In this article, we will answer the question “How long do blackberry bushes live?”, and how can you grow a blackberry plant?
Read on for more tips on how to successfully grow blackberry in your garden. This article also includes a brief guide on the yield of your blackberry plant.
How long do blackberry bushes live?
The blackberry bushes can live up to decades depending on the type of blackberry you intend to grow on your farm. The normal age of a blackberry bush is about 15 to 20 years.
The canes on the blackberry bush live for one year, then it gives the fruit and at the end of the fruiting, the plant dies.
In some varieties, canes grow in both years but after the two last years, they start to die. So it is important to prune them from time to time.
It is easy to identify which cane to prune and which to skip. The dying cane will change its color to light brown to dark brown.
Tips to grow blackberry plant
All blackberries are perennials and give fruit only once a year.
Three types of blackberry varieties exist; these are divided between the categories of erect thorny blackberries, erect/semi-erect thornless blackberries, and trailing thornless blackberries.
Blackberries can live longer but they are attacked by many pests and diseases. This factor could shorten their lifetime and in turn, will affect the fruit.
The most notorious in this category are dwarf virus, weed, molds like gray mold, many types of worms, and mites.
Use different types of pesticides and insecticides to increase the life of your blackberry plant.
Blackberries are low maintenance but they need pruning to stay healthy. It is best to prune the old canes to make space for new canes to grow.
Do not grow blackberries near or in the vegetable plants. These insects and toxicants will destroy the blackberries in weeks.
Specifically, stay away from eggplant or pepper plants if you want to grow blackberries.
Always choose a new place for growing blackberries. Never plant it in the place where you had grown some other vegetables.
Look for a clean place with direct sunlight, mix organic fertilizer in the soil and then plant your blackberries.
Blackberries, depending on their type, should be grown in rows between 3 and 8 feet apart. They should be planted in soil that has a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 and that has very good drainage.
It’s also a good idea to plant your blackberries in the spring when the soil is easier to work through.
And, although you should plant blackberries in a wide enough hole to accommodate the roots, the seeds should not be planted very deep into the soil.
How do blackberries grow?
There are two types of blackberries. Erect blackberries, the ones that do not need any support or physical element to growing, grow straight upright own their own
Non-erect blackberries face downwards and need physical support to put their weight on. They need wire, gauzes, trellis, or training ropes for support and to grow efficiently.
No matter what type of blackberries you are growing, always keep in mind that the soil remains moist at all times. These bushes need at least 12mm of water a week or maybe more when it’s summer season. There shouldn’t be any kind of weed or any other plant growing.
Does it give fruit every year?
Blackberry is a perennial plant that means it gives fruit once a year. The plant starts fruiting after the first two years of growth and only gives fruit once.
If you want more fruit and want it twice a year then the variety named primocanes is the best option. They produce fruit once in the early fall and the second time during the summer or late summer.
How much fruit do you get from the blackberry bush?
Blueberry gives enormous fruit once it starts fruiting. According to NC State Extension, you can get up to 10 pounds of fruit from a single blackberry bush if you take proper care of it. Different types of blackberry give different amounts of fruit.
- You can get 4 to 6 pounds of fruit per year from erect blackberry types
- 10 to 13 pounds for trailing blackberry types
- And 25 to 55 pounds for semierect types
Some other surveys also suggest that a bush of blackberry can give up to 3 gallons of blackberry in a year.
Other FAQs about Blackberries that you may be interested in.
Where do blackberries come from?
What do blackberries taste like?
Conclusion
In this article, we will answer the question “How long do blackberry bushes live?”, and how can you grow a blackberry plant?
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