Q:Please give me information on the care of thornless blackberry. Can you shorten long, 3-meter shoots, and when?
O:Blackberries grow very vigorously. After planting the plants, shorten the young shoots and tie them to supports as they grow.By autumn, they will develop numerous branches, several meters long.In winter, take the shoots off the supports and place them on the ground, covering with branches or straw.
In spring, shoot again on the stakes.Very long shoots can be shortened up to 2.5-3 m from the root; if they have side shoots, they can be shortened to 20-30 cm Already this year it will be possible to collect fruit from them. Blackberries bear fruit on last year's shoots, so the shoots must winter.
To prevent the shoots from lengthening too much, remove the apex after reaching the desired length, eg 1.8 m.The shoot will then branch. After fruiting, all two-year-old shoots should be removed.
Which pest appears most often on thornless blackberries and how to deal with them?
When deciding to grow thornless blackberries, remember that although plants can be attacked by several species of pests (including: aphids, spider mites, thrips, some flies, butterflies and beetles), only some of them can cause significant losses in yield. One of the most important pests of thornless blackberry is the blackberry spike (Acalitus essigi Hassan), also known as the blackberry discoloration. As a result of its feeding on the leaves of the plant, light mosaic-like discoloration is formed, and the fruit remains unripe (undyed, hard and acidic).The pest is transmitted along with the seedlings, so it is crucial to purchase plants only from proven nurseries. As there are no registered measures to protect against the blackberry louse, the only form of control is rigorous phytosanitary measures. New plantations should be established at a considerable distance from the existing ones (spatial isolation), and at the end of the season, damaged shoots and infected fruit should be removed and ruthlessly burned. This is very important, because the unsightly hibernates under the scales of the buds, on the growth tips, shoots and in the mummified blackberry fruits.
- says Dr. Eng. Tomasz Mróz
