Blackberry "Giant": description of the variety and reviews from gardeners

History of selection

Wild blackberries are distinguished by their heat-loving nature, sensitivity to pathogenic environments, small sour fruits and one-time fruiting throughout the season. Garden varieties are more adapted to consumer requirements, which is mainly expressed only in the commercial and taste qualities of the berries. A real breakthrough in breeding experiments on the crop was the breeding of remontant bushes at the end of the 20th century.

The authors of the innovation are American scientists from Arkansas. Thanks to their efforts, it was possible to adapt the heat-loving plant to the harsh, damp climate and harvest a high-quality harvest from it twice a year. Despite the ubiquitous popularity of the Giant variety, its genetic history is unknown.

Did you know? Our ancestors called blackberries hedgehog berries. It received this name because of the large number of needles on the stems.

There is an opinion that Arkansas breeders, who have gained worldwide fame as blackberry kings, are also involved in the breeding of unique seedlings. They managed to achieve fruiting of shoots of the first and second years of growth, and also get rid of prickly thorns on the branches. Indeed, among the blackberry varieties there are no other thornless varieties. Today the Giant is the only one of its kind.

History of Blackberry Giant

Blackberries belong to the Rubus genus, which includes about 200 natural species. America is considered the homeland. It was there that in the 19th century blackberries began to be cultivated due to not only the decorative qualities of the shrub and ease of care, but also the taste and unusual aroma of the fruit. New varieties and hybrids have been developed that are more resistant to cold climates. A new culture brought from overseas became widespread in Europe in the 20th century. The first person in Russia to pay attention to the value of blackberries was I.V. Michurin. As a result of long-term work, he developed new varieties adapted to our climatic conditions.

Now there are more than 300 varietal representatives of the crop in the world.

Blackberry Giant is famous for its large berries and frost resistance.

Botanical description

Giant compares favorably with other remontant blackberry varieties in the quantity and quality of the harvest, high frost resistance, and insensitivity to most pathogens of fungal and bacterial infections. Externally, it is a rather spreading tall bush, the strong shoots of which often reach 2.5–2.7 m.

On fertile lands the plant can grow even higher. Large white inflorescences on flexible branches appear in early summer, which is why the buds are practically not exposed to unexpected spring frosts. This nuance allows the shrub to fully develop without wasting energy on restoring damaged biomass.

In the description of the variety, the manufacturer does not indicate the type of growth of the stems, but visually, based on their thickness and height, the plant can be classified as erect. Therefore, when planting the Giant, it is advisable to build a special trellis in advance, which will make caring for the berry garden and harvesting easier.

Important! Blackberries have practically no contraindications, however, if you are intolerant to the individual, they can provoke an allergic reaction. Its symptoms often manifest themselves both a few minutes and several days after ingestion, and are expressed in the form of nausea and swelling of the mucous membranes.

The first fruits on the bush appear in the second year of the growing season. The berries are a collection of drupes of an elongated conical shape. Initially, they are densely green in color, and as they ripen, they gradually take on red and brown shades. At the finishing stage, ripe blackberries are characterized by a rich black-violet color.

Description of the berry crop

Blackberry Giant, as follows from the description of the crop presented on the website of the supplier of its seedlings, can grow in height from 1.5 to 2.5 meters. The shoots are flexible, so it can and should be grown on trellises, where it can also be used as a decoration. Because, thanks to its remontant nature, according to the manufacturer, the flowering period of the Giant blackberry lasts from June to September.

Comment! The flowers are up to 3-4 cm in diameter.

It is worth noting here that in most regions of Russia there is no point in growing remontant blackberries, leaving the shoots without pruning for the winter, since in this case they will have to be covered for the winter, and there will be more problems with pests and diseases. But in this case, flowering of annual shoots should begin no earlier than July-August.

And even in the southern regions, if you leave last year’s shoots to winter to get the first early harvests, then the blackberry bushes are unlikely to bloom continuously from June to September. In remontant varieties, two pronounced waves of flowering and fruiting are usually observed, with a break between them.

According to the seller-manufacturer, the fruiting period of the remontant Gigant blackberry lasts from July to September.

The supplier does not indicate any data on the type of shoot growth (creeping or erect).

Berries

The berries of the Gigant blackberry variety are truly unique. Their shape is both elongated and slightly rounded, reminiscent of thumbs on a hand. Nutritional properties are at the level of the most outstanding varieties, the taste is sweet and sour, with a characteristic blackberry aroma. The color of ripe berries is deep black.

But the most important thing, of course, is the size of the berries. It is claimed that they reach a length of 6 cm, and one such berry can weigh up to 20-23 grams. This is truly a giant!

Comment! For comparison, blackberry varieties are considered large-fruited, the berries of which have an average weight of about 8-10 grams.

Characteristic

Without exaggeration, of all the blackberry varieties known today, Gigant is the most promising and desirable. This high rating from consumers is due to many advantages. They are obvious from the biological characteristics and yield characteristics of the plant.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

The Gigant variety is equally recommended for cultivation in both southern and northern regions. Its peculiarity is that its strong stems easily adapt to low temperatures and can withstand frosts down to -30°C. Even after wintering in such harsh conditions, the plant actively enters the growing season in the spring, growing a lush bush. Thanks to its remontant properties, this blackberry variety can be completely deprived of the root part with the onset of autumn cold weather.

Important! The blackberry harvest is best stored unwashed. The freshness of berries in the cool conditions of the refrigerator is ensured throughout the week.

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This is why the roots are well preserved under the snow cap. In addition, radical winter pruning of branches is an effective preventive measure. In summer, the Giant can adapt to the heat, but for its comfort it requires a sufficient amount of ground moisture. If you do not water the bush, the hot season will damage it. Water shortages will primarily affect the quantity and quality of the expected harvest. An excessively long drought can completely destroy the bushes.

Productivity, fruiting

Many gardeners consider its high yield to be the most valuable quality of the variety. The berries begin to ripen in July, but due to the remontant nature of the Giant, its fruiting lasts until the end of September. Over the course of a season, a gardener can collect up to 30 kg of fruit from each bush. The berries stand out for their commercial and taste qualities.

They are characterized by a strongly pronounced forest aroma, juicy pulp, and a pleasant sweet and sour dessert taste. The harvest is consumed fresh, frozen, dried, and canned. Blackberries make excellent preserves, jams, compotes, jellies, pastilles and even liqueurs and tinctures. The fruits can also be used as a delicious decorating element for dessert dishes and baked goods.

Did you know? There is a popular belief that picking blackberries after September 29 is dangerous to health, because the leaves of this berry have been marked by the devil.

Due to their external similarity, the fruits of the Giant are often confused with the English variety Bedford. However, experts point to a significant difference - the size of the berries. In Bedford they are much smaller and weigh no more than 7 g, and the Giant fully lives up to its name in this regard. Its berries weigh on average about 20–25 g.

Advantages and disadvantages

In order to give an objective assessment of the variety, it is enough to analyze the reviews of gardeners about it. If we compare the advantages and disadvantages of the Giant that they indicated, we can conclude that it is absolutely perfect. According to experienced people, this blackberry is beneficial for industrial and amateur cultivation.

It is characterized in more detail as follows:

• Advantages
• High yield;
• Maintenance;
• Thornless;
• Long fruiting;
• High frost resistance;
• Resistance to common diseases and pests;
• High quality fruits.

• Flaws
• Intolerance to soil dryness.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Among the advantages of the Giant blackberry variety, gardeners note:

• harvesting twice per season;
• abundant fruiting - up to 30–35 kg of berries per plant;
• low maintenance requirements;
• frost resistance;
• absence of thorns, making it easier to care for the crop;
• resistance to transportation, preserving the original appearance of the fruit;
• late flowering periods, preventing the death of buds from recurrent frosts;
• dessert taste;
• benefits for the body;
• versatility of use;
• large berries.

The disadvantages of the crop include its requirement for irrigation. The development of powerful shoots, ovaries and the formation of juicy fruits requires a lot of moisture, which the roots of the bush cannot provide on their own.

The biggest advantage of this variety is its high yield. In addition, the fruits themselves have an excellent taste; they are sweet, juicy, with a slight pleasant sourness. This is the basic description of the berries of this variety.

