Blackberry: planting and care, propagation of blackberries by cuttings, layering. Propagation of thornless blackberry

Blackberry - very beautiful and delicious berry, which for many gardeners is still exotic. As soon as the first bush appears on your site and gives the long-awaited harvest, you will definitely want to propagate it. Fortunately, blackberries, like raspberries, are quite prolific. Seedlings can even be obtained from pieces of stems or roots.

How blackberries reproduce

The methods of propagation of blackberries depend on its type. There are erect varieties that give a large number of root offspring, which are easily rooted at the top or side shoots. And for the bush remontant blackberry, the most common method of reproduction is the division of the bush or reproduction by root buds.

Less commonly, this berry crop is propagated by seeds and green cuttings, since the percentage of luck in both cases is low.

Reproduction by root offspring

The method is good for blackberries that give shoots. The advantages of this breeding method: simplicity and long collection period planting material. As a rule, root offspring grow at some distance from the mother bush - within a radius of 30 cm.

tip breeding

This is perfect option for climbers, climbing varieties giving long and flexible shoots. In abandoned areas, reproduction in this way occurs spontaneously. As soon as the shoots touch the moist soil with their tip, a new young bush grows in this place. To root the top:

The advantage of the method is a 100% result. A seedling grows from every crown. In addition, planting material is taken without damage to the crop, unlike other methods.

The stems of most blackberry varieties are covered with thin and very prickly thorns, so you need to work with this plant with gloves. If you still planted a splinter, then stick a patch to this place and jerk it off.

Video: growing seedlings from blackberry tops with a closed root system

Reproduction by horizontal layering

This method is also acceptable for climbing brambles. It allows you to get a large amount of planting material. For propagation by horizontal layering, it is necessary:

1. In early August, lay annual shoots on the ground.
2. Bury them to a depth of 20 cm or spud with moist earth, leaving only the tops on the surface.
3. After 1–2 months, roots and young shoots should appear, which can be dug up, divided into seedlings and planted on permanent place. But it is better to let even small plants winter in the same place, and postpone the transplant until spring.

Each shoot is marked with its own letter, that is, 4–5 seedlings can be grown from one horizontal layer

The method is good when you have a sufficient amount of blackberries, and you can select part of the bushes for propagation.

It should be borne in mind that with this method you lose part of the next year's crop, because you put shoots in the ground that could bear fruit next summer.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

This agricultural technique will solve the problem of propagation of bush blackberries, which do not give either shoots or horizontal lashes.

If something went wrong: some of the shoots separated without roots, or the roots broke off, do not worry. Blackberries can reproduce both by pieces of roots, and stem cuttings.

Reproduction by pieces of roots

This method is adopted by gardeners who miss planting in winter. In addition, it is quite effective - 60–70% of root cuttings sprout.. For this, root cuttings should be no shorter than 6–10 cm and 0.3–1.5 mm thick.

An adult blackberry is cold-resistant, but its seedlings are still tender, fragile. If the roots were cut in the fall, then it is necessary:

1. Collect the roots in a plastic bag and store in a cellar or refrigerator at a temperature of +2…+5⁰C.
2. Once a week, take them out to check the condition and ventilate.
3. Germinate from February-March on the windowsill until steady heat sets in.

Video: the result of growing blackberries from root cuttings and picking

Propagation by stem cuttings

This method is suitable for any variety of blackberry.

Stem cuttings can be cut and rooted in the spring, but only if you have time before bud break. Advantages of propagation by stem cuttings: simplicity, versatility, a large number of seedlings at one time.

Video: how to grow 100 seedlings on one square meter

There is another option - planting in the summer with green cuttings taken from the top. In this case, from one shoot you will take both planting material and the crop.

Unfortunately, the survival rate of green cuttings is only 10%, and in order to increase this figure, they need to be grown in a specially equipped greenhouse with high humidity air.

Video: cuttings in a greenhouse with fog

Reproduction in water by a dormant bud

Another way winter cultivation blackberries. cuttings from annual shoots prepare from autumn. Each should have 2-3 dormant buds and be no longer than 15 cm. Store them, like root cuttings, in the refrigerator or cellar.

The bottom line is that the roots are formed by the apical bud, so we turn the stalk over.

There is another way: the stalk is placed in water, as expected, and the upper kidney is immersed in a moist substrate, for example, they are added dropwise to a nearby pot. In this case, the roots are formed in the ground, and not in the water.

The method is similar to top propagation, so it can be assumed that climbing blackberries will show the best result, and bush cuttings with upright shoots will be reluctant to root.

