Blackberry transplant

Most often, replanting blackberries is associated with a new layout of the site, but there are other reasons. Regardless of what caused the need for this procedure, it should be approached competently, taking into account the needs of a particular culture. The correct timing for transplanting, a new place, as well as adherence to the recommendations regarding the preparation of the site and the plant itself guarantees the success of the entire event. This article will focus on how to choose the right site for transplanting blackberries, how to transplant bushes correctly and how to care for them in the future.

Why do I need a blackberry transplant in autumn and spring to a new place

In the wild, the period of growth of blackberry bushes in one place differs in duration and can last about 30 years. Garden blackberries need to be transplanted to a new place every 10 years in order to rejuvenate the plant, and at the same time to propagate it in small pieces.

It is also recommended to transplant too thick and overgrown bushes, which can be divided along the way. Also, a blackberry transplant may be associated with a change in the layout of the garden plot.

Be that as it may, transplanting a blackberry in the fall or spring to a new place involves following a certain algorithm, which includes removing the bush along with the roots from the ground, pruning all the shoots and moving to a new planting hole along with the earthy clod. In this case, it is important to plant the bush in such a way that its root collar remains at the same level as after the previous planting.

Transplanting blackberries in autumn and spring: advantages and disadvantages

Blackberries can be replanted throughout the year during the spring and fall months. At the same time, the choice of the season depends on the climatic characteristics of a particular region. Both spring and autumn blackberry transplants have a number of advantages and disadvantages.

Planted in the spring blackberry seedlings are more likely to quickly and successfully take root in a new place. They have enough time to take root and get stronger before the onset of winter. This option is recommended for the north of the country, where winter cold comes early.

Wherein at the spring transplant in the spring there is also a significant flaw: it is quite difficult to determine the exact time suitable for transplanting blackberries. It is necessary to choose the moment when the ground will already be thawed enough, but at the same time the movement of juices in the tissues of plants has not yet begun.

When choosing a spring planting option, it should be borne in mind that an excess of fertilizer in the planting hole can injure the root system of a bush weakened as a result of movement.

Autumn Blackberry transplant is ideal for south gardeners. In regions with a long warm part of the year, blackberry bushes manage to get the necessary amount of nutrients and sunlight over the summer and get stronger for successful adaptation in a new place.

Seedlings transplanted in early autumn have time to take root before the onset of frost and can safely endure wintering. An autumn blackberry transplant is recommended no later than 60 days before the expected arrival of winter cold weather. In this case, it is necessary to provide the seedlings with a reliable shelter for the winter, even if we are talking about frost-resistant varieties of blackberries.

Blackberry transplant timing

Choosing the exact time to transplant a blackberry is not an easy task.It is especially important not to be mistaken with the choice of the date in the case of spring planting of seedlings. Since in the northern regions the arrival of spring heat often does not coincide with the calendar dates, experienced gardeners prefer to navigate by the weather.

Most often, a favorable time for transplanting blackberries is in April. At this time, the earth is no longer constrained by the cold, and sap flow in the tissues of the plant has not yet begun. In May, it is too late to transplant blackberry bushes - the phase of rapid growth and development of shoots begins.

The time for the autumn blackberry transplant is easier to choose - in the southern regions it falls on the last days of September and early October. It is important that at least 2 months remain before the expected frost. Therefore, many gardeners, when choosing the time for transplanting blackberry bushes, are guided by forecasts of weather forecasters.

Preparing for a blackberry transplant

The procedure for transplanting blackberry bushes is quite laborious and includes two stages. The first stage is preparatory. It includes a series of steps that are the same for all types and varieties of blackberries.

Site selection criteria

The first step in the preparatory process for replanting blackberries is choosing the right site. The selection criteria do not depend on whether you plan to transplant an adult blackberry or plant a young seedling.

The light-loving blackberry prefers well-lit areas sheltered from the north wind. An ideal choice would be a small hill where the blackberry bush will be reliably protected from flooding during periods of heavy rainfall or flood. At the same time, for planting blackberries, it is necessary to dig a depression, which will allow you to retain water longer after watering.

As for the composition of the soil, it is optimal to place blackberry bushes on loamy or sandy loamy soils. It should be borne in mind that transplanting blackberries into the beds left over from nightshades and berry bushes is not recommended.

Tillage

An important point in the preparatory work is the processing of the soil before planting blackberries in it. It includes several important steps:

1. Determination of the acidity of the soil in the area selected for the blackberry and, if necessary, correcting it to the required pH level. You can make the soil less acidic by introducing iron sulfate into it in a proportion of 0.5 kg per 10 square meters. In the absence of ferrous sulfate, 0.3 kg of sulfur can be used in the same area, but the required effect will be achieved later. You can increase the acidity of the soil with lime.
2. Digging the site to a depth of about half a meter and removing the remnants of weed root systems.
3. Compost is spread over the entire surface of the soil with a layer thickness of about 10 cm, and on top of it - another 3 cm of crushed organic fertilizers. It is also recommended to add complex mineral supplements rich in phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.
4. Re-digging of all nutrient layers and soil.
5. Abundant watering of the area with water and its subsequent mulching with a layer thickness of about 8 cm.This procedure will allow the organic matter introduced into the soil to overheat faster.
6. Near the site of the proposed planting of blackberry bushes, a supporting structure is installed - for example, a trellis.

