Blackberries are a sweet summer treat that we always look forward to eating. They taste great in pies, jams, jellies, cobblers, and even wine.
Luckily, growing your own blackberries is not hard to come by. Blackberries are some of the easiest berries to grow, even for a beginner gardener.
Blackberries are a delicious and versatile fruit that can be enjoyed fresh, cooked, or preserved. While store-bought blackberries are convenient, growing your own blackberries allows you to harvest fresh berries at peak ripeness. Propagating blackberries from cuttings is an easy and effective way to produce new plants identical to the parent plant. If you want to try your hand at propagating, you may be wondering – how long does it take to root blackberry cuttings? Let’s take a closer look!
An Overview of Propagating Blackberries from Cuttings
Blackberries can be propagated from both softwood and hardwood cuttings. Softwood cuttings are taken from fresh, new growth in early summer. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature wood after plants enter dormancy in late fall or winter. Here are the key differences:
- Softwood cuttings:
- Taken from green, flexible new growth
- Root quickly – usually 3-6 weeks
- Less successful rate than hardwood cuttings
- Hardwood cuttings:
- Taken from woody stems once they lose leaves
- Require 8-12 weeks of cool weather to root
- Higher success rate than softwood cuttings
For both types, a rooting hormone can be used but is not required. Cuttings are placed in a potting mix of peat moss and sand. Intermittent mist and bottom heat will encourage faster root development.
When to Take Softwood Blackberry Cuttings
Softwood blackberry cuttings are generally taken in early summer when new growth is pliable but has hardened off a bit Here are some tips for timing
- Take cuttings when plants are actively growing after bloom period is complete
- Cuttings root best when night temps stay above 55°F
- Morning is the ideal time to collect cuttings while plants are hydrated
- Avoid extremely hot, dry weather
For most areas, late spring to early summer offers a good window to take softwood blackberry cuttings. Warm days followed by cool nights provide the right conditions.
How Long Do Softwood Blackberry Cuttings Take to Root?
With proper care, softwood blackberry cuttings will form roots in 3-6 weeks. Here are some factors that affect rooting time:
-
Rooting medium – Cuttings root quickest in a peat/perlite or peat/sand mixture. Heavier potting mixes slow drainage and root growth.
-
Temperature – Intermittent bottom heat around 70°F encourages faster rooting. Cool temps below 65°F slow the process.
-
Light – Low to moderate light levels are ideal. Avoid direct hot sunlight.
-
Humidity – Periodic misting maintains high humidity around the leaves. Humidity domes also help.
-
Rooting hormone – Hormones like indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) shorten rooting time by a week or two
By providing warm temps high humidity and proper soil mix, most softwood blackberry cuttings will root in 3-4 weeks. Adding rooting hormone can accelerate this by 1-2 weeks.
When to Take Hardwood Blackberry Cuttings
Hardwood cuttings are taken after plants become dormant as growth stops for the season. Here are guidelines for timing:
-
Collect cuttings after plants defoliate and enter dormancy
-
For cold climates, take cuttings after several hard frosts
-
In mild winter areas, collect cuttings late fall through winter
-
Avoid collecting during freeze/thaw cycles which can damage cuttings
The exact timing will vary by location and variety. Most gardeners take hardwood cuttings from late fall through early winter.
How Long Do Hardwood Blackberry Cuttings Take to Root?
Hardwood blackberry cuttings require a period of cool temperature stratification to initiate root growth. This cold treatment substitutes for the dormancy period the cuttings would experience if still attached to the mother plant. Here is an overview of the rooting timeline:
-
Collect cuttings in late fall/early winter once plants are dormant
-
Store cuttings for 1-2 months at 35-40°F. A refrigerator works well.
-
Plant cuttings in a potting mix in late winter.
-
Wait 8-12 weeks for roots to form as weather warms up.
-
Transplant into garden after last spring frost.
So in total, hardwood blackberry cuttings need about 3-4 months to fully root – 1-2 months of cold treatment, then 8-12 weeks to initiate new roots before planting out. Using a heated propagation mat can reduce the rooting phase by a few weeks.
Tips for Rooting Hardwood vs. Softwood Cuttings
Follow these tips to get the best results when rooting softwood and hardwood blackberry cuttings:
Softwood cuttings:
-
Take 4-6 inch cuttings from vigorous new shoots
-
Strip leaves from lower half of cuttings
-
Dip cuttings in rooting hormone (optional)
-
Stick cuttings 2-3 inches deep
-
Maintain warm temperature around 70°F
-
Provide intermittent mist
Hardwood cuttings:
-
Take 4-6 inch cuttings from 1 year old stems
-
Remove all leaves and runners
-
Bundle and store cuttings for 1-2 month cold period
-
Soak cuttings in water 24 hours before planting
-
Stick cuttings 2-3 inches deep
-
Maintain soil temperature of 65-70°F
-
Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy
Troubleshooting Propagation Problems
Here are some common issues that may arise when rooting blackberry cuttings and how to resolve them:
-
Rotting cuttings – Prevent by using new growth for softwood cuttings, sterilizing cutting tools, and providing good drainage/air circulation.
