecting fruits from it, pruning completely solves this problem. After the autumn formation, the bush becomes compact, it is easier to cover it for the winter.
5. Pruning garden blackberries stimulates the growth of young branches, flowering and, accordingly, fruiting.

Without formation, the bush thickens, accumulates various diseases, reduces yields, and decreases product quality.To always count on a good harvest, you must remember to prune the blackberries every year.

Breeding rules

There are two ways to breed blackberries:

1. Cuttings. Cut shoots are divided into cuttings, on each of which only one leaf is left on the upper bud. The twigs are buried in the ground and wait for their rooting, after which they are transplanted to a permanent place.
2. The tops. The upper part of the shoot is bent to the ground and added dropwise, leaving the top with leaves on the surface. In the place of contact with the ground, the shoot will take root. In autumn, the top with a formed root system is separated from the parent plant and planted in a new place.

Diseases and pests

Ways to fight:

1. in the spring of planting, they dig up and cultivate the land from fungal spores with fungicides: Fundazol, Topsin M;
2. with a strong defeat, they dig up diseased bushes and burn them;
3. as a preventive measure, to prevent the spread of planting, they are treated with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate

How to prepare a plant for winter

Covering the bushes for the winter is a must. Dry and damaged shoots are pre-cut, then the roots are mulched to protect them from freezing. The plant itself is bent to the ground and covered.

There are several options for shelter:

1. Straw or spruce branches - their advantages are that plants breathe under such a "fur coat". In order to prevent spruce branches or straw from being blown up by the wind, it is recommended to cover the bushes from above with slate or non-woven materials - Agrospan or Spunbond.
2. Nonwovens. Can be used by themselves. They protect plants well and are breathable.
3. Polyethylene. The least successful option, since it does not allow air to pass through. In addition, a thick film is required. Finally, polyethylene is only considered effective where there is a lot of snow.

What should be taken care of in the fall before shelter

In order for the blackberry to endure wintering more easily, before sheltering it is necessary:

1. Continue watering the bushes after harvesting until the onset of cold weather, if the weather is dry.
2. Thin the shoots by cutting off those that have already yielded, since they have served their time, as well as young branches. For 1 bush, 6 to 8 branches are enough. The remaining branches are shortened by about 20 cm.
3. Weed the weeds, loosen the soil.
4. Fertilize with potash fertilizers without chlorine - this will facilitate wintering.
5. Sprinkle the soil with sunflower leaves or hulls to protect the roots and retain moisture.
6. Remove the plant from the supports and gently press it to the ground. The closer to winter, the more brittle the bushes will be, so they need to be removed earlier. If the plant grows upright, you need to bend it down gradually, making the top heavier with some kind of weight.

Pros and cons of the variety

Pros:

• high productivity;
• unpretentiousness, ease of care;
• disease resistance.

Minuses:

• poor winter hardiness;
• the difficulty of determining the moment of ripeness.

The last statement needs to be deciphered. The fact is that the unripe berry of the Thornfrey blackberry does not differ in appearance from the mature and overripe one. At the same time, an unripe berry has a sour taste, an overripe berry has a bland. It is difficult for a beginner gardener to catch the moment when the berry is in the right stage of ripeness.

Breeding history

Blackberry without thorns Thonfree (Thonfree) appeared in 1966 thanks to the American breeder D. Scott. It belongs to the Maryland varieties that are widely known throughout the world. The Thornfrey hybrid blackberry originates from the varieties Bryned, Merton Thornles and Eldorado.

In 2006, Thonfree was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation and recommended for cultivation in all regions.

Now the Thornfrey blackberry is used in the creation of new varieties as a donor of thornlessness and yield. In particular, she acted as one of the parent crops for the American Black Satin and Serbian Chachanska Bestrna.

In small areas

Since the Thornfrey blackberry variety is self-pollinated, it is quite suitable for growing in greenhouse conditions. Moreover, this variety has a tendency to remontant, therefore, when the required temperature regime is provided, the replacement shoots begin to give berries.

Learn how to grow blackberries from seed at home.

For growing in a greenhouse, you can use containers. They need to be installed in a specific order. 2 plants are placed on 1 m². When planting seedlings in the soil in a greenhouse, it is recommended to maintain a distance in a row of 0.5 m, and a row spacing of at least 1.5 m. In principle, the planting process is the same as in open ground. The main thing is to provide the necessary temperature regime for the berries to ripen.

