How to Grow & Burn out Blackberries

Growing Blackberries

• 1

  Prepare blackberry trenches about 5 inches deep, with well drained, slightly acid to neutral soil, and a pH of about 5.6 to 7.0. The University of Idaho recommends planting the brambles in rows that run north to south to allow the plants equal sunlight on both sides. Plant in late March or early April.

• 2

  Amend the soil with compost or well-rotted manure and remove any perennial weeds. It helps to prepare the trenches the fall prior to planting your blackberries. Make sure the soil is loose and friable, it should easily crumble between your fingers.

• 3

  Obtain blackberry brambles in containers from a local nursery and transplant them early in the season. You can also order bare-root plants by mail.

• 4

  Bury the root balls of container blackberries so the tops of the root balls are covered by about 1/2 inch of soil. Bury bare-root plants 3 to 4 inches deep with the roots spread horizontally in the trench.

• 5

  Water the plants well after planting and provide 1 inch of water per week during the growing season.

• 6

  Mulch with bark, straw or pine needles before winter, and reduce watering after the first frost to harden off roots. Water once in late fall after dormancy to prevent winter injury from temperature fluctuations.

Weed and Disease Control

• 7

  Give your blackberries enough air circulation by spacing them at least 5 feet apart and supporting them in some way. Supporting your plants will provide better air circulation and allow light to penetrate to the center of the plant, resulting in less congestion.

• 8

  Support individual plants by providing each with a trellis. Rows of blackberries should be 10 to 12 feet apart, and a post and wire support system should be installed. Install wooden posts every 6 feet and run wire between each, anywhere from 2 to 6 feet high. Tie some new stems to the wire and let others fall to create a natural arch.

• 9

  Prevent Verticillium wilt by giving your plants room to breathe. Avoid planting blackberries near tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplants, or anywhere these plants have grown in the past five years.

• 10

  Control weeds with medium sized bark chips (1/2 to 1 1/2 inches) or clean straw mulch. The root system will grow up and into mulch that is too fine, and this can cause the plant’s roots to dry out.

• 11

  Control weeds by cultivating the soil at the base of the plants, but no more than 2 to 3 inches deep, since the blackberry’s root system is shallow.

Pruning and Removal

• 12

  Remove fruit-bearing canes after harvest and burn them. This process is called “deadwooding” and burning the dead wood is necessary for disease control. Don’t prune any stems that have not produced fruit.

• 13

  Shorten lateral canes to 18 to 24 inches in the dormant season.

• 14

  Kill blackberry brambles. Use a weed flamer in early spring when everything is pretty damp. Don’t char the plants to cinders but flame them enough to turn them black and boil their insides. This will kill the top growth. You will have to repeat this burning until the plants have died.

• 15

  Keep in mind that burning out blackberries is only a temporary solution, and the only way to get rid of blackberries is to get rid of their roots. While the root system can be extensive, the University of Idaho reports that 90 percent of it is in the top 20 inches of soil, which makes it more accessible to a root-hungry animal like a pig.

• 16

  Consider renting a goat or pig to devour the blackberry vegetation and roots. Sheep and goats are commonly used as vegetation control. A goat chained to a dog tie-out and provided with plenty of water will devour blackberry vegetation. A pig will dig up and eat the roots. If you only want to use a pig, mow down the vegetation yourself and set the pig loose to take care of the roots.