Sometimes this variety is confused with Bedford giant, which has spiny shoots that spread along the surface of the ground. A distinctive feature of the English Bedford is the size of the berry; it is smaller and weighs about 7 grams. The Giant variety has a ripe berry weight of about 20 grams. They have a glossy, rich black color and a slightly strange elongated shape.

The fruits are enriched with calcium, iron and sulfur, which has a beneficial effect on the body, metabolic processes and general condition.

An important advantage is the endurance of temperatures of -30 degrees, which implies a good wintering.

The disadvantage of this variety of shrubs is considered to be poor tolerance of lack of moisture in the soil. This can kill the plant and makes it difficult to grow in dry areas.

The obvious advantages of the variety include the medicinal effect of consuming fresh and processed fruits. The presence of natural aspirin in blackberries helps to cope with colds. To restore the daily requirement for vitamin C, it is enough to eat 200 g of blackberries - 10 berries of the Gigant variety.

Advantages of the variety

• absence of thorns;
• high yield - up to 30 kg. from a bush;
• huge berries weighing up to 20 g each;
• extended fruiting period - from early July to late autumn;
• frost resistance up to -30 degrees;
• excellent taste of the fruit.

Disadvantages of the variety

• does not tolerate lack of moisture well: flowers and ovaries fall off.

The biggest advantage of this variety is its high yield. In addition, the fruits themselves have an excellent taste; they are sweet, juicy, with a slight pleasant sourness. This is the basic description of the berries of this variety.

An important advantage is the endurance of temperatures of -30 degrees, which implies a good wintering.

The disadvantage of this variety of shrubs is considered to be poor tolerance of lack of moisture in the soil. This can kill the plant and makes it difficult to grow in dry areas.

Disadvantages of the variety

Landing Features

Its productivity depends on how, where, when and what kind of seedling was rooted. Even elite varieties with gross violations of agrotechnical rules may not live up to expectations. To avoid common mistakes, follow the recommendations below.

Find out what blackberries on your site are incompatible with.

Deadlines

Planting fruit and berry crops can be planned both in spring and autumn. There is no significant difference, however, there are some nuances that affect the further productivity of the planted berry garden. In the first option, you must wait until the soil and air warm up to a temperature of at least +12°C. Also an important nuance of spring rooting of seedlings is the need for abundant watering.

To protect the bush from drying out due to weathering of soil moisture, it is recommended to water the root system when planting until the ground absorbs moisture. This method is more suitable for varieties with low and medium winter hardiness. In the second option, it is advisable to plant at least 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost. This period is enough for the roots to adapt to the new environment and not die during the period of decreasing temperature.

Abundant watering in the fall is inappropriate, since excessive moisture can provoke intensive growth of biomass and, as a result, freezing of the fragile root system. This method of rooting seedlings is recommended for varieties with high frost resistance, especially when it comes to regions with a harsh climate.

Important! Even winter-hardy varieties of berry crops are recommended to be mulched when planting for the winter with a layer of peat or humus, the thickness of which should be at least 15 cm

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There is an opinion that, developing at moderate temperatures and ground moisture, the plant initially develops the properties of high resistance to cold. Therefore, it is better to plant Giant blackberries in October, focusing on the weather conditions of a particular region.

Selecting a location

Blackberries grow well in plenty of sunlight, away from drafts. The crop is not as demanding on soil as raspberries. However, poor substrates may not have the best effect on the productivity of even high-yielding varieties. Therefore, the choice of seat must be taken responsibly.

Ideal for the Giant is a flat area protected from northern and eastern winds, where:

• the soil warms up well throughout the day;
• good drainage;
• soil composition is close to loam;
• slightly acidic and neutral pH reaction (optimal soil acidity should be 5.5–6.5);
• cold air, melt and rain water do not accumulate;
• there is the possibility of moderate moistening of the root system, and waterlogging of the area is also excluded;
• among those containing the substrate, low levels or complete absence of calcium carbonate (in large quantities, limestone provokes the development of chlorosis).

Selection and preparation of planting material

The productivity of the future shrub depends on the quality of the seedling. Specimens with dried out or damaged, weakened roots or underdeveloped shoots are not suitable for rooting. The underground part of the plant is its basis.

Landing

The high frost resistance of the variety allows the Giant to be planted in both autumn and spring. Depending on the local climate, the period for planting is chosen:

• in autumn - approximately 1 month before the onset of frost;
• in the spring - before the buds begin to bloom;
• seedlings with a closed root system (in containers) are transplanted at any time.

To plant Giant blackberries, choose a sunny, wind-protected area without stagnant water. The berry bush is very unpretentious in terms of soil composition, although it prefers nutritious loams.

The bed for blackberries is prepared in advance: for spring planting - in the fall, for autumn - a month in advance:

1. Dig up the area, select stones and weeds.
2. Fill with fertilizers per 1 hole:

• 1.5…3.0 kg. humus;
• 100 g superphosphate;
• 30 g of potassium sulfate (or 100 g of wood ash).

For planting blackberries, it is best to choose 1-2 year old seedlings.

Supports for placing branches are installed in advance on the site. The length of the shoots of the Giant blackberry does not allow the plant to be grown without a trellis; the branches will bend towards the ground under the weight of the crop.

Sequence of planting seedlings:

1. Prepare a planting hole 40...50 cm deep (or trenches) at a distance of 1.20...1.50 m from each other. The row spacing when planting in rows should be at least 2 m.
2. A mound of soil is poured at the bottom of the hole and the roots of the seedling are spread along the slopes of the mound.
3. The hole is filled to half the depth with soil and lightly compacted.
4. The seedling is watered abundantly (at least 10 liters of water for each plant).
5. Fill the planting hole to the top with soil and cover with a layer of mulch.
6. The seedling is shortened to 3-4 buds above ground level.

Rules of care

Blackberries, like raspberries, require periodic watering, moistening, loosening the soil, weeding, fertilizing, pruning, and preventive treatment against pests and common diseases. It is important to promptly take care of installing the trellis to which the long branches of the bush will be attached. It is better to plan this work in the spring, when the shoots have not yet had time to grow to their maximum. The structure is constructed from supports about 2 m long, the base of which is dug into the ground at the ends of each row. In large berry gardens, the pillars are placed at a distance of 10 m from each other.

Also read about how to make your own blackberry trellises.

The branches, according to their growth, are attached to a tensioned wire, preferably galvanized. It is advisable to stretch it in 3 rows, starting from a half-meter height from the ground surface. Please note that not all sprouts need a garter. It is important to fix the shoots of the second year on the trellis, which will begin to bear fruit this season. And young shoots are only periodically directed to a support, so that in the future they independently cling to it.

Chaotic development of the bush will be eliminated with regular monitoring of its growth. To stimulate high yields during the second growing season of the bush, the procedure of pinching the main shoots is mandatory. For this purpose, their tops are shortened by 10–15 cm. As a result, side shoots begin to develop, the cuttings of which, after reaching half a meter in height, are also cut off by 5–6 cm. Young seedlings need intensive watering, this is especially true during the first 2 months after planting .

A sufficient amount of moisture is of particular importance in the initial periods of development of a blackberry bush. Therefore, during the period of formation of the future harvest, from April to June, regularly moisten the plant, since a sufficient amount of moisture is necessary during the flowering period, the formation of the ovary, and the ripening of the crop. Therefore, take into account the weather conditions of the region where blackberries are cultivated and monitor the condition of the soil in the berry garden. It should be moderately moist, but in no case dry or waterlogged.

We advise you to learn how to grow blackberries from seeds at home.

It is strictly forbidden to use cold water when watering. Be sure to let it sit and warm up in direct sunlight for 48 hours. Do not forget to periodically loosen the soil in the garden (5-6 times a year to a depth of 10–12 cm) and weed weeds as necessary. To replenish the soil, experienced gardeners advise sowing siderites (preferably mustard) in the rows of the berry plant in the first 2 years of the Giant’s life, and in the future this area should be kept under black fallow.

In spring, bushes need nitrogenous components, which stimulate the growth of biomass. Therefore, it would not be superfluous to water with a solution of chicken manure (prepared in a ratio of 1:5), as well as adding urea and ammonium nitrate (20 g of fertilizer per square meter). The second and third fertilizing are carried out at intervals of 14 days and involve the application of potassium fertilizers (40 g of potassium sulfate is required per 1 m²).

