The Best Way to Plant Blackberry Vines

Choosing a Location

• Choose a planting location that receives full sunlight. Blackberry vines need between six and eight hours of full sunlight. Furthermore, blackberry vines must be planted in well-draining soil. Compacted or clay soils raise the risk of the plant contracting a disease. Pick a location at least 300 feet away from any wild blackberry or raspberry vines, recommends the National Gardening Association. Wild plants harbor diseases and pests that might spread to your garden blackberry vines.

Site Preparation

• Plant to plant your blackberry vines in the spring when the ground thaws from the winter. If you have to wait for the ground to warm up in early spring, keep your blackberry transplants in a cool location. Remove all weeds from the planting area. Use an herbicide that contains glyphosate. Glyphosate has been shown to leave little chemical residue behind in the soil to harm blackberry vines when they are plants. Remove any old vegetation growing on your trellis or fence. Blackberry vines produce more berries when trained on a support system, according to Utah State University.

Planting

• Create a hole in the soil that is 1 inch deeper than the blackberries were planted in their nursery container and twice the diameter as the root ball. Set the blackberry transplant inside of the hole and pack soil around the base. The National Gardening Association recommends spacing blackberry vines five to eight feet apart. Tie the vines onto a trellis, wall or fence using a soft material to prevent girdling the stems.

Care

• Fertilize your blackberry vine in the spring with a fertilizer that has an NPK ratio of 16-16-8, suggests Utah State University Extension. Blackberry vines perform well when they receive water through a drip irrigation system. Place the irrigation system around your vines. Prune old canes from the plant every year. New healthy canes will take their place and produce fruit. Remove weeds around the blackberry vines to prevent unwanted vegetation from competing with your plants for the soil's nutrients.