Video: how to grow blackberries in a greenhouse

Growing Thornfree Blackberries on the balcony for harvesting a large harvest will not work. This voluminous plant with long shoots will be difficult to place in such a small area. But if the seedlings that took root in the spring are not planted in open ground, but left until autumn or held until next spring, this would be a great idea. In this case, they will get stronger and better accepted.

The very process of growing them on the balcony is as follows:

1. First, the seedlings are planted in a container with a volume of 1 liter.
2. In May, they are transplanted into a 5 liter container. A vermiculite drainage layer is placed at the bottom.
3. After 14 days, the containers are exposed to the sun after disembarkation.

To protect the roots from the sun, they are sprinkled with perlite.
Care is normal, as in outdoor cultivation. In winter, during frosts, the pots are kept on the balcony only if it is heated and well insulated. Otherwise, it is recommended to dig them in the greenhouse and cover them. In the spring, seedlings are planted in a permanent place.

Did you know? Blackberries of the Black Cascade variety were bred for balcony cultivation. The length of the lashes of this ampelous variety is only 0.5 m. This plant culture is placed in a pot, and can delight with berries throughout the year.

Pruning ahead of frost

What does the pruning of black raspberries give in the fall before the onset of cold weather? This procedure allows you to make thickets less often and get an abundance of berries next year. At the same time, they will retain their excellent taste characteristics and will be large. Planting and caring for black raspberries is not so difficult - pruning the bushes in this matter plays a key role. Indeed, it is thanks to this procedure that harmful insects are distracted from planting, and the appearance of unpleasant diseases is prevented. At the same time, young shoots acquire the necessary reserve of strength for wintering, which helps them not to die before the onset of heat.

Also, pruning of Cumberland raspberries in the fall is required to eliminate two-year shoots after the fruiting phase. The shoots of the first year retain up to 30-50 cm from the surface of the earth, removing excess length. An important point is the competent preparation of the bushes for winter. For this, the stems of black raspberries are fixed at the soil surface (not very low) using metal staples (or wire). No additional covering of plants is required. Since the frost resistance of the variety allows it to endure well under the snow cover even not the warmest winter.

The nuances of cultivation and care

If you correctly choose a site for planting bushes, then care and pruning of black raspberries will not cause any significant difficulties. The area should be well lit by the sun and have reliable wind protection.

This will eliminate damage from glaciation and minimize the drying out of the stems in winter. The roots of black raspberry are characterized by deep penetration into the earth's thickness - they do not reach the groundwater by 50 cm. Therefore, the culture is not demanding for the type of soil. But he does not disdain timely watering and dressing.

Despite the drought resistance and insensitivity to pests, viral diseases can cause great harm to bushes. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant black raspberries where potatoes or tomatoes grew. It is better to plant it away from these places, and also remove it from red raspberries. Black raspberries have one property - the formation of strong lateral shoots on one-year-old stems (up to a meter long). A considerable part of the harvest is concentrated on them. Black raspberries are propagated by apical cuttings or leaf cuttings.

Otherwise, caring for black raspberries is identical to red. Due to the strong development and thickening of the bushes, the seedlings are placed at a distance of 1 meter from each other. And since the stems reach 2 m in height or more, then a garter to the trellis will not be superfluous for them. Spring pruning of Cumberland raspberries is designed to shorten the lateral processes on the stems, on which up to 6 buds are stored.

Regular pruning of Cumberland black raspberries in the fall will make it possible to create an excellent decoration of a summer cottage from seedlings, like a hedge. For which it is necessary to fix the stems on the sunny wall of the house or on the fence. In another case, in order to relieve the load from the branches, a wire support is designed. For this, wooden columns are installed at the edges of the row (2 - 2.5 meters high). A strong wire is attached to them at three levels - 0.5, 1.8 and 2.1 meters.

Why prune blackberries in the fall

Considering that this pruning takes place in the fall before winter, it is she who prepares the plant, and helps it to successfully overwinter, as well as begin to develop correctly in the spring, it will give strong and healthy shoots. In addition, blackberry is a semi-shrub with a two-year cycle of stem development: the first summer, young shoots grow in whips, ripening, lignify.