For blackberries that have not been mulched with organic matter, phosphates are needed once every 3 years (50 g will be needed per 1 m²). Please note that during the ripening period the bushes will need to be protected from the sun, since direct ultraviolet radiation leaves severe burns on the fleshy drupes, which spoils their presentation and taste. Shading nets stretched along the rows will help to avoid this.

Blackberry agricultural technology

This crop is unpretentious; you just need to regularly water, fertilize, and remove weeds and excess growth.

Watering and loosening

Blackberries are demanding when it comes to watering; they require a lot of water to grow shoots and fill berries. To maintain the required level of soil moisture, the blackberry plant is watered once a week with 10 liters of water per bush. Plants especially need moisture during the period of intensive growth and fruit formation. During drought and insufficient watering, the berries become small and fall off. In October, moisture-recharging watering of the plantings is mandatory (20 l/bush).

Blackberries especially need moisture during fruit formation.

Overmoistening is detrimental to the plant: moisture stagnating in the soil can cause the development of infections and rot, the formation of new shoots will take until late autumn, and the winter hardiness of blackberries will decrease.

During the season, the soil under the bushes and between the rows must be loosened and weeded. Weeds inhibit the development of shoots and reduce yields. Between the rows, loosening is carried out to a depth of 12 cm, near the bushes - in the surface layer, no deeper than 8 cm, so as not to damage the roots. This agricultural technique allows not only to improve soil air exchange and fight weeds, but also to destroy pest locations. After watering and loosening, the ground is mulched with straw and sawdust.

Nutritious food

Fertilizers are necessary not only to feed the plant with nutrients, but also to eliminate diseases and pests that are inevitable in unfavorable weather conditions. On well-dressed soil, for the first 2 years in the spring, blackberries are fed only with nitrogen fertilizers (10 g of urea\5 l\). On poor soils, it is recommended to foliar fertilize with Kemira Plus (20 g/10 l).

The balanced composition of fertilizers allows you to get a yield increase of up to 30%.

During the period of fruit formation, the plant needs potassium (30 g of potassium sulfate/10 l at the rate of 6 l of solution per 1 m2). You can replace mineral fertilizer with ash (200 g/1 m2). For autumn digging, superphosphate (35 g/1 m2), nitrophoska (30 g/1 m2), and potassium sulfate (30 g/1 m2) are added to the soil.

Agricola - vitamin complex for berry crops

Organic matter is also used annually as fertilizing: in June - aqueous solutions of mullein (1:10), chicken droppings (1:20), in the fall humus is scattered under the bush.

The appearance of plants can indicate a lack of nutrients. Weak shoots, small fruits, yellowing of the foliage indicate a nitrogen deficiency, the veins of the leaves turn yellow, the berries dry out - a lack of iron, the leaf blades have a brown rim - there is little potassium, the leaves acquire a red tint and fall off by the middle of the season - a lack of magnesium.

Redness of blackberry leaves is a sign of magnesium deficiency

Installation of support

Blackberries are usually grown on a trellis - tying up the bushes allows you to protect part of the crop from contact with the ground, ensures uniform sun exposure and ventilation of the bush, without creating conditions for the development of fungus. In addition, bushes laid on a trellis look very decorative during flowering - they create a solid green carpet, decorated with large fragrant flowers.

Blackberries on a trellis create a continuous green carpet decorating the area

Formation of a berry bush

When forming a berry bush, it should be taken into account that blackberry shoots have a two-year development cycle: in the first year they grow, lay buds, in the second year they bear fruit and die. Therefore, in the fall, fruit-bearing branches are cut off and weak and damaged ones are removed. A blackberry bush is formed from 8–10 strong and healthy shoots. Usually they stick to a fan formation. In the spring, after removing the cover, the branches are lifted onto the trellis in a vertical position, the young growing shoots are placed parallel to the ground. In autumn, the central fruit-bearing stems are removed, leaving 8–10 young strong horizontal shoots.

In autumn, fruit-bearing blackberry shoots are cut out at the root

Blackberries produce a lot of growth, making the bush dense and prickly. Therefore, it is imperative that when a zero shoot grows up to 2 m and is tied to a trellis, the top is cut off. Until autumn, 6–10 side branches grow, which next year will produce 3–5 clusters of berries each.

Experienced gardeners advise cutting off side shoots by 3–5 buds in the fall or after wintering to get fewer clusters, but with larger berries.

Preparing blackberry bushes for winter

Despite its frost resistance, the Giant blackberry must be insulated for the winter. After pruning, water-replenishing watering and mulching with humus, the branches are tilted in an arc to the ground and covered with agrofibre. Unlike roses and grapes, this crop does not wither away. It is advisable to cover young plantings from above with spruce branches, and in winter to rake snow to the bushes. Under such a blanket, blackberries are not afraid of even severe frosts.

Before the onset of cold weather, blackberry bushes are covered with non-woven material; in winter, snow is raked up to them

Video: growing blackberries

Harvesting and storage

In temperate regions, blackberries begin to ripen closer to mid-July. In the southern regions, berries reach their biological ripeness 2-2.5 weeks earlier, and in the northern regions, on the contrary, the harvest time is delayed by exactly the same period. Regardless of the place of growth, the fruits ripen gradually, filling with a uniform dark purple color. Weather conditions can significantly correct this process. For example, the sunny season accompanies rapid conditioning, while the cold season, on the contrary, slows it down.

Find out the benefits and harms of blackberries.

It is characteristic that the first fruiting of a high-yielding Giant will not be distinguished by impressive quantities. Its increase should be expected only from the second phase, when the ripening of the main berry mass begins. However, closer to autumn, when the ovary of the middle and lower shoots remains on the bush, the yield decreases again. In dry summers, berries need to be picked every 2 days. During the rainy or hot season, this procedure is carried out daily. It is strictly forbidden to harvest in the early morning, when there is still dew on the bush, or after rain.

Such measures are justified only by prolonged damp weather, but harvested blackberries are watery and acidic. Therefore, it is immediately put into processing. During its formation, the blackberry changes its color several times, which misleads inexperienced gardeners. The true moment of fruit ripeness is considered to be a color close to black. They are distinguished by a pronounced sweetness in taste and thick aroma. If you are planning long-distance transportation of the crop, you should not wait until it is completely ripe.

You need to collect the fruits of the Giant with the stalk, partially pinching it off with your fingers. Please note that it is not advisable to touch the delicate surface of the drupes. To avoid crushing the berries when removing them from the branches, experienced gardeners advise holding the branch with one hand and bringing the other to the stalk. You should not accumulate too many blackberries in your palms, because the analyzed variety differs not only in quantity, but also in the impressive size of the harvest.

You will be interested to know the difference between black raspberries and blackberries.

The best containers for collecting raspberries and blackberries are shingled baskets and boxes with a capacity of 2–3 kg. It is unacceptable for the harvest to fall into the basket. Such actions are fraught with damage. You should immediately discard crushed specimens, as well as those picked without stalks, into a separate container. Blackberries, like raspberries, in their raw form are not suitable for long-term storage. You can briefly extend the freshness of berries in the refrigerator or cellar. In this case, it is advisable to consume them within a week.

If it is necessary to transport the crop over short distances, it is placed in shallow boxes, filling them below the edges, and stacked on top of each other. Adjacent containers can be separated with plywood sheets. Ripe fruits are selected for freezing. The berries of the last harvest are usually dried. They are placed in drying cabinets at a temperature of +40...+50°C for 4 hours. For the preparation of juices, syrups, jam, preserves, preserves, and pies fillings, ripe and slightly overripe berries without stalks are used.

Blackberry Giant - rules for choosing seedlings, planting location, care, video

In this article I want to talk about news that can please any gardener. Breeders have managed to develop new varieties of remontant blackberries, which are gaining more and more popularity in gardening.

After all, the plant has a lot of different advantages, including frost resistance and the ability to bear fruit twice a season. At first, the berries ripen on old shoots, and in the fall - on young shoots.

