Thornless Blackberry Question (how do they grow?)

[root*children]

We got a lil' shoot with roots from a seed swap and planted it in compost/peat moss/our soil mixed. Just wondering exactly *how* it's going to grow? As in, will it multiply by itself, or should we be planting a bunch of them? Thanks!

[FarmerCathy]

I bought one and planted it at the farm, but it hasn't grown very big yet. I'm not sure how they multiply, maybe more like a raspberry. I know they are not supposed to be invasive. I hope someone can answer your questions.

[adtake]

So sorry to butt in on the tread..but I saw the title and my first thought was....was the heck is a Thornless Blackberry... Then I read diggin in the earth. Hit myself in the forhead...Blackberry BUSH, not the electronic Blackberry. Oh a sign of the times!!

[superstella]

Originally Posted by adtake

So sorry to butt in on the tread..but I saw the title and my first thought was....was the heck is a Thornless Blackberry... Then I read diggin in the earth. Hit myself in the forhead...Blackberry BUSH, not the electronic Blackberry. Oh a sign of the times!!

I did the same thing.

Now back to the original question. I have no idea. My blackberries multiplied a whole, whole bunch up the hillside and I now have a whole hillside full. Not that I'm complaining, just saying. THey're not thornless though.

[aschmied]

Oh, they're invasive, all right. We have some in a narrow planting bed, and they keep trying to jump ship. They grow long canes, and the tips grow roots.

[FarmerCathy]

Hmmm... Does it take them awhile to be invasive?

[purplegirl]

I was wanting to plant some this year but was going to do it in a container. Does that even make sense?

[tanyalynn]

I was wanting to plant some this year but was going to do it in a container. Does that even make sense?

I don't know if it will work, but I hope to try it this year. Seems like it _should_ be the perfect solution to the spreading problem.

[purplegirl]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

I don't know if it will work, but I hope to try it this year. Seems like it _should_ be the perfect solution to the spreading problem.

that's kinda what i was thinking too. let me know how you make out and i will do the same

[tanyalynn]

Will do.

[cristeen]

Cane berries can easily find their way out of drainage holes in pots. They can eventually crack ceramic pots, and if you let a cane lie on the ground it will root. Cane berries can develop roots at any point along the cane and easily multiply this way. They can also send out their roots as runners. If you're pulling cane berries and chop the roots in the ground, you'll get dozens of new canes instead of the 1 you had before.

Read up on the proper pruning of cane berries, and be sure to give it support (a trellis, a fence, etc.). It's also wise to keep it away from property lines, so your neighbors don't hunt you down when it invades their property.

Raised beds are good, especially if you carefully line them with garden cloth or something similar that the roots can't tunnel through.

They really don't take that much care, around here blackberries are commonly wild, they seem to thrive on neglect. Give it a few years and you should have a good crop.

[purplegirl]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Cane berries can easily find their way out of drainage holes in pots. They can eventually crack ceramic pots, and if you let a cane lie on the ground it will root. Cane berries can develop roots at any point along the cane and easily multiply this way. They can also send out their roots as runners. If you're pulling cane berries and chop the roots in the ground, you'll get dozens of new canes instead of the 1 you had before.

Read up on the proper pruning of cane berries, and be sure to give it support (a trellis, a fence, etc.). It's also wise to keep it away from property lines, so your neighbors don't hunt you down when it invades their property.

Raised beds are good, especially if you carefully line them with garden cloth or something similar that the roots can't tunnel through.

They really don't take that much care, around here blackberries are commonly wild, they seem to thrive on neglect. Give it a few years and you should have a good crop.

Ahh, thank you so much for that. TanyaLopez did u see this post?

[tanyalynn]

Yeah, I just got back to this thread. I have some big plastic pots that haven't moved in ages, so I'm not even sure what type of drainage holes they may have--they're about 2 feet tall, so I don't think I've ever planted anything in them that has had roots that long. But something to think about and do a bit more planning. My parents think I'm nuts for considering deliberately planting blackberries--they grow wild (as nuisance plants) where my parents live. But I want to eat blackberries!

[garden-gal]

We got a lil' shoot with roots from a seed swap and planted it in compost/peat moss/our soil mixed. Just wondering exactly *how* it's going to grow? As in, will it multiply by itself, or should we be planting a bunch of them? Thanks!

If you're looking to increase the amount of blackberry plants in as little time as possible, let the cane grow to full length this year. Bend the cane over in the Fall and cover as many buds as possible with about an inch or two of dirt over the cane. Stake the cane to prevent it from pulling back out of the soil. In Spring, you should be able to pull lightly on the cane and feel resistance from the portion that is under the soil. This will mean that roots have formed at points along the cane. If you dig the soil back lightly around the underground portion, you will see where the roots have formed. You can cut in between the sets of roots and each new plant will develop and form shoots from the roots it has already formed. Some argue that thornless blackberries lack the sweetness and flavor of blackberries with thorns. We grow Triple Crown thornless blackberries and they are full of flavor and sweetness and reproduce fairly well left on their own.