Triple Crown blackberries: Triple Crown of Plenty

Blackberries have long been considered a wild berry. For industrial cultivation and cultivation on personal plots, breeders develop garden varieties of blackberries. The defining requirements for cultivated varieties are: pleasant taste of berries, large fruit, adjustable yield, absence of prickly thorns on the stems for easy picking of berries. One of the best varieties that fully meets these requirements is Triple Crown.

• 2 Description of the variety
• 3 Main characteristics of Triple Crown blackberries
• 4 Features of planting and growing

  4.1 Selecting a site and planting seedlings

  4.1.1 Table: distance between blackberry seedlings depending on the type of planting

• 4.1.2 Video: planting seedlings in spring

Features of the variety

Triple Crown blackberries, a description of the variety and photos of which are currently present in many reference books on growing various crops, were bred in the late 90s. The main blackberry variety is native to America and Mexico. As a result of complex breeding work, a new type of blackberry was formed, which in translation became known as the Triple Crown.

The resulting variety has distinctive features and is therefore planned for industrial cultivation. It is unpretentious in maintenance and produces high yields. Dense foliage reliably covers the berries, which do not bake in the sun.

Blackberry Triple Crown: variety care

In areas where planting is carried out in the spring, the plant must be regularly watered a couple of times a week. In the southern regions, during autumn planting, this will not be necessary, since the rainy season begins there, and this will be quite enough for moisture.

What the yields will be depends on how densely the bushes are planted and tying. During the cultivation of the variety, it became clear that the close arrangement of the bushes to each other and the vertical arrangement of the shoots on the trellis allows one to obtain large yields. This quality distinguishes the plant from other varieties that require more space for abundant fruiting.

The trellis can be multi-row or T-shaped. Its height should be 2 meters. The lashes are tied in a vertical position, the previous year on one side, and the newly appeared ones on the other.

Good yields are only possible if blackberry bushes are fed intensively.

Watering activities should be carried out during dry periods every 7 or 14 days. How often they need to be carried out will depend on the temperature outside and how dry the ground is. Blackberries are moisture-loving, but stagnant moisture can have a bad effect on them. If you have doubts about watering, it is better to water, since dried out roots are much more dangerous for the plant.

Triple Crown garden blackberries must be fed intensively, especially when planted closely, so that they have enough nutrition when fruiting begins.

The first feeding is carried out with the onset of spring. During this period, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. When flowering begins, fertilizers should contain a complex of minerals. During the period when fruit formation occurs, it is necessary to feed the plants twice with organic matter, using infusions of cow manure or grass. In the first case, the dilution is 1 to 10, in the second, 1 to 4. As soon as the harvest is harvested, you need to feed the plant with potassium. During the entire growing season, it is necessary to spray the bushes twice a month using a careless complex and epin.

When using fertilizers, make sure that they do not contain chlorine.

Loosening is carried out in spring and autumn, and during flowering the soil must be mulched using acidic peat or humus.

Advantages and disadvantages

Triple Crown blackberries, descriptions of the variety and photos of which can be seen in many magazines, have a number of significant advantages.

They are expressed as follows:

• Large berries with good taste.
• Stable and high yield.
• Resistant to drought and prolonged heat.
• Possibility of transporting berries over long distances.
• The duration of fruiting is 10-15 years.
• High immunity to diseases.
• The harvested crop retains its quality for 10 days. In this case, the temperature must be maintained within +5 ... +7 °C.
• Light frosts at the time of flowering do not threaten the ovaries.

Like any crop, this blackberry variety has its drawbacks.

They consist of the following:

• Long branches can break off under their own weight. Therefore, they need strong supports.
• The culture does not have high winter hardiness. At a temperature of -13° it needs shelter.
• High demands on soil.
• Late fruiting in northern regions.

However, these disadvantages are minor compared to the large number of advantages.

Description and characteristics of the variety

Triple Crown appeared in 1996 in Oregon. The berry is loved by gardeners for its unique taste and lack of thorns on the shoots.

High-yielding variety of medium-late ripening. The berries are large, black, with a characteristic shine, and have an elongated round shape. The taste is sweet, with a pleasant sourness, a fruity aftertaste and a cherry aroma. Ripening occurs in mid-July - early August. The fruits ripen gradually, which allows harvesting until mid-October.

