Blackberry thornless: description of varieties, planting, growing and care with photos

Many types of wild berries gradually migrate to summer cottages. Many people prefer sweet and fragrant blackberries, making jam and compotes from it. The berry brings great benefits to the body when fresh, but it is difficult to collect it because of the thorny shoots that can hurt you. Breeders offer varieties of thornless blackberries that have become popular in recent times.

Description of thornless blackberry varieties

Blackberries with domestication have undergone a number of changes. For a garden berry, it is characteristic that:

1. It has a compact or creeping bush shape with shoots reaching a length of 1.5 to 4 meters, smooth, without thorns.
2. A powerful branched root system helps the culture quickly adapt to new conditions.
3. Small openwork leaves are located on short petioles.
4. Flowers of white or pink color are about 2 centimeters in diameter.
5. Berries, similar in structure to raspberries, have a large white stalk with black or dark red drupes.

Some thornless varieties are resistant to low temperatures, others need shelter for the winter. The common climbing blackberry develops within 2 years. First, with the growth of young shoots, fruit buds are laid. Then they give berries and then the old fruit ones are cut out. Remontant crops without thorns can produce berries on both new and old branches.

Pros and cons

Smooth-stemmed blackberries are preferred because the crop:

• drought tolerant due to deep roots;
• due to late flowering, not affected by spring frosts;
• gives a lot of excellent quality berries;
• unpretentious care;
• useful for humans;
• decorative.

Blackberries can be enjoyed for a long time as they ripen gradually. They are full of vitamins and minerals that help:

• lower blood pressure;
• eliminate flu and cold symptoms;
• heal wounds and scratches;
• improve the work of the digestive organs;
• stop inflammation in the genitourinary system.

Disadvantages of berry culture may be exposure to low temperatures in some varieties.

Thornless blackberry varieties

If the first experiments on growing blackberries in the garden were difficult, now they choose varieties without thorns. Thanks to them, planting and caring for berry crops is easier. You can choose the plant that will be well adapted to harsh conditions. Many prefer remontant varieties to get large yields of fragrant and tasty berries every year.

New thornless blackberries

The number of new varieties of berry bushes increases every year. They lay the best qualities of horticultural crops.

Natchez

Berry bush pleases with large black fruits already in June. They taste very sweet and juicy. They do not ripen all at once, but over 35-40 days. They note the high preservation of fruits and their good transportability. Bushes with long and smooth branches are best covered for the winter with fibrous material so that they do not freeze.The rest of the culture does not require special care.

Ouachita

The advantage of the variety in early ripening and rich harvests, up to 30 kilograms from one bush. When growing, observe the optimal distance by tying the branches to the trellis. Before wintering, plants are covered with non-woven material or spruce branches.

Chester

One of the common varieties of berry crop ripens in mid-summer. Fruiting occurs for a long time, within 30-40 days. The culture is valued for the fact that it is not prickly and bears fruit with large berries, sweet in taste. Although there is a slight acidity in them. The shape of the bush is semi-creeping. Fruiting shoots are cut out annually to get up to 15 kilograms of crop from a bush. The plant withstands frosts below 20 degrees, but gardeners believe that it is better to cover the plant before the onset of cold weather.

Black Satin

One of the old types of culture, which pleases with yields of up to 10-15 kilograms per bush. Productivity increases if the plant is properly looked after, observing the rules of agricultural technology. The fruits of the plant reach 5 grams, have a sweet taste, rarely with a high acid content. Hard semi-spreading blackberry shoots reach 5 meters, so they are pressed to the ground at a young age.

Different varietal crop:

• frost resistance;
• unpretentious care;
• duration of fruiting;
• disease resistance.

The only downside is that the berries don't handle shipping well.

Loch Tay

The variety is famous for:

• yields up to 10-12 kilograms;
• fruits with large berries weighing 5-6 grams each;
• bush with shoots 5 meters long;
• withstands temperatures as low as -20 degrees below zero.

Grow bushes on trellises with a distance of 2-3 meters between them.

Kiev

This culture is one of the most large-fruited. Although this blackberry is not thornless, there are few sharp spines on the shoots. For the sake of high yields of delicious sweet years, it is worth growing a variety. Each berry can reach 20 grams and ripens at the end of July. Black fruits are harvested for a long time. They keep fresh for a long time and tolerate transportation well.

