How and in what time frame is blackberry pruning carried out in the fall

Any garden plant requires timely care. One of its obligatory steps is proper pruning of blackberries in the fall. It depends on the type of plant. Blackberry is a shrub more or less similar to lianas. During cultivation, it requires the installation of trellises, the distribution of branches over them for uniform illumination of the future crop and its preservation from diseases and pests.

Why do you need pruning blackberries in the fall

If the brambles are grown solely to create a hedge, then pruning is not necessary. Its thickets, entwined with any fence, represent an insurmountable obstacle for the majority of uninvited guests.

In other cases, uncontrolled thickening of the plantings leads to negative consequences:

1. In the middle of the bushes, areas are formed that are inaccessible to the sun's rays. Berries develop worse, lose their taste, but diseases and pests feel great in such conditions.
2. Shoots that grow to their maximum length annually spend food from the soil on the growth of green mass, while the fruits become small, the ripening period increases.
3. The branches of the third year of life sharply reduce the number of ovaries, and in subsequent periods they completely cease to bear fruit.
4. It is impossible to lay very long lashes on the ground without damage and to hide them from frost.

The northern border of the United States is located at the latitude of the Moscow region, therefore, the blackberry varieties bred in this country are less resistant to cold than required in Russian conditions. They must be covered for the winter.

Leaving old branches until spring, plant pests will hide in the soil, diseases overwinter on fallen leaves. If the heat comes earlier than usual, all "evil spirits" will have time to start a new cycle of life on fresh growth before the owner carries out the treatment.

Usually, after the snow cover has melted and the berry bushes are released from the shelter, only frozen branches, or parts of them, and shoots left "in reserve" are removed. This is enough for the correct development of fruit bushes.

Trellis placement of bushes is the key to effective care

Before solving problems with pruning branches, you first need to place them correctly. Ideally, trellises are installed even when planting plants, since at the peak of active growth, the shoot stretches 10 cm per day.

Single-strip trellis

This type of fastening consists of 2 columns with a height of the aboveground part up to 2 m, between which 4-5 rows of wire or twine are pulled. The stems are tied to horizontal lines or wrapped around them.

This type of trellis is suitable if the bushes are grown in single quantities in a small area. Fences like these are easy to make yourself. The posts are installed vertically or at a slight slope in relation to the soil.

Two-lane trellis

These mounts differ in the shape of the posts. With the help of the attached pictures, it becomes clear how to make them:

1. T-shaped (cruciform). The wire is pulled between the ends of the crossbar, and the branches are distributed along the sides: young ones - in one edge, biennial - in the other. The free ends of the branches will hang down to the ground. This method is suitable for growing bushy and remontant varieties, especially if it is necessary to propagate blackberries by layering, when the top of the shoot is added dropwise to form roots.

2. V-shaped.Racks in the form of a "checkmark" are made so that the distance between the upper ends is 90-100 cm. The height of the racks is up to 2 m. Between them, the wire is pulled in several rows, as on a single-strip trellis. All types of blackberries are grown in this design. It is convenient that the center of the bush is well ventilated and illuminated by the sun. The downside is that a complicated trellis requires more solid fastening, the wooden version may not withstand a large ripe crop.

3. Y-shaped. This is a hybrid of single-lane and V-shaped trellis. At a height from soil level to 1 m, a wire is attached in 1 row. At a height of 1 m, the trellis bifurcates. A complex structure is made only of metal, which makes the structure more expensive. It is convenient because the narrow base of the bush facilitates care and processing, and the "loaded" top assumes a large harvest. Y-shaped forms are used more often on commercial plantations, and not on personal plots.

Climbing blackberry (creeping, creeping, dew)

This type of plant is a full-fledged vine, often with a lot of thorns. By kinship, it is closest to the wild version. The branches of the plant are not able to stand independently. The length of adult lashes is from 4 to 5 (sometimes up to 10) m, depending on the variety. They are raised above the ground to protect the crop from rotting and to facilitate harvesting.