Planting material

The preparation of planting material is another necessary step in the general algorithm of actions for transplanting blackberries. The bush must be carefully removed from the soil along with an earthen clod. For this purpose, a thorough digging is carried out with a shovel. Together with the clod of earth, the blackberry bush is transferred to a new place.

All terrestrial shoots and branches should be removed before planting. Moreover, they need to be cut off at the root, without leaving hemp in which harmful insects can settle.

In cases where an adult and highly overgrown blackberry bush is transplanted, it can be divided into smaller bushes.In this way, blackberries can be propagated, however, this does not apply to very old plants - they cannot be divided.

To divide blackberry bush, it is necessary immediately after removing it from the soil to soften the earthen lump and clean the root system of the plant from the earth. The division of the bush is carried out with a sharpened knife: on each division there must be at least 2 or three branches, as well as at least one root bud. After separation, new blackberry bushes can be planted individually in pre-prepared holes. The best time to separate blackberry bushes is spring or early autumn, so this procedure is often carried out in conjunction with a transplant.

In addition to the reproduction of blackberries by cuttings, reproduction is also practiced during the transplantation of blackberries. layering. In this case, the seedlings obtained from the root growth are separated from the mother bush and moved to a new place.

Transplanting blackberries in spring

Actually transplanting blackberries in the spring includes the following steps:

• The site intended for the placement of blackberry bushes should be planned in advance. It is traditional to arrange blackberries in rows, the distance between which depends on the variety of the blackberry and its ability to grow. On average, it fluctuates between 180 and 300 cm.The interval between individual bushes should also be quite large: erect varieties need an interval of at least 200 cm, creeping ones - about 300 cm.
• When digging planting holes, you should be guided by the size of the root system of the seedling. For cuttings obtained from root growth, a depth of up to half a meter will be sufficient. Adult bushes need a larger, extensive pit in which its developed root system will be placed. It is recommended to plant blackberry bushes in recesses in the form of trenches, dug in the entire length of the rows. Their average depth is 50 cm.
• Each planting hole should be filled with a nutrient mixture that includes organic components - for example, compost (1 bucket). Another option is to fertilize the soil with the addition of mineral complexes (0.1 kg per well).
• The blackberry bush to be transplanted is dug in from all sides, removed from the ground and, together with an earthen lump, is transferred to the planting hole. In cases where the plant has a root deeply embedded in the ground, it can be chopped off with a shovel - it is almost impossible to extract such powerful roots.
• After being placed in the planting hole, the root system of the bush is covered with earth, then the site is watered abundantly with water. The surface of the soil is covered with a layer of mulch. It is necessary to keep the soil in the area with blackberries constantly moistened before the seedlings finally take root.

Autumn blackberry transplant

You can start the autumn transplantation of blackberry bushes after harvest, at least 60 days before the predicted frost. This time is enough for the plant to adapt to new conditions and survive the winter safely. In general, an autumn transplant is no different from a spring one and includes the same steps.

The main feature of the autumn procedure is the need to take care of the shelter of plants for the winter. For this purpose, the near-stem diameter of each blackberry bush must be covered with a mulch layer. Shortly before the arrival of winter, it is recommended to build an additional shelter from spruce or pine spruce branches, or using non-woven materials.

Autumn transplanting is suitable for transplanting cuttings obtained from root shoots of blackberries. This will allow not to disturb the old bushes once again, but along the way and preserve its varietal qualities, seating the offspring. This method is not suitable for propagation of creeping blackberries, which do not form root shoots. In this case, the layering method is used.

Even in the last month of summer, shoots of blackberry bushes need to be dug in, leaving the tops on the surface.By the time of transplantation, they will begin to form independent roots - they can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a new place.

Summer blackberry transplant - pros and cons

Transplanting blackberries in the summer does not give high percentages of seedlings survival, since in hot weather, bushes dug out of the ground quickly wither and die. In order for this event to be crowned with success, the following recommendations must be followed:

• Landing should be done in the morning or evening hours, before dawn or after sunset.
• The transplant should be performed as soon as possible and immediately afterwards, a shelter from the sun should be built.
• The transplanted bushes need to be watered often and abundantly with water - at least 1 time per day.

Blackberry bush transplant: further care

Transplanted blackberry bushes do not require special care - taking care of them comes down to the usual procedures for any gardener. During the first time after transplant watering should be frequent and abundant.

With the introduction top dressing it is better to wait - they can harm the weakened root system of plants, which is most likely to receive a chemical burn. Only after the seedlings are fully grown can organic fertilizers be applied.

The rest caring for transplanted blackberry bushes is reduced to the following procedures:

• In spring and autumn, pruning blackberries and shrub formation, as well as the placement of lashes on trellises. In preparation for winter, the shoots are removed from the supporting structures, laid on the ground and covered with a layer of spruce branches or non-woven material.
• In summer, there is a high risk of gall mites attacking blackberries. You can get rid of pests by treating the bushes with insecticides, or garlic infusion.
• Towards the end of summer, when the intense heat has passed, you can spend hardening procedures. To this end, in the evenings, blackberry bushes are irrigated with slightly cool water.
• In the next season, transplanted blackberry bushes can be feed mixtures containing potassium. Top dressing is carried out in the spring, when the first buds appear.

The implementation of simple recommendations will allow you to provide the transplanted blackberry bushes with the care necessary for quick rooting in a new place.

conclusions

In general, transplanting a blackberry differs little from planting it. If agrotechnical recommendations are followed, the survival rate of seedlings will be high. The exception is old blackberry bushes, whose powerful and deeply buried roots were damaged when removed from the ground.