Columbia Star

Those who start growing blackberries in the garden should pay attention to this variety. The advantages of the culture include early ripening, and unusual berries weighing 10-15 grams each.They retain their marketable appearance for a long time and are pleasant to the taste. For the southern regions, this is the most suitable plant. It does not tolerate cold well, but it is resistant to drought.

Czachanska Bestrna

This crop has sweet and sour berries weighing 10 grams. Their ripening begins in the first decade of July. Thornless shoots are easy to care for. They only need a garter, as they reach a length of more than 3 meters. They note the frost resistance of the plant, although it is advised to cover the bushes in regions with cold winters.

The disadvantages include the low transportability of berries, which quickly begin to lose shape, leaking juice.

Doyle

For the southern regions, this culture is most suitable. In good conditions, fruit yields go off scale, because up to 50 kilograms are harvested from one bush. In the northern regions, the plant will not have time to ripen, as they begin to collect ripe fruits only in August.

In addition to generous harvests, the culture is famous for its resistance to heat.

Waldo

The creeping thornless blackberry variety has been known for a long time. It belongs to plants with medium maturation. The first berries weighing 6-8 grams appear in early July. They are fragrant, with a sweet and sour taste. A plant is chosen for planting in small suburban areas, because the shoots reach a length of only 2 meters. They must be tied to a support, and covered for the winter.

Loch Ness

The taste of berries differs little from wild blackberries, and they are close in weight, up to 5 grams each. From one bush you can collect up to 25 kilograms. The features of the plant are its unpretentiousness, high productivity. The culture multiplies rapidly, therefore it is suitable for growing berries for sale. Fruits reach full maturity in early August.

Oregon Thornless

The variety is classified as the best, because the bushes not only give delicious berries, but can also become a decoration of the site. Creeping shoots up to 4 meters long are used in creating arches, decorating arbors, recreation areas. Black fruits have an excellent taste. Let the harvests be small, only 10 kilograms per bush, but the berries are very tasty and fragrant.

Osage

For those who do not pursue high yields, but appreciate the taste of berries, this variety is suitable. The culture bears fruit with sweet, without sore teeth berries. They can be enjoyed during the second half of summer. But blackberries are suitable for those who live in the south. The plant is very tender, does not tolerate low temperatures.

Remontant blackberry varieties

Repairing types of berry crops are used for harvesting annually or 2 times a year. If you completely cut the plantation under the root in the fall, then the young shoots that appear in the spring will bear fruit at the end of summer. When fruit-bearing branches are cut before winter, fruits are obtained both in the middle of summer and at the end of the season. Remontant plant species are suitable for southern regions, as bushes often freeze where winters are cold. And then there will be no sense from blackberries.

Freedom

Among the newest varieties, Freedom is not yet so common. Bushes with erect shoots 2 meters long do not have thorns. Berries appear for the first time at the end of June, then - in August-September. They are big and sweet.

Black Magic (Black Magic)

Distinguished by vigorous shoots with few needles. Black fruits reach a weight of 9-10 grams, juicy, sweet. Up to 5 kilograms of berries are harvested from one bush during the summer. The culture is most suitable for growing in central Russia, in the south. Shrubs tolerate drought well, but they need to be covered for the winter.

Ruben

Twice - in June and August - the berry crop bears fruit. The fruits are large, up to 10 grams each. Yields are average - up to 6 kilograms per plant. The variety is distinguished by erect shoots with thorns. Plantations tolerate frosts down to -16-20 degrees. The berry grows well in the shade, does not require special care.

Prime Ark 45 (Prime-Ark 45)

Breeders are advised to try a variety for cultivation, as it is considered fruitful. And the quality of large berries is high. They have a pleasant taste, fragrant, tolerate transportation well. Shoots, though with thorns, but few thorns.

Traveller (Prime-Ark Traveler)

Culture of American selection is characterized by high yields. Bushes with erect stems without thorns have excellent adaptability to temperate climates. But without shelter, best with a two-layer spandball, the shoots can freeze.

Frost-resistant varieties

For regions with cool summers and frosts, winter-hardy plant species are suitable. There are few such varieties, but it is best for gardeners in Siberia and the Urals to choose them. Then you can be sure that the berry will have time to ripen, and the flowers will be preserved during spring frosts.