Breeding remontant blackberry varieties is becoming increasingly popular. They are distinguished by their ability to produce crops twice during the growing season, if weather conditions permit. The shrub is unpretentious and does not require special care. The first fruiting usually occurs in early summer, and the second time the berries begin to ripen in September.

Using an annual cycle, cutting off old stems for the winter, berries begin to appear only on young branches, starting in August.

The care and flowering period, as well as the ripening of berries, are similar for all remontant blackberry varieties. The differences relate to varietal forms and organoleptic characteristics of the fruit.

There are types of remontant blackberries with and without thorns.

Plants with thorns are quite compact, with shoots growing upward. During flowering, the bush is abundantly covered with a cap of fragrant flowers, becoming like a lush bouquet. The bush blooms for a very long time, even when some of the berries are already ripe, flowering still continues.

The fruits are quite large and juicy, with a wonderful aroma.

Using an annual development cycle, with the onset of cold weather, all ground branches are cut off, protecting only the roots of the bush from freezing. There are many advantages to using the plant this way.

There is no need to fight rodents in winter; the plant is not afraid of spring frosts. In addition, there is no need for annual treatments with chemicals, and the fruits will be environmentally friendly.

Remontant varieties are distinguished by their ability to bear fruit in the first year after planting. And if you do not carry out complete autumn pruning, then such bushes bear fruit twice a season. Bushes of remontant varieties also have some external differences: the bushes grow more compactly, having long and abundant flowering.

It is one of the most productive varieties, selected in 2005 in the States. Excellent organoleptic characteristics and excellent yields have made this variety mega popular not only in America, but also in our country. The Ruben bush is large, growing up to two meters in height.

The branches are strong, capable of growing without additional help or support. The branches are covered with thorns. Ripening occurs in early summer. The fruits are quite large in shape and pleasant to the taste. They do not lose their shape during transportation.

Also bred by American breeders. It has excellent taste characteristics, large fruits and early ripening. The bush is powerful and tall, with thorny branches. Practically not susceptible to various diseases. The only drawback, perhaps, is its poor resistance to winter temperature drops.

Like each variety, blackberries have their own characteristics when planting and choosing the most optimal location. The shrub is light-loving and, with sufficient lighting, bears fruit with delicious fruits of gigantic size.

It is important to know that this variety of blackberry does not like too wet soil and therefore wetlands are not suitable for planting it. Blackberries need the main moisture in the first stages of growth, when shoots grow vigorously and the harvest is formed. This is usually the period from April to July. It is best to plant the bush in drained loams with weak or neutral acidity (pH 5.5 - 6.5).

The place should be low wind, but with good access to sunlight.

To prepare the soil, it is first dug up to 50 cm and organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. If the soil is clayey, add sand and peat in small quantities. If the soil contains a significant amount of limestone, this can lead to yellowing of the leaves.

Like each variety, blackberries have their own characteristics when planting and choosing the most optimal location. The shrub is light-loving and, with sufficient lighting, bears fruit with delicious fruits of gigantic size.

The place should be low wind, but with good access to sunlight.

To prepare the soil, it is first dug up to 50 cm and organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. If the soil is clayey, add sand and peat in small quantities. If the soil contains a significant amount of limestone, this can lead to yellowing of the leaves.

Preparing for winter

At this stage of caring for the shrub, it is necessary to completely cut off all the shoots, then generously moisten the soil in the berry garden and mulch it. For the winter, it is better to use high-moor peat or sawdust as insulation. Also, the gardener’s most important autumn activity is preventive spraying of the blackberry berry plant against diseases and pests (carried out using insecticides and fungicides).

Find out when to remove winter cover from blackberries.

Since the Giant can withstand frosts down to -30°C, adult bushes do not require additional shelter. And young remontant plants must be hidden under a reliable layer of mulch and high snow cover.

Video: two ways to cover blackberry seedlings

Fruit characteristics

Gigant fruits are obviously very large. The average weight of one berry is more than 20 grams. The shape is not quite usual for blackberries, rather pyramidal. The color is rich, black, with a purple tint.

The berries taste just as good - they are sweet and sour, but soft, with a lot of useful substances in their composition.

It is necessary to collect berries not at once, but during July-August, as they ripen. Ripe blackberries are quite dense in structure, so they tolerate transportation well and do not crack. The fruits also store relatively well, but don’t expect too much from the berries.

In cooking, the variety is considered universal - it can be eaten fresh or used for preparations - jams, preserves, desserts.

Reproduction methods

You can acquire a new young seedling of remontant thornless blackberry using different methods at any time of the year, except winter.

Of these, gardeners most often use:

1. Method of apical layering . Planting material is prepared by digging in the top cuttings of one of the central shoots. After a few weeks, under conditions of moderate soil moisture, the plant forms a new root system at the junction with the substrate. To the extent of its development and strengthening, the seedling can be separated from the mother bush.
2. Method of horizontal layering . To obtain planting material, in the spring you need to bend the most promising sprout to the ground and deepen it along its entire length. This manipulation will entail the rapid formation of many young seedlings. They are subsequently separated by cutting off the parent shoot. The resulting bushes can be immediately transplanted to a new location.
3. Method of root suckers . It is considered the easiest and most effective, since a mature plant independently grows many young seedlings in the tree trunk circle. Experts consider the most promising of them to be specimens whose height has reached 10 cm and above.
4. Cutting method . Cuttings from the upper third of the shoot are cut in early summer. Each sample must have part of a shoot, a bud and a leaf blade. It is advisable to treat the cut site with any growth stimulator. Then the cuttings are planted in small cups filled with a substrate of peat and vermiculite. The containers are tied with polyethylene, and in the improvised greenhouse the air humidity should be maintained at 96%. After a month, the cuttings should take root and will need to be transplanted to a permanent location.

Propagation of blackberries of the Giant variety

Varietal blackberry seedlings can be obtained in 3 traditional ways:

1. Sowing seeds gives excellent results. The only drawback is that fruiting can only be expected after 3...4 years.
2. Root suckers are the most convenient planting material. A full-fledged bush will form the next year.
3. Planting material is obtained by cutting the tops, pinning the shoots to the ground. Cuttings should be separated from the mother plant only next spring - after wintering.

A more labor-intensive method of cuttings using green cuttings is also possible by growing seedlings in a greenhouse. All options give good results, the choice depends on your need for seedlings. If you need only a few plants, then it is easiest to root the top, but if there are hundreds, then you cannot do without seeds or cuttings.

Blackberries inherited high adaptive ability from wild ancestors. Growing a seedling with your own hands is not difficult, and the high yield and quality of the berries are inherent in the varietal characteristics.

Diseases and pests

The Giant variety rarely suffers from common blackberry diseases. However, preventive treatments will not be superfluous, because in unfavorable weather conditions outbreaks are possible:

• rust (columnar and goblet);
• powdery mildew;
• anthracnose;
• septoria;
• spotting (white, purple);
• gray rot.

To avoid the development of a pathogenic environment, the gardener must strictly follow the agrotechnical rules for caring for the crop. And also carry out preventive spraying in a timely manner with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (1%), copper sulfate, colloidal sulfur, and the preparations “Skor”, “Maxim”. Repeated treatment is relevant in the fall after harvesting.

Therapeutic measures include the complete elimination of damaged areas of the bush and further disinfection, which is carried out several times at intervals of 14 days until the problem completely disappears. In addition, it will be necessary to analyze the reasons for the development of pathogens and completely eliminate the conditions that promote their activity.

We recommend that you learn how to deal with blackberry diseases and pests.

Blackberry bushes can often harbor mites, moths, weevils, aphids, gallworms, glass beetles, caterpillars and other harmful insects. Insecticides “Aktellik”, “Aktara”, “Fitoverm” will help to cope with them. It is recommended to carry out preventive measures in the berry garden with the same preparations in spring and autumn after picking the fruits. Growing blackberries is no less troublesome than raspberries. Choosing the right variety, proper planting and care is the key to a good harvest.

Subsequent care of the crop

It is claimed that the Giant blackberry is easy to care for.

Necessary activities

The most important thing in caring for blackberries is regular and fairly abundant watering. However, you can’t overdo it here either - the berry does not tolerate waterlogging.

Feeding is carried out several times per season. In the spring, complex fertilizer is applied, and in the summer, blackberries are fertilized mainly by applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

Advice! Mulching the soil under the bushes with humus will help to simultaneously retain the necessary moisture and reduce the amount of watering and will act as additional fertilizing.

