How to Get a New Root to Start From Blackberry Plants

There's no such thing as too many blackberry bushes, providing you have the space and the warm, moist conditions they need to thrive. Blackberries grow easily from root cuttings. Blackberries aren't cold hardy throughout most of the Eastern, Midwestern and Rocky Mountain areas of the United States, although they grow well in the Pacific Northwest and the South. They grow either on erect or semi-erect canes or on trailing vines that need a trellis for support. Select varieties with a track record of success in your area.

Shovel
Pruning shears
Sawdust, peat moss or sand

Instructions

- 1
  Dig up a blackberry bush in mid-winter when the plant is dormant. Dig a circle 12 to 14 inches in diameter around the base of the plant so you don't sever the roots.
- 2
  Cut the root ends nearest the crown of the plant and closest to the soil surface, known as the proximal ends, with a straight cut. Cut the roots deepest in the soil, known as the distal ends, on an angle. Discard the plant.
- 3
  Sort the roots so all the proximal ends lay in the same direction. Tie the roots loosely in a bundle with a piece of twine or string.
- 4
  Bury the roots in moistened sawdust, peat moss or sand and store them at 40 degrees Fahrenheit for three weeks. Remove them from storage and brush them off.
- 5
  Separate the roots and plant them in a prepared bed in early spring when the soil is workable. Space the roots 2 to 3 inches apart. Plant them so that the proximal end (straight cut) lies 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface. New leaves and growth will emerge from these stems. Water them if the weather has been very dry.

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