Blackberries contain 5.4% sucrose, 0.9% pectin, 0.8% organic acids. The ascorbic acid content is low, only 9.5 mg per 100 grams of berries.

The main distinguishing feature is strong, erect, thornless shoots up to 7 meters long. The bush is fast growing. The annual growth is up to 2 meters. The foliage is bright emerald in color, slightly jagged, and shaped like a currant leaf.

The yield is high; with proper care, you can harvest up to 15 kg from the bush. The berries are well transported, at a temperature of +7 degrees they do not lose their presentation throughout the week.

The Triple Crown variety is best grown in regions with warm summers and mild, snowy winters. The blackberry bush is not frost-resistant, therefore, shelter is required for the winter.

Characteristics of culture

Triple Crown blackberry, the description and photo of which give a clear idea of ​​the attractiveness of the berry, has high prospects for distribution. Already now it is grown in areas where the weather is frosty in winter. This is due to the fact that breeders are constantly working to improve the species.

Ripening period

Triple Crown blackberries are characterized by different periods of fruit ripening. Its description and photo indicate that the berries are ready faster in the southern regions with a mild climate. Flowering occurs in June.

Characteristics of blackberries of the Triple Crown variety.

Just because the fruits turn red or dark lilac in color does not mean they are ready for harvest. You need to wait until the berries turn black completely. In the southern regions this occurs by mid-summer, and in the northern territories the harvest takes place before the first frost.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

Deep roots make the plant resistant to drought. It can withstand intense summer heat for a long time. At the same time, blackberries do not tolerate frost well. This should be taken into account when planting it. If the climate is not suitable for it, then in winter it is necessary to take care of reliable shelter for the bush.

Appearance of plant and fruit

The Triple Crown blackberry grows as a bush. Some branches spread along the ground, while others stretch upward. The length of the shoots in the first year can reach 2 m. Subsequently, the branches grow up to 3 m.

Their characteristic feature is the absence of thorns on the surface, which greatly facilitates harvesting.

Each of the branches is dotted with bright and large leaves. They shelter growing fruits from direct sunlight and various other unfavorable factors. The foliage has an elongated shape. The wider part is at the base. There is a narrowing in the upper part. There are large notches on the edges.

Fruits form on the branches. They gather in clusters and hang like bunches of grapes. At first, the berries are covered with a red color, and during the ripening period they acquire a black tint. Each of them weighs on average 8-9 g. They are oval in shape and contain small seeds. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste. When consumed, a plum or cherry aftertaste remains in the mouth.

The juicy pulp contains fiber, carbohydrates, microelements and vitamins A, C, E, B. Blackberries are consumed fresh. It is also added to compotes and jam is made from it.

Productivity

Triple Crown blackberry (the description and photo characterize it as a high-yielding plant, which is true) produces a particularly rich harvest in areas well lit by sunlight. There will be fewer berries on branches located in the shade. If the crop has been provided with good care, then from 10 to 15 kg of crop can be harvested from one bush.

Main characteristics of the Triple Crown blackberry

According to the agrotechnical classification, blackberries belong to the Rosaceae family, the raspberry genus, and the blackberry subgenus. A comparative analysis of raspberry and blackberry varieties allows us to conclude: with similar indicators, the yield of the latter is 2–3 times higher. The harvested crop does not lose its presentation and quality of berries for 7–10 days at a storage temperature of +5 to +7 ºС. This allows the crop to be transported over several days and over long distances. The growing season of plants is also of certain importance. The risk of damage to peduncles by spring frosts is minimal, since blackberries bloom later than raspberries.

For growing Triple Crown blackberry seedlings, areas with a temperate climate are most suitable, i.e., warm, long summers and mild, snowy winters. These plants belong to the summer fruiting type, so in most regions of Russia they need protection from the unfavorable factors of the autumn-winter period. To guarantee a good overwintering, it is necessary to create conditions in advance for the plant to timely pass through critical phases of development. An important role is played by the correct choice of place for growing blackberries, quality indicators of soil composition, rational use of fertilizers, and regular watering.

In the northern regions of Russia, where there is a risk of the berries of the Triple Crown variety not ripening, there are subtleties when pruning plants in spring: leave only the strongest, most viable stems, and cut out replacement shoots to the maximum. In this case, the harvest will not be as abundant, but the blackberries will ripen sooner, before the first winter cold.