In the second summer, these mature whips are covered with large white inflorescences, form a fruit ovary and give their delicious black drupes from July to August. The crop is harvested - the two-year-old whips that have bore fruit are no longer needed. They should be constantly cut at the root. Otherwise, the bushes will thicken, they will weaken so much that young shoots may not have time to form and even shaded berries will be less sweet.

Excessive presence of old wood due to shading of the middle stems reduces the frost resistance of the plant. Such bushes are difficult to form for a winter shelter. In addition, pruning of young lashes stimulates their flowering in the new season, and pruning itself leads to rationing of the crop. This, in turn, contributes to its complete and timely ripening and again enhances the power of the bush as a whole.

Autumn care for ezemalina

In the autumn, prophylaxis against various diseases is carried out. For this, the bushes are treated with special solutions. You can use a decoction of nettle or horsetail. If pests are found, the plant must be treated with fungicides.

Ezhemalina of any variety shows fairly good resistance to most diseases.

Before the beginning of winter, ezemalin must be laid on the ground. For this, the shoots are removed from the trellis and fixed in a supine position. If there is sufficient rainfall, snow can be used for shelter. If the winter is snowless, sawdust, coniferous branches or a special covering material with good breathable functions are suitable for shelter.

Formation of bushes: procedure algorithm

The formation of the ezmalina consists in its pruning. There are several theories as to when this procedure should be performed:

• in spring, before the start of active growing season;
• in the fall, at the end of fruiting.
• during pruning, old, damaged, dried branches must be removed.

Also, pruning is done after planting the seedling, when its top is cut off by 25-30 cm.

Bush cultivation tools

For work, you need to prepare a lopper and pruner.If the diameter of the lignified shoots exceeds 1.5 cm, a garden saw is used.

Prune blackberry bushes with a clean and sharp instrument... Sharp blades make the process easier and faster. The special sharpening of the teeth on the saw and the special setting angle allow cutting branches in two directions. After working with the tool, even and smooth edges remain, which looks more neat. This treatment reduces the risk of contamination of the shrub.

For stems less than 1.5 cm thick, a pruner is used. The device should not break, chew and split twigs, leave uneven cuts. If this happens, choose a tool with the smallest gap between the blades. Anvil pruning shears are suitable for thorny shrubs. When pruning, the tool is constantly held at one angle so as not to break the stem.

Growing in Siberia

The Thornfree blackberry variety can be grown in the harsh conditions of Siberia. But in this case, you should take good care of insulation for the winter in order to protect the plant culture from severe frosts. For the winter, shoots are removed from the trellises and pressed to the soil so that they are warmed by the heat that comes from the ground. For insulation, it is recommended to place shoots folded to the ground on wooden boards from old boxes, and also to place such a wooden gasket on top. Then the top is covered with agrotex or film.

Since the replacement stems at the bush are difficult to bend to the ground, and they can simply break at the base, when they reach 20 cm, they are bent in a horizontal position and fixed so that the growth goes closer to the ground.

Maximum protection from the cold is provided when growing shrubs in boxes or in semi-buried trenches.

Find out when to shoot the blackberry winter hideaway.

Since this plant crop has a later ripening period, it is necessary to tighten the sum of active temperatures (SAT) in early spring and autumn. It is then that the berries will pick up the necessary sweetness. In the spring, in order to collect the necessary SAT, the insulation for the winter is removed, plant residues are removed, and then arcs with agrotex or film are installed. This procedure allows you to start the growing season 14–25 days earlier. Thus, by May 20-25, the shoots have already reached 25 cm and flowering will begin almost 4 weeks earlier. This process allows providing a set of CAT at least + 300 ° C.

In August, you also need to think about additional insulation so that the berries ripen well, because fruiting lasts until September. Therefore, it is recommended to put a film on the trellises, while creating a greenhouse effect. This will allow the berries to ripen faster.

How to prune properly for a good harvest

In order to increase yields, the formation of a bush should occur annually, the number of correctly pruned pruning should be at least two. So, the procedure should be carried out regularly:

• when spring comes;
• when autumn comes.

In the fall, at the end of the harvest, it is necessary to cut off two-year-old shoots, which have already completed fruiting, at the root, and one-year ones are shortened to a height of 50 cm. Only 8-9 strong and strong stems are left for wintering, and all the rest are cut out completely.