Blackberry variety Agawam

One of the popular berry crops for growing in temperate regions. Agave is valued for:

• bush power;
• decorative erect and creeping shoots;
• brushes of berries in black classic color;
• crops of 15 kilograms per bush.

The plant bears fruit for 15 years, giving stable yields. In addition to resistance to low temperatures, the variety tolerates heat well, grows well in the shade. Yagoda rarely gets sick.

Blackberry Polar

Thornless shoots reach a height of 2-2.5 meters. They are smooth, not prickly. Fruits become ripe from the end of June - the beginning of July. They are distinguished by a mass of 10 grams, black saturation, sweet taste. Berries are characterized by long-term preservation of the presentation after transportation.

Berry plantation can not be covered in autumn, as it is winter-hardy.

Rules for choosing the right thornless blackberry variety

For those who want to grow fruit crops on their site, it is necessary to consider whether the variety can withstand the climatic features of the region. After all, many of the plants can only ripen in a warm climate. Spring frosts are dangerous for the crop, which can destroy the future crop.

For Moscow Region

Regardless of the region's winter temperatures, blackberry bushes are best covered in autumn. Then we can confidently say that the plant will bear fruit. Most gardeners choose those varieties that can withstand temperatures of 16-20 degrees below 0.

During snowstorms, it is better to bend the bushes to the ground or tie them to the trellis. They will not break under heavy snow cover.

For central Russia

Gardeners in these areas are offered crops that have adapted well to cool summers, winds and snowy winters. The thornless version of the berry bush is most suitable when it can be resistant to frost. Shrubs with an average length of shoots are better suited. This is the Doyle variety, which grows well in the shade and tolerates slight frosts. Of the repairers - Ruben. It is necessary to cover the berry plantation before the onset of cold weather.

For the Urals

In harsh conditions, blackberries can grow, but choose crops that can tolerate both frost and cold winds. Flowers often die from recurrent frosts in the spring. Therefore, frost-resistant plant species are preferred. This is along with Polar Agawam. Black Satin and Waldo are also possible, but with shelter for the winter.

Reproduction of thornless blackberries

Berry culture can be propagated in different ways. The seed method is rarely used, since it is not always possible to obtain the desired result. Most prefer vegetative propagation. Autumn is considered the optimal time for the procedure. Before winter, the roots of the plant will have time to get stronger, and in the spring they will give young shoots.

Dropping branches

The method involves obtaining a large number of young bushes. They take part of the horizontal apical layers, bend to the ground, without separating them from the mother bush.Then sprinkle the base with earth, leaving the top above the soil surface. To stop growth, pruning of the shoot is carried out. To better fix the layering, it is pinned. Perform the procedure at the beginning of August.

Water for 1-2 months so that the branch takes root. In the first half of October, it is necessary to carefully separate the shoot with roots and transplant to a new place.

Root shoots

The berry takes root best when propagated by root shoots. When the November cold sets in, the roots of the shrub are slightly exposed and cuttings are cut from 6 to 9 centimeters long. Choose those processes that have a thickness of 1.5 centimeters. Store planting material in bags in the refrigerator or cellar. It is necessary to view the cuttings and ventilate at least once a week. In February, the shoots are placed in nutrient soil, and in April the grown shoots are placed in a permanent place in the garden.

Cutting

Cut green cuttings in autumn in October. Their length should not be less than 40 centimeters. It remains to dig them into the ground and leave until spring. As soon as the snow melts, the slightly cut shoots are covered with a film, creating a small greenhouse. They are regularly watered, loosen the ground. The appearance of leaves is a signal for transplanting to a permanent place.

When to plant blackberries

Cultivation of blackberries, the yield of berries depends on when the shoots were planted. You can plant a berry crop in both autumn and spring. It all depends on climatic and weather conditions.

Autumn

Usually, frost-resistant and early plant varieties are planted in October. They will have time to take root in a new place, to adapt before the onset of cold weather. Autumn is suitable for planting berry bushes for gardeners in central Russia, the Moscow region, the Leningrad region. The onset of winter passes according to the calendar, and the blackberry will have time to prepare for adverse conditions.And the summer berry will have time to ripen.

Spring

Plant varieties that are unstable to low temperatures are best planted in spring, in April. In this case, the soil should warm up to 10-15 degrees Celsius. For Siberia and the Urals, spring planting is chosen.