Important: before the onset of the first frost, blackberry shoots must be ripe and completely healthy, and the root system must be well developed.

Blackberries of the Triple Crown variety have a number of undoubted advantages:

• large sweet berries of high quality;
• the ability to maintain presentation during long-term storage and transportation;
• the ripening period of the crop is long (from 2 to 3 months, it depends on the growing region), while the size of the berries is the same throughout the entire fruiting period;
• plants are resistant to diseases and are not affected by pests;
• in summer, at high air temperatures, the berries do not dry out, but in case of extreme heat they require shading;
• undemanding to soil quality - plants develop well in any type of soil, provided there is sufficient watering and fertilization;
• serves as a real decoration of the garden: in spring, blackberry bushes are covered with large white or light pink flowers, in summer and autumn - with spectacular, shiny black and dark red berries;
• the absence of thorns on the branches facilitates mass harvesting, so the cultivation of blackberries can be of industrial importance.

For all its advantages, the Triple Crown variety also has some disadvantages:

• insufficient winter hardiness of the bushes - in the northern regions, with the early onset of autumn cold, the crop sometimes does not have time to ripen in full;
• the need to cover plants for the winter - in the fall, shoots are removed from their support before frost sets in and covered with protective material.

Blackberry production is so technologically advanced and profitable that over the past 15 years it has significantly replaced raspberries in many producing countries.
Dynamic growth in blackberry acreage is observed in Spain, Ireland, France, Hungary, Bulgaria and Poland. And Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro even started producing wine from its berries. V.V.
Yakimov, experienced gardener, Samara Magazine “Gardens of Russia”, No. 2, February 2011

Features of planting and growing

Before landing Triple Crown, you need to choose the right place. In order for the berries to grow sweet, it must be well lit. If the bush is planted in the shade, the fruits will have a sour taste. The place can be located on a flat area or a slight slope. In this case, low areas where water can stagnate should be avoided. Also, cold winds and drafts have a negative impact on the development of culture.

Soil and planting algorithm

Berry grows best in loamy soils of medium acidity. A large amount of organic matter increases crop productivity. It is desirable that the humus layer be at least 25 cm high. Increased soil moisture can affect the root system of the bush due to strong cooling in autumn and spring.

Blackberries can be planted in spring and autumn. For the southern regions, the best option is to use autumn time. This is due to the fact that stable and cool weather contributes to the growth of the root system of the crop. In the future, it tolerates winter cold well. In spring, the bush wakes up and begins to grow green mass.

Spring planting is carried out in the northern regions, when the ambient temperature rises to +15 ... +20 ° C. In this case, the development of the root system occurs more slowly.

Planting Triple Crown blackberries begins with selecting a seedling. It should have a developed root system up to 10 cm long and 2-3 stems. The plant is purchased along with a damp ball of earth. There should be no wrinkles on the spines.

Their presence indicates that this specimen was dug up a long time ago and there may be problems with its rooting. Also, the purchased seedling must have growth buds.

Immediately before planting, each root is cut off and these places are treated with charcoal. A hole measuring 40x40x40 cm is dug in the selected location. This is done 2-3 weeks before planting.

Chernozem is prepared, which includes the following components:

• humus - 5–7 kg;
• superphosphate - 120 g;
• potassium sulfate 40 g.

The distance between bushes should be 2-2.5 m.

The procedure for planting a seedling consists of the following steps:

1. The dug hole is filled to 1/3 of the entire height with the prepared mixture.
2. A bucket of water is poured from above.
3. After absorbing the liquid, the prepared seedling is installed vertically in the center of the hole. In this case, the entire root system must be straightened out.
4. The remaining prepared black soil is poured into the ground. In this case, you need to make sure that the neck protrudes above the surface by 3-4 cm.
5. The planted plant is watered abundantly with water in the amount of 5-6 buckets.

To prevent the soil layer from becoming crusty, the soil near the seedling is mulched. Peat, sawdust or rotted manure are used for this. If you plan to plant blackberries in rows, then leave a space of up to 3 meters between them.

Trimming

In 1 and 2 years after planting, blackberries need formative pruning.

It consists of the following:

• As soon as the first inflorescences begin to bloom, they must be removed, since they interfere with the development of the root system. As a result, due to slow rooting, the culture stops growing.
• After 2 years, all formed shoots are shortened to a length of up to 2 m. This procedure must be performed before sap flow begins. In the spring, you need to remove shoots that could not survive the winter.