Bush pruning

When pruning remontant varieties, the most important thing is to understand what you want from the bushes - either one, but abundant and reliable harvest at the end of summer, or several waves of harvests, starting in June. As noted earlier, in the second case, you will have to take additional care of covering the blackberries for the winter and protecting them from enemies, such as parasites.

In the first case, all blackberry shoots are simply cut off in late autumn at winter level. If you live in a region with harsh winters, it is advisable to cover the root zone with additional hay or sawdust.

In the second case, there is no need to do pruning before winter, but only shoots of the second year are cut out, preferably in the summer, immediately after the end of fruiting.

Preparing for winter

In the second case, the remaining shoots must be removed from the trellises and bent to the ground, then covered with hay or sawdust and covered with non-woven material, such as lutrasil.

Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention

Blackberry Black Butte: variety characteristics

Black Butte blackberries are a low-yielding variety

This certainly interesting variety, like almost all other cultivated blackberries, comes from the USA. It was bred at Oregon State University through the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) program. The main characteristics of the Black Butte variety are collected in the table:

Black Butte is a type of dewberry, a creeping blackberry. Does not produce root shoots. The bush is quite compact, formed into 4-6 shoots. The shoots are medium-sized, from 1.5 to 3 meters in length, thorny. The spines are small and black.

It bears fruit from the second year of life. An early ripening variety, in the middle zone it bears its first fruits at the end of June. Fruiting is extended (5-7 weeks).

The fruits are black, very large, elongated, the length can reach up to 5 cm. The average weight is 10 grams, some specimens up to 20 grams. The taste is pleasant, dessert, sweet with a slight sourness.

Frost resistance is average: up to -18⁰С.

Low (up to 3.5 kg per bush). The low yield is due to the small number of fruits: each cluster bears only 4-6 berries.

Transportability and durability

The variety is suitable for container assembly and transportation. It stores well compared to other varieties.

Thus, the main advantage of the Black Butte variety is its gigantic, amazingly beautiful, transportable berries. But the plant pays for such a miracle with low yield. It is not very suitable for growing for sale or winter harvesting . But the early ripening of the variety allows you to enjoy fresh tasty berries already in the middle of summer, and this is undoubtedly a big plus.

In addition to Black Butte, there are several other varieties of large-fruited blackberries. For example, Karaka Black and Natchez. Natchez is a typical “American”, but Karaka Black is a variety of New Zealand selection.

Harvesting and storage

For personal consumption, Gigant blackberries are collected fully ripe.
The harvest is harvested in several stages from July to September in small containers that do not require transferring before processing. If transportation is planned, the fruits are picked slightly unripe. Unwashed, placed in a container in one layer, the berries remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to four days.

The chemical composition of fruits prepared for processing and beaten with a wooden spoon with sugar remains unchanged for up to three weeks.

Blackberries can be stored frozen for up to a year. The berries are dried, homemade preparations and liqueurs are made.

Blackberry Giant is a variety with ideal properties. Gardeners are attracted by the fantastic yield, gigantic fruit size, winter hardiness, and unpretentiousness to growing conditions.

Blackberries for different regions

Blackberries have a long growing season. It takes 1.5–2 months from the bushes awakening after hibernation to flowering. Fruit ripening and harvesting last for 4–6 weeks. On the one hand, this is good: flowers do not die from spring frosts and cold weather, blackberries are harvested when other berry crops are already resting. On the other hand, in regions with a harsh climate, varieties with late ripening periods do not have time to fully produce their harvest before the first snow. Therefore, you should take into account local climatic features when choosing which blackberries to plant on your site.

It is necessary to pay attention to the frost and drought resistance of the variety and the timing of fruiting

You need to choose your own blackberry for different climates.

Varieties for central Russia, Moscow region

For blackberries, which are planned to be grown in central Russia, including near Moscow, the main characteristics are frost resistance and ripening time. The higher the first one, the better the shrub will feel. However, even winter-hardy varieties will overwinter more safely if they are at least slightly insulated in the fall. You can sprinkle the bushes with fallen leaves, sawdust, or cover them with a thick layer of snow. Thanks to this, you will not only preserve the plant, but also increase productivity.

As for the timing of ripening, for a sharply continental climate you should choose early or mid-early blackberry varieties. Late berries may not ripen completely in a short summer.

In central Russia, late varieties of blackberries may not reach ripeness by autumn

In the middle zone and in the Moscow region, gardeners successfully grow varieties Thornfree, Agavam, Ufimskaya, Loch Ness, Thornless Evergreen, Darrow, Chester, Izobilnaya.

Blackberries for growing in the Urals and Siberia

The newest blackberry varieties, which are ultra-resistant to frost, are now being grown by gardeners in the Urals and Siberia. For the harsh climate of these regions, Darrow, Apache, Arapaho, Ufimskaya, Izobilnaya, and Agawam are suitable. For the climate of the middle zone, these are non-covering plants. But the Ural and Siberian frosts can destroy them. Therefore, blackberries need protection.

Blackberries in Siberia sometimes wait until the first snowfall

Varieties for Belarus and the Leningrad region

The Belarusian and St. Petersburg climates are similar, characterized by relatively warm winters and cool summers. Therefore, winter-hardy blackberry varieties with an average ripening period are suitable for such conditions. For example, Agawam, Arapahoe, Triple Crown or Doyle. Plants that suffer greatly from frost will need to be insulated for the winter.

For Belarus and the Leningrad region, blackberries are suitable, which ripen in mid-summer

Blackberries for the south of Russia and Ukraine

Almost all varieties of blackberries, including remontant ones, will grow well in the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine

But you should pay attention to the drought and heat resistance of plants. For example, Ruben does not set fruit if the temperature rises to 30°C

Almost all varieties of blackberries can be grown in the south

It should be noted that varieties with poor frost resistance will have to be covered in winter even in mild climates. But high resistance to low temperatures will allow the gardener to relax. Most varieties will survive even a relatively warm winter without loss.

Residents of Ukraine and Russians from the southern regions can recommend the varieties Natchez, Ouachita, Loch Tay, Waldo, Loch Ness, Tonfrey, Black Satin and Doyle. Thornless Evergreen and Agawam will produce well in shaded areas. Blackberries Prime-Ark Freedom and Black Magic will produce two harvests per season.

Frost-resistant blackberry varieties for the Moscow region and the middle zone

Blackberry variety Agawam

Agawam

Agavam is an old and very frost-resistant blackberry variety. It is even included in the State Register of varieties recommended for cultivation in the Russian Federation. It can be grown not only in the Moscow region, but also in Siberia.

• Productivity 3 - 6 kg. sometimes up to 10 kg. from one bush
• Weight of berries is 3 - 5 grams, sweet taste, ripen in July - August.
• Fruiting lasts at least 15 years
• Shoots are erect, powerful, rigid with sharp spines, 2.5 - 3 meters high
• Withstands frosts down to -40º, no winter shelter required

Advantages of the variety: beautiful flowering, stable fruiting, no need to cover for the winter, drought-resistant and shade-tolerant, grows on any soil and is generally very unpretentious.

Disadvantages: thorny shoots cause a lot of inconvenience and produce a lot of growth.

In the south, Agawams can be grown in both shade and sun. In the northern regions, berries in the shade may not have time to ripen, so planting in the sun is recommended. When planting, the root collar is buried several centimeters. The distance between bushes is 1 meter, between rows 1.8 - 2 meters. Although the shoots are strong, it is better to tie them like a fan to the trellises.

Reviews are very contradictory. There are ardent supporters of this variety, but there are also ardent opponents who complain that Agawam shoots have taken over the entire garden.

Blackberry Polar

Polar

Polar is a frost-resistant, thornless, early, large-fruited garden blackberry of Polish selection.

• Productivity 5 - 6 kg. berries from each bush (when wintering without shelter)
• The berries are very large, 10 - 12 g, sweet, and in the southern regions they begin to ripen in early July.
• Withstands frosts down to -30º shelter is not necessary. But most gardeners note that if the bushes are covered for the winter, the yield increases several times. It follows from this that the fruit buds still freeze slightly and shelter will be completely unnecessary.
• Stems are erect, up to 2.5 m, strong, without thorns. They may break when bent to the ground. To make the task easier, you need to start tilting the shoots in advance, before they become lignified.

