Blackberries 101

Blackberries 101
Chrislyn Particka
Utah Berry Growers Association
January 23, 2008
Sakuma Bros., Inc
• Sakuma Bros. Farms
• Sakuma Bros. Processing
• Norcal Nursery
– Raspberries sold as tissue culture (TC) plugs (on
request), registered canes (limited), and certified
roots and canes
– Blackberries primarily sold as TC plants; will do
nursery-matured plants on request
– Raspberry and blackberry nursery operations are
housed in Burlington, WA
Blackberry growth
• Roots and crown
are perennial
• Canes are
biennial
– Primocanes
• Two primocanefruiting varieties
– Floricanes
• Most varieties are
floricane-fruiting
Fruit
Floricane
Primocanes
Daughter
plant
Crown
Site selection and preparation
• Protected areas are best to avoid winter and
spring frost damage
• Well-drained soil with pH 5.5-7.0
• Raised beds can compensate for poorlydrained soil
• Best to avoid sites previously planted with
– Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant due to
Verticillium wilt
– Other fruit crops due to Phytophthora root rot and
crown gall
Planting stock
• Plants ordered from Norcal Nursery are
tissue-culture plugs (nursery-matured plants
on request)
• Bare-root dormant plants are more common
• Root cuttings sold less frequently
Types of blackberries
• Erect
• Semi-erect
• Trailing
Erect blackberries
• High (-20 oF) to moderate (-5 to -10 oF)
hardiness
• Intended for fresh market; hand harvested
• Floricane fruiting
– Thorny
• Chickasaw, Kiowa, Shawnee, Darrow, Illini Hardy
– Thornless
• Natchez, Ouachita, Apache, Arapaho, Navaho
• Primocane fruiting
– Thorny
• Prime-Jim and Prime-Jan
Erect blackberries; floricane fruiting
• Plants generally spaced 2-4’ within row and 1012’ between rows
• Managed as a hedgerow; root suckers should fill
row
• Trellis
– T-posts
– Two lower wires, 1.5-2’ high and 1.5-2’ apart (optional)
• Used to tie first year canes, which are trailing
– Two upper wires 3.5’ high, and 3’ apart
• Top primocanes at 3-4’ during growing season
• Shorten laterals to 12-14” during dormant season
Trellis
Hedgerow, 2nd year Ouachita
Trellis
Erect blackberries; primocane fruiting
• Plants generally spaced 2-4’ within row and 10-12’
between rows
• Managed as a hedgerow; root suckers should fill row
• Trellis
– T-posts
– Two wires (or bailing twine) 1.5-2’ high and 1.5-2’ apart
• Tip primocanes when they reach 1.5’; tip laterals
when they reach 1.5’
• Still experimenting with pruning and training for
different areas
Double-tipped, covered
Double-tipped, covered,
simple trellis
Double-tipped, not covered
Semi-erect blackberries
• Very hardy (-20 oF)
• Intended for fresh market; hand harvested
• All are floricane fruiting
– Thornless
• Chester, Hull, Triple Crown, Black Satin
Semi-erect blackberries
• Plants generally spaced 5-6’ within row and
10-12’ between rows
• Managed as individual plants
• Trellis
– Large wooden posts, 25’ apart
– Two wires at both 2’ and 4’ (can just use one)
– One upper wire at 5’
• Top primocanes at 6’ and shorten laterals to
1.5-2’ before harvest
• In winter, tie canes to upper wire, top canes
at 6’, and shorten laterals
Harvest
Wire placement
Pruning and tying
Trailing blackberries
• Probably not hardy enough for Utah (0 oF)
• Historically just used for processing market
(machine harvested), some now are good for
fresh market (hand harvested)
• All floricane fruiting
– Thorny
• Marion, Metolius, Obsidian
– Thornless
• Black Pearl, Black Diamond
Trailing blackberries
• Plants generally spaced 3-4’ within row and
10-12’ between rows
• Managed as individual plants
• Trellis
– Large wooden posts, 28’ apart
– Two lower wires with two sets of hooks at 2’ and
3.5’; hold emerging primocanes, lift up as season
progresses to keep them from being run over by
harvester
– One upper wire at 5’
• In winter, tie canes to upper wire in two
bundles, top canes at 6’
Wire placement
Pruning and tying
Irrigation
• Blackberries need at least 1” of water per
week
• Drip systems are recommended
• Mulches may be used
Fertility management
• Tissue testing
– Annual sampling is best
– Collect samples after harvest
– Newest fully expanded primocane leaves, about
