If you’re like me, you love blackberry everything – jam, cobbler, pie, glaze, you name it. But fresh blackberries are only available for a short time, and they can be pricey if you don’t buy them from a trustworthy local farmer.
It costs a lot because blackberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow, but picking and growing them still takes a lot of work, especially if you don’t use commercial fertilizers and pesticides.
But you don’t just want pints of local blackberries to enjoy during the summer; you need gallons of them to can, bake, and eat right off the bush. And to achieve this need, without destroying your bank account, you’ve decided to grow your own. Here’s how to do it.
Like other plants in the same genus, like raspberries, blackberries grow on long stems, or canes, every two years. This means that the canes only grow twice a year, but the main plant’s roots come back year after year. The plant doesn’t make any flowers (or almost any flowers) or fruit in the first year of cane growth. Instead, it puts all of its energy into growing strong roots and a strong cane. From the second year on, the main plant sends out new canes and the old canes flower and fruit.
Blackberries have very shallow roots and can grow well in many types of soil, even very poor, rocky soil. They also quickly spread and hybridize with other plants that are similar to them. This is why you can find big, thorny brambles on trails and mountain sides, or even in your own yard next to wooded areas. We can easily dig up, move, and plant these things again, and if we leave them alone, they’ll do it on their own. Spoooooky.
So, if you plant one or two canes in your yard the first year, you can get many more canes and years of blackberries with very little work. Heck, you can let your whole yard get covered in blackberries within a decade. I don’t recommend it, especially if you’re going with a thorny variety, but you do you, Maleficent.
Despite the name, the “erect” varieties still benefit from some trellising for easy picking and ground upkeep. All three types grow somewhere on our property. The second and third were planted on purpose, while the first one gets caught on my sleeves when I mow the grass along the edges of our land.
Blackberries are a delicious, juicy fruit that many gardeners love to grow. However, it can be frustrating when your blackberry bush blooms yet doesn’t produce any fruit A lack of fruit on blackberry bushes is usually caused by one of these 10 common issues
1. Viral Infection
One of the most common reasons for blackberries not fruiting is a viral infection. Blackberries are prone to viruses such as blackberry calico, blackberry/raspberry tobacco streak, raspberry bushy dwarf, and black raspberry streak. Unfortunately, these viruses show very few outward symptoms other than reduced fruit production. The bushes may even appear more vigorous as the virus diverts energy from fruit production to vegetative growth. Once a blackberry bush is infected with a virus, it cannot be cured and should be removed and destroyed. To prevent viral infections, plant only certified virus-free blackberry plants and keep wild blackberries at least 150 feet away.
2. Fungal Disease
The fungus Anthracnose can prevent fruit production on blackberry bushes. It causes the berries to wilt and turn brown before they fully ripen. To treat Anthracnose, use a fungicide on the bush and remove and destroy any infected canes. Properly space plants to allow airflow and prune to increase sunlight penetration.
3. Lack of Pollination
Blackberries require pollination from bees, butterflies, and other insects to produce berries If pollinators cannot access the flowers, the blackberry bush will not develop fruit Avoid applying pesticides during bloom time and plant pollinator-friendly flowers nearby to attract more pollinating insects. Hand pollination is also an option if natural pollination is insufficient.
4. Nutrient Deficiencies
Blackberry bushes need proper nutrition to support growth and fruit production. Nutrient deficiencies like low nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron or zinc can limit fruiting. Have your soil tested and amend it as needed based on the test results. Mulch annually with compost. Foliar feeding the bushes can also provide a nutrient boost.
5. Insufficient Light
Blackberries require at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily to fruit well. Bushes planted in too much shade or crowded by other plants won’t get adequate light Prune landscape plants around the blackberry bushes to open things up Move potted blackberries to the sunniest spot possible. Insufficient light leads to reduced flowering and fruiting.
6. Extreme Weather
Unfavorable weather can interfere with pollination and cause flower or fruit loss. Late spring frosts can damage blossoms. Extreme summer heat can cause flowers and berries to abort or dry up. Consistent rainfall is needed when berries are ripening. Extreme cold in winter can injure canes, resulting in fewer flowers and fruit the following summer. Select suitable varieties and provide proper care to help bushes tolerate weather fluctuations.