In an adult bush, pruning is carried out constantly throughout the year:

• In the spring. During this period of time, shoots that have frozen in winter are removed from the bush. In addition, the plant is thinned out. The number of remaining branches should be no more than 8-12 pieces. This increases the size of the fruit and shortens its ripening period.
• In summer. Starting in June, the plant is covered with young shoots that lack fruit. They take away a lot of nutrients. Of all the shoots, the 5 strongest ones are selected and left for fruiting the next year. All the rest are cut off at the very foundation. This removal of young animals is done twice in the summer.
• In autumn. After fruiting ends, the oldest branches are removed. There should be about 12 strong shoots left on the bush.

A harvest appears on any branch only after 2 years. Therefore, the number of shoots must be such that the root system can provide nutrition to the ripening fruits.

Care

The Triple Crown root system is deep, which ensures the crop's resistance to drought. In the absence of rain, the plant is watered at least 2 times during the week. The volume of water used during this period can be 8-10 buckets.

This is especially necessary during fruit ripening and in hot weather. To prevent a crust from forming on the surface of the chernozem, the soil, after moistening, is loosened to a depth of 10 cm. In autumn, when there is a large amount of precipitation, watering may not be carried out.

Long blackberry branches need staking. This is done using trellises.

They are made as follows:

• Pillars 2.2-2.5 m high are rolled into the ground to a depth of 60 cm. The distance between them can be 1.5-2 m.
• Regular bolts are welded to them in increments of 40 cm. Their number on each pillar can reach 5-6 units.
• A wire with a diameter of 4 mm is taken and wound onto welded fasteners.
• The shoots are sent along the stretched wire and tied to it with ropes.

The process of growing blackberries is influenced by fertilizers. Subcortexing is carried out exclusively after the soil has been moistened. For this purpose, mineral and organic substances are used. Some of them are paid annually, others every 3-4 years. The table shows the rules for fertilizing the crop.

Fertilizers are applied every few years in the fall after harvesting before wintering.

Diseases and pests

Triple Crown blackberries are rarely affected by pests. However, at times this happens and not in all cases the plant can be saved. Possible diseases of the bush are presented in the table.

Blackberries can also be attacked by aphids. It is located on young shoots and looks like green insects. To get rid of such pests, you need to spray the bush with the prepared solution. To do this, add 200 g of tobacco dust to a bucket of water and add 50 g of laundry soap.

Wintering

Triple Crown blackberries are a crop with low frost resistance. In winter, bushes need shelter. In the fall, before the temperature drops to negative levels, supports are removed from under the bush, dry and diseased branches are pruned, and the rest are bent to the soil. Using a rope, they are tied into bundles, and then grabbed to the ground with a metal bracket.

To prevent the branch from breaking when tilted, a load has been attached to it since the summer. As a result, the shoot is constantly in a bent position and gets used to this state. A shelter is placed on top.

They can serve:

• hay;
• plant tops;
• roofing felt;
• polyethylene;
• sawdust;
• humus;
• peat.

Cannot be used to cover foliage from fruit trees. The reason is that they may contain microorganisms that penetrate the root system of the plant over the winter.

If opportunity allows, you can dig small trenches to cover the shoots. Their depth is 10 cm. The branches are placed in the prepared recesses and sprinkled with earth. There is insulating material on top. All this work must be carried out before the first frost. The most dangerous period for the plant is the snowless beginning of winter.

Harvesting

Depending on the region, gradual ripening of the fruits is observed. Often this process is wave-like, which extends the harvest over several months. This period can last from the beginning of July until the first days of September.

Storage

Triple Crown blackberries are a berry that does not have a long shelf life. The reason is its softness. It cannot lie for a long time and quickly wrinkles under mechanical stress.

Usually the fruits are stored in small containers that are placed in a cool place. To maintain a temperature of +3 ... +5°, the best option is a refrigerator. Since fruit ripening occurs unevenly, the harvest is harvested gradually. A small batch of berries is easier to sell or freeze.

Harvesting and transportation, keeping quality of berries

Considering that the fruiting of this variety is extended, the harvest is harvested gradually. They begin to pick berries in the last days of July and continue until the first frost. It is necessary to pick berries in dry, sunny weather. The containers with the harvest are not filled tightly. It is advisable to remove the collected berries to a cool place as quickly as possible.

