How do I grow blackberries?
Question:I recently was walking by a drainage ditch and saw some blackberries. I found a smaller plant that was just beginning to grow and dig it up with my hand and brought it home. I water it every other day in a pot. I have read a little about these plants but I don't know if mine is an erect blackberry bush or that other kind that goes along the ground. The plant I picked up had one berry on it, that shoot died so I now have no berries. Will it makes berries next year? I don't know anything about gardening I just thought it would be nice to have some berries so any help at all would be appreciated. All I know is plants like dirt, water, and sun so I have done my best to provide them. I also don't know how much water to give it, every other day seems to be doing OK for it. It gets hot here in Texas and our soil gets really dry and cracked so it probably needs a little more water than normal. I just mixed in some coffee grounds for fertilizer.
Thanks for the help, Colt.
Answers:
Dog feces should never be used as fertilizer, especially for edible crops. They can contain the eggs of the common roundworm (Toxocara canis) which can live in the soil for years, as well as bacteria E. coli (all feces contain this), Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and Listeria as well as the Giardia parasite, among others. Plus, the waste can pollute ground water.
As far as your blackberry plant - they need well-drained moist soil in a sunny location. You probably won't be able to tell if you have an erect or trailing plant until it gets bigger. The fruit of a blackberry is born on the second year (floricane) cane. So each year the new first canes (primocane) just grow and have leaves, then produce fruit the next year. Once the cane has fruited, it is best to cut it off at the ground.
Good choice for a first plant!
Blackberries are essentially a weed, it will propagate more berry plants over time, if it is not confined. The second year wood bears, so it will get more berries next year.
They do like moisture, so when you repot it, add some peat to the dirt, and some manure (if you can get it). This is disgusting, but berries really like dog poop nutrients. If you cannot get manure, you can rot dog poop in a bucket of water for fertilizer... Unfortunately that is easy enough to come by, and free.
Blackberries almost all have a fungus that is bad for raspberries, so if you have neighbors with raspberries they will probably hate you if you plant it outside.
If you do not have neighbors with raspberries, and you plant it outside, be sure and keep it in a line by cutting the roots off with a shovel about 18 inches from the base of the shrubs every year, so they do not become a huge thicket that you cannot enjoy.
Must be a cultural thing, but English gardeners would NEVER use dog mess to feed soft fruit.avoided.Blackberries when established GROW THEMSELVES. If you can keep roots shaded/moist, it will grow rapidly.
Colt, be careful with the coffee grounds, there's a very fine line on the amount that helps and the amount that kills. I believe black berries are a lot like raspberries and grapes. It sounds like your plant is a wild one, and it should do fine and spread more next year. I wouldn't expect too much fruit at first, but you'll be glad you brought the little bugger home soon enough. Be sure to plant it outside where it can spread, ( they can spread like crazy,) and won't get crowded out by other plants, definitely plenty of water, and I would also check the Internet under "pruning blackberries" or "growing blackberries" to decide how you want the plant to mature. I believe most berry plants grow fruit on the previous year's growth, so don't fret about your "lone, lost berry." Good luck and enjoy!
It sounds like that your blackberry plant went through shock after you transplanted it. All plants go through some degree of shock after transplanting.When perennials are transplanted pockets of air get trapped around the plants roots. These pockets of air can damage a plant. They can be removed after transplanting by stomping on the ground with your foot around the plant or tapping the base of a pot with a hand shovel. Also when digging up a wild plant it is best to get as much dirt and roots as possible to reduce shock damage. Transplant a wild plant in the evening when it is cooler outside. Heat can shock a plant further. After transplanting give plenty of water. You can also give your blackberry plant Mircle Gro plant food, it works on any plant. I have been using Mircle Gro plant food for years and it never fails. A blackberry bush needs slightly acidic soil to grow. Putting some pine tree needles around the roots of the plant will change the PH level of the dirt around the plant.
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