7. Incorrect Pruning
Pruning blackberry bushes at the wrong time of year removes canes that would bear fruit. Blackberries fruit on two-year-old canes (floricanes). Canes that produced berries in the current growing season (primocanes) should not be pruned until late winter when they are dormant. Prune out only old floricanes that have fruited already. Leave the current season’s vigorous primocanes to develop fruit next summer.
8. Root Damage
Injury to a blackberry bush’s root system can impair its ability to take up water and nutrients needed for fruit production. Root damage may be caused by diseases, nematodes, poor drainage, drought stress, herbicides, or mechanical disturbance. Address drainage problems, avoid herbicide drift, and take care not to damage roots when cultivating around bushes.
9. Improper Variety
Some blackberry varieties are naturally poorer producers than others. Erect types like ‘Navaho’ and ‘Ouachita’ tend to be more productive than semi-erect or trailing types like ‘Marion’ or ‘Boysen’. Thornless varieties also tend to be less productive than thorny types overall. Check the expected yield for the variety and opt for a more productive one if fruit production is disappointing.
10. Age of Canes
The most productive blackberry canes are 1- to 3-years-old. Fruit production declines as canes get older. Canes should be renewed by pruning out old floricanes after they fruit. This stimulates the most vigorous primocanes to develop each year. Allowing old, declining canes to remain will lead to poor fruiting.
A blackberry bush not producing fruit can be caused by various factors. Carefully inspect bushes and grow conditions to diagnose the problem. Provide proper care and promptly address issues like diseases, weather damage, nutrient deficiencies, insufficient pollination, and poor pruning practices. With the right solutions applied, your blackberry bushes can reward you with abundant, sweet berries.
Starting Plants: Canes vs. Seeds
You’ll get fruit much faster if you start your blackberries from canes or nursery plants instead of seeds. You can get bare-root or flowering canes from a nursery. You can also ask your neighbor for canes or pull wild ones from one part of your yard to another. However, I strongly recommend starting your blackberries with nursery plants. Why?.
Getting your plants from a reputable nursery means you’ll know the precise variety and characteristics of your blackberry. Take canes from your neighbor Joe, and you’ll probably get blackberries. But they might be hybrids with other plants in the area, or they might be easily sick. Nursery canes are usually sterile (as in, disease-free) and tend to grow bigger, sweeter fruits. Also, I hate thorns, and picking blackberries is hard enough without having to avoid stems that hurt my hands. That’s why I love the thornless varieties we got from a cool local nursery.
Keep in mind that the blackberry plants you bought at the nursery are probably grafts, which means that the blackberry plant is attached to another similar plant to make the coolest parts of the plant bigger. If that worries you, feel free to go the wild route. Or just ask about the plant you’re getting. However, I’m a fan of the grafts, if you can’t tell.
You can also grow canes from seeds, but it will take a lot longer than growing canes. Also, keep in mind that many blackberry plants are actually hybrids or grafts, so the blackberry you choose may not even produce fruits or fruits that are similar to those you planted.
Okay, let’s plant these buggers. You’ve got your canes. Now what?
As I mentioned before, blackberries have very shallow roots, so you don’t need to plant them very deep. If you want to plant something, you should get rid of any grass or other plants that will compete with the roots. To stop this competition, I suggest using sheet mulch and making sure the growing area stays well-mulched every season. Also, avoid tall grass that could hide animals that like to hang out near blackberries, like mice and snakes.
Put the canes in the ground about an inch deeper than they were in the nursery pot. Make sure the roots are completely covered, but not so deep that the cane disappears. Plant canes 5-6 feet apart, at least, and keep rows 5-8 feet apart.
Blackberries can grow in a lot of different types of soil, even poor clay soil. However, they do best with compost added to the soil, soil that is less dense than clay, mulching, and most importantly, good drainage. Blackberries will not thrive with wet feet.
Lifting, Pruning, and Cultivating
You’ve successfully planted your main berry brambles, and they’re alive. Hooray! Now what?