After harvesting, you should sort through the fruits, discarding those that are crushed or moldy. For transportation or long-term storage of fresh berries, it is necessary to pick the dense fruits along with the stalk. Berries cannot be washed. Fresh blackberries will keep in the refrigerator for about three weeks.

Blackberries can be frozen:

1. The berries are filled with water for 10 minutes.
2. Wash and dry. Separated from the stalks.
3. You need to do quick freezing - the fruits are laid out in one layer on a flat surface and sent to the freezer.
4. After 5–6 hours, the berries are taken out, transferred to a container or plastic bag for further storage and sent back to the chamber.
5. In this way, all blackberries intended for this purpose are frozen.

Frozen berries can be stored for up to 24 months.
You can increase the shelf life and at the same time preserve the beneficial properties by drying the berries:

1. The fruits are prepared in the same way as for freezing.
2. Then they are laid out on a baking sheet in one layer and dried in the oven at 40°C, gradually increasing the temperature to 60°C.
3. The oven door must be opened slightly.

The shelf life of such berries is 36 months. It is not for nothing that the Triple Crown blackberry occupies a leading position in the personal plots of our compatriots: it is tasty, its fruits are of considerable size, and the shrubs are not picky in growing.

You will be interested to know the difference between black raspberries and blackberries.

The berries do not spoil in the sun, even in very hot summers, and you can help the plantings survive the winter by simply covering the bushes. With minimal care, you can grow a fairly good harvest and decorate your garden plot with beautiful shrubs.

Growing regions

Triple Crown blackberries are better suited for fruiting in mild climates. Regions where winter temperatures drop below - 13° are not suitable for such a crop.

The variety is grown in Ukraine and the central part of Russia, where there are no severe frosts in winter. However, even in such regions, bushes often need shelter due to their low winter hardiness. In addition, in the northern regions there is a risk that the crop will not ripen.

History of selection

The variety was bred at the end of the last century, in 1996. The Northeast Zonal Research Center from Maryland and the Pacific Western Agricultural Research Station from Oregon took part in the selection. Black Magic and Columbia Star were chosen as parent species. Triple Crown previously underwent a series of studies over eight years and only after that it entered the market.

Reproduction methods

The best option for propagating Triple Crown blackberries is the vegetative method. To do this, in the spring, the one-year-old run bows to the ground and is covered with soil. The layer of upper chernozem should be within 3-5 cm. During the season, this place should be well watered.

By autumn, the sprinkled branch will sprout its first roots. However, they will still be weak, so it is not worth separating the shoot from the mother bush. Only next spring it is pruned and it begins to exist independently. Another method of propagation is cuttings. This option is more complex.

It consists of steps:

1. At the end of spring or beginning of summer, branches with a diameter of at least 1 cm and a length of about 30 cm are cut from the bush.
2. Root formation simulators Kornevin or Heteroauxin are dissolved in water and cut shoots are placed there for 12 hours.
3. Containers with the mixture are prepared. It consists of equal proportions of peat and sand. The cuttings are placed in containers so that the buds remain on the surface.
4. At first, the containers can be kept outdoors or in a greenhouse. For the winter they are moved to the basement.

Planting of seedlings in a permanent place occurs in the spring.

About diseases and pests

Thornless blackberry

Triple Crown is attractive to summer residents due to its resistance to disease, but this variety is sometimes attacked by bacteria and fungi. The most common diseases for Triple Crown:

• Phragmidium ruby ​​is a fungal infection also called rust; yellow spores first cover the foliage, then quickly spread throughout the plant; on buds and shoots, mature spores look like black dots;
• Septoria - bacteria infect shoots, changing the color of the bark on them; the stems crack, the buds fall off; if the fruits have already set, they stop developing and do not ripen.

Diseased bush

These problems are eliminated at the initial stage of development so as not to completely lose the berry plant. To treat the bushes, use an infusion of garlic or milkweed (200 g per 2 liters of water). The solution is infused for a day, then filtered. Since the infusion turns out to be concentrated, it must be further diluted in a ratio of one to twenty and only then sprayed on the plants.

Where to buy, how much it costs

Triple Crown blackberries are bought in nurseries. Their price is 250-350 rubles. When making a wholesale purchase, the cost of seedlings is reduced to 90-100 rubles. Orders can be made by phone on the websites. Payment is made by card. If necessary, courier delivery can be arranged.

