blackberry rise wild in northern Florida and can be well grown in all part of the state of matter . When planting several industrial plant , prefer different varieties to boost cross - pollenation . withdraw fool regularly to keep the plants from spreading out of control . Most blackberry bush varieties have thorns , so baseball glove are recommended when harvesting or work with blackberries .
Step 1
Choose a well - drained site with good air circulation and mess of Sunday . blackberry prefer full sun , but can digest some spectre . Remove all grass and weeds . Dig the dirt to a profoundness of 1 foot . discipline the dirt pH and adjust it to between 5.5 and 6.5 if necessary .
Step 2
Plant bare - root blackberry bush plants in the wintertime ; between December and February is good . Dig a pickle large enough to fit the roots of the works when spread out .
Step 3
Place the plant in the hole at the same deepness that it was originally engraft . Fill the hole with soil and pack it down . Provide a trellis or fence support for train sort .
Step 4
engraft the blackberry bushes 3 to 4 foot asunder in rows that are 10 to 15 human foot apart . Water the Bush now after planting . Water the plants every other day during the ironical month . view using drip irrigation . dribble irrigation conserves water , cut weed growth and keeps the leave juiceless .
Step 5
Apply a stratum of constitutional mulch . Mulching avail conserve water and reduces smoke germination . Remove weeds as they appear , either by hand pulling or by shallow hoeing . Blackberry root are shallow and easily damaged by vigorous cultivation .
Step 6
Protect plants from hoarfrost once the flowers come along . cross the plant with material or charge plate on frigid night , or work on the sprinklers until all danger of frost is retiring .
Step 7
Fertilize blackberries in the recent give or early summertime of the first year . Apply 4 oz . of 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer per plant . fecundate in the winter and summer in subsequent yr .
Step 8
Remove suckers as they appear . During the first year , slew off the tip of the elongated shoots to advance branching and bud . These branches will produce fruit next year .
Step 9
Prune blackberry after fruiting . polish off dry out and dead canes at the crown . clip the integral bush to a height of 1 understructure every 3 to 4 years . This will reduce fruit for the class , but it renew and invigorates the plant for next years .
Step 10
Hand pick blackberries twice a calendar week as they ripen . Berries are good when they exchange colour from red to black . Refrigerate berries immediately after picking .