Video: rooting blackberry cuttings in water with immersion of the upper kidney in a peat tablet

Reproduction by seeds

Blackberry seeds germinate extremely reluctantly. In the context, they look like a nut: a very hard and thick shell, and inside a microscopic grain.

To destroy the shell, scarification is carried out in special machines or soaked for 15-20 minutes in a solution of sulfuric acid. In this case, the seeds must be dry, since in the presence of water a reaction occurs with the release of heat and they can be cooked.

Blackberry seeds are very small and require complex preparation before planting.

1. Hold the seeds for 2-3 days in melt water.
2. Mix with wet soil 1:3 and place in the refrigerator for 1.5–2 months.
3. Check every 10 days and moisten if necessary.
4. Transfer to a room with a temperature of +20⁰C and sow no deeper than 8 mm.
5. Thin out emerging seedlings: each needs a space of 3x3 cm.
6. Plant out when each seedling has 4 true leaves.
7. Keep a bed with young blackberries clean from weeds, water and loosen.

This method, against the background of the others, looks very labor-intensive and ineffective. It is suitable if you are an experimenter or blackberry seedlings are not available in your region, but it is possible to buy or order seeds on the Internet. You will need a lot of patience and a willingness to fail.

Video: what you need to prepare for sowing seeds of blackberries and strawberries

Blackberry has already become widespread in Russia. Breeders have bred more than 100 varieties of this crop. Among them there are varieties with thorns, as well as thornless varieties. Large-fruited and hardy shrubs blackberries. The blackberry bush bears fruit with black berries. The fruits appear on biennial shoots.

If a variety purchased on the market or in a nursery pleases you with its harvest, you can propagate it yourself. In this case, black berries will be enough not only for consumption in fresh but also for cooking delicious drinks and fragrant jam.

How to propagate blackberries

Blackberries can be propagated in several ways, but the most effective is summer propagation with green cuttings. In order for the cuttings to take root well, you need to prepare the pots. In August, blackberry lashes are cut to four buds. Each cutting should have three side shoots. The height of each cutting is from 30 cm to 40 cm. Prepared cuttings are planted in containers with soil. Sandy or sandy soil is well suited for growing blackberries, but bushes take root in any fertile soil. Blackberries respond well to top dressing.

The root system of the shrub will develop better if magnesium-containing fertilizers are added to the soil.

Seedling preparation

For propagation of blackberries, pots or plastic two-liter bottles, cut into two parts, are suitable. Drainage holes are made with an awl in bottles.

Use brown plastic bottles. In such bottles, blackberry roots will be more comfortable, since the containers dark color attract less heat from the sun.

The containers are filled with earth and cuttings are planted in them. Next, they dig a hole 5 cm deeper than the container with the handle and put the bottles in them. Pour 2 cm of water into each hole. This is done in order to stimulate the formation of roots. Then the pits are dug in, and the soil is well watered. After three weeks, the blackberry cuttings will take root. In bottles, a dense earthy lump is formed. Thanks to him, the seedling will perfectly transfer the transplant to a permanent place of growth.

After transplantation, the plants are well watered and fertilized, and the blackberry lashes are tied to the trellises. In the future, the blackberry bush will need to be looked after: pruning and mulching the plant.

Blackberry in wild nature- very viable and fast growing shrub. She easily adapts to complex weather conditions and grows almost everywhere. But the reproduction of garden blackberries requires knowledge and skills, since it is more demanding.

When breeding blackberries at home, you can save a lot, because purchased seedlings are still not cheap. Familiarize yourself with all the subtleties and get a well-deserved harvest.

1. Blackberries are a storehouse of vitamins and useful substances. Having tried at least one berry, it is already impossible to forget the pleasant taste. Get a rich harvest own site It is quite simple, and the more bushes there are, the more fragrant handfuls you will get.
2. to have so beautiful plant- a great honor for the gardener. Charming fragrant blackberry hedges will be the highlight of a summer cottage or garden. Neighbors will be surprised to see the results of your work and will certainly ask for seedlings.
3. This excellent berry is still a curiosity for the inhabitants of our country. It is not as popular as raspberries or currants. That is why its breeding can become a profitable business: the sale of cuttings or fresh berries will bring tangible income.
4. A large number of bushes is the key to a good harvest. At the same time, the influence of random factors, such as drying out or freezing, disease due to pests or another reason, is minimized. Even if one or two plants do not bear fruit, you will still have a sufficient number of active bushes.

Propagation of blackberries by layering

Blackberry garden, there are about 40 varieties. For successful cultivation need to choose the most effective method, which will depend on the type of this culture. For example, straight-growing varieties are more often propagated by root offspring, and creeping ones - by layering.