Creeping branches give a greater yield of large berries in comparison with erect branches, they are easier to cover for the winter. Picking berries on a thorny plant is uncomfortable. The selection of new products is aimed at eliminating the formation of thorns on creeping blackberries.

Pruning climbing blackberries

Rosyanik is grown by the rope method. In order not to confuse the increments of different years, they are tied to trellises in opposite directions. During the season, the branches turn into a kind of ropes.

When the time comes for the autumn pruning of creeping blackberries, biennial, fruiting branches are removed at the root at soil level. So the stump will be less rotting. The one-year-old growth is shortened to a length of 1.5-2 m. The next year, the branches will grow more actively and form berries that are large in size and quantity.

If the root has given a lot of new growth, in the southern regions 6-8 new powerful branches are left, in the northern ones - up to 10. So the owners of the garden insure the blackberries from freezing in the cold season. If the bushes have wintered well, the excess growth is removed in the spring.

Blackberry bushy (kumanika)

This type of berry bushes differs from the creeping one in that the lower part of the trunk is in a straight position, and the upper, thin one begins to gradually hang down. The length of the branches is from 2 to 5 meters. It also requires correction.

Kumanik varieties have not had thorns for a long time, they are convenient for processing. They have to be fixed on trellises so that the branches with pouring berries do not break under the weight of the harvest.

Pruning bushy blackberries

The scheme for the formation of kumanik is fan-shaped: the growth of the second year of life is collected in a bundle and fastened to the trellis vertically, young branches are placed at different levels with a slope.

After harvesting, old branches are cut, as in climbing varieties, at the root. The new growth is shortened by 1/4 of its length, completely removing the broken, damaged and weak. Leave from 6 to 10 high-quality shoots (of which 2-3 for the reserve).

Some varieties form stepchildren on the main stems. Well-developed ones recommend pinching or shortening by a quarter, the rest are recommended to be removed in order to exclude excess crown density.

Blackberry remontant

The novelty of the XXI century - the remontant blackberry - differs from the usual one in that the breeders "forced" the plants to bear fruit in the first year of life. This species also came from warm regions, where it produces crops 2 times a year. First, the berries ripen on biennial branches in June, then on annual branches at the end of summer until October. The only difference between remontant shrubs is that the branches grow shorter, and the ripening of the crop stretches over time.

Pruning blackberries in autumn

In the southern regions of Russia, there is enough heat for such cultivation.

In the summer, pinching of the crown and side shoots is performed. The bushes are formed and processed as in ordinary kumanik: after harvesting, the shoots of the current year are cut off by 1/3, the branches that have given off the fruits are cut off at the root, trying not to leave hemp. Weak, thin shoots are not needed either. 5-8 strong and healthy is enough.

In central Russia and in southern Siberia, gardeners use a different method. In the fall, the entire annual growth is cut at the root. As a result, branches freezing in winter is excluded. Plants do not waste energy on the formation of berries in the first half of summer, but young shoots are powerful and productive. The main thing is that the weather does not disappoint: to ripen the berries need a hot August and a full Indian summer.

What is the time frame for pruning blackberries in the fall

Autumn pruning of blackberries is carried out about a month before the onset of constant night frosts. North of Moscow and in Siberia - this is September, in the middle lane - October. In the south, work is permissible in early November.

The timing also depends on the varieties: the early ripening ones are more likely to go into the resting phase, the later ones - longer.

The main indicator of the onset of the pruning period is the completion of mass fruiting. Do not wait for the last berries to ripen. Heat and sun may not be enough for them

Tips for Beginners

Before starting work, prepare tools and protective equipment. You will need:

1. Overalls. Without protection with thick gloves, spiked varieties can damage the skin of the hands. Clothes should also be tight, with long sleeves on the cuffs. It's a good idea to get a tarpaulin or oilcloth apron.
2. Pruner. Branches up to 1.5 cm thick are perfectly separated with secateurs. The cut is dense, not soaked. It dries up in a day. Pruning blackberries in the fall, especially of prickly varieties, is most effective with a long-handled delimber. For ease of processing, long lashes are removed in parts, starting from the top. All cut branches are burned so as not to spread fungi, infections and pests through the compost throughout the site.
3. Hacksaw. Particularly thick shoots will have to be cut. The tool should be sharp to separate the branch in fewer strokes.
4. Garden var. Hemp with a thickness of 1 cm or more is covered with varnish so that fungi and infections do not have time to descend to the roots of the bush.

