Blackberry is a bushy, tall plant. Growing it on a trellis structure will allow you to organize an aesthetic decoration in the garden, and will also simplify the care of the crop. Before you make a support for blackberries with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with all the nuances of breeding this representative of the flora.
Brief overview of the article
- Purpose of blackberry trellis
- Variations of support structures
- Single strip trellis
- Two-way model
- T-shaped support
- V-shaped support
- Y-shaped support
- Other types of blackberry trellises
- Reversible trellis
- Pergola
- Arch
- Necessary tools
- Wooden
- Metal
- Made from polypropylene pipes
- Procedure for erecting a trellis
- How to properly tie blackberries
- Photo trellis for blackberries
Purpose of blackberry trellis
There are many benefits to tying blackberries to a support. Trellis:
- protects the berries from dirt and pests;
- will provide good ventilation;
- will reduce the risk of fungus;
- will create uniform lighting for the bush;
- will facilitate the implementation of agrotechnical practices;
- will simplify harvesting and increase yield.
Garter will cause blackberry seedlings to occupy limited space. In other words, a trellis structure will provide an opportunity to save space and properly organize the garden area.
Features and techniques of tying vines to a support
When gartering a grape bush, you need to consider the following:
- During work, it is forbidden to bend the branches excessively, so as not to block the access of nutrients to them.
- To tie the vine, it is recommended to use a special wire rope covered with paper.
- To properly tie the bush to the support, you need to pass the garter flagellum in a figure eight. This way the branches will not be damaged by the wire.
- For grapes with buds, laying in an arc or horizontally is necessary.
It can also be used when growing other plants, for example, raspberries and climbing flowers. Therefore, it is useful to master the skills of creating it in artisanal conditions.
Single strip trellis
An ideal solution if you grow only a few blackberries. This structure consists of pillars and wire stretched between them. Most often, a location from south to north is chosen for it (to maximize lighting).
Pros: the ability to quickly erect, no need to use complex tools and hard-to-find materials. A single-strip trellis can be fan-shaped, free, inclined, horizontal, or vertical flat.
Trellis with one strip for tying
All that will be needed to create such a support for blackberries with your own hands is reinforcement from one and a half to two meters long and a lot of wire. It is more suitable for tying single bushes, since it will be very difficult to tie whole seedlings.
The essence of the design is two spacers; choose the distance between them according to the number of bushes in the row. The height above the ground should be a little more than a meter. The branches are spread in different directions and secured.
There can be several rows - from one to three, depending on how high the shoots of the plant grow.
Two-way model
In terms of design and dimensions, this option is similar to the previous one. The difference lies in the design being equipped with two strips for attaching lashes. Here they begin to stretch the ropes from a height of 0.5 m from the ground level, placing them parallel.
Similarly, a second row of ropes is placed at a height of two meters. Two-strip trellises can look like the Latin letters “T”, “V”, “S”.
What are the differences between blackberry varieties?
Everything you need to know about this noble plant: briefly, succinctly and to the point - pruning blackberries of various types, optimal rationing and types of bush shaping, mounting on a trellis. But first, let’s figure out how the types of culture differ and what are the features of care.
- Straight-growing brambles reach 3 m and above, there are many replacement shoots growing from the rhizome, like raspberries, which bear fruit on two-year-old shoots. They reproduce by green and lignified root suckers and cuttings.
- Dewberries have long vines with many fruit branches that do not produce root shoots - this is the main difference between most varieties. They form replacement shoots growing from the rhizome. Mainly propagated by tips - pulps, cuttings. Root suckers are formed only as a result of damage to the mother root during digging, which is sometimes practiced for propagation. Reproduction of creeping - by rooting the tops and green cuttings.
T-shaped support
It is erected from vertical posts connected to each other by horizontal crossbars through which wire is pulled. The standard height of the racks is 2 m. Crossbars, if there are several of them, are placed at 0.5, 1 and 1.5 meters from ground level.
Basic requirements for planting on a trellis
When growing separately located bushes, it is quite enough to leave an interval between plants of at least 2 m with the obligatory installation of a support nearby.
It is more convenient to plant even 2 bushes under a common trellis, not to mention the need to install trellises for growing berries on an industrial scale.
Support structures (permanent or collapsible) are installed at the site preparation stage, which includes planting the soil, applying fertilizers, preparing planting holes and rigidly installing supports for trellises:
Blackberries painfully tolerate waterlogging of the soil and at the same time bear little fruit in areas that are too dry, therefore:
Y-shaped support
It can be stationary and mobile. It is considered the most difficult to construct and the most convenient to use. It consists of a pair of inclined posts rigidly fixed at a height of 1 m. Moreover, a hinged connection is also acceptable.
It is also worth saying a few words about the rotary trellis. It is especially widespread among farmers, since it allows them to grow blackberries in the northern regions, where climatic conditions are quite harsh.
It is usually used to make it easier to prepare the plant for winter, because thanks to the design solution, such a support can be laid directly on the bed with bushes tied to it. All that remains is to organize a shelter.