Features of planting blackberries

In order for the cultivation of berries to be effective, it is necessary to properly plant seedlings. In addition to timing, it is important to choose the right place for planting plants, prepare the soil. Without observing the distance between bushes and rows, it is difficult to get rich fruit yields.

Choosing a seat

Most of all, a blackberry plantation needs light. Therefore, it is better to lay a bed for seedlings in an open and sunny place. It is desirable that nothing covers the berry plants from the sun. It is necessary to protect the blackberry from cold winds. Therefore, shoots are planted near the fence, stepping back from it by 1 meter.

Ground

The plot for culture is being prepared in advance. In autumn they dig it up, add humus or compost - a bucket per square meter. The depth of groundwater in the area should be up to 1.5 meters. Then the blackberry roots will be able to get moisture from groundwater. In the spring, before planting, it is necessary to scatter 20 grams of ammonium nitrate in the garden.

Preparing the trellis

You can prepare a trellis in advance for tying shoots. Along the edges of the row, wooden or metal posts 2 meters high are dug in. Between the supports, the wire is pulled in strips in 1 or 2 rows.

Site preparation

When the site is dug up to a depth of 35 to 50 centimeters, cleared of weeds, it remains to be applied 2 weeks before planting fertilizer in the form of superphosphate, potassium s alt.

On acidic soils, an additional 200-400 grams of ground limestone is needed.

Preparation of planting holes

Pits for seedlings are prepared in 2-3 days. Before digging holes, the earth is harrowed and loosened. The size of the hole can be 35 x 35 x 30 centimeters. If the bed was not fertilized, then a quarter of a bucket of humus mixed with superphosphate (7 grams), potassium s alt (3 grams), soil is placed in each well.

Fitting technology

Fruit plants are planted vertically, placing surface roots at a depth of 4-5 centimeters from the surface. Sprinkling the seedling with earth, lightly tamp the soil layer. After planting, the shoots are watered and a layer of mulch 6-8 centimeters thick is poured around the stems. You can mulch with sawdust, peat, straw.

Distance between bushes and rows of blackberries when planting

The gap between the planting holes can be 1.5 meters if the bushes are compact. For creeping species, a distance of 1.8-2 meters is needed. Between the rows leave a gap of 2 or 3 meters.

Blackberry Care Rules

Fruiting, the quality of berries depends on how the agricultural practices of horticultural crops are observed. Although the blackberry belongs to unpretentious plants, but it is necessary to take care of it constantly.

Irrigation

If you water the shoots abundantly immediately after planting and after another 3-5 days, then the rows are additionally moistened 2 times per season. Increase the amount of watering when there is no rain for a long time. The last time you need to moisturize in October before wintering.

Loosening the soil

Loosen and weed beds in the garden as needed. Mulching will replace loosening, and moisture will remain in the soil longer. Timely laying of mulch will keep the soil free of weeds.

How to prune blackberries

During the development of the plantation, sanitary pruning of dry fruit-bearing branches in autumn or spring is needed. To form a bush, weak shoots are removed. On the 3rd-4th year of life, no more than 10-15 annual shoots are left in the blackberry. The rest are cut from the ground. Do not forget to thin out the bushes before flowering, in June.

How to tie a blackberry

The shoots of the plant must be tied to the trellis. At the same time, they are arranged fanwise. The bushes will have enough light, and they will begin to bear fruit earlier. You can intertwine branches between rows of wire.

Shelter of blackberries for the winter

For thornless blackberries, shelter for the winter is a must. Plants are prepared for the cold after they have been pruned. The shoots taken from the trellis are inclined to the ground, pinned and sprinkled with earth on the tops. You can insulate with spruce branches or layers of non-woven material.

Pests and Diseases Precautions

Blackberries and raspberries share the same pests, as the plants are related. Blackberry plantations are affected by raspberry weevil, stem fly, and raspberry beetle. Fight parasites by spraying with insecticidal agents. Help to get rid of them infusions of tobacco, celandine, tansy.

Fungal diseases affect crops during wet and cool growing seasons. The disease can be identified by brownish and whitish plaques on leaves and stems. If signs of pathology are found, the affected parts are cut out, and the bushes are treated three times with Bordeaux liquid with a break of 10 days.

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