If unkempt thickets got from old owners, old shoots are distinguished from young ones by the presence of remnants of peduncles and a darker color of the shoot with a brownish tint.

Caring for blackberries immediately after pruning

When all unnecessary branches have been removed from the plantation, the fallen leaves with diseases and pests accumulated during the season are removed with a rake. At the same time, the soil is loosened slightly. Digging deep can damage roots close to the surface.

After that, they do podzimny watering - 2 buckets per bush. Filling the soil with moisture will keep the roots from freezing. If the autumn rains are pouring constantly, the procedure is not needed.

In wet years, there will be no unnecessary treatment of plants from various fungi with 1% Bordeaux liquid. It is purchased in specialized suburban stores. First, according to the instructions, copper sulfate is diluted, then slaked lime.

The container is taken plastic or enameled. The exposed metal will react with the solution, reducing its effectiveness.

After connecting the components, branches and trunks are quickly processed through a sprayer. Personal protection must also be provided:

• gloves;
• mask;
• closed clothing;
• headdress.

Feed the planting mineral fertilizers or organic at the discretion of the owner of the garden. In the first case, phosphorus and potassium are added (without chlorine). The amount is determined by the dose on the packaging for fruit shrubs. In the second, for 1 bush, 5-6 kg of rotted manure or a bucket of compost is enough. They also serve as mulch.

Cover the trunk circles with hay, old sawdust, straw, dried carrot or beet tops. The foliage of the blackberry itself and other fruit trees is removed from the site. Pests or diseases are hiding in it.

Shelter blackberries for the winter

The last stage of caring for bushes before wintering is carried out with the onset of the first daytime frosts, with the transition of daytime temperatures through 0 ° C.

Preparing for wintering dews

Processing takes place in several stages:

1. A dense white covering material is unrolled next to the trellis.
2. A base of thin boards or slats, spruce branches, stems of tall perennial flowers (for example, peonies or phlox). Some people use plastic bottles covered with hay or straw.
3. The creeping blackberry is removed from the trellis, tied in a bundle in several places and carefully distributed over the prepared bed.
4. The covering material with all the filling is carefully wrapped around the blackberry shoots and tied with twine.
5. With wide brackets, arcs or fork-shaped knots, the resulting rolls are pressed to the ground.

This type of shelter is suitable for cold regions: Moscow Region, Non-Black Earth Region, Siberia, as well as areas with strong winds and winters with little snow. In the southern edges, it is enough to lay the blackberries on a thick layer mulch, close the top with straw or stalks of corn or sunflower and fasten with staples or arcs.

Leaves that have not fallen by the time the branches are sheltered should be removed in order to exclude a comfortable wintering of pests.

Preparation for wintering kumanika

Erect shrubs are usually grown in warm climates. A special design is prepared for them:

1. The ends of the branches are thrown over a row of wires and fixed as close to the ground as possible.
2. The prepared plantation is covered with straw on top. For individual bushes, pieces of old fabric (for example, from sheets, curtains or duvet covers) are also suitable.
3. Arcs are installed on top and a dense covering material is pulled, as on a regular greenhouse.
4. From the sides they are pressed with bricks, blocks of wood, scraps of timber or thick boards.

Shelter for the winter remontant blackberry

If remontant varieties are grown with two harvests per year, then a winter shelter is arranged, as well as for kumanik, with the equipment of a primitive greenhouse.

With a complete pruning of branches with the expectation of a single crop, it is enough to cover the roots with a thick layer of mulch and ensure snow retention. In areas with frosty winters, a dense covering material is laid on top of the mulch.

In order for the blackberry to please the owners with a high, and most importantly, regular harvest, careful observance of the rules of agricultural technology is necessary at all seasons and the choice of varietal material suitable for a certain climatic zone.

Pre-pruning blackberries in autumn - video