encouraging blackberry patch to expand?

[mooman]

I have a section of my land that is kind of marshy brush. There are a few scattered blackbery canes, and lots of honeysuckle. How can I encourage the blackberries to expand? Clear ground around them? Fertilize? Will berries planded in ground germinate or do they have to go through a birds gut? Will cuttings take root, and will they transfer? What's the best time to take cuttings is possible?

 

[Tutter]

Are these wild berries? Are the berries large, or small? Do they have thorns? Are they buried in other plants? Are they getting sun?

I have a lot of blackberries; they like the whole area. We never had done anything to improve them, such as fertilize them, and they grow and fruit well in various conditions.

I see them "walk" by tipping down, or lying flat. (Still connected to the plant, and very much alive.) A cane will end up flat on the ground, and roots are formed.

Some of mine get very little water, and others grow along the creek. We never water them, they get whatever nature offers, and we don't have rain after May in this neck of the woods, until some time in the fall. Yet, they fruit during the summer beautifully, feeding us, the birds, coyotes etc. (I need a little army of pickers in August/September, in order to take better advantage of them!)

Perhaps you could bend a few canes down and let them root directly? Say you have a 7' long cane. Lay it down and bury it with dirt in 3 places. Once it's got nice shoots coming up, sever it from the main plant.

An even better producer, is one of the "burls." There are small knots/burls in blackberry bushes. Dig one out, taking all the roots for a foot in any direction, and plant it where you want it.

These root burls are the reason that you can dig out a bush, and it will come back, if you miss one.

Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

I bet anyone in the Pacific Northwest is going to get a good chuckle out of this question

Perhaps you could bend a few canes down and let them root directly? Say you have a 7' long cane. Lay it down and bury it with dirt in 3 places. Once it's got nice shoots coming up, sever it from the main plant.

Even lazier, and achieving the same result: Bend a cane over to where part will easily touch the ground. Scuff the grass etc away from that spot so it'll lay right on the dirt. Put a rock on it to keep it there. Presto

If you are in a hurry, lightly wound the 'underneath' side of the bark where it touches the dirt, by gently partly-breaking the cane, or with an oblique slice from a sharp knife.

If these are intended for pies etc, want to make sure you've tasted the berries first to satisfy yourself that they're sufficient quality. If not, might make more sense to put in some purchased canes of better varieites.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[mooman]

I have cleared out around them. The big first year canes are still straight up and down. I will bend them over and let them root toward the end of the season. I don't think tasting the berries before using them in a pie will be a problem Could you imagine picking berries and NOT tasting them? Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Mossy Rock]

Our blackberries were 60' x 15 ' x (8-10' tall)approximately we reduced them to the main producers 15'x15'x 10' tall, they get plenty of sun, bees and is next to the creek, we prune them back every year and get a fantastic crop from them.

 

[silkiechicken]

Pat, you sure are right about anyone in the NW getting a chuckle.

I was about to say, if you want them to expand, step on them when they sprout, cut them down, beat them up with a machete, weed wack them, dig them up, and try to kill them. And before you know it, they will be growing over your shed and you won't be able to see it. You're welcome to a few hundred or thousand plants if you'd like to come out here and take them.

They seem to like disturbed well drained soils of poor quality the best. However, to get the biggest berries, lots and lots of water will do them good.

Best of luck!

 

[Tutter]

SilkieChicken, that about describes it here, too!