Triple Crown blackberries are a crop that is gradually covering larger areas. By studying the description and photo of the bush, you can clearly imagine how to care for the plant. This is especially true for the central and northern regions.

Proper planting of blackberries

With proper planting and care, the average lifespan of Triple Crown blackberries is 13 years. During this time, the roots grow greatly, which should be taken into account when preparing the planting hole. Its width should be at least 60 cm. The soil is mixed with humus and wood ash, then the mixture is divided into equal piles. One of them is combined with complex mineral fertilizer and placed at the bottom of the pit. You need to pour a small layer of earth on top so that the root system of the seedling does not come into contact with the fertilizer ahead of time. Then the Triple Crown blackberry is placed in the hole so that the root collar is superficial. The roots are straightened and covered with the remaining soil. The soil around the tree trunk is rolled and watered abundantly. The shoots are cut off, leaving stumps 10 cm high. The soil around the plant is mulched with sawdust or rotted compost. If several plants are planted, the distance between adjacent bushes should be 1.5-2.0 m.

Rules of care

Blackberries require the same manipulations from the gardener as other plants. Namely, it is necessary to regularly water and fertilize it, change the layer of mulch and do formative pruning. It is also necessary to pay close attention to preparing for winter.

Watering

Watering is especially necessary during the period of plant growth, as well as at the time of fruit ripening. Thus, if it is very hot and there is no precipitation for a long time, you should water the plant about 2 times every 7 days. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil.

It is also necessary to carry out the loosening procedure at the end of summer and before the winter period, since loose soil will protect the roots from severe frosts.

Feeding and formation

During the period of active plant growth, at the beginning of the blackberry growing season, nitrogen-containing preparations should be added to stimulate the growth of green mass. In this case, dry ammonium nitrate powder is dug up to a depth of about 10 cm. After 5 years, it is necessary to add complex mineral preparations, which will consist of humus, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. For preventative purposes, it is very useful to spray the plant with a weak solution of Bordeaux mixture, since it is an excellent remedy against various diseases and insect pests.

Also, as the plant grows and develops, it is necessary to periodically prune the bush. The inflorescences that form in the first year of the plant’s life should be trimmed so that the root system is better strengthened and adapted. Next, next year it is necessary to cut off all the stems so that the height of the plant does not exceed 2 m. It is best to carry out pruning in early spring. In addition, at the beginning of spring, all dry, damaged and frozen branches are removed.

In mid-summer it is better to do thinning pruning and remove unnecessary growth. In this case, no more than 5 healthy sparse stems are left, and all tops are also pruned at a distance of 2 meters. It is also necessary to remove all fruit-bearing stems, since blackberries will form berries only on fresh shoots.

Preparing for winter

As described above, blackberries are not highly resistant to frost, so they need to be carefully covered before winter. Thus, when the air temperature has already begun to drop below zero, then it is necessary to remove the branches from the support and press them to the ground. You can use staples or clamps. In this case, some branches may break off. To prevent this from happening, in the summer you can arrange some kind of weighting on the top of the stem so that it gradually presses down on itself

to the ground. Next, the plants are covered with tops, hay, spruce branches, sawdust, humus, peat, film or roofing felt.

You should be careful when covering with foliage, since various insect larvae can overwinter in it - pests that will attack the plant with the arrival of spring. It is best if there is a large amount of snow in winter, since the snow will protect the plants from frost.

How to ensure high productivity?

Gardeners often consider blackberries to be a barren bush with tasteless berries. But this is not always the case, you just need to properly care for the plant.

Description of the blackberry Triple Crown in terms of agricultural technology is somewhat reminiscent of that of raspberries. All shoots are divided into:

• fruit-bearing;
• replacement (grow in May and bear fruit the following year).

They try to make replacement shoots horizontal. In this case, they are easy to cover before the onset of cold weather. Fruiting branches are tied to a trellis.

Replacement branches grow upward; it is difficult to simply bend them down in the fall. Therefore, when the branch is 30-50 cm long, it is tilted and attached to the ground with a hook. Then you can pinch the growing point.

After the harvest is harvested, the fruiting branches are removed.