Features of reproduction by layering:

1. The simplicity of the method - even for a novice gardener, it will not be difficult to increase the number of fruit-bearing bushes by this method.
2. Minimum implementation costs - plants quickly take root and actively grow.
3. The effectiveness of the process - in the presence of one initial bush, the number of plants can be increased by 15-20 times. That is how many young shoots will be obtained with layer propagation.

How to get young shoots:

1. At the very beginning of August, you need to start selecting the source material. As a uterine (main) bush, it is better to choose annual or biennial plants- they are still strong enough and easily restored.
2. Without cutting off the desired shoot from the main bush, drop it to the depth of the shovel bayonet. Then the soil is rammed, the shoot is pressed down with a stone or fixed with a wire arch so that it does not straighten again.
3. The end of the escape in the free state is above the ground. It is cut about 10 cm in order to stop further growth in this direction.
4. The digging site certainly needs to be loosened and watered in the same way as an adult plant.
5. After about 2 months, the shoots take root, they can already be cut off from the mother bush and transferred to a permanent place. However, seedlings can be planted in the spring.

To accelerate germination and strengthen roots experienced gardeners they resort to such a trick: they cut the bark so that it is easier for weak sprouts to make their way.

Reproduction of blackberries by layering in nature occurs everywhere and without human intervention. As soon as too long tops of the plant begin to touch the ground, roots spontaneously form, with which the bush holds firmly in the ground. With sufficient humidity, a young bush will soon bear fruit.

Reproduction offspring

Features of reproduction by offspring:

1. The method is suitable for plants over three years old. By this time root system already formed and sufficiently strengthened to withstand the separation of part of the roots without harm to the plant and recover after that.
2. Before you start dividing, you need to know more about the variety you want to propagate. This is important point, since some varieties simply do not produce root offspring. hybrid species and large-fruited varieties cannot be propagated in this way.

How to get planting material:

1. Offspring are called fresh shoots growing directly from the root of the shrub. On a healthy three-year-old bush, on average, from 15 to 20 offspring are formed, of which the strongest ones are selected for transplantation. The height of the offspring must be at least ten centimeters.
2. In the spring, they are separated from the main bush, along with part of the maternal root, and immediately planted in the right place. For best result together with the rhizome take a clod of earth.
3. Planting is carried out in fertilized, loose soil, followed by watering and careful monitoring of the growth of a young shoot. Watering as the soil dries will saturate the plant with the necessary moisture, and timely loosening will deliver oxygen from the air to the root system.
4. With proper care, in a year you will get a completely independent bush, strong and ready for fruiting.

For healthy shoots and bountiful harvest, you need to carefully approach the choice of landing site. Blackberry - photophilous plant. At sufficient watering she is not afraid of direct sunlight, but on the contrary, they contribute to the ripening of sweeter berries. It is important to protect the plant from strong wind, then the branches will not break and retain their usual shape.

blackberry cuttings

Features of propagation by cuttings:

1. Green cuttings are called parts of the shoots. This method of breeding is very productive, because a seedling grows from each bud;
2. Almost all varieties are subject to cuttings, which is very convenient. It is important to note that this option will not work for thornless blackberries - the bushes will turn into prickly ones.

How to cut a plant:

1. With the onset of autumn, cuttings are harvested. Annual strong plants are chosen as the starting material and a part of the stem about 15 cm long is cut off from them. On the cut area must be 2-3 kidneys.
2. Leaves are removed from each cutting and lowered into a container of water upside down. In this container, the cutting develops until it has roots and first shoots. In the process of growth, add water as needed, provide access to sunlight.
3. Upon receipt of the formed seedling, it is cut off and the next kidney is lowered into the water. Thus, the number of buds is equal to the number of seedlings. The separated seedling is planted in a bowl with prepared soil, and in the spring they are transferred to the garden.

The cutting method takes time, but it also guarantees a 100% reproduction result. Subject to the breeding technology, breed this useful berry pretty easy.

Important to know about blackberry propagation

1. Blackberry is a perennial, weather-resistant shrub. Being in suitable place, blackberries can please you good harvest 10-12 years old. So deal with special attention to the choice of varieties for planting.
2. Blackberries are not bred with seeds on private farms due to the fact that the properties of the resulting bush will be unknown. They can be drastically different in taste and dimensional characteristics source material. Although blackberries are propagated by seeds, a special knowledge base is needed for its selection.
3. The shrub does not take root in swampy and constantly wet areas. The best soil for landing - neutral. Compost is applied as fertilizer every three years.
4. A key feature of caring for a fruit-bearing bush is pruning. It is important to maintain the height of the plant at a level of no more than 1.5-1.8 m.

