Navajo blackberry: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, crop storage

Navajo blackberry of North American origin, it is widely grown in Russia and CIS countries. Bushes successfully adapt to new conditions, bear fruit abundantly, rarely exposed to diseases, harmful beetles. The variety is grown for sale or personal consumption, since the berries have excellent taste and appearance. You should first familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the variety, the algorithm for planting bushes.

History of inference

A late-ripening variety of blackberries was bred in 1987 in America by breeders from the University of Arkansas. The name comes from the name of the Indian peoples. Blackberry species Thornfree, Cherokee were used as parents.

Description

Fruits

Blackberry conical berries, small compared to other types. The weight of 1 copy is about 4-7 grams. There are about 500 berries on one bush - dark blue, shiny, with an excellent sweet taste.

Tasters rated it 4.9 points. The fruits retain their presentation for 5 days.

Seeds are small, almost invisible.

The Navajo Blackberry is excellent for transportation due to its dense skin.

Bush

The bushes are upright, the shoots are smooth, without thorns, grow up to 2 meters. Stems dense structure, emerald hue. The plant does not require the installation of trellises, complex shaping pruning.

Flowering period and ripening terms

Navajo blackberry blooms in the second half of June in central Russia. The inflorescences are small, inconspicuous, cream-colored with a hairy center. From the moment of formation of the ovaries to the ripening of the fruits, 2 months pass.

Yield indicators, fruiting terms

From 1 blackberry bush of the Navajo variety, up to 7 kilograms of fruit are harvested. Harvest ripens from August 15, lasts until early September. The timing of fruit ripening is affected by the place of planting, the weather conditions of the season.

Scope of berries

Blackberries can be used for fresh consumption, because their taste is dessert, sweet. You can add berries to baking, make preparations for the winter from them.

Resistance to pathologies, harmful bugs

Navajo blackberry is practically not exposed to diseases, invasions of beetles, due to powerful immunity. When bushes are not properly cared for, their defenses are reduced.

Advantages and disadvantages of berry crops

The Navajo blackberry variety has many positives, but also negatives.

Self-pollinationWhen the summer is cool, the yield decreasesHigh yield Undemanding to the place, the earth Easy care Easy access to fruits during picking due to lack of thorns Good preservation of blackberries, transportability Great taste

Pros	Cons

The taste of the fruit is affected by the intensity of lighting
You need to regularly remove extra branches that thicken shrubs

Specific planting of blackberries

Blackberry grows successfully on any land, but in order to get a good harvest, it is advisable to plant it in light sandy or loamy soils saturated with humus, with neutral or slightly increased acidity. Too moist soil, location in a lowland, with a high level of groundwater, is not suitable for bushes. There is a risk of root rot.

Recommended timings

It is optimal to plant blackberries in late April, May, or early June, depending on the weather conditions in the region. The earlier a bush is planted, the more time it has to take root before the arrival of frost. Planting should not be done in autumn, as blackberries do not tolerate frost well.

Choosing a suitable location

Blackberry bushes should be planted in a sunny, warm place, but you can also choose partial shade. In shading, they will not receive enough light, heat, the berries will form small, sour. Choose a place on the plot flat or on slight slopes, next to fences, buildings.Blackberries should not be exposed to gusts of wind.

Soil preparation

If you plant a blackberry in properly prepared land, it will bear fruit for 10-15 years. 2 weeks before planting, the soil is plowed on a spade bayonet, cleaned of weeds. If the earth is acidic, lime is added to it. Holes are dug 2-3 days before planting, with a diameter of 60 cm and a depth of 50 cm. The distance between the beds should be 1.5 meters. A bucket of humus, 2 cups of ash, 80-100 g of minerals are poured into the recesses, poured with water.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Seedlings are examined for diseases, beetle attacks. It should be flat, not deformed. The seedlings are lowered overnight into the Epin or Matador root growth stimulator. Additionally dipped in a weak manganese solution.

Planting Method

The root system of seedlings is carefully spread out, placed in prepared holes, covered with earth.After, plantings are watered, 10 liters of water for each bush. The root area is mulched, the seedlings are shortened to 2-3 buds. Each bush is equipped with a trellis, this will increase productivity and make maintenance easy.

Since the Navajo blackberry has an increased shoot-forming ability, pieces of slate, iron should be dug along the borders as a limiter.

Further bush care

Competent blackberry care involves its timely watering, loosening, pruning, fertilizing. Bushes are treated with pesticides to prevent attacks by beetles, diseases.

Irrigation and fertilizer

Irrigate blackberry bushes should be in the presence of periodic precipitation during the formation and ripening of fruits. If the season turned out to be dry, make abundant moisture-charging watering. Blackberries should be fertilized in March, 20-25 g of nitrogen - urea, ammonium nitrate - are added under the plants.During the ripening of berries, 30 g of potassium. Once in 3 years, they are fed with humus, compost in the spring, 4 buckets per 1 bush are taken.

Pruning shrubs

Young branches are pinched in September and June when they grow up to 1 meter tall. The top is cut to 20-25 cm, and side shoots. Manipulation stimulates the growth of lateral branches, increases the pollen, the formation of ovaries.

Wintering

Preparatory work involves the complete removal of old, deformed shoots, removal of branches from the trellis. Blackberry bushes are covered with organic mulch, agronomic fiber.

Possible diseases, beetle attacks, their elimination

Navajo blackberries are sometimes affected by septoria, powdery mildew and anthracnose. In the first case, the appearance of brown or grayish spots with a yellow border is noted. In the form of treatment, a solution of Bordeaux liquid is used, they are irrigated with bushes before flowering and after fruiting.

Anthracnose is characterized by the appearance of rusty spots on the leaves, the leaves become brittle, fall off, dry out. To save the plant, spray it and the soil with Skor in a ratio of 20 ml per 10 liters of water before pollen and after the formation of berries. When a loose coating of a whitish color appeared on the shoots, fruits, this indicates a disease with an ashtray. After the snow has melted, the bushes are poured with hot water, during the formation of ovaries, they are sprayed with Oxyx, Vectra, Fundazol.

Among harmful beetles, blackberries can be attacked by spider mites, blackberry mites, raspberry beetles. In the first situation, the leaves fall, the yield decreases, the growth of green mass thins out. To get rid of insects, they are treated with tobacco tincture, onion peel and garlic broth with the addition of laundry soap.

Manipulations are carried out 2-3 times with an interval of 1 week. Blackberry mites feed on its fruits, determine their presence by the deformation of the berries.The treatment is the same as in the case of infection with spider mites. The raspberry beetle is revealed by a large number of holes on the berries, they rot. Bushes are saved by treatment with Actellik, Fufanol. 2 sprayings are carried out with a pause of 10 days.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Fruits are harvested by hand, in several approaches. After harvesting, overripe, damaged specimens are discarded. They are either consumed immediately or recycled. Berries should be stored in a room with an air temperature of up to +5, it can be a basement, cellar, refrigerator. Blackberries are placed in wooden or plastic boxes, oilcloth or paper is placed on the bottom. Humidity in the place where fruits are stored should be no more than 80%.