Snow will best protect all laid shoots. But if frost sets in and the snow never falls, it is necessary to cover it with non-woven material or organic matter. Cardboard and polyethylene are also suitable.

Blackberries are not susceptible to diseases and parasites. Viral diseases occur, but they do not reduce the yield level.

How to prepare blackberries for wintering

In the autumn season, shrubs prepare for the long winter season.

First, the bushes are pruned. The shoots that bear fruit are pruned. Shoots that are diseased or attacked by harmful insects are cut off at the root, leaving no stumps.

Weak, thin green sprouts are trimmed.

Young branches remaining for the winter are left with three quarters of their length.

After pruning, seven powerful young lashes remain. Then all remnants of vegetation and a layer of mulch are removed from the soil and burned outside the garden area.

The soil is loosened, humus and potassium are added, and watering is carried out. Mulching is carried out with a thicker layer. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture

If sudden changes in temperature conditions are predicted, the shoots are removed from the trellises, carefully bent down to the ground and covered

Further care

To properly care for daffodils, you need to follow the watering and fertilizing regime. You can protect plants from diseases while preparing the bulbs for planting.

Watering and fertilizing

Moisture-loving daffodils are watered abundantly, but protected from dampness. 20 liters of water are poured per square meter of land. Watered beds are loosened so that moisture is evenly absorbed and oxygen reaches the roots. After flowering, plants are watered for 15 days. Then watering is stopped.

Fertilizing is applied three times a year:

• in spring, after germination;
• at the stage of bud formation;
• after flowering.

In spring and summer, flowers are fed with complex fertilizer. Sprouts require 30 grams per square meter, buds - 20 grams. In autumn, plants need potassium and phosphorus in a 1:2 ratio. 50 grams of mixture are consumed per square meter of beds. After applying fertilizers, the soil is watered and loosened.

Loosening the soil and removing weeds

The soil is loosened after watering and fertilizing. The bulbs are located close to the surface. The optimal loosening depth is 3-4 centimeters. Weeding and loosening prevent the appearance of parasitic insects in the beds. To prevent weeds from appearing in the flowerbed, it is better to cover the ground with a layer of mulch.

Insect protection

Daffodils attract mole crickets, daffodil flies, and root mites.

How to deal with pests:

• warm the bulbs before planting in water at a temperature of 43 degrees;
• Fufanon solution 2% is effective against narcissus flies;
• During the period when buds appear, flowers are treated with Fitoverm.

Plants are sprayed against nematodes with Nemaphos and Carbation.

Diseases of culture

Daffodils suffer from fungal diseases:

• fusarium - starts from the bulb and rises through the plant, a light pink coating appears;
• botrytis - recognized by a gray coating on the back of the basal leaves;
• penicillosis - develops in small bulbs at high humidity, as a result they do not germinate.

Less commonly, daffodils catch viruses - yellow streak, ring spot, mosaic. The plant is withering and cannot be saved. The bush must be removed from the garden before the disease covers the entire flower garden.

Preventive measures are taken against fungus:

• treat the bulbs with potassium permanganate before winter storage and planting;
• sprouts sprouted in open ground are disinfected with Bordeaux mixture.

To protect plants from viruses, you need to fight their vectors - garden pests, cicadas, whiteflies, nematodes and mites.

Transfer

Daffodils grow in one place for 5 years. A strongly overgrown bush with small flowers is a sign of children formed on the bulb. The plant is replanted after flowering:

• dig up the bulb after the stem has fallen;
• children are separated;
• transplanted to another place.

Small daughter bulbs are freed from remaining stems and husks, disinfected in a manganese solution, dried and sent to a cool place for 2 months. The storage temperature of daffodil bulbs should not exceed 17 degrees. The onions are laid out on a flat surface in one layer so that they do not touch each other.

One mother bulb produces up to 4 daughter bulbs. Small bulbs usually separate easily from the base. If they had to be broken off, the broken areas are sprinkled with wood ash.

Principles of proper wintering of daffodils

Bulbs that remain in the ground for the winter are covered with mulch or special material. The soil is slightly loosened and peat, ash, and straw are placed on top. The thickness of the mulch layer is 15 centimeters. The bulbs are covered with agrofibre at the first frost. The organic and hard coating is removed in the spring, after the last thaw. The second way to overwinter plants is in a cool cellar. They are dug up after the stems have dried, kept in manganese, dried and laid out on a flat tray.