Knowing the features of reproduction and the basics of competent care, it will not be difficult to please your family with beautiful berries!

Never be afraid to prune shrubs. This procedure will always only benefit. For example, for good fruiting, blackberries need regular pruning and bush formation, separating the fruiting shoots from the young ones.

As you know, the plant begins to produce berries in the second year, every autumn, those shoots that bear fruit in the current year are removed, in the spring they are cut off or completely damaged by frost or diseased are removed. In June, the tops of the shoots are pinched with a length of 1 meter. At the same time, the bushes are also normalized, leaving 5-6 stems.

Blackberry formation on a trellis

On the trellis, plants have enough sun, heat and oxygen.

Method 1

It is very convenient to cut blackberries on a trellis, forming a fan-shaped bush. It is advisable to tie up the blackberry, because. under the heavy weight of the berries, the shoots bend. A trellis is installed from north to south, hammering 2 pipes at a distance of 2.5 m and pulling 3-4 strips of wire between them every 40 cm. Tie the shoots of the first year of life along the trellis with twine, directing them in one direction. Next year, you will pick berries from these branches, and direct the young shoots growing in the new season again along the trellis, but in the other direction. When you harvest, cut the shoots to ground level. Next year, you will harvest from the other side of the trellis, and again direct the newly growing shoots in the opposite direction, not forgetting to cut off the fruit-bearing branches. Thus, you will have a blackberry crop either on the right or on the left. It is very convenient to cut blackberries and pick berries.

Method 2

You can also form blackberries in a different way. In the first year after planting, the shoots are directed along the trellis in different directions, leaving the middle bare. Next year, send the young shoots in the center, and harvest from the side shoots and cut them off at ground level in the fall. Next year, the harvest will be in the center, and direct the young branches in opposite directions. After harvesting the blackberries, do not forget to cut off the middle shoots.

Blackberry propagation

Upright blackberry varieties are propagated by root offspring, and creeping varieties are propagated by horizontal or apical layering. The green cutting method is used when reproduction needs to be carried out urgently with a small number of mother bushes. Thornless varieties of blackberries are not propagated by root cuttings, otherwise thorns appear in young shoots.

Propagation by root offspring: choose the strongest blackberry bush of an upright variety and in the fall, when the offspring give their roots, dig with a clod of earth.

Top layering propagated in the spring. To do this, at the tops of the shoots (30-35 cm in length), ring shallow cuts are made in the wood (under each kidney), bent to the ground, laid in a trench hole 4-5 cm deep, pinned and covered with earth. Monitor soil moisture and its amount within the rooting of layering, top up the soil if necessary. In autumn, before frost, cover with peat or sawdust. In the spring, rooted layers are separated from the mother bush and planted in a permanent place.

Blackberries are propagated by green cuttings when young shoots with 2-3 leaves appear. Cuttings are cut 3-4 cm below the soil level, transplanted into a greenhouse under a film shelter and sent to a permanent place in the fall of the next year. During this time, you need to prepare the site for. Support in the greenhouse high level humidity.

Vegetative method of blackberry propagation: in August-September, dig up a blackberry bush, cut the root into pieces so that each is 10-15 cm long and 0.5 cm thick. Plant, cover for the winter. If it is not possible to plant immediately, then lay the cuttings in grooves 10 cm deep, sprinkle with earth, water and compact a little.

The seed method of propagating blackberries does not lose varietal characteristics, but the percentage of germination is small, therefore, to increase this percentage, the scarification method is used (mechanical damage to the hard shell of seeds).

Sow seeds in wet river sand to a depth of 5-7 cm. When 2-3 leaves appear, they are picked into separate pots or planted immediately in a permanent place, covering the plantings for the winter. Fruiting in this case occurs only for 3-4 years.

Foreword

Experienced gardeners know how blackberries reproduce and that there are several ways to do it. But those who decide to get acquainted with this plant for the first time will have to learn all the subtleties of breeding berry culture in their area, including the features of its reproduction. Only in this case it will be possible to get a large and stable harvest of delicious and healthy berries from year to year.

We propagate blackberries with seeds

As noted above, the process of propagation of garden blackberries - an increase in the number of seedlings, can occur in two ways: by seeds and vegetatively. Most gardeners avoid seed propagation berry bushes, although this way presents nothing difficult. In this case, one of two options is followed: in the first, the seeds are immediately sown in a certain place on the site, before winter.

