How to Fertilize Blackberry Bushes

Blackberry bushes produce massive vines lined with plump, juicy berries in mid- to late summer, depending on the cultivar and your region. When left to their own devices, canes arch gracefully, creating a cascade of fresh berries, often blanketing hillsides or ditches in locations where they grow wild. Many prefer to trellis blackberries grown in the home garden to keep the canes under control and to prevent injury from their sharp thorns.

Fertilizer, 20-0-0
Fertilizer, 15-5-10
Garden hoe

Instructions

- 1
  Fertilize blackberries in the early spring just before buds begin to form. The Aggie Horticulture website recommends an application of 21-0-0 fertilizer if your soil pH is above 7, or an application of 15-5-10 fertilizer if the pH is below 7. Apply 4 to 5 lbs. of fertilizer per 100-foot row and work it into the top 2 to 4 inches of the soil with a garden hoe.
- 2
  Apply a second application of 21-0-0 in late spring or early summer to boost growth, if growth appears slow or foliage is small and pale. Blackberry bushes with deep green foliage and rapid growth do not require a second application of fertilizer.
- 3
  Fertilize again the following spring when new growth appears.

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