Blackberry triple crown

Blackberries are less common in home gardens as they are a new crop. Gardeners who decide to cultivate this plant need to know all the features. Blackberries will grow and develop in temperate climates, which are characterized by a fairly warm summer and a fairly mild winter. The work of breeders is in full swing, so at present there are a large number of hybrids that have fruits of a very pleasant taste and surprise with the amount of harvest. This article will focus on a blackberry variety called Triple Crown, and its second name is "Triple Crown". Here, the material will tell about the features of the plant and its description.

Blackberry Triple Crown: Characteristics and description of the variety

triple crown blackberry: variety description

The culture was bred in 1996 in the United States. The taste of the berries was so unique, and the absence of thorns on the stem of the plant simply won the hearts of local gardeners. In addition, the plant is high-yielding and has an average fruit ripening period. At the same time, the berries are quite large in size, have a black tint and a glossy surface. At the same time, the taste of the fruit is sweet with a slight sourness, as well as a bright fruity aroma and sweet aftertaste.

You can pick fruits here in the middle of summer or closer to its end. The berries ripen unevenly, so they can be picked periodically until mid-autumn. It should be remembered that blackberries are healthy. They are rich in substances necessary for the human body, as well as organic acids. In addition, the fruits contain a large amount of sucrose.

The stems of this plant are erect, strong and can reach a length of about 7 m. The bush has a fairly rapid growth force. Blackberries grow up to two meters per year. At the same time, the leaves have an emerald color and a characteristic edge for these plants. Externally, a blackberry leaf can be confused with a currant leaf. If all the necessary care rules are followed, then the yield reaches 15 kg from one bush. The berries can be easily transported, maintaining the required temperature of about 7 degrees. The variety in question is grown in cities where it is warm and winter is not characterized by severe frosts, since blackberries are not a frost-resistant plant. In addition, the plant must be covered in winter.

Advantages and disadvantages of the triple crown variety

blackberry, variety "triple crown"

This triple crown blackberry has many positive characteristics. These include a large amount of harvest, as well as a fairly large fruit size. Moreover, each berry weighs at least 10 g. Another advantage is the ability to transport and long-term preservation of the appearance of the berry. In addition, the berries ripen unevenly over several months.

Of the minuses, they distinguish insufficiently high immunity to various insects - pests, as well as the inability to grow in hot weather.

The plant is also demanding for the soil. In addition to tasty and healthy fruits, blackberries have very beautiful light pink inflorescences during the flowering period and therefore, in general, also perform a decorative function on the site.

Blackberries have a bright black glossy surface. The plant has no thorns, which also makes the harvesting process easier. This culture can grow in one place for up to 15 years.

Also, negative characteristics include instability to severe frosts, so the plant cannot be grown in some regions, and blackberries grow poorly where there is a short daylight hours.

Rules for growing triple crown blackberries

blackberry triple crown photo

If you decide to grow a blackberry on your site, you need to know its features and care rules.

First, you need to choose the right seedling itself, correctly plant, organize the necessary further care and cover the plant before the cold, winter months. These manipulations do not require a large expenditure of time and effort from the gardener, therefore anyone can grow a blackberry on the site, if the climatic conditions permit.

Sapling selection

When choosing planting material, you should choose the bush where there will be at least two stems and at the same time the root system will be sufficiently overgrown and strong, about 10 cm each root.

You should keep a damp earthy ball, and also inspect the roots for wrinkles. If you see wrinkles on the roots, this indicates that the plant was dug up quite recently. Such planting material will not adapt well and grow slowly. Before planting, be sure to cut off the roots a little and process the cuts with charcoal.

Landing place

In order for the fruits to ripen bright, juicy and large, it is necessary to choose an open, sunny place on the site. It is best if the soil is alkaline or loamy. If you have acidic soil on your site, then you need to add wood ash. The optimal composition of the soil will be loams, where the clay mass is at least 15 cm. You should also choose areas with deep groundwater. The plant must be protected from drafts, so it is better to grow blackberries near a fence or some other structure. At the same time, keeping a distance of at least one meter.

Planting period

The best time for planting will be the spring or fall season. It is best to plant blackberries in the fall in the southern regions. Just in the autumn period, the best rooting of the plant will occur, and the blackberries will have time to prepare for the winter season. Blackberries very quickly begin their growing season with the arrival of spring. Having planted the plant in the fall, in the spring the bush will begin to grow stems and leaves very quickly and will be able to bear fruit faster. Therefore, it is best to plant your blackberries a few weeks before the expected frost.

During spring planting, blackberries grow very slowly, take root poorly, since the vegetative period begins, which stimulates precisely the growth of green mass. At the same time, the roots remain unrooted, not overgrown. Because of what the culture will suffer in the future. If you decide to plant a plant in spring, then you need to wait until the air temperature is about 15-20 degrees. In spring, it is best to plant blackberries in the northern regions.