The second method involves the preliminary planting of seeds in pots or trays. It happens in the following way: pre-soaked (preferably in melted or rainwater) for 2-3 days, blackberry seeds are placed in trays with a prepared substrate - a mixture of wet sand, which can be replaced with peat chips, and light soil. The soil layer above the seeds should not exceed 8mm. The soil is lightly compacted and watered. After the procedures, the pots or trays are placed in a cool place (2-5 degrees) for 1-2 months.

During this time, the substrate is kept moist, avoiding waterlogging. Next, containers with embedded seeds are moved to a warm room, where the temperature is at least 20 degrees. After the plant has “acquired” three leaves, the plantings are thinned out, leaving only strong specimens, so that the distance between them is about 3-4 cm. After the appearance of 4 true leaves, the plants are planted in prepared soil.

As you can see, there are no difficulties! Most often, when deciding how to propagate blackberries, they refuse the seed method at all because of its laboriousness. Firstly, seedlings propagated in this way begin to bear fruit only for 3-4 years. And secondly, if during the transplantation of sprouts from trays into the ground, the root system of the blackberry is damaged, then the plant turns into an aggressor, starting to multiply independently in all directions by root offspring. In general, propagation by seeds allows you to get hardy seedlings with excellent qualities.

Reproduction of blackberries in other ways

Concerning vegetative way, then there are several options, each of which we consider in more detail.

• Reproduction offspring

In this way, blackberries of upright varieties, such as Eldorado, Agawam and others, are usually propagated. Offspring - young shoots formed on roots or rhizomes, annually in in large numbers grow near the bush. Appearing in the spring, they actively grow and develop throughout the spring. summer period leaving no connection with the main plant. For work, the most fruitful and strong bush is selected, from which offspring are taken. Work to increase the number of seedlings by offspring is carried out in May-June: shoots are selected, the length of which by this time has reached 10 cm. The shoot is separated from the main plant, digging it out with a small clod of earth, and transplanting it to the planned place - it’s good if the soil is prepared in advance and well fertilized with organic fertilizers.

In some cases, the offspring are left at the mother bush until the end of the summer period, and transplanted as early as late August - early September, but in this case the plants are pruned. Their length, when viewed from the root, should not exceed 30-40 cm. Regardless of when the jigging takes place, among the 15-17 offspring that the bush gives, you need to choose only the strongest, most developed, annual branches. In this case, you can be sure that the berry crop will not lose its properties, and will bear fruit abundantly every year.

• Reproduction by tops

In this way, climbing (shooting) varieties are propagated. The fact is that such bushes practically do not form offspring, therefore, to obtain planting material in the right amount take the non-lignified part of the shoots. The ends of plants, the length of which is approximately 30-35 cm (possible length up to 90 cm), are placed in a groove 20-30 cm deep and sprinkled with earth. As a result of the work carried out, 3-4 young plants are obtained, which can later be transplanted. Simply put, the plant is simply shaded, the branch is bent down and sprinkled with earth along its entire length.

Beforehand, it is necessary to carry out some preparation: the earth around the bush is loosened and topped up with mulch - humus or peat. After that, the prepared soil is watered and a groove is made up to 20 cm deep. Then, carefully, trying not to damage the base, remove up to 5 leaves from the selected branch, and under each bud on the branch, carefully make a shallow incision with a blade, after which the branch, without separating it from the mother bush, is placed vertically in a furrow and sprinkled with earth, tamping a little top with hands.

• Reproduction by cuttings

Many novice gardeners are concerned about the question of how to propagate blackberries with cuttings. In fact, there is nothing difficult in this.

The bush can be propagated by lignified or green cuttings.

In the first case, towards the end of autumn, they dig up a blackberry branch. Aboveground part cut off and placed in a container with prepared soil - in the spring the plant will be ready for transplanting. Blackberry cuttings are grafted onto the remaining stumps by copulation, preferably another variety. After the work done, the cuttings are carefully bent, placed in a box with prepared soil and carefully sprinkled with earth to the place of inoculation.

As for the second method - propagation by green cuttings, everything is still simpler here. A blackberry stalk cut off in autumn is placed in a vessel with water, the branch is carefully bent so that the other end is placed in a container with soil. After about two months, the top takes root and shoots.

Summing up

We examined the most popular breeding options for such a berry crop as blackberries. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this. The main thing is to choose a strong bush or shoots, to correctly conduct preliminary training soil and further work, which are quite simple.

If everything went right, then young blackberry bushes will delight you with a good harvest of tasty and healthy berries. However, it is worth noting that small errors are acceptable, since in most cases they do not have a serious negative impact.