Advantages of the variety: frost resistance, large and tasty berries, thornless shoots, disease resistance, early ripening of the crop, good transportability.

Disadvantages: perhaps only one - it is difficult to bend the shoots to the ground for wintering.

Prefers to grow in full sun, on well-drained loamy soils. Does not like damp, waterlogged places.

Reviews: only positive.

Unfortunately, the choice of frost-resistant blackberry varieties is not large. Only Agawam and Polar can overwinter without shelter, but it is better to cover Polar for the winter as well. All other varieties of this plant require mandatory shelter.

Caring for garden blackberries after planting

For proper development of blackberries, care must be competent. Shrubs need pruning, feeding, watering and staking.

Watering

All crop varieties require regular watering. The soil must not be allowed to dry out. After planting, the plants must be irrigated at a frequency that will maintain optimal soil moisture. During the rainy season, watering should be rare, and during drought - at intervals of 2-3 days. The ground next to the trunk must be mulched.

Loosening

You should regularly loosen the soil around the bushes to a depth of 5-10 centimeters. This will increase the breathability of the soil. It is worth removing weeds. Weeds should not be allowed to grow near the bushes - this can provoke the appearance of pests.

Trimming and shaping

Blackberries have simple agricultural technology, but with some peculiarities. All types of blackberries can produce crops on two-year-old shoots. After the harvest is harvested, the shoots should be cut off with pruning shears and burned. The procedure is called autumn pruning. It includes cutting out two-year-old shoots at the root, as well as removing damaged and weak branches.

Next year, the harvest can be harvested from the shoots of the current season. In order to stimulate their growth, annual shoots should be shortened in the fall.

It is worth remembering about pinching fruit bushes. It involves trimming the tops of branches. As soon as the shoots grow 8-10 centimeters, they must be cut off.

How to do pinching:

• In the first year after planting, you need to cut off all branches that have reached 90-120 centimeters;
• In the second and remaining years, only the tops are subject to pruning; they need to be shortened to 40-50 centimeters.

Watch the video! How to prune a fruiting blackberry bush in spring

Garter

Gartering is similar to shaping a bush. The procedure is necessary in order to support the plants vertically. To do this, you need to build trellises by stretching wire along the supports.

The most optimal method for growing blackberries is to form a crown. The garter makes the area tidy and allows for efficient use of space. Fan tying of plants in one or two directions is often used. The first option is suitable for slow-growing varieties, and the second for vigorous-growing varieties. For bush and creeping plants, both options are applicable.

Stages of fan formation of shrubs:

• In the first year after planting, the shoots of the seedling must be bent to one side and tied to the shralers;
• New branches are tied in the opposite direction;
• Cut off all side branches.

Top dressing

Spring feeding is carried out before the buds open. Need to take:

• Humus or compost – 1.5-3 kilograms;
• Superphosphate – 10 grams;
• Potassium fertilizer – 4-5 grams;
• Garden soil - 5 -7 kilograms.

The mixture should be added at the rate of 1.5-3 kilograms per 1 m2. Repeated fertilization is applied after 2-3 years. It is also recommended to apply 200-250 grams of ammonium nitrate and 100 grams of urea for every 10 m2 in the spring. After the growing season ends, it is worth adding about 6 kilograms of humus or compost for each plant.

Pest and disease control

Blackberries are resistant to many diseases. The fruits are considered to be environmentally friendly and healing. The most famous blackberry disease is rust.

Rust coats the leaves with sticky, dark orange spores. To fight, you need to remove the affected part of the bush and burn it, then treat the crown with a solution of garlic. Bordeaux mixture is considered quite effective.

Recipe for making Bordeaux mixture: dilute 40 grams of lime and 400 grams of copper sulfate in 10 liters of water.

The most famous pests for the crop are shoot aphids and raspberry beetles. For prevention, you can treat plants with Fitoverm or Kinmiks. At the rate of 2 ml per 10 liters of water.

Preparing for winter

The technology for preparing blackberry bushes for winter is the same as for raspberry bushes. The shoots bend to the ground and are covered with covering material. Fallen leaves should be placed near the base of the bush.

Blackberry varieties and hybrids

The above qualities confirm that blackberries should be the hostess of every summer cottage. However, its distribution in Russia and the CIS is still very limited. It is grown in industrial quantities in the USA and England. In the Russian Federation, more attention is paid to its sister - raspberries. This attitude is due to the extraordinary thorniness of blackberries. However, the market currently offers many varieties of hybrid origin, domestic and foreign, that do not have thorns.

Plants produce high yields, are practically not damaged by diseases and pests, but during the selection process they have lost the ability to withstand frost and need (in cold regions) shelters for the winter. The developed varieties are grouped into garden blackberry groups.

Bushy blackberry (Rubus fruticosus). euphro

According to the speed of harvest, blackberry varieties include:

• to the early ones, they give away the harvest in July,
• average - in August,
• late - in September-October.

The varieties, in turn, are divided into 3 groups according to their biological characteristics.

Rosyanika (dewberry), a distinctive feature is the absence of shoots. Propagated by rooting the tops (like gooseberries). The dewberry group includes hybrid varieties of blackberries obtained from crossing with raspberries. These varieties are called raspberry-blackberry hybrids and are classified into the subgroup “sundews” or “sundews.” They are distinguished by the variety of colors of the berries (yellow, white, red, black) and the ability to form small root shoots.

Kumanika, has straight shoots. It is characterized by the formation of multiple shoots, which it can reproduce.

Blackberries are semi-cresting, have a semi-shrub shape with insignificant shoots. Propagated by rooting tips and shoots.

Varieties of dewberry

The group includes thornless and thorny varieties with creeping shoots. Horizontal, up to 4-5 m, shoots need supports, which complicates their care in cold regions (shelter for the winter). Recommended varieties are the hybrid varieties Silvan, Izobilnaya, Blackberry, Ruchey, Merton Thornless. The last 2 varieties are thornless.

Of the varieties of raspberries that ripen simultaneously with raspberries, we can recommend thornless Thornless Loganberry, Buckingham, Tyberry and thornless ones - Loganberry, Tyberry, Sunberry.

Blackberry (Rubus caesius). Goran Schmidt

Bramble varieties

Kumanika varieties are distinguished by their large berries and good winter hardiness (-20 ° C), which allows them to be grown in cold regions. The bush is strong with vertical stems. The varieties most familiar to the dacha are Ruben, Avagam, and Gazda. The disadvantage is the thorniness of the bushes

Those wishing to breed bramble varieties should pay attention to the remontant variety Ruben. Tolerates frosts down to -30 °C

Recommended for cold regions of Russia. How a biennial crop yields its harvest in June. It can be grown as an annual (the entire above-ground part is cut off before winter), but the ripening of the fruits shifts to August-September. The Navajo, Orcan, and Apache varieties do not have thorns, but they are only slightly widespread among blackberry lovers.

Varieties of semi-creeping blackberries

The varieties have common features with dewberry and bramble. A subshrub with long shoots that need support. Most varieties do not have thorns: Agate, Thornfree, Loch Tay, Black Satin.

For beginning gardeners in all regions of Russia, we can recommend the varieties Avagam (early), Agatovaya and Triple Crown (middle), Thornfree and Gigant (late). From the category of frost-resistant, capable of withstanding frosts without shelter down to -30..-40 ° C - Flint, Agawam, Durou. The yields are high and not susceptible to diseases.

Bushy blackberry (Rubus fruticosus). Mervine Chelmiah

Specifications

In terms of consumer benefits, the Loch Tay hybrid has left behind many popular blackberry varieties, since it inherited the best characteristics from its relatives.

Drought and frost resistance

The hybrid of Scottish selection can withstand temperatures up to +40, however, when the heat lasts for a long time and there is no rain for a long time, the berries dry out a little and ripen not as juicy as when there is enough moisture. Blackberries tolerate low temperatures, but freeze in snowless winters.

Immunity to diseases and insects

Thanks to its powerful root system, which absorbs useful components from the ground, the Loch Tay variety is practically not affected by fungi, is resistant to viruses, but suffers from rust. Treatment with copper compounds helps prevent the problem.

