Blackberry Polar: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care, crop storage

Blackberry is not yet a very common berry in gardeners' plots. Farmers are afraid, first of all, that the fruits will not have time to ripen before the onset of frost. In addition, they are not very attracted to the procedure for picking berries from thorny shoots. Polish breeders have bred blackberries of the Polar variety, without the presence of thorns, capable of withstanding temperatures down to -25 ° C. Further information about growing a berry bush, caring for it, reproduction, as well as harvesting and storing the crop.

Characteristics and description of Blackberry Polar

You can grow crops both in the southern and northern regions. The quality of its berries is high, so it is almost an ideal variety for personal farms and industrial plantations.

Additional information! All parts of the blackberry are used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases.

Selection

The variety was bred in 2008 by Polish breeders in Brzezno, on the basis of the Institute of Horticulture. They worked on the development of the Polar for about 30 years. The goal of the specialists was to develop a plant without thorns, with large berries, resistant to frost.

Description of the plant

Blackberry Polar is a bush 2.5-2.7 meters high. On its powerful, upright shoots are bright green jagged leaves and dark, almost black berries. Young lashes, initially painted green, turn brown by autumn. Spines grade Polar is deprived.

Description of fruits

Blackberry blossom starts in May. The petals of the buds are large, painted white. Oval berries appear in July, fruiting lasts until September. The fruits have a weight of 9-11 grams, painted black. They taste sweet, with a slight sourness and a pleasant aroma.

Yield indicators

Blackberry Polar is valued, among other things, for medium-early, abundant fruiting. From an adult bush, a gardener can collect about 5 kilograms. A bountiful harvest begins to be harvested from 4-year-old bushes.

Scope of berries

Blackberry fruits are delicious, so their scope is wide: compotes, jams are made from them, wine is made, they are used as a filling in confectionery. Berries can be frozen for winter consumption. They are easy to collect due to the lack of thorns on the shoots.

Resistant to diseases and pests

Polar variety has good immunity and is rarely exposed to diseases and pests. But, nevertheless, in the spring it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of the bushes. Blackberries can get sick due to improper care, for example, dense plantings.

Main advantages and disadvantages of culture

The advantages of the variety include the following characteristics:

ease of assembly due to the absence of spikes;
large-fruited;
good winter hardiness;
excellent yield;
high palatability berries;
good keeping quality and transportability;
resistance to diseases and pests.

Disadvantages of the variety is much less. These include the exactingness of bushes in shelter in late autumn in the northern regions, as well as in winters with little snow in the southern regions. Blackberry stems are dense, resilient, so it is difficult to tilt them to the ground.

Features of growing berry bushes

In order for blackberries to bear fruit for a long time and abundantly, you need to choose the right place and planting dates for it.

Timing

Blackberry Polar is planted on the site in spring or autumn. The procedure is carried out at an air temperature of 10-12°C. In the northern regions, it is better to plant a crop in the spring so that it has time to take root well by winter. In the south, preference is given to planting in the fall.

Select site

The place for Blackberry Polar is selected sunny, protected from drafts. It is desirable that the site is well lit throughout the day. The root system of the culture goes to a depth of 1.5 meters, so a high occurrence of groundwater is not allowed. As a soil, blackberries prefer slightly acidic loam, flavored with organic matter.

Boarding process

The territory is prepared in advance by clearing it of weeds and digging. Poor soils fertilize. Then they start planting bushes as follows:

Dig holes measuring 40×40 centimeters at a distance of 1.2 meters from one another. Row spacing - 2-2.5 meters.
Drainage from broken bricks, stones, or expanded clay is laid out at the bottom of the landing hole.
A substrate consisting of fertile soil, compost, with the addition of ash, superphosphate and potassium s alt is sprinkled on top.
The stalk with straightened roots is exposed in the middle of the hole, covered with soil.
Blackberries are watered, covered with sawdust or peat mulch.

Important! The root neck should not be deeper than 2 centimeters.

