Lochness Blackberry: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, reproduction

The Lochness blackberry is famous for its abundant yield, high immunity to diseases and harmful bugs. Berries are rich in useful vitamins and minerals. Bushes are grown for sale or personal use. To get a lot of harvest, plant the crop correctly, you should read the information below.

Description and features

Loch Ness blackberry is in demand in Europe, the USA, it is an industrial variety. It was bred in 1990 in England by breeder D. Jennings. Loch Ness is a complex hybrid with European raspberries, blackberries and Loganberries as parent crops.

Large-fruited variety, received an award from the Royal Horticultural Society of Britain for its large fruit size and high yield.

Bushes

Blackberry bushes are compact, grow up to 4 meters in height. The variety is semi-spreading, the lashes grow straight at first, then become thinner, lean towards the soil. Shoots develop rapidly, form a mass of lateral branches. The rhizome is powerful, the leaves are jagged, medium in size, rich emerald tone.

Berries

The fruits of the Loch Ness blackberry are large, black in color with a gloss, shaped like an ellipse. The first fruiting brings the largest blackberry, up to 10 g in weight. After, the average weight of berries is 4-5 grams. They are collected in brushes. Tasters rated the taste of the variety at 2.7 points. An unripe berry is sour, and a ripe one is sweet, with a sour taste, fragrant. She has small bones, they are juicy, withstand transportation well. The fruits can be harvested mechanically.

Yield indicators, fruiting terms

The Loch Ness blackberry variety is one of the most productive, even in the absence of proper care, 15 kg of berries are harvested from 1 bush. With proper supervision, it is possible to get 20-25 kg. The first fruits are formed a year after planting the bush, but active fruiting is observed in the 3rd season. Berries are harvested from mid-August until September 15 in several approaches.

Scope of berries

Blackberries are used for fresh consumption, decorating desserts, adding to muffins. You can make compotes, jams, smoothies from it. More often, berries are used for freezing, processing, because fresh, they are sour.

Resistance to pathologies, harmful insects

The Loch Ness blackberry bushes have a strong immunity, are rarely exposed to diseases and insect invasions. In the absence of proper care, the protective properties are reduced.

Positive and negative aspects of the variety

Loch Ness Blackberry offers many advantages, but also many disadvantages.

Thornless ShootsScourge optional cropHigh resistance to bad weather, diseases, harmful bugsUndemanding to soil compositionEasy to breed

Pros	Cons
High yields	Sour taste of berries
Large, beautiful berries	Mid-late ripening period
Bushes form many shoots	The bushes need shelter for the winter
The whips grow fast	When planted in the shade, rainy summer, the berries gain little sugar contains less vitamin C than other types of blackberries

How to grow

Special agrotechnical rules for planting Loch Ness blackberries are not expected. Bushes are planted according to the standard scheme, choosing the right place, time, having prepared the ground in advance, having processed the seedlings.

Date and place of landing

Loch Ness Blackberries should be planted in spring when there is no risk of frost returning. In the South, you can resort to autumn planting, around September.

Don't plant crops in warmer regions in the spring, as heat quickly sets in there, destroying blackberries that have not had time to take root.

The landing site should be well lit by the sun, protected from wind gusts. Any soil will do, but it is advisable to plant bushes on fertile, loamy, well-drained soil.

Preparation of the landing pit, soil

Holes for planting blackberries are dug with a diameter of 50 cm, the same depth, the top layer of the earth is set aside. It is then used to create a soil mixture. The soil is mixed with a bucket of humus, 50 g of potassium, 150 g of phosphorus. You can add dolomite flour, or crushed eggshells, this is a source of calcium. If the earth is dense, sand is added to it, and an additional dosage of organic matter is added to carbonate soil. The soil should be slightly acidic, 5.7-6.5 pH. The hole is 2/3 filled with the prepared combination, poured with water. They wait 1 week after the manipulations.

Preparation of planting material

Blackberry seedlings are examined for damage, traces of pests, the presence of dry roots. They are soaked in a solution that stimulates the growth of the root system like Epin for 2 hours, you can still dip in a manganese solution. Seedlings are cut to 25 cm before planting.

Berry planting process

Plant bushes of Loch Ness blackberry follows this pattern:

distance between bushes in rows - 1.5-2 meters;
distance between beds - from 3 meters.

Seedlings with a straightened rhizome are placed in the prepared holes, covered with earth. The root neck should be 2-4 cm above the surface. Water with a bucket of water, mulch the circle with straw, peat or humus. Due to the mulch, the growth of weeds is inhibited, the bushes are protected from drought, and the soil structure is preserved. You can cover the aisles with agronomic fiber. The material makes it possible to save time on mulching, it is relevant if blackberries are grown to be sold on industrial plantations.

Subtleties of shrub care

Caring for blackberries is easy. She needs regular watering, mulching, fertilizing, pruning. Bushes are inspected every week for diseases, beetle attacks.

Irrigation

Blackberries love moisture, in the absence of precipitation, the bushes are irrigated once a week, you can 2. The settled liquid should be poured, it should not be cold. Bring water under the rhizome.

Cutting

Loch Ness blackberry grows well, you should not cut it often, this provokes even more thickening, lower yields. The main formation of bushes is carried out in spring and autumn, damaged, weak specimens affected by harmful beetles and diseases are removed. In May, shorten the branches by 15 cm, cut the side shoots.

They are tied as a fan to the trellises, separating last year's growths and new specimens. In autumn, old shoots that have completed fruiting are excised.The bushes are thinned out, there should be up to 4-6 stems after manipulation. Hemp is not left, as they act as a source of infections, become a refuge for pests.

Feeding

Blackberries are fertilized starting from the 3rd year of life to increase green mass. The first top dressing is resorted to in July, potash and phosphorus compounds are introduced. They improve the taste, structure of the fruit, help the bushes prepare for wintering. Even the berry is fertilized with calcium, boron, iron. Minerals will not be superfluous. From organic matter, wood ash is excellent for culture.

Wintering

Loch Ness Blackberry is highly winter hardy, but it is advisable to cover it for the winter for abundant fruiting next season. Especially bushes need shelter in regions where in winter the air temperature drops from -20 or more. The plant is laid on the ground with a trellis, peat, spruce branches, sawdust are placed on it, and a plastic film is placed on top.When the snow falls, this will serve as additional shelter for the bushes.

Pathologies, pests and their control

The plant needs preventive treatments. During preparation for winter, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid 1%, or copper sulfate. The procedure is repeated in March, before the buds open. You can also irrigate blackberries with sulfur-containing products, they prevent the development of fungal infections, have a negative effect on various types of ticks.

Features of reproduction

Blackberries are propagated by rooting tops, layering. In the case of deliberate injury to the rhizome with a spatula bayonet, the bush gives a lot of shoots. The method of sowing seeds is not in demand, as the plant may grow differently from the parent. Seedlings are relevant only in the development of new hybrids.

Experienced gardeners recommend propagation by root petioles. In private farms, you should not resort to this technique. It is easier to practice propagation by layering, or by digging in new shoots.