Recommended regions for planting

The Loch Tay blackberry grows in the south of the country and takes root and bears fruit in mid-latitudes. The variety can be cultivated in the Moscow region, in the North Caucasus, in the Leningrad region, and in Siberia.

Reproduction

Loch Tay blackberries are grown using several methods. At the end of summer, one of the lashes of the bush is bent down, soil is poured, but the top is not covered. The cuttings are separated from the plant and transplanted to a new location.

The variety is propagated by green cuttings, branches up to 20 cm long are cut from shoots, planted in a greenhouse so that they take root. Blackberries can be propagated by air layering, seeds, dividing the bush and transplanting the apical bud.

Crop yield

From one plant of the Loch Tay variety, from 2 to 2.5 buckets of berries are collected, the most fruits are set in the 5th year. With modern fertilizing and compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, the yield increases by another 2 kilograms.

Beginning of flowering

The buds on blackberries open in June, when the frosts have already subsided, the ovary does not die, and many fruits are formed, since there are up to 10 small white inflorescences on the cluster. They appear already in the first year after spring planting, but in order for the shrub to become stronger, it is recommended to pick off the buds.

Berry ripening period

Despite the late flowering, Loch Tay blackberries begin to sing in the southern regions in mid-June, in the middle zone 10–14 days later. Fruiting continues until the end of July. In terms of yield, the hybrid left behind even such popular varieties as Thornfree and Loch Ness.

Nuances of agricultural technology for low-yielding blackberries

If a variety is genetically unable to produce a large number of ovaries, but you want to increase the yield, there are two ways out of the situation: compacted planting and intensive agricultural technology ( blackberry pruning) . The essence of the first method is to cultivate more plants in a smaller area. The second is stimulation of fruiting by fertilizing and pruning.

Intensification

Black Butte blackberries, like all others, for example, the Doyle variety, bear fruit on the shoots of the second year. You also need to take into account that, being a creeping variety, it concentrates the fruiting zone in the middle part of the shoot. Based on this, a pruning scheme is developed.

1. In early spring, last year's overwintered branches are shortened to a height of 1.5 meters from the ground . Damaged and frozen ones are removed.
2. In May, they examine them again, select the 4 strongest ones and cut out the weak ones . There is no need to be afraid to leave fewer shoots on the plant. The plant will direct its forces to forming a harvest on the remaining ones.
3. Tweezing is carried out in mid-summer . preparing young shoots of the year for fruiting next year. Pinching involves cutting off their tips to stimulate lateral branching. For creeping blackberries, the pruning rate is up to half the length of the shoot.
4. Growing side shoots are shortened to 40 cm .
5. In the fall, all fruit-bearing vines are cut out.

When planning fertilizing, you need to remember that excess nitrogen will stimulate the growth of green mass . but not fruiting at all. Therefore, nitrogen must be given to Black Butte blackberries in strictly dosed doses.

After spring frosts have passed . A bucket of mature compost, 100 grams of superphosphate and 30 grams of potassium fertilizers are added to the soil under each bush.

At the beginning of summer, foliar feeding of blackberries is carried out with a solution of boric acid. To do this, 10 grams of the drug are dissolved in 10 liters of water. Spray on the underside of the leaf on a windless, cloudy day, without rain. Additionally, it is good to feed the blackberries with an ash solution at the root.

Mineral fertilizers do not enrich, but deplete the soil. You need to weigh the pros and cons three times before deciding whether the plant needs mineral supplements.

Seal

The Black Butte variety is good because it is compact in itself. Therefore, it will survive the compacted landing without any problems. For this blackberry, a distance of 0.8 meters between plants and 2 meters between rows will be sufficient. But at the same time, the vines must be directed vertically.

Formation of blackberry bushes

For this variety, you can apply fan formation on two sides. This is done like this:

1. Even when planting seedlings, supports are installed on both sides of the row . The wire is stretched between them in three tiers: at a height of 40, 100 and 150 cm. It is better that the rows are directed from east to west.
2. Subsequently, the shoots are distributed on two sides . Second-year fruit-bearing shoots are tied like a fan to the south side. They will receive enough light and heat so that the fruits have time to set and ripen well.
3. Fingerling shoots are directed to the north side . They will have enough light and sun to ripen and prepare for winter.
4. In autumn, after cutting off fruit-bearing branches . annual vines are removed from the garter and laid on the south side, bent over the lower tier of wire.

It is very important to properly winterize Black Butte blackberries. This is not a very winter-hardy variety, so it needs shelter.

Agrofibre is rightfully considered one of the best materials for insulating heat-loving plants. But you can get by with natural remedies.

An excellent option is spruce branches . The smell of pine needles repels pests, and the resins have disinfectant properties. Chopped spruce branches are laid in two layers on the blackberries. After snow falls, it will be good to throw it on the structure additionally.

Black Butte blackberries need to be covered for the winter.

Good protection from frost - leaves and stalks of corn . If you lay them in a thick enough layer, no additional coverings will be required. The main thing is to ensure that the tops are healthy and free of rot.

But you need to be careful with straw. In winter, this material can be favored by rodents, who will happily spoil blackberry shoots.

Foliage collected under deciduous fruit trees is not suitable for covering blackberries. Pest larvae can overwinter in it.

Black Butte blackberries are an interesting variety. Some of its shortcomings are more than offset by the pleasure of picking truly gigantic berries . surprising with its beauty and taste.

Blackberry Black Butte

The image has been reduced. Click to see original.

A fairly young variety of blackberry. Its uniqueness lies in the huge size of the berries: the fruits reach a length of up to 6 cm. American selection for early ripening: the berries ripen until the end of June. Black Butte grows in neat bushes. The shoots, covered with small thorns, grow up to 3 m. The variety easily shelters for the winter due to creeping shoots. Blackberries are very easy to care for and have absolutely no conflict with the environment. Black Butte berries are deep black, glossy, elongated, very attractive in appearance. Average fruit weight 12 g. individual berries can grow up to 25g. The taste and aroma are pronounced, classically blackberry.Added after 2 minutes

The image has been reduced. Click to see original.

Tell me, I have some blackberries left on the property from the previous owner, I don’t know the variety, maybe it’s even something wild. The bushes are large, very prickly, and they constantly crawl in one direction for a meter, then in the other (every year in different directions)

The berries are quite large, but I wouldn’t say they’re tasty (compared to raspberries). Two questions

1) how to limit it (maybe if you make sides from slate and dig it in, it will come out in one place? But my husband says that nonsense has deep roots and is still made beyond the limits where we don’t need it)

2) the berries are tasty or you have them, just if they are some kind of wild game, it might be better to remove them completely and already purchase some kind of correct variety

I like two varieties: Ruben and Giant.

We used to have many species at our dacha; we constantly planted and tried new varieties. The family liked these two the most. There were renovations and they were trampled, so in the spring they bought them again and planted them. When purchasing, we were told where and at what height to plant it. I am glad that these species are frost-resistant and will not disappear over the winter. By the way, boysenberries are not bad, but they are down to -25 degrees, and it’s cold in our dacha, we are afraid that they will disappear, so we didn’t plant them.

Edited: 1 time (Last: September 12, 2021 at 11:38 am)

My laptop (or rather Windows), knows that I am interested in blackberry varieties, and slipped me some dubious new variety - the BlackBerry giant variety. It looks like this is a marketing ploy by the seller - to call a well-known variety by a different name in order to attract the attention of lovers of new and exotic products. There is a photo of the variety on the seller’s website (https://domicad.com.ua/ru/product/sajency-ejevika-gigant). I was unable to find this variety using a search engine in the English-speaking environment. Maybe I don't know something?

2 users said thank you:

Seeker (part-time moderator)

Address: Alchevsk, Lugansk region 48*28'20" N; 38*47'56" E CAT-3285*S, 175 days.

Diary entries: 1

Re: Giant. Is there such a variety?

And what do you think ?

• Very large harvests. 3 bushes planted on the plot will bring almost a hundredweight of tasty and healthy berries.
• Frost resistance. The plant can withstand frost without damage.
• Large fruit. The weight of one berry is about 23 grams.
• Pest resistance.