Video: How to crop a zemaline.

Planting dates, when is it better to plant - in spring or autumn

Ezhemalina is planted at the same time as most bushes. This plant has special requirements. It is believed that even in summer, bushes can be planted, but not in extreme heat. Ezhemalina is characterized by good survival rate, tolerates different weather conditions well. The main thing is to follow the general planting rules at different times of the year.

In the spring, the bushes should not yet fully wake up. And in the fall, you need to have time to plant them some time before the onset of frost, so that they have time to take root. Many gardeners point out that it is quite easy to plant the ezemalina and in most cases it takes root well.

Specificity of care

Planting a culture occurs by rooting annual non-woody shoots or horizontal planting of seedlings, in the future, a trellis is required for its cultivation, since, like raspberries, many shoots appear on the bushes in summer. The hybrid can produce shoots from 2–4 m long, which are tied to a trellis as it grows.

Experts recommend the trellis method of growing jemalberries, as it avoids thickening of the bushes, which can lead to a decrease in the size of the berries.

The tops, when they reach 2–2.5 cm in length, must be pinched, which will contribute to their thickening and ripening, and will also stimulate the growth of lateral shoots. It is necessary to feed the bushes at the end of spring. To do this, you can use urea, infusions of manure and mullein, with the addition of superphosphate and ash, which are allowed to be used after the first season of fruiting.

• sawdust;
• straw;
• dry grass;
• manure or peat.

It is necessary to water the bushes with a large amount of water during the period of active ripening of the berries, which will allow you to grow a crop with large fruits. However, the condition of the soil should be monitored and moisture stagnant should not be allowed, therefore it is rational to use the drip irrigation method. In winter, it is required to remove the shoots from the trellis and bend them to the ground, and in the spring they are lifted and returned to the support, making sanitary pruning. If there is a sufficient amount of precipitation in the region in winter, then the branches can not be covered.

Benefit and harm

Jemalina berries have a rich chemical composition, which makes them useful for the human body. Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties cause the use of berries for acute respiratory infections, fever and pneumonia. Yezemalin has a positive effect on the intestines, nervous system, joints and kidneys. The berry is useful for alcohol or heavy metal poisoning, for cystitis. By the way, not only berries can be beneficial, but also pouring, bush branches.

However, there are also contraindications for the hybrid berry. Juice from it can not be drunk by those who suffer from acidity, gastritis, ulcers. Urolithiasis, gout, kidney disease and diabetes mellitus, as well as nasal polyps and bronchial asthma are all diseases for which it is recommended not to abuse ezemalina. The risk of an allergic reaction determines the careful use of the berry for allergy sufferers and pregnant women.

Garter methods

To prevent the occurrence of fungal diseases, the convenience of caring for the bush and harvesting, the blackberry is tied to supports or trellises. This can be done in various ways.

Fan

This is the most effective way to tie blackberries, especially for young bushes and upright varieties (kumanik), such as Apache, Navajo. The scheme is simple - the shoots are alternately tied to the wire trellis in the form of a fan on both sides of the bush. This method avoids thickening, improves ventilation and sun exposure of the bush, and also makes picking berries easier.

Cable car

With this method, the fruiting shoots are tied horizontally to the trellis wire, and the young are located vertically in the center of the bush.

Wave

Fruiting branches of blackberries are wave-shaped on the lower wires of the trellis, and young shoots are tied to the upper wire of the trellis above them. Such a garter is performed mainly for creeping varieties (dew), for example, Loch Tei and intermediate forms (Triple Crown).

Pruning Blackberries in Spring for Beginners

Early spring is considered the best time to prune blackberries. At this time, the culture has not yet awakened after a period of vegetative rest and will undergo the procedure without stress. In this case, certain rules must be observed so that the shrub maintains health and productivity.

Basic tips for spring pruning blackberries include:

1. Garden tools, which will be trimmed must be sharpened and disinfected. This is necessary so that the cuts are smooth, and pathogens that could remain on the pruner or saw do not get into the wound.
2. Biennial shoots must be removed completely (at the root), without leaving hemp. If part of the shoot remains on the bush, rotting may begin, as a result of which the culture will die.
3. Young shoots that you do not plan to prune this year, you must definitely inspect for damage or pest larvae. It is not necessary to completely remove infected branches: it will be enough to cut them to healthy tissue.
4. Any dry or diseased shoots are removed, regardless of age, since the culture will spend energy not on fruiting, but on the restoration of such branches.