Landing

A pre-planting pit should be prepared. Remove weeds, clear the place of debris, stones and other plants, as well as dig up the soil, adding there an organic and mineral complex of fertilizers. The hole should be spacious enough, about 40 cm in all directions. It is also necessary to add humus, superphosphate and potassium sulfate to the hole. Next, you need to dig everything up and fill the planting hole by 2/3. The seedling is placed in a planting hole, while it is necessary to straighten all the roots so that the root collar is a few centimeters below the surface of the earth. From above, the plant must be covered with the remaining soil and everything should be watered properly, and the earth around the bush must be compacted.

In order for moisture to be retained in the soil for as long as possible, and also so that weeds do not interfere with the development of the plant, it is necessary to organize a sufficiently thick layer of mulch, which is perfect for straw, peat or sawdust.If you are planting several blackberries, then you must maintain a distance of at least 2 m between them.

It is very good to plant them along the fence, as well as in an open area. When planting blackberries in an open area, it is necessary to create a support from trellises in order to tie up tall shoots. For the construction, it will be enough to take several two-meter slats, which will be at a short distance from each other and tie a wire between them. In this case, you need to make several tiers of wire: 50 cm, one meter and one and a half meters from the ground, respectively. As the plant gains strength, it should be tied up. First to the lower tier, then to the middle and then to the third. After the plant has outgrown the third tier, pinch the top. This procedure stimulates the growth of lateral stems, and, accordingly, increases the amount of harvest.

In addition, experienced gardeners tie up this variety in a certain way. In this case, new stems are tied up with a slope in one direction, and fruiting branches in the opposite direction.

Care rules

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. You also need to be careful about preparing for the 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 rainfall for a long time, the plant should be watered 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 the loose soil will protect the roots from severe frosts.

Feeding and shaping

During the period of active plant growth, at the beginning of the growing season of blackberries, nitrogen-containing preparations should be introduced to stimulate the growth of green mass. At the same time, dry powder of ammonium nitrate is dug to a depth of about 10 cm. After 5 years, it is necessary to introduce complex mineral preparations, which will consist of humus, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. It is very useful for prophylaxis to spray the plant with a weak solution of Bordeaux liquid, 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 cut off in order for the root system to strengthen and adapt better. 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 prune in early spring. In addition, dry, damaged and frozen branches are removed at the beginning of spring.

In the middle of summer, it is better to do thinning pruning and remove unnecessary growth. At the same time, no more than 5 healthy rare stems are left, and all the tops are also cut at a distance of 2 meters. It is also necessary to remove all fruiting 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 must 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. Staples or clamps can be used. In this case, some branches may break off. To prevent this from happening, even in the summer you can organize some kind of weighting at the top of the stem, so that it gradually presses itself

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

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

How the triple crown blackberry reproduces.

This blackberry variety can be propagated by cuttings, layering and tops.

Most often, gardeners use the method of propagation by layering. To do this, at the end of summer, choose the strongest, healthiest stem and press it to the ground, falling asleep from above. Thus, the layering should be located at a depth of 20 cm. The very top is left about 15 cm above the ground surface. So that the layering does not come out of the trench, you can push it with stones or use special brackets. From above, the surface must be mulched, as well as watered.

The cuttings will grow roots within 60 days, after which it will be possible to dig it out and separate the already young bushes from the mother plant. Then they land on the future permanent place of growth. The same procedure can be performed in September, since the plant will have time to take root before the onset of the first cold weather, and in the spring it will be possible to transplant it. In this case, you should also cover the layering during the winter months.

Diseases

Despite the fact that blackberries have a high immunity to various diseases, if the necessary rules of care are not followed, blackberries can get sick.

A popular disease is hilar cancer. A symptom of the disease is the slowed down development of the plant, low yield, large growths on the roots. It is impossible to cure this disease, so the bush is simply dug up.

Curl... The disease is less common and mainly affects already mature plants. At the same time, the sheet plate changes its structure and wrinkles, bending the edges down. In case of a disease with this ailment, blackberries are also dug up.

Anthracnose... Signs of the disease are the appearance of purple spots on the stems, as well as drying of the branches with fruits. Gray spots can cover not only the stems, but also the leaves, and berries can fall off prematurely. Here it is important to start treatment on time with the help of various fungicides, if the disease progresses, then the bush is dug out.

Purple spotting. Drying of the buds and young stems is a symptom of the disease. In this case, the color of the leaves becomes dark, and the formation of inflorescences is also absent. If these signs are found, the plant must be treated with a weak solution of Bordeaux liquid.

If the plant is struck gray rot, then the fruits will lose their taste, and a fluffy bloom will also be noticeable on them. To get rid of the disease, it is necessary to treat the plant with a fungicide.

In addition to the above ailments, blackberry can amaze aphid... To get rid of aphids, you should douse the blackberries with a special soapy solution with the addition of tobacco dust.

In general, as you know, it is better to carry out preventive measures than to then treat an already diseased plant.

Conclusion

This variety of blackberries is very popular and highly appreciated by gardeners due to the exquisite taste of the berries. In addition, this variety is suitable for growing in central Russia. In addition to the excellent taste and useful properties of blackberry fruits, plants also perform a decorative function, therefore they are often used in landscape design.

By creating the necessary support structures, the blackberry will decorate the site where it is needed. In addition, the plant does not require special care for itself, therefore it is available for growing even for beginners.