12” from the tip, ensuring petiole is intact
• Soil testing
– Most useful before planting
– Helpful after planting in maintaining proper pH and
monitoring for excess salts
Fertility management
• Nitrogen
–
–
–
–
–
30-50 lb N/acre in first year
35-65 lb N/acre in second year
50-80 lb N/acre thereafter
Higher rates for semi-erect types
Split application, first half at budbreak and
remainder just after harvest (NC), or first half a
week before primocane emergence and half a
month before the first harvest (OR)
Fertility management
• Phosphorous
• Potassium
Bray soil Tissue P
test (ppm)
(%)
0-20
<0.16
21-40
0.16-0.18
>40
>0.19
Soil test
(ppm)
<150
151-350
>350
Tissue K
(%)
<1.0
1.0-1.25
>2.0
P2O5 application
(lb/ a)
60-80
0-60
0
K2O application
(lb/ a)
60-100
40-60
0
Weed control
• 2008 Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Spray
Guide
– Herbicide recommendations
– Table showing relative effectiveness
• Typical program at Sakuma’s is one preemergence (simazine) plus post-emergence
(paraquat) in late winter, then post-emergence
sprays (paraquat) in April and July.
– May use carfentrazone instead of paraquat if we
burn first flush of primocanes in April
Diseases and Insects
• Unknown what pest problems will be, if any,
in Utah
• Best to carefully monitor plantings for signs
and symptoms
• Sunburn might be a concern
Helpful websites
• Northwest IPM
– http://www.nwipm.info/default.asp
• 2008 Midwest Commercial Small Fruit and Grape
Spray Guide
– http://hort.agriculture.purdue.edu/pdfs/08SprayGuide.pdf
• Caneberry Fertilizer Guide for Western Oregon
– http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8903-e.pdf
• Blackberries for the Inland Northwest and
Intermountain West
– http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/blackber.htm
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
– http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-401.pdf
Helpful websites
• Northwest IPM
– http://www.nwipm.info/default.asp
• 2008 Midwest Commercial Small Fruit and Grape
Spray Guide
– http://hort.agriculture.purdue.edu/pdfs/08SprayGuide.pdf
• Caneberry Fertilizer Guide for Western Oregon
– http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8903-e.pdf
• Blackberries for the Inland Northwest and
Intermountain West
– http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/blackber.htm
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
– http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-401.pdf
Helpful websites
• Northwest IPM
– http://www.nwipm.info/default.asp
• 2008 Midwest Commercial Small Fruit and Grape
Spray Guide
– http://hort.agriculture.purdue.edu/pdfs/08SprayGuide.pdf
• Caneberry Fertilizer Guide for Western Oregon
– http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8903-e.pdf
• Blackberries for the Inland Northwest and
Intermountain West
– http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/blackber.htm
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
– http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-401.pdf
Helpful websites
• Northwest IPM
– http://www.nwipm.info/default.asp
• 2008 Midwest Commercial Small Fruit and Grape
Spray Guide
– http://hort.agriculture.purdue.edu/pdfs/08SprayGuide.pdf
• Caneberry Fertilizer Guide for Western Oregon
– http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8903-e.pdf
• Blackberries for the Inland Northwest and
Intermountain West
– http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/blackber.htm
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
– http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-401.pdf
Helpful websites
• Northwest IPM
– http://www.nwipm.info/default.asp
• 2008 Midwest Commercial Small Fruit and Grape
Spray Guide
– http://hort.agriculture.purdue.edu/pdfs/08SprayGuide.pdf
• Caneberry Fertilizer Guide for Western Oregon
– http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/em/em8903-e.pdf
• Blackberries for the Inland Northwest and
Intermountain West
– http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/sandpoint/blackber.htm
• Growing Blackberries in North Carolina
– http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/pdf/ag-401.pdf