Blackberry Care Tips

Polar does not require special care. Like other varieties of blackberries, it needs timely watering, top dressing, garter and pruning.

Irrigation

After planting, bushes require abundant watering. From the abundance of moisture, they will quickly get stronger and grow. Since plants have a powerful root system, they can do without water for a long time, but, nevertheless, during drought, the berries become small, their taste qualities are lost.

Therefore, in hot and dry summers, blackberries need watering.

Feeding

Culture can do without fertilizing, but in this case it will produce less crop. Fertilize blackberries several times per season as follows:

In early spring, nitrogen-containing substances are introduced to promote the growth of green mass.
Before flowering, bushes are fed with complex mineral fertilizer.
After fruiting, potassium monophosphate is added, which contributes to the laying of flower buds for the next year, as well as the successful wintering of the plant.

Pruning shrubs

Each blackberry shoot lives for 2 years: the first season it gains strength, the second - it bears fruit. After that, it is not viable, and, if left, it will only thicken the plantings, preventing young shoots from developing. Therefore, immediately after fruiting, 2-year-old shoots are cut out.

If the procedure could not be carried out in the autumn, it can be performed in the spring, after the onset of heat. The bushes are inspected, old, broken, diseased shoots are removed. Use a sharp, disinfected pruner for this.

Preparing for winter

Polar variety is able to withstand frosts down to -25°С. If frosty weather is expected, the bushes need to be covered for the winter. To do this, they need to be bent to the ground, pinned, covered with spruce branches. In warmer regions, it is enough to mulch the root circle.

Garter

The long shoots of blackberries need to be tied up or they will bend down to the ground, making it difficult to harvest. In addition, untied whips can break from strong winds and rain, and they do not receive enough sunlight. Tie up the culture as the shoots grow several times a season.

Advice! The gardener will receive the greatest harvest when growing blackberries on trellises. To do this, dig in 2 pillars and install horizontal crossbars from boards, wire or rope between them .

Diseases and pests

Blackberry Polar is resistant to diseases and pests. It can be affected by various diseases, mainly due to improper care, for example, when planting in infected soil. To exclude this, it is necessary to sow green manure that heals the soil six months before the proposed planting of the plant.

Besides this, bushes should not be planted after berry and nightshade crops, with which blackberries have the same diseases. To prevent the appearance of pests, you need to remove weeds that can be their carrier. To prevent diseases, bushes are sprayed with copper-containing preparations in spring and autumn.

Methods of reproduction

You can breed the Polar variety on the site in several ways: by dividing the bush, cuttings, top layering. In the first case, the blackberries are dug up, divided into parts, each of which must have an escape and a root system. Old delenki are rejected, young ones are planted in the garden.

Propagation by cuttings produced in the fall. To do this, cut annual shoots 40 centimeters long and dig them half into the ground. In the spring they are dug up, cut off a little on both sides, and buried again. Soon, bushes with 2-3 true leaves will grow in the garden, after which they are dug up and planted first in pots for growing, then in a permanent place.

To grow a Polar blackberry with tip cuttings, do the following:

The ends of annual shoots are bent to the ground, pinned. On the surface leave the top 15-20 centimeters long. The place where the shoot touches the ground is stripped of leaves.
Layers are watered, spud. In a month, the first roots and leaves will appear.
In the spring, young plants are separated from the mother bush, and planted in a permanent place.

Reproduction by layering produced at the end of summer. At this time, the one-year-old shoot is ripe, and the layering during the procedure has time to take root by winter.

Collecting and storing blackberries

Blackberries are harvested when the berries are fully ripe, because they do not have the ability to ripen when picked. The procedure is carried out in dry weather: there should be no traces of dew or raindrops on the fruits. Wet berries will start to mold quickly.

Fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days, then they begin to deteriorate. You can save them by freezing immediately after harvest, then use in the winter as needed. Another way to preserve he althy berries is to dry them in the oven at a low temperature.