Taming the Blackberry Patch

[MBJB07]

Great video. Where is the best place to plant blackberries, and how much sun do they need?

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@MBJB07 Blackberries like a typical well drained garden location. They are generally forgiving for culture. The berries are black, they heat in the summer sun and will dry if they are in hot afternoon sun or if they are not well watered. Mine are in full sun so I keep them moist as fruit ripens.

[wod82]

Great video, thanks for the info!

[littletauriel]

Thanks for the tips, I don't think blackberries are as scary as I thought. Just misunderstood. :)

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@littletauriel I am glad to hear that. There are no bad blackberries, only gardeners without a program. Blackberry produces some much excellent fruit and will do it much faster than fruit trees.

[flutepianoChica]

Kiss your hand 10 times.

Say the name of your crush 10 times.

Post on 2 other videos.

Look at your hand.

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@flutepianoChica  Huh?

[BoyVergel]

Many thanks for this very useful information!

[mhpreach]

The prunnings you took off could you use them to propagate yourself some new plants?

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@mhpreach Yes, clippings from this years growth make good propagation material for blackberries. Propagation by tip layering is quicker and easier but there is a limit to how many plants you can make that way. If you plan to produce a lot of plants cuttings are the way to go.

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@mhpreach Yes you can.

[mhpreach]

Could you take the clippings from last year and root them for new plants?

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@mhpreach Yes, clippings from this years growth make good propagation material for blackberries. Propagation by tip layering is quicker and easier but there is a limit to how many plants you can make that way. If you plan to produce a lot of plants cuttings are the way to go.

[bradgray51]

That's one of the best gardening videos I've seen!

[mistergorio]

Ur a genious dude. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Fuzzycartoons]

Best video on Blackberry pruning on the web! Thanks for showing us how it’s done.

[ilikegingerbeer]

The most constructive advice I have ever seen with regards to controlling blackberry growth.

[Wheels0123]

Thanks just planted some this Year and looking forward to learning more ...

[mightymac03]

Thanks for a great video. I have had one blackberry plant for 3 or 4 years. The mother stem is about 6ft long and it has several long canes which did not bear any fruit this year. The only other stem produced masses of blackberries. My plant does not seem to have small branches. I don't know what to prune... I have taken a photo of it but don't know how to show it to you. Perhaps on Picasa? I would be grateful for help!

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@mightymac03 Prune back the mother stem and replace it with the side branches that didn't bear this year. Look for new shoots that are coming from the lower stem or from the ground level to use as replacement for the old stem. If you open the caption box below my videos you will find my website address. You can contact me there with a photo if you wish.

[lenavera33]

precioso el video,muy instructivo

[FilbertatDusk]

Very good explainations of every step of the blackberry bush. Thank you.

[morganeh]

Great video!

BTW...I like your cactus hidden in the midst of the thornless blackberry bushes, perfect to surprise any unwelcome pickers!

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@morganeh The San Pedro cactus has been traditionally used in the Andes to repel intruders. It works well at the front door and windows of the home too.

[djleroyjames]

Thank you Garden Guy for giving me the EXACT information I was looking for when it cam to taming my blackberry bush. No other video has given me the information you have. THANK YOU!!!

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@djleroyjames You are so welcome, glad I could help.

[ReligousTruth]

Maybe your thorn-less berries don't shoot roots, however, the wild berries I grow shoot roots, which is where I get my new plants. I look for the underground runners where a new tip appears, then dig up the runner and leave about 5" or root on each side of the new shoot. I place that in a pot of miracle grow soil and soak it real good. Viola. Otherwise, I simply mow the shoots if they are unwanted.

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@ReligousTruth The description of your plants habit more closely resembles raspberry or wild dewberry than garden blackberry. As the name of my video implies, I am refering only to "Tame" blackberries. My own garden plants have produced shoots from the roots at a distance from the mother plant if cultivation breaks the root and produces root cuttings.

[antoniorossiz]

Good video, I only have one plant but would like a couple more. Can I take clippings from it and plant them?

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@antoniorossiz Just put the tips of several canes into some pots of soil, place a rock on them so they stay put, water and wait a month or so. You will get all the plants you wish if the tips touch the earth.

[xXcrazyalec40Xx]

do you have to train them if you keep your canes 2 ft long

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@xXcrazyalec40Xx I guess there could be as many ways to train a blackberry as there are people who grow them. I have never seen a system where the canes were kept at two feet. To me it seems you might have two problems with this approach. (1) very limited fruit production and difficult picking. (2) the new shoots will be so close to the ground that they will be more likely to tip layer and spread.

[sonofsun4]

Hello there.

Can you tell us how many times a year you trim the blackberries and what time of the year.

Ps.: seems like my blackberry are sending root shoots all around (like up to 9 ft away from the original plant) and that is how they get out of control...How you control roots???

Thanks

[GreenGardenGuy1]

@sonofsun4 @sonofsun4 @sonofsun4 I prune my berries twice in a year. Once after I pick the fruit. At that time I remove many of the old canes. I also do some pruning in the winter on new canes as I tie the plant to the trellise. Your description of root shoots popping up 9 feet from the original plant is unusal for blackberry. They usually only spread by tip layer or seed. Is it possible that you are damaging the roots at a distance with cultivation and creating root cuttings that sprout?

[johnboy5120]

Thank you very much for making this clear. I read an entire book about floricanes/primacanes/etc. and didn't really get it until I saw your picture. Last week I cut off some good canes that would have borne fruit next year! Aggh! I should have watched this 7 days ago. Anywho, thanks again for showing us how to do this!

[salqaisiutube]

excellent pruning tips. thank you dearly for the tips, i'm planting my blackberry and raspberry trees in January 2010. and I need all the info i can possibly get to control them throughout their growth.

[theearleyfamily]

Thanks for the great discussion and clear video. We've been postponing the pruning due to uncertainty but now we're going for it. The coiling idea is worth a shot. Thanks!

[saddzup]

I <3 your garden :)