Advantage of using the design
The use of trellis structures has many advantages:
- ripe berries are not contaminated or damaged by pests living on the soil;
- the plant is well ventilated, which reduces the likelihood of fungal disease;
- raised lashes do not get dirty on soil particles during rain or irrigation;
- uniform penetration of sunlight accelerates the ripening of berries.
Also, such designs facilitate the process of caring for the plant:
- it is easier to irrigate plantings, it becomes possible to mulch the soil;
- when pruning old lashes, young shoots are not damaged, since they are not intertwined;
- It is easier to harvest on tied structures.
Arch
Using an arch, you can organize an impressive-looking row of blackberry bushes or an unusual gazebo. The branches are attached parallel to each other, which ensures that each shoot receives the same amount of light. The width of the arched structure can be any, but the length is usually 3 m.
Wooden
Wooden structures are usually used in confined spaces. Their advantages include stability and the ability to withstand considerable tensile force. The downside is the susceptibility to rotting.
Selecting the type of trellis, calculating the material and tools
For creeping blackberry bushes, any type of trellis is suitable; for upright ones, one- and two-cavity ones (except for the reverse one), since their shoots are not so flexible. But it is best to construct a simple three-level, two-cavity support, which is considered universal and suitable for different varieties.
Tools for constructing trellises will be required:
To create a frame you can use:
- tree;
- polypropylene pipes;
- metal;
- wire or twine.
Tree
Wooden piles are most often used in small areas. They are quite stable and can withstand high tensile forces, but are subject to rotting processes too quickly (especially the part that is in the ground).
Procedure for erecting a trellis
To make a trellis for a blackberry bush, you need:
- Dig holes along the blackberry bed, keeping a distance of 5 m. The optimal depth is 0.8 m.
- Lay out the bottom of the holes with a gravel or crushed stone layer at least 15 cm thick.
- Treat the lower parts of the supports with bitumen mastic. Place the posts in the holes. Level them in height, cover them with soil and compact them. The height of the structure after construction will be 170 cm.
- Stretch the wire in 3 - 4 tiers. The recommended spacing between wire rows is 0.5 m.
- Install a mechanism for tensioning the line on the outer supports.
Spring blackberry care
Spring procedures begin with removing the cover from the crop. Having freed the blackberry bushes, the gardener carefully examines them, carrying out the necessary care manipulations.
Top dressing
In the spring, it is imperative to feed the plant - this will not only provide nutrients and an impetus for development, but will also serve as a prevention of diseases and pests. A culture weakened after winter is vulnerable to both. The bush is fed with mineral fertilizer in the 2nd and 3rd years after planting. Gardeners use urea or ammonium nitrate, incorporating it into moist soil (20 g/1 m²).
How to properly tie blackberries
To understand this point, you need to understand the planting scheme for this crop. Blackberries, like all plants, are usually planted taking into account the specifics of the soil, the climatic conditions of the area, and the nutritional content of the soil.
It should be remembered that if the conditions on the site are favorable, large trellises can be used. And, conversely, if the conditions are so-so, then compact supports should be installed.
It is recommended to form blackberries on a trellis in the form of a fan. The fan pattern is considered the optimal solution if the variety has limited shoot growth. Planting of seedlings must be done while maintaining a distance of 2 - 2.5 m between plants. The same distance should be left between the rows.
There are three tying techniques. The choice of a specific option depends on the variety of bushes. So, the first method is the weaving method. When using it, the shoots are arranged in three tiers, and the newly grown branches are bent from the trunk and placed on the 4th line.
Another popular technique is the fan technique. Using it, last year’s shoots are spread over a support in the form of a fan and secured on 3 lines at the same time. The upper 4th tier is left for shoots of the current season.
The third method of fixing blackberry seedlings is the one-sided tilting method. It involves placing last year's shoots on one side of the trellis structure with attachment to the first 3 bottom lines. The branches grown this year are directed in the opposite direction.
Growing blackberries on a trellis makes it easier to care for plants and improves yield. At the same time, there is nothing difficult in creating supports yourself. The main thing is to follow the instructions exactly.
Types of supports for blackberries
According to the type of structure, trellises can be: single-lane, double-lane, rotary, pergola, arch.
- The single-cavity design is the simplest. These are poles dug into the ground with wire (twine) stretched between them. Such a device is built as tall as a person, and can be fan-shaped, vertical, horizontal or free.
- A two-strip trellis is distinguished by the fact that the wire (twine) is stretched in two rows between the support posts. There can be: T, V and S-shaped designs. The first type of trellis is built in the shape of the letter “T”, installed at the end of the row and at its beginning.
- Wire (twine) is attached between the pillars in three tiers to a height of 50 to 150 centimeters. The design of the second type has the corresponding appearance. A wire (twine) is stretched between the supports in several tiers, to which bushes are tied from different sides. The S-shaped structure is made accordingly, the wire is attached to the bottom, top and center of the base.
- A pergola is a net or fence to which blackberries are tied as they grow. Can be used as a basis for creating hedges. As a rule, the height of such a structure does not exceed three meters.
- The arch allows you to create a beautiful decorative composition. Young bushes are attached parallel to each other to create the best lighting. Dimensions are determined arbitrarily.
