- Botanical Name
- Blackberries: Rubus fruticosis. Loganberry: R. loganobaccus. Raspberries: R. idaeus x R. hybrids. Tayberries: R. fruticosus x ideaus.
- Plant Type
- Semi evergreen
- Size (HxW)
- 150-250+cm x 150- 180cm
- Depth & Spacing
- Plant 10-15cm deep and space 150-180 cm apart, Boysenberries 250cm apart. Provide them with a trellis to grow on. Raspberries only need one or two support wires, while the heavier brambleberries are better with two or three. A good structure will provide you with good crops. The posts need to be strong enough to tension the wires, and around 2m tall. If you run a wire on both sides of your posts you can tuck rather than tie your canes which makes it easy. Rows should be 30-40cm apart.
- Soil
- Well drained, moderately fertile humus rich soil is ideal.
- Aspect
- Full sun to light shade. Face your rows north to south, this will give them more sun. If possible, shelter from the hot afternoon sun and drying winds. Frost: Hardy
- Climate
- Cool to Mediterranean – better fruit with cold winters. Water: Water to establish then keep moist in flower and fruit. If you let them dry out while they are flowering or fruiting you will have a poor harvest.
- Fertiliser
- They are gross feeders, apply a well balanced fertiliser when the plant is in flower and fruit. An equal mixture of potash and blood and bone (adding a manure will help to mulch too) is ideal. Add a compost mulch in autumn and straw in summer.
- Harvest
- Summer to autumn. Don’t expect much in the first year, they take a season to settle in and establish roots.
- After Flower Care
- Young plants will produce a lot of canes, initially thin them out to around ten per plant. Blackberries, Boysenberries and Youngberries: Top prune in summer to encourage branching. Prune out old canes in winter to promote healthy growth. Tie the remaining canes loosely to the trellis wire.
- Loganberries
- In winter, remove the weak and dead canes off at the ground that have already produced fruit. Leave around ten, strong growing, mature canes for next season’s crop. An old tip is to identify the canes that need pruning at the top of the stem, cut them half way down, then once you are at ground level, they are easier to identify.
- Tayberries
- Water well in their first year to establish. Best supported on wires (the fruit is abundant and heavy), each plant will grow into a space of around 4 sq m. Ripe berries can be eaten from the bush and will store a day or two. They can be frozen too.
- Raspberries
- Raspberries tend to renew themselves. If you plant them in a row, they will shoot from the crown. Remember they are heavy feeders so lots of well composted manures and blood and bone are good. ‘Autumn Bliss’: After you have harvested the last fruit, cut the stems to the ground, they grow and fruit in one season so you don’t need to do any fancy pruning. They are known as Primo Cane varieties. ‘Chilcotin’, Tayberries and ‘Heritage’ will also flower on first year canes. ‘Heritage’: An ever bearing variety so choose which pruning method you would like based on when you would like to harvest your fruits.
- Notes
- Mulch for water retention and to keep the soil free of weeds. During fruiting, use nets to protect from birds. If you are growing them in pots it is a good idea to re-pot annually with fresh potting mix. Raspberries don’t like to be exposed to wind so give them some protection. No pruning required in the first year unless there is a dead or diseased branch. Pests such as aphids, thrips and caterpillars can be controlled by hand or with a pyrethrum based insecticide Yates Bug Gun is a low toxic insecticide. Should any fungal diseases affect the plants, spray with a suitable fungicide – there are lots of home recipes on the internet or in the neighbourhood!
Thornless Blackberry
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Thornless Blackberry
Thornless Blackberry
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