Blackberries are undemanding trees and can grow almost anywhere. However, only in locations where optimal conditions prevail do they grow to considerable heights of several meters and bear a lot of fruit.
Solar radiation
Contrary to popular belief that blackberries like shady locations, they prefer sunny locations. You can plant the bushes in partial shade at most, but you will have to expect a loss of yield there. For example, locations on a south-facing house wall are ideal. However, shading the soil is an advantage because it prevents the soil from drying out too much and the yield suffering from the lack of water.
The following plants are suitable as ground cover around blackberries:
- Periwinkle (Vinca)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Forget-me-not (Myosotis)
- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
Lemon balm and forget-me-nots can even have a positive effect on plant he alth.
Planting spacing
The location of the blackberries should be chosen so that several plants do not get in each other's way. There are varieties of blackberries that have strong and weak growth.
Slow-growing varieties like Silvan require little space and 100 - 150 cm from the next neighbor are sufficient. Varieties such as Black Satin or Navaho, on the other hand, require a planting distance of at least 300 - 400 cm. The correct planting distance is not only important so that the plants can develop well, but also so that harvesting is easier and the plants can be more easily attached to the climbing aid.
Substrate
At the future location, the soil should be prepared accordingly for the blackberries. Here again, the quality of the soil has a direct impact on the yield. Basically, the starting soil where you want to plant the blackberries later is of secondary importance because you can improve it. However, it shortens the work if the topsoil already has good starting conditions.
The soil at the location should have the following properties:
- Soil: medium to humic, fresh, moist
- water permeable
- pH value: 4.5-6.0
In order to bring the soil to the appropriate values or to improve it, you should primarily incorporate leaf compost. To do this, first loosen the soil. If you notice that the soil is very heavy and dense, you should also add some sand or coarse gravel. The leaf compost is then worked in.
Tip:
As an alternative to leaf compost, you can also use bog soil from the market.
Trails
A suitable climbing aid at the location is essential for blackberries. Training on a horizontal trellis is ideal, which is used for both strong-growing varieties and slow-growing varieties. The advantage of the trellis is that the individual canes can be harvested better later, but the pruning work is also simplified.
Blackberries themselves have no way of clinging directly to the trellis. This means that you have to regularly attach the tendrils to it. It is often enough if you simply wrap the tendrils around the wire, alternatively you can tie the individual rods with string.
How to build a trellis for blackberries
- Drive in a 2 m high stake at the ends of the bed
- Depending on the length of the bed, drive in additional stakes in between for additional stability
- tension the first wire at a height of 50 cm
- tension further wires at a distance of 30 – 40 cm each
Protect thornless varieties
Blackberries are a popular sweet fruit, but they are not easy to harvest because of the thorns, which are like barbs. This is why varieties that have little to no thorns are becoming increasingly widespread. However, these varieties are much more sensitive when it comes to low temperatures.
Thornless varieties should therefore only be planted in protected locations, such as the house wall. A sunny south side is ideal. Alternatively, plant thornless blackberries in a berry orchard so that they are protected from other berry bushes.
