Rules for cutting blackberries in the fall

Blackberries are an incredibly tasty berry grown by many gardeners.Despite the fact that the plant has a large number of sharp spines, it is necessary to carefully care for him. In order for the blackberry to be healthy and have strong immunity, care is provided during fruiting and after it ends. It is extremely simple to act during the growing season, while for the autumn preparation of the culture for the winter it is worth making a lot more effort.

Blackberry green bushes look incredibly beautiful in the summer. They are lush, have aesthetic, delicate flowers, and after - appetizing fruits. If you properly care for them, young shoots, which have not yet had berries, get a lot of essential nutrients. This allows the bushes to bear fruit well, to give a large and healthy crop. You should also regularly get rid of root shoots. In some blackberry varieties, this area is extremely large. If the plant is thickened, it will not let the sun's rays through, with the following consequences.

• Poor quality, sick fruits (deformed or small). If you run a bush, it can stop fruiting altogether.
• The bush will become swollen, the immune system will weaken, which will affect the development of the plant.
• There may be a variety of diseases that require long-term treatment. Some of them are able to destroy the culture.
• In winter, blackberries will freeze out. With a small number of branches, the gardener will be able to more effectively cover the bush for the winter.

The correct implementation of pruning will stimulate flowering and fruiting plants in the next season. It is necessary to get rid of the diseased and damaged by pests branches in a timely manner, as this favorably affects the blackberry.

Any, even the most insignificant procedure should be carried out using high-quality, good tools, and this is especially true for blackberry trimming. To adequately crop a crop, you need to have a pruner and a lopper along with you. There is a large selection of various models. Before you buy any of the options, you should determine whether it is suitable for this bush. You need to monitor the quality of things, so that the tool could last for a long time. In addition, during cutting, you need to protect your hands with thick gloves, because blackberry shoots are incredibly prickly, and the resulting wounds will last for a long time.

Adult branches have a diameter of one and a half centimeters. This thickness can cut any secateurs. To process a blackberry bush, it is better to choose a bypass tool, the principle of which is similar to the principle of scissors. When purchasing, it is worthwhile to carefully examine the gaps between the blades. If there is a gap there, the product will “chew on” the branches of the plant.

Consider a few more recommendations from experienced gardeners.

1. It is important to consider the degree of sharpening.. This kind of work is easier with sharp blades, the process will be faster and easier. In particular, this aspect is taken into account if it is necessary to process prickly cultures. If the gardener needs to shorten the shoots a little, you should use the anvil construction sector. It is a flat plate holding the branch, and a sharp knife, cutting it off. But in the process of work should hold the product from one angle, otherwise it can break the stem.
2. Lopper - ideal for removing shoots in the autumn. This product eliminates the bush from the branches with a large thickness, and shortens the growth, which is in the middle of the crown. With such work, the pruner can not cope. The delimber has long handles, with which it is quite easy to trim areas in the center of the plant. They help to avoid contact with sharp prickles.
3. If the pruner and pruner are unable to help get rid of unwanted branches, you must purchase a garden saw. It has a special angle of wiring and a special sharpening of teeth. This allows gardeners to cut shoots in two directions. The main positive quality of such a product is that it leaves neat, smooth cuts. This helps the culture to avoid infection and to look more beautiful and aesthetic.

It is rather difficult to name the specific dates for processing blackberries in the autumn period, but the most vivid signal to the beginning of the process is the end of the fruiting of the plant. If the culture ceases to bear fruit in August, you can begin to trim the bushes in a given month. But most gardeners start pruning in September or late October. This allows them to carry out quality care, get rid of all the excess and quietly wait for the winter cold.

To get a positive result, a healthy plant and a decent harvest, you should use the scheme. Let's stop on the step by step order of work.

