bob6831
Just Arrived
Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Location: Upstate NY (Dutchess County)
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 4:29 pm Post subject: Blackberry Problem |
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Hi.
I have a mixture of blackberries planted in a corner area of my back-yard, and each year I only get maybe 5/20 canes that produce berries. Why is this?
Note that these are all plants that are between 5-10 years old. The canes that come up all look good, but just don't produce berries!
Thx
Bob
P.S. I have a thread about a raspberry problem I am having in the 'pests and diseases' section. Should that be here, in this section, instead?
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TheBip
Showing Great Promise
Joined: 25 Mar 2007
Location: Indianapolis, IN (Map)
Posts: 500
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| Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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Do you prune them at all?
The only thing I can think of is that blackberries are biennial, the canes grow one year and produce berries the next, so if you do prune, you might be taking off the canes that would produce.
Of course, this is my first year dealing with blackberries (I recently planted a Navaho thornless  ), so I don't know what all can go on with em ^_^
I also got this fron wikipedia (Blackberry):
| Quote: | | The early flowers often form more drupelets than the later ones. This can be a symptom of exhausted reserves in the plant's roots, marginal pollinator populations, or infection with a virus such as Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV). Even a small change in conditions, such as a rainy day or a day too hot for bees to work after early morning, can reduce the number of bee visits to the flower, thus reducing the quality of the fruit. The drupelets only develop around ovules that are fertilized by the male gamete from a pollen grain. |
Maybe something like not enough pollenation, or virus?
Sorry I cant be of more help 
_________________
And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
--Anais Nin
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bob6831
Just Arrived
Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Location: Upstate NY (Dutchess County)
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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Hi.
Yes, I do prune (and say each year that I have to prune and thin more..... but I hate to cut down 'good' canes! )
But I only prune out (cut at base) those canes which are basically 2 years old, whether they produce berries or not. These canes are usually dead looking, brownish, and these are the ones I cut off and throw away/burn.
Bob
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flowerpower313
On The Way Up
Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Location: Catskill Mtns NY Z5
Posts: 101
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| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 11:34 am Post subject: |
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I think you may be culling out flowering canes.
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bob6831
Just Arrived
Joined: 17 Jun 2005
Location: Upstate NY (Dutchess County)
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 1:16 pm Post subject: |
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I don't understand..... culling?
Don't blackberries produce berries on 2 year old canes? In other words, the canes that come up this year should produce berries next year? Same as raspberries?
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flowerpower313
On The Way Up
Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Location: Catskill Mtns NY Z5
Posts: 101
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| Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 11:05 am Post subject: |
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| bob6831 wrote: | Hi.
Yes, I do prune (and say each year that I have to prune and thin more..... but I hate to cut down 'good' canes! )
But I only prune out (cut at base) those canes which are basically 2 years old, whether they produce berries or not. These canes are usually dead looking, brownish, and these are the ones I cut off and throw away/burn.
Bob |
Are you waiting until they show leaf growth before you prune out canes? Or maybe the soil is just depleted of nutrients if they have been grown in the same area for a long time. Brambles are heavy feeders. You could feed them with a food made for roses since they are in the same family.
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