-
Slow root growth – Increase bottom heat, use rooting hormone, and maintain even moisture.
-
No root formation – Take cuttings at the right time of year using recommended guidelines. Discard cuttings that don’t root after 12 weeks.
-
Small, weak plants – Let cuttings root completely before transplanting. Gradually acclimate plants to sun and wind before planting outdoors.
Enjoy an Endless Harvest of Blackberries
Rooting blackberry cuttings provides an easy way to replicate your favorite cultivars year after year. In 3-4 months, you can have young blackberry plants ready to put in the ground. Then sit back and wait for that first lush harvest! The time invested in propagating will pay off in big dividends of delicious, homegrown blackberries.
How to care for blackberry plants.
There’s probably a blackberry variety that will grow well where you live in North America, in gardening zones 4 through 10. The garden center near you can tell you which types of blackberries do well in your area.
Blackberry plants prefer a pH balance between 5. 5 and 7. 0, but I would definitely lean toward the lower number. In fact, if your soil is more toward neutral (7. 0), then mulch with pine straw to add more acid to the soil.
Check out this post to learn about testing and amending your soil. Well-draining soil is also important.
Blackberries, like most summer fruits, like to soak up the sun. They need at least 8 hours of direct sunlight to grow fruit.
Bury the roots of new blackberry plants just below the ground when you plant them. You don’t need to go too deep. Once planted, keep the top 1 inch of soil moist for the next couple of weeks. After this initial rooting period, your blackberry plants will need 1 – 2 inches of water per week. For those of us who live in a particularly dry climate, you may need to water them daily.
You should plant in the fall or, if you live in a colder area, right after the last spring frost.
While the blackberry plant itself is perennial, its canes produce fruits every other year (biennial). Brand new canes will only produce leaves the first year. In the second year, these canes will flower and produce the dark, delicious berries you’ve been craving.
As soon as your new blackberry bush starts to grow more than one cane, the fruit production will be spread out, and different canes will bear fruit each summer.
Hydration is the name of the game when it comes to the fruit-producing season. Those juicy berries need lots of water to plump up.
So once your blackberry plants are producing fruit, water needs increase. Be sure to keep the soil moist throughout the entire harvesting season. Again, if you’re in a drier zone, this may mean watering your blackberry plants daily.
Blackberries are ripe when they are dark and plump. Blackberries don’t keep getting riper after they’ve been picked like tomatoes do, so wait until they are vine-ripe.
Pick ripe fruit and refrigerate immediately. Even in the fridge, blackberries don’t stay fresh for long, so eat them as a snack, cook them, or put them in jam within two to three days of picking them.
How to Propagate Blackberries From Cuttings
FAQ
Can blackberries be rooted in water?
How many days do cuttings take to root?
Can you take blackberry cuttings in summer?
What is the method of propagation of blackberry?
How do you cut a blackberry plant?
It is easy and the chance of the cutting growing roots is good. First, cut a decent six-to-eight-inch cutting from the top of a healthy blackberry plant. Make a clean cut using scissors or a sharp knife. Make sure that the plant has plenty of green leaf growth where you are taking your cutting.
How do you propagate blackberries from existing plants?
There are several ways in propagating blackberries from existing plants. Blackberries grow prolifically and are easy to propagate from seeds, cuttings, suckers, or tip layering. Let’s look at blackberry propagation using these four methods. Blackberry plants grow easily from stem cuttings.
How long does a BlackBerry root take to grow?
Mist well and put them in a shady location. Within three to four weeks, roots should begin to develop. More often root cuttings are taken for blackberry propagation. These cuttings, which are usually anywhere from 3-6 inches (7.5-15 cm.) long, are taken in fall during dormancy.
How do you grow blackberries from cuttings?
To grow blackberries from cuttings, first, take the cutting from the top of a healthy plant. Strip the leaves from the bottom third of the cutting before putting in a couple of inches (centimeters) of water to sprout. Keep it in a warm, sunny spot and change the water after a couple of days before transplanting the root to soil.
When to plant BlackBerry cuttings?
The best time to plant your sprouted cuttings is in early spring. First shake any matter away from the roots and soak in water for a couple of hours prior to planting. Use sandy soil or loan in a raised bed for best blackberry results. How to clip cuttings to grow blackberries?
How do you grow a blackberry plant from a stem?
Blackberry plants grow easily from stem cuttings. This method is great if you want to grow many new plants quickly, in one batch. The process is simple: Take cuttings from healthy, green, growth at the top of the plant. Cut them about five inches from the tip and make sure they have a few sets of leaves on them.