How to Propagate Blackberry Plants

Identify a mother blackberry plant by finding an older plant with younger plants surrounding it. The roots of the mother blackberry plant are required for root cuttings.

Dig in the soil around the mother blackberry plant in the autumn when the blackberry plants are entering the dormancy stage but the ground is not yet frozen. Find the root system of the mother plant by digging carefully around the blackberry plants with the garden trowel.

Use the garden shears to sever six-inch root pieces that are between one-fourth and one-half of an inch in diameter. Cut two to three six-inch pieces from each mother plant to propagate new plants. As long as the roots are at least one-fourth of an inch in diameter, the plant is suitable for root cutting. Replace the soil around the mother plant.

Plant the root pieces immediately under a layer of soil between two and four inches thick. Water the newly planted root cuttings lightly.

Look for growth from the root cuttings the next spring and expect blackberries from these plants the following growing season.