After the procedure, it is advisable to treat all the cut sites with garden varnish for disinfection.

However, in addition to general recommendations for pruning, there are some nuances that relate to working with shoots and pruning, depending on the variety of blackberries. We will consider them in more detail.

Shortening the stems

As mentioned above, all blackberry stems are densely covered with sharp thorns. This significantly complicates the pruning process, but without this procedure, you will not be able to grow a healthy and productive shrub.

The key role is given to the shortening of the shoots. This procedure has not only aesthetic, but also a very practical function. Firstly, after shortening the stems, the bush takes on a more regular shape. Secondly, such pruning will help facilitate further maintenance and harvesting.

A few words about remontant varieties

Repairing varieties of raspberries and blackberries require a special approach. Their main feature is the active fruiting of one-year-old shoots. In the second year, the active formation of fruits and flowers begins, after which the green parts die off. That is, a crop can be harvested from a remontant bush twice - first from two-year-olds, then from annuals. The method is interesting and working, however, it is not suitable for areas with a short period of vegetative development. If you wish, you can make temporary greenhouses, they will partially solve the problem with frost.

We shape the bush wisely

In order to facilitate the autumn operations for the removal of fertile wood, we form a bush using a special method. First, it depends on whether your form is erect or creeping. Despite the fact that erect blackberries are considered more frost-resistant, it will still be useful to remove them under the snow. The trouble is that it is very brittle, little bending.

In the photo, pruning blackberries

We solve this problem by rolling.:

1. In the spring, we lift the overwintered shoots vertically on the trellis, place them in the middle, directly above the roots of the bush.
2. We start up all growing young shoots on both sides of the growth point, tying them to the lower wires. Thus, they grow parallel to the ground.
3. In the fall, it will be easy to cut out everything that is not needed without accidentally removing the desired shoots. We cut off everything in the center at the root. We do not touch the creeping side lashes.
4. Our sparse young shoots have already taken an almost horizontal shape over the summer. We choose the 8-10 strongest among them. We delete everything else.
5. We shorten our wintering lashes, press them even more to the ground, cover them for the winter.
6. In the spring, carefully raise them vertically, waiting for the lashes to warm up, become less brittle

We form creeping varieties differently. They are less hardy. But more flexible, however, coping with ten-meter lashes is also not an easy task. In addition, there is more fuss about the thorns. Sometimes it is recommended to leave 8-10 young shoots immediately in the spring, without waiting for them to grow into many-meter twigs. This method has its advantages - this way you save the nutrients needed for the ripening of the crop and the wood of the roots and other branches.But in the summer, you constantly have to fight with all the new climbing shoots.

In the photo, a blackberry bush

Formation of the creeping form

1. We wind it onto the trellis, like overwintered lashes on a reel. We let them, for example, on the right hand from the point of growth.
2. To the left we wind up all the young growth.
3. If we do not remove excess shoots in the summer, we do it in the fall. before cutting the blackberry for the winter, remove it from the trellis, unfold it on the ground so that the vine does not get confused. We leave 8 the healthiest, strongest. We cut out the rest completely.
4. Also, remove the entire right side of the fruit bearing at the very root.
5. We fold the whips, put them in trenches for winter storage.

Thorns are a minor problem with these methods of bush guidance. We do not need to rip out old branches from the hair of young shoots, pushing through the thorns from the pruners to them. But pruning blackberries without thorns is even less time consuming. Especially thornless varieties are valuable in creeping forms; we do not have to unravel in the spring or before wintering the whips of black berries like barbed wire.

The repairing blackberry garden deserves a separate word. Pruning it is perhaps the simplest agricultural activity. We simply remove at the root all the wood that has grown over the summer, covering only the root system for winter. Because next spring she will again give flowering whips.

Varieties of garden ezhemalina with photo

Today, ezemalina is a berry, which has many varieties that differ in the qualities of bushes, sizes, taste of berries, etc. It is worth considering some of the varieties in order to better understand the question of what constitutes ezemalina.

