Thornless blackberrygives extremely valuable fruit that is worth having in your garden.Growing thornless blackberriesis much easier thanks to the lack of thorns, which make it difficult to care for shrubs. Learn more about thornless blackberry varieties. Read about the correct cultivation of thornless blackberries and learn the secrets of pruning blackberries so that you will enjoy a bountiful harvest.
Thornless blackberry
Thornless blackberry fruits contain a lot of vitamin C and E, as well as mineral s alts. Fruit preserves have cleansing properties, support the digestive system, regulate metabolism and help fight colds.
Thornless blackberry - varieties
Blackberry bushes come from Europe, Asia and North America, where they grow in sunny forests, in clearings and on the edges of groves. Due to their strong and intensive growth, they are often treated like weeds. Blackberry is also commonly known as a thistle.
Wild blackberry species have spikes that are designed to protect the plant from pests. On the other hand, in cultivation, spikes significantly impede the care and harvesting of fruit, therefore, in the cultivation of blackberries for over 50 years,thornless blackberry varieties have been usedThe emergence of thornless blackberry varieties has resulted in a significant development of blackberry cultivation.
Thornless blackberry varietiescome mainly from the species Rubus rusticanus inermis. Here are the most interesting of them:
Jumbo thornless blackberry- medium-early, hardy variety. The fruit is large and soft, but not very tasty.
Loch Ness blackberry- early variety of thornless blackberry, high yielding. The fruits are very large and very tasty. The bushes grow strongly, but unfortunately they are easily affected by powdery mildew.
Navacho thornless blackberry- early or mid-early variety, high yielding, frost resistant. It produces large and tasty fruit.
Thornfree blackberry- a late type of thornless blackberry. High-yielding fruit, the fruit is large but not very tasty, the best for preserves.
In addition to the above-mentioned foreign varieties, it is also worth paying attention toPolish varieties of thornless blackberry , often much better for cultivation in our climate.
Thornless Orkan- this is a Polish variety with almost stiff shoots and vigorous growth, not producing root suckers. It produces quite large, cylindrical, shiny fruits, with a sour taste, useful mainly for preserves. A typically amateur variety with medium hardiness (you need to cover for the winter).
Ruczaj thornless blackberry- shrub with strong growth, does not create root suckers. The fruit is not too big, but tasty, compact and hard, perfect for preserves. Bushes of this variety are completely frost-resistant.
Thornless blackberry - cultivation
If you want togrow thornless blackberry , first of all, you should take care of the right position. Blackberries prefer sunny places. Due to the average sensitivity to frost, it is worth providing them with a sheltered place, e.g. by a house wall, fence or pergola. In regions where the temperature drops below -15 ° C, it is recommended to cover blackberries for the winter.
When startinggrowing thornless blackberries , remember not to plant them in an area where you used to grow blackberries or raspberries. The soil for the cultivation of thornless blackberries should be permeable and moderately loamy, with a pH of approx. 6.5. Before planting, it is worth adding organic matter, e.g. compost, to the substrate.
The bestplanting date for thornless blackberriesis late autumn but these shrubs also take on quite well in spring. The pit under the plant should be about 45 cm deep and wide, because you need to add a large amount of well-distributed manure or compost.The distance between the plants should be 2 to 4 m. When growing thornless blackberries, remember to provide them with adequate support to which long shoots will be attached.
Thornless blackberry - pruning
Pruning thornless blackberryinvolves cutting old shoots close to the ground, which finished fruiting in early autumn. Then the young shoots are tied in place of the old ones. If the remaining shoots are too long, their ends can be shortened accordingly. In spring it is necessary to remove frozen shoots. Root suckers that appear far from the plant should be plucked or cut off with a spade. Preventing blackberry thickening and regular shrubs being shaded through cutting improves the yield and is also an important factor in reducing thornless blackberry diseases.
Katarzyna Matuszak
