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Blackberries
Varieties Thornless Although the production of blackberries is rather labor intensive, they are perhaps one of the easiest crops to grow in the hill country. The growth habits of blackberries adapted to the hill country are either erect or semi-erect which means a trellis is not necessary. The fruiting habit of this crop is perhaps best described as biennial; that is plants grow new shoots one year, they overwinter, bloom and produce fruit the following year. Newly arising shoots are called primocanes and the overwintering canes are referred to as floricanes. After fruiting, floricanes canes die, but new primocanes arising from the crown are produced every year so that blackberries produce a crop each year. Removal of dead, previously fruited canes is important not only for ease of harvest from year to year, but also to reduce the potential of the primary fungal pathogen of blackberries- anthracnose. This disease can infect new primocanes causing a reduction in vigor as well as causing direct fruit infection. |