Tayberry

This variety was bred by breeders not so long ago. Its main characteristic is its excellent yield. The plants themselves are quite thorny, and the berries have a dark red tint, large in size.

Loganberry

Feature - the absence of thorns and creeping branches, like a blackberry. The berries are red in color, but when ripe they darken significantly. One piece can weigh up to 5 g and reach more than 3.5 cm in length. Sourness is also present in the taste, ripening occurs early.

Boysenberry

This variety is also characterized by creeping bushes. The variety represents different plant forms - thornless and thornless. The berries are oval in shape, large enough, brownish in color. Their taste is closer to blackberries than to raspberries.

Texas

This variety is characterized by very large berries - up to 12 g in weight. They are elongated. The bush grows up to 5 m, but it does not stretch in height, but spreads. The plant tolerates frost well, especially when compared to other varieties. There are thorns on the bushes. The berries are more like raspberries, their taste is sweetish with sourness.

Darrow

And this variety is already growing upward, reaching 3 m in length. It tolerates frost perfectly, has thorns. From a sufficiently mature plant, about 5 years old, up to 10 kg of the crop can be removed. Sweet and sour berries are medium in size, weighing up to 4 g.

Errors when pruning blackberries

The main purpose of pruning any crop is to maintain health and increase yields. But, if the procedure was carried out incorrectly, the consequences can be negative.

To avoid this, it is better to take into account possible mistakes when pruning blackberries in advance:

1. Deadlines: in the spring, pruning is carried out before the onset of stable warm weather and the awakening of the kidneys. If you did not have time to carry out the procedure in spring in time, it is better to postpone it until autumn, simply by shortening part of the shoots.
2. Removing the wrong branches: it is important to remember that in the spring you cannot remove the young growth of the current year, since it is on these branches that the ovaries and berries will form. After the snow melts, only the old two-year branches are cut.
3. Periodicity: It is advisable to prune blackberries not annually, but once every two to three years. This is necessary to preserve the species characteristics of the variety.Pruning the blackberries every season will result in a very lush bush with small and tasteless berries. The only exceptions are remontant varieties, which should be pruned annually in the fall.

In addition, during the pruning process, you should not leave a large number of fruiting shoots: to get a bountiful harvest, it is enough to leave only 4-5 of the strongest branches. If there are too many shoots, the crop will not be able to saturate them with sufficient nutrients, and the yield will decrease.

The process of pruning a shrub is shown in more detail in the video.

Types of ezhemalina

Boysenberry - This variety is one of the best among the Ezhemalina. This hybrid of raspberries and blackberries is a fairly new variety, with berries that have an amazing aroma and flavor that surpasses both raspberries and blackberries. Initially, this hybrid was thorny, with a powerful bush. Thornless plants are now being bred, but the size and yield of these species is less than that of thorny crops. Boysenberry begins to bear fruit at the end of July and continues until the end of August.

Ezhemalina of the Darrow variety is a shrub up to three meters high, with strong, straight-growing, thorny stems. The variety has decorative leaves in the shape of fingers. The berries are small - up to 4 g in weight, when ripe they are almost black, glossy, elongated. The variety is high and the shoots are long, therefore, so that under the weight of leaves and berries, and the yield of the variety is high, the stems do not break, they need a garter.

Ezhemalina Loganberry, as stated in the description of the variety, is one of the most famous raspberry-blackberry hybrids developed in the United States. The hybrid is characterized by a creeping bush, shoots are available with or without thorns. In the Thornless Loganberry variety, the stems and petioles of the foliage, as well as the foliage itself, are pubescent with a soft nap.

The ezemalina Tayberry variety is distinguished by long, creeping burgundy shoots, with small thorns. Flowering begins in July, and berries ripen in the second half of August. Hanging brushes - up to six almost burgundy, elongated berries. The taste of the berries is similar to raspberry, and the pleasant aroma is reminiscent of lollipops. Ezhemalina Tayberry variety has good yields - 5 kg per bush.

Growing features

The cultivation of raspberries is practically the same as for raspberries, with some minor differences. Fast growing shoots of the shrub must be tied up regularly, otherwise they will spread uncontrollably throughout the garden. Although the ezhemalina bushes are considered an unpretentious plant, it is better to choose well-lit places with loose soil for planting it on your site.