And no one else (except for this sold-out scammer) knows about this super-duper

Regards, Alexey.

Location on the map.

Message from Svetlana Vitalievna

Yeah. And a photo under their Black Butte Giant.

And climbing strawberries are still “cultivated”.

And they also had gooseberries with the names of the varieties “Yellow9quot;, “Red9quot;, “Green9quot;. Now, I don’t see something. Apparently, “grateful customers” (as they write) have already snapped up everything.

Well done, “House and Garden” manages to find suckers everywhere. Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Bedarus. Where are these scammers not found?

Thank you for identifying the variety from the photo. My BB hasn't produced any berries yet. A good variety, apparently.

Re: Giant. Is there such a variety?

At a minimum, you can look at “seller9quot; through a search even on this forum.

Storytellers are storytellers.

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You can move all this to the “black list” and not clutter up the topic about blackberry varieties.

Blackberry Gigant is positioned as a thornless variety Blackberry Gigant is positioned as a thornless variety with high disease resistance and large berries. The description of the variety states simply stunning yield.

Growing and planting

Getting a good harvest requires the gardener to follow certain rules in growing remontant blackberries, planting them, propagating them, and pruning them.

First of all, you need to choose a landing site. The plant loves light and does not tolerate strong gusts of wind. The wind disrupts the pollination process. Blackberries may suffer or simply break due to wind load.

Experienced gardeners advise planting berries on the south or west side of the site.

Blackberries grown in the southern regions

The second, no less important aspect is the soil. Remontant varieties of thornless blackberries tolerate any soil well. But the plant grows best on a substrate with moderate acidity.

The area for planting must be prepared in advance. Any organic fertilizer can be added to the soil; you can use a mixture of rotted manure, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate.

It is extremely important to remove all weeds from the site. The choice of planting material must be approached with full responsibility

The final result depends on this stage

The choice of planting material must be approached with all responsibility. The final result depends on this stage.

To grow a healthy harvest, you should choose an annual seedling with a well-developed root system. Planting material must have at least 2 shoots. When choosing, you must discard a plant with signs of mold, rot, or dried root shoots.

The best varieties

Breeders have developed more than 60 varieties of remontant blackberries. The following varieties have become the most famous and popular: Prime, Ruben, Giant, Black Magic. A brief description of each is presented below.

Prime

The most popular thornless variety. When ripe, the berry becomes almost black in color. Externally, the bush is very compact, the shoots grow vertically.

It bears fruit for 3 months - from August to October.

Ruben

The plant has a strong root system, grows on almost any soil, and withstands dry summers.

The height of the bush is 1.75 meters. It has a very decorative appearance, which throughout the season pleases with an abundance of flowers, and later berries.

Giant

A frost-resistant representative of the remontant blackberry, it tolerates even the most severe frosts. The berries are large, reaching 20 grams.

The developed variety contains a huge amount of useful microelements: calcium, iron, sulfur.

Remontant blackberry harvest

Black magic

The bush reaches a height of 2 meters. The shoots are literally sprinkled with berries, which can be picked almost all autumn. Large fruits have a bright taste and aroma.

The rules for growing blackberries are in many ways similar to the peculiarities of raspberry agricultural technology. By following the basics of plant care, you can not only get an excellent harvest of very healthy berries, but also decorate your garden with a beautiful ornamental plant.

Creeping varieties of blackberries with photos and descriptions

Abundant. The shoots of this creeping blackberry variety are powerful and thorny. The length of the shoots reaches 2.8-3.5 m. The shoots grow strongly and need to be pinched. The variety begins to bear fruit early and the yield is high. The berry is large, black, elongated, the drupes are large, tightly joined. The berries are of good quality, the average berry weight is 3-4 g. Variety Izobilnaya - late ripening. Low winter hardiness, requires shelter for the winter.

Thornless logan. The description of blackberries of this variety resembles the description of blackberries of the Izobilnaya variety. The bush is powerful, the shoots are without thorns. The berries are large, shiny, black, round, late ripening. The ripening period is greatly extended. Productivity and winter hardiness are average.

Thornless Evergreen. Almost an evergreen plant, since the foliage does not die during the winter. The berry cluster is branched and drooping. It contains from 25 to 70 medium-sized berries (3-3.5 g). The taste is sweet and sour. When fully ripe, it is sweet, with a subtle pleasant aroma. The berry is suitable for transportation and short-term storage. The drupes are large - this is the only drawback of the variety. The bush is frost-resistant.

Prickly varieties of remontant blackberries

There are many types of remontant blackberries: there are both thorny and thornless varieties.
The thorny blackberry bushes are not very tall, but they produce a large harvest. Attention! Under the load of berries, the branches of the bush bend to the ground and can break under their own weight, so it is recommended to install supports or trellises for them, like raspberries. For an early and large harvest, the bush is not allowed to thicken by thinning pruning

In this case, the strongest four or five branches are left. Foreign gardeners, wanting to prolong fruiting, grow blackberries in greenhouses

For an early and large harvest, the bush is not allowed to thicken by thinning pruning. In this case, the strongest four or five branches are left. Foreign gardeners, wanting to prolong fruiting, grow blackberries in greenhouses.

Reuben

Blackberries of the “Ruben” variety are the first of the remontant varieties, which bear fruit on the shoots of the current year. This variety was developed jointly by breeders from the University of Arkansas and specialists from the English nursery Hargreaves. “Ruben” appeared in Europe in 2011. This is a compact bush with strong branches growing straight up. The variety is valuable because it easily tolerates drought, grows on any soil and does not require exclusively sunny places when planting, developing well in partial shade.

The height of the Ruben blackberry bush is 1.75 meters. There are no thorns on the fruiting branches, which makes harvesting easier. The bush blooms beautifully with large white inflorescences. In the first year of planting, the quality of the harvest is a little lame, but every year the size and quantity are more and more pleasing. The berries can be collected right up to autumn frosts, as the variety is resistant to cold.

The ripening period for Ruben berries is from August to October inclusive. The berries are large - up to five centimeters in length, sometimes weighing up to 14.5 grams. Remontant varieties are pruned for the winter and are not covered; the root system of the plant does not freeze.

Interesting! An ancient Greek myth describes a ten-year war between the gods and the Titans. The war ended with the defeat of Kron and his supporting Titans. The defeated Olympians were chained and thrown into Tartarus, and in the places where the blood of the titans was shed, blackberries grew.

Black Magic

Black magic blackberries also bear fruit on the current year's shoots. The branches are equipped with thorns, but there are no thorns where the berries grow. The branches grow vertically and can reach two meters in height. When growing this variety, take care of branch supports. The variety is resistant to frost and disease; if you do not cut off the shoots, but cover them, you can harvest in June. The fruits are filled with juice and are suitable for consumption from the second ten days of August, the branches of the second year bear fruit in July. The yield of black magic blackberries is amazing - six kilograms per bush. The berries are large, inky purple, berry weight is 11 grams. This blackberry variety has a 100% ovary rate even in hot summer conditions. The berries of the variety tolerate transportation well.

Prime Ark 45

The variety was developed in Arkansas in 2009 and has successfully passed yield tests. The bush grows vertically and is resistant to disease, drought and frost. Blackberries ripen in late August - early September. The fruits are dense and glossy, easily transportable, sweet and aromatic. The weight of the berry is more than nine grams. The bush of the “Prime Arch 45” variety blooms beautifully. It has large fluffy flowers, branches dotted with leaves, thorns only on the lower shoots.

Important! For the winter, it is advisable to protect the bush from frost: this variety is not particularly frost-resistant.

Prime Jan

This variety is considered one of the newest blackberry varieties. Prime Yana berries, according to many lovers of this variety, have a pronounced aftertaste with an apple aroma. Medium-sized berries more than pay for themselves in taste. This variety ripens in late August – early September. Strong shoots grow vertically up to two meters high. They need supports so that they do not break during the fruiting period. The variety has increased frost resistance and is grown where other types of blackberries do not take root.

Prime Jim

The newest variety of remontant blackberry, Prime Jim, is still being tested, but some characteristics of the variety are already known. A medium-sized bush with straight shoots that are best cut for the winter. The berries of this variety are elongated, sweet and sour and have an aftertaste with a mulberry aroma.