In the first year, it’s super important that you do. Not. Let your blackberries produce fruit.
When you cut back on the flowers the first year, you let the main plant focus on growing strong roots and more canes for the following years. I go into more detail about this in my Pruning post. For reference, with good pruning, cutting, and cultivating practices, your blackberry bramble can show this progression:
Okay. You’ve planted your canes. You pruned the flowers in the first year. It’s the second year, and your canes are now bursting with blackberry fruits. Major huzzah!.
Your fruits will change from green and tough to red and soft, and then to a dark purple that’s almost black (hence the name) and pretty soft.
Blackberries don’t keep getting riper after they’ve been picked, so make sure you only pick ones that have completely changed color. Also, once they’re fully ripe, they rot very quickly on the plant (within a couple of days, and even less time when it’s hot or rainy), so check your bramble every day for fruit.
If the berries are ripe, they should come off the plant easily. Be careful not to damage the rest of the cane, or you could knock other berries off or even tear the plant.
Some things to watch out for on and around your blackberries:
- Birds. Birds love berries so much! To keep birds from eating your bramble, drape it with bird netting. We’ve used this before and it works, but it’s a pain to take down at the end of the season because it gets tangled up with the plant, and it’s not good to throw away. Keeping other, more appealing plants and leaving them for the birds is another option. That’s why we leave wild blackberries on the edges of our property. You can also beat the birds at their own game by picking your blackberries early every day.
- Stinkbugs and Junebugs. You’ll run into these guys every time you harvest. They won’t harm you, but they’ll chomp on your berries. We get a good harvest, so I don’t use any pesticides on them. I just kind of live with them and the scream I let out every once in a while when I pick a junebug instead of a berry.
- Mice and Snakes. Thus far, these two animals have not caused us any harm. However, they might if you let the grass grow too high around your bushes or if you don’t pick your berries quickly enough before they fall to the ground. (Dropped berries can attract mice, which then attract snakes. Just in case, make sure to wear closed shoes and long pants when you harvest.
- Thorns. If you’ve got a thorny variety, that is. There’s no doubt that those thorns can rip through skin as well as denim. I think you should wear long sleeves and gloves when picking berries from thorny canes.
How to Prune Blackberries the Right Way for Bigger Harvests
FAQ
Do blackberry bushes produce fruit every year?
How long does it take for a new blackberry bush to produce fruit?
What’s wrong with my blackberry plant?
Why does my blackberry bush not produce fruit?
There are many reasons why a blackberry bush may not produce fruit. If your blackberry plant looks healthy and blooms, but grows misshapen fruit or even no fruit at all, chances are that your blackberry plants are affected by one of many blackberry viruses. Some of these viruses include:
Why are my blackberries not ripening?
Maybe the blackberry fruit are not ripening, or maybe they ripen but are misshapen or undersized. You may wonder if the cause of the blackberries not fruiting is some kind of blackberry cane disease or an environmental factor. There are many reasons why a blackberry bush may not produce fruit.
Why does my blackberry plant not grow?
Excess nutrients are often caused by fast-release chemical fertilizers as compost isn’t potent enough. It’s more common for blackberry plants to not grow or not produce fruit because of an excess versus a lack of nutrients.
Do blackberry plants get fungus?
Fungal infections in gardens are not uncommon because wind spreads fungi, allowing it to infect plants quickly. Depending on the fungus, the infection targets your blackberry plant’s leaves, canes, or fruit. Anthracnose is one disease that affects the canes of blackberry plants and causes them to develop lesions.
Do thornless blackberry plants produce fruit?
Thornless Blackberry plants are popular and are enjoyed by many people. They are typically grown for their delicious and juicy fruits, which are used in a variety of dishes and cuisines. However, sometimes thornless blackberry plants may fail to produce fruit, leaving gardeners and farmers disappointed.
Do blackberry bushes have pests?
Insect pests are another issue for blackberry bushes as they damage the foliage, and blackberry seeds need to be protected from insect activity. Bushes with severe damage may never produce fruit and cause gardeners to remove infected plants or canes to save the rest of their blackberry plant.