1. After the entire crop is harvested, the first stage of pruning can be carried out. The branches that have already borne fruit this year are cut off completely (at the root).
2. Young shoots should not be cut, you need to remove only thin, frail and too short.
3. Further, the lashes that were affected by any pests (aphids, ticks) are cut off - they are unlikely to survive the winter, and can also weaken the whole plant.
4. Young shoots must be cut to the fourth part. This allows inflorescences to properly form, and helps the plant to bear fruit in the future.
5. The grower should consider the future opportunity for crop growth, taking into account the strength of the root system. If the root is of medium size, it can feed six to eight fruit-bearing branches. To the spring shoots was enough, it is worth leaving 8-10. Some of them may die.
6. Pruning is done after the kidney, without hemp. The excess part contributes to the rotting of the blackberry sleeping in the winter.

When the pruning process ends, you should get rid of the pruned branches. It is also necessary to carefully scrape the leaves near the plant. This garbage must be folded away from the plantings of culture and burn. This allows the site to look attractive and aesthetic, and also saves the gardener from a variety of problems associated with pests and diseases. So that the moisture does not evaporate quickly, and the soil - froze through less, the soil around the plant can be well sprinkled with sawdust or peat.

If you take the crown formation carelessly and irresponsibly, the old and new branches will intertwine with each other in such a way that during the pruning process the gardener cannot get to what should be removed. It can damage young shoots and destroy the plant. Therefore, do not neglect this aspect of care.

After the winter period, it is necessary to vertically lift the lashes that survived on the trellis. They must be above the center of the plant. New, young whips should be tied at the bottom of the trellis on both sides of the center of growth of the blackberry. It is necessary that they develop parallel to the soil. The similar form of krone allows to cut off excess sites in the fall. It will be necessary to cut off the entire central part under the root system, and leave only new shoots that will travel along the ground.

Over the summer, young whips will be formed horizontal.You should choose 8-10 most healthy, and others to remove. The branches that are left must be shortened by a quarter, then pressed to the ground and carefully covered until early March. In late February, the shoots rise vertically, and then they are given time to warm up and become more flexible.

It is rather difficult to form such bushes, because their lashes are too long and have very high flexibility. Many gardeners recommend leaving in the spring of eight to ten strong new shoots. Such a pruning will affect the economy of the forces of culture and the preservation of the necessary substances.

1. Scourge that survived the winter should be wound on a trellis and sent to one side of the root system.
2. Young shoots that just started to break through, you need to wind and send in the other direction.
3. Extra scourges that were not removed in the summer should be cut off in the autumn. Before this, the branches should be untied from the trellis, deployed and distributed on the ground. Get rid of all the shoots, leaving the eight most strong and young.
4. Old branches that have finished fruit, you need to prune completely.
5. Those that remained - put in a trench for the winter.

Plant care is not only timely pruning, but also making the necessary fertilizers that will help the blackberry to recover and survive the winter. Most gardeners use organic for this, since such fertilizers are cheaper and more affordable. For example, rotted manure is an excellent option. You can also use the help of mineral fertilizers, which are most often applied when digging occurs.

To make organic matter more effective and make the plant's immunity stronger, its application is in most cases combined with mineral complexes. Consider the step-by-step process of feeding the culture.

1. Between the rows should be spread out a layer of manure. Layer thickness - 5-10 centimeters.
2. Top need to scatter the required amount of fertilizer.
3. The soil between the rows is carefully dug over so that the dressing is well absorbed into the soil and reaches the roots.
4. The most effective and popular mineral fertilizer for autumn feeding is a mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Top dressing should be done annually.

After the end of winter, you need to open a shrub and see which areas are better preserved. You should wait for some time and evaluate the appearance of the branches. Healthy ones will become more resilient, shiny and brown. The lost wood will be black, friable and incredibly fragile, it is necessary to get rid of it in time. If the frosts have not touched six or four branches - this is great; if less than three, the harvest will be low, but the fruits will appear large and attractive.

Do not be afraid to prune anything extra, because if the plant is healthy, it has tremendous growth power. It is more harmful for the culture of thickening, which appears due to the insufficient elimination of excess branches. If the pruning process is carried out correctly, the crop will be much higher. It is important to keep an eye on the bushes, in which case they will repay the grower with tasty and juicy black fruits.

How to prepare a blackberry for the winter, see the following video.