Time and rules for transplanting blackberries to a new place

Blackberry is a shrub whose fruits resemble raspberries in appearance and taste. A wild plant can bear fruit up to 30 years, and a cultivated plant - up to 10. If the blackberry has grown or redevelopment of the territory is required, then it is transplanted to another place. The shrub is propagated by dividing the mother bush or cuttings. The plant is best transplanted in spring or autumn, following certain rules.

The choice of time of year depends on the region. In the northern regions, frosts set in early, so transplanting blackberries in the fall is undesirable, since the plant does not have time to take root and may die. Therefore, gardening work is best done in the spring. But in the southern regions, autumn is the optimal time for planting. Frosts come late, the roots take root well, and the next year the blackberry is actively growing.

In the spring, the period for transplantation is chosen when the earth has just thawed, but sap flow has not yet begun in the plants. The best time for this is mid-late April. In May, it is already too late to replant the shrub.

In autumn, the plant is transferred to another place from mid-October to the second decade of October. The earth is still loose and not cold, so the blackberry takes root well. But for the winter it must be insulated, because the shoots can die at temperatures below 10 degrees.

The blackberry is unpretentious to the conditions of care, but in the first year after transplantation, it does not bear fruit, but only dissolves the buds. Fruits from it can be expected only next year. To get a good harvest of berries, you should correctly divide young and fruiting plants. To do this, watch the shoots.

• If the branches bear fruit, they will begin to diverge to the sides. Young shoots gather in the center.
• The branches on which the fruits will appear are pulled along the ropes and twine stretched next to the plant. "Teens" ignore the prop and gather in the middle.
• The shoots on which the berries will appear will “choose” the upper ropes, and the young ones will “yield” to them and remain on the lower ones.

Blackberries do not like a lot of moisture, so a new place for it is chosen on a hill. There is no accumulation of water, which can cause root rot. But for the bush itself they make a recess. This is necessary so that the water remains in the hole during irrigation and gradually flows to the roots.

The hill on which the plant is planted protects against the accumulation of melt and rainwater. The site should be sunny and protected from cold winds.

The soil for blackberries is loose, light, fertile. Sandy and loamy soil is suitable for this. A suitable option is a bed where root crops, herbs and other plants grew last year, except for berries and nightshade.

The degree of survival of blackberries directly depends on the preparation of the soil. A preliminary test is carried out to determine the level of soil acidity.It must be neither alkaline nor acidic. The task of the gardener is to bring him to neutral indicators.

The acidity is increased with the help of iron sulfate, distributing it over the soil at the rate of 500 g / 10 sq. m. If this figure needs to be reduced, lime is added. The transplantation process takes place in stages.

1. Before transplanting blackberries, the earth is dug up to a depth of 0.5 m.
2. The soil is cleared of roots and weeds.
3. Compost is distributed over the plot in a uniform layer of 10 cm, an organic layer is laid on top of it: old foliage, sawdust.
4. The fertilizer mixture is supplemented with mineral additives: magnesium, phosphorus, zinc.
5. Fertilizers are re-dug along with the soil so that they are evenly distributed over the garden.
6. The soil is poured abundantly with water, a layer of mulch of 8 cm is laid on top. This is done so that the process of decomposition in organic matter goes faster.
7. In the place of the future planting of blackberries, a trellis (vertical support for plants) is installed.

When the soil is prepared, the blackberries are dug up and quickly transplanted. The sooner this happens, the more likely the roots will take root. Under the influence of sunlight, the branches of the plant wither, the roots lose life-giving moisture. Blackberries are dug with great care, as the shoots and root system are very fragile.

The edge of the shovel indicates the edges of the earthen lump in which the roots of the blackberry are located. The plant is undermined, freeing the root system along with the soil. The shrub can be transplanted to another place along with a clod of earth, but if separation of the mother bush is required, then the roots are carefully freed from the soil. The plant is freed from old, withered shoots starting from the base of the trunk.If you transplant a shrub with them, pests will begin to multiply in the dead organic matter, which can destroy the blackberry.

A large bush can be divided into 2-3 parts, from which independent plants will then grow. The soil is carefully removed from the roots and the root system is cut so that 2-3 shoots and 1 underground bud remain on each part. Or carefully cut off the overgrown cuttings, and then plant them on the site. The distance between the bushes should not be less than 1.5 m, and the rows of blackberries are located at a distance of 2 m from the neighboring ones.

Transplantation by cuttings is best done in the fall, since by this time the processes have time to get stronger over the summer period. Some gardeners perform this procedure in the summer, but young plants during this period manage to gain a height of 10-15 cm and are still too weak to endure even slight frosts. Adaptation of "autumn" plants is much faster.

With creeping blackberry varieties, transplantation is much faster. A long curly branch at the base is pressed to the ground and sprinkled with soil in the place where the new blackberry bush is supposed to grow. The tip of the branch is left free. In the place where the blackberry shoot was covered with earth, young roots begin to sprout. A new blackberry bush will grow on this site, which can then be transplanted to its permanent place of residence.

There is an original way to transplant blackberries in the autumn: on a strong long shoot at the base, they tie a load that cannot break the branch, but gradually bends it down. Every day the shoot leans lower and lower towards the soil. When he is a few centimeters near the ground, he is bent to the ground and insulated. The branch is covered with straw, sawdust or dry hay.From above, the layer is insulated with roofing material or polyethylene.

In the summer, blackberries can also be transplanted, but gardeners should remember that this is a rather risky business. But if the blackberry has grown too much, and there is no other way out of the situation, then you should heed the following tips.

• Garden work should be carried out in the morning or evening, when the transplanted bushes are not exposed to the aggressive effects of the scorching sun.
• Blackberry transplantation must be done very quickly so that the branches and roots do not have time to fade. It is worth delaying and not transplanting a bush for at least half an hour, and the sun can destroy the plant, even if it is watered abundantly after transplantation.
• If the plant managed to be transplanted quickly and competently, then it must be covered in the first days so that the roots take root.
• In summer, within a week after transplantation, abundant watering of blackberries is carried out in the morning or evening.

For young blackberries that have been covered with mulch, care is quite simple, because they do not need additional loosening and weeding. After transplanting, the plant is watered 1-2 times a week, if there is no precipitation at this time. As soon as the withered leaves grow again, and the blackberry takes root, watering is stopped. The subsequent irrigation of the land occurs provided that a dry period has begun in the region, and the plant lacks moisture.

A mandatory procedure in autumn and spring is pruning of old shoots. If the old branches are located next to the young, thin and weakened, then they are also removed. Blackberry shoots protect from frost by covering them with a canopy.

When the time of frost passes, the blackberries are examined for safety. Healthy branches are brown in color, but remain flexible. Dead shoots become brittle and brittle. The leaves on them are also brown, but shrunken and wilted.

If 4-6 shoots are preserved healthy on one bush, then we can assume that the plant survived the winter successfully. If only 3 or less branches remain strong, then this year you can get a good harvest from healthy branches, but in the future, blackberries will not grow, and the number of berries harvested will not increase.

To protect the plant from the gall mite, after pruning, the blackberry bush is sprayed with an infusion of garlic on the water. On hot days, in addition to watering, it is recommended to spray blackberries with water in the morning and evening hours.

For blackberry transplant rules, see the following video.