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Index : Citrus and Other Fruits
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- 7. Blackberries Provide Abundant Crop for Tucson Gardeners - Top
- It’s a shame that we can’t grow raspberries here in Tucson, however we can grow the next best bramble, blackberries! Texas A&M has developed several varieties that grow well in our desert environment, producing an abundance of large, sweet berries.
Blackberries are perennial plants, but each shoot is biennial. Each shoot only survives for 2 years. During the first year a shoot, referred to as a cane, produces leaves only. During the second year the cane produces fruit and then dies soon afterwards. However, once planted, new canes continually arise from buds at the base of old canes and from buds on the roots for sustained fruiting.
The varieties of blackberries that do best here in Tucson are cultivars that have their origin in Texas. Research done by Dr. Glenn Wright at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center indicated that the blackberries ‘Rosborough’ and ‘Womack’ performed best in the low desert, followed by ‘Brison’ and ‘Brazos’. These varieties are cold hardy down to 5°F, and can be grown even in higher elevations surrounding Tucson. All have large fruit produced on erect canes that do not require trellising for support, as do trailing types.
Blackberries can be purchased as potted plants at some area garden centers or as bare-root plants through the mail. The largest supplier of Texas blackberry cultivars is Womack’s Nursery in De Leon, Texas (817) 893-6497.
Blackberries prefer to grow in soils amended with organic matter. Yard compost, composted manure, and peat are all good forms of organic matter to mix into the soil. Because row plantings are recommended it’s best to prepare the soil in a 3 to 4 foot wide swath, digging organic matter into the top 12 inches of soil. Remove rocks, stones and any lumps of caliche. At the same time, till in a general-purpose fertilizer such as 10-10-10 at the rate of one-half pound per 10 feet of row. Plants should be spaced and planted every 3 feet down the center of the swath of prepared soil. If multiple rows are desired, spacing between rows should be 10 to 12 feet.
The second year, and thereafter, apply 1pound of 10-10-10 or similar fertilizer alongside the rows in February. After harvesting the berries in May apply an additional one-half pound of fertilizer every 10 feet down the length of the row.
Because blackberries prefer a slightly acid soil ph, it may be necessary to add micro-nutrients if leaves yellow. Iron, magnesium and zinc can be purchased in ‘chelated’ form and applied to the soil in the spring or summer to correct deficiencies.
Water is critical for newly planted blackberries. Plants should be watered daily for the first few weeks after planting, then gradually adjusted to provide deep watering two or three times weekly spring through fall. In the winter, when plants are dormant, water on 14 day intervals. A 3 inch layer of organic mulch (compost, straw or shredded wood) should be placed around plants and down the row immediately after planting to conserve moisture and moderate soil temperatures. This will also help to control weeds.
During the first year of growth, new vegetative canes will grow. During the summer prune these canes back to a height of 36 inches. This limits cane height and forces small lateral side-shoots to grow. It’s the side-shoots which bear the fruiting clusters the following year. Also during the summer remove any shoots that may have grown up outside the parameters of the three foot wide row. If desired, these shoots can be dug out and replanted to lengthen or add more rows of berries.
In the second year, after canes have produced fruit they will die and should then be removed. This will provide the needed space for continued development of the following year’s fruiting canes.
Blackberries are highly perishable. They should be harvested as soon as ripe, usually in May, handled very carefully and either eaten fresh or placed in the refrigerator. It may be necessary to harvest daily to prevent loss of fruit. Blackberries will store well in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Covering blackberries prior to fruit ripening is also recommended to keep the birds for harvesting your fruit before you get a chance!
“Organic Gardening” will be the topic for this week’s garden demonstrations. They will be presented on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Pima County Extension Center, 4210 N. Campbell Ave (central); and at 1 p.m. at the Wilmot Library (east), and on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Oro Valley Public Library (northwest).
Place plants 2 to 3 feet apart in the row at the same depth they grew in the nursery or container. The objective is to produce a continuous hedgerow for the full row length desired. Do not let the cuttings dry out. If the plants or cuttings are slightly dry when received, soak the roots in water for several hours before planting them or heel them in. If plants or roots are extremely dry, reject the shipment.
Apply fertilizer following recommendations based on soil tests. If soil tests are not available, a general recommendation for the first year is to apply 5 pounds of a complete fertilizer, such as 10-20-10, per 100 feet of row after the newly set plants have started growing or after root cuttings begin to emerge.
Brazos has two major advantages over many other blackberry cultivars. It is a semi-erect type that does not require trellising and pruning is also simpler than with other cultivars. The tops of Brazos can be cut low or even mowed down as soon as the harvest season has passed. If cut back at the right time, plants regenerate enough to bear the following spring. With most other cultivars, pruning is somewhat tedious in that two year old canes must be removed each year, leaving only one year old canes.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161 - Updated: February 29, 2004
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