Blackberries

Ricki · Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 1

Should blackberry plants be cut down? When?

I have wonderful blackberries but the plants are right next to my barn. Can they be dug up and moved? When should this be done?

Tricky Grama · Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 2:59 pm Post subject: blackberries

Rikki-
I took cuttings & new growth shoots & started new bushes, they didn't produce the 1st year but have since done great. You might try that in case moving the whole bush doesn't work well. I have a problem with some of the bushes dying out w/heavy fruit unripened & have no idea why this happens. This is on the 'old' bush.
Plano Patty

kbrew · Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 358 Location: Midlothian,TEXAS

The new growth on blackberries will not produce until the next season, so you don't want to prune any branches that didn't produce that year. The branches that did produce fruit will die that year, so prune those out.
You can try to move them now but better to wait 'til Fall.

Kent

Tricky Grama · Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:17 pm Post subject: blackberries

Do you know why the branches full of fruit died b/4 ripening?
Patty

kbrew · Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Posts: 358 Location: Midlothian,TEXAS

Hey Patty,
I looked in my Rodale's "How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method" but I didn't specifically find an answer to that. It does mention that various virus diseases may infect them. If one plant dies among healthy green ones, you might have a virus and you need to remove that by roots and all.

This may not matter but in the chapter on training, it says to thin to the 10 strongest canes. Maybe it was just too weak to support that much fruit.

Kent