blackberry

[fbgrifter]

i noticed from a previous post that quite a few people are growing oregan thornless.  can you tell me how many years it took before it cropped well and any specific annual treatment you give it!  i have a 2 yr old oregan thornless, tho i only got to plant it this spring.  the crop has consisted of approx. five very small berries.  any advice?!!

:-\

[fbgrifter]

[carloso]

my uncle gave me a substancial plant last yr and theres fruit on it !!!

not a lot i admit but its there

what did i do nothing !!!

bit of horde muck on it and thats it

carl

not much help eh but thats gardening i guess lol

[ALAN HOWELL]

Hi...I usually get a very good crop,several LBS in fact,as is the case this year,and they are still coming.However it is quite an established plant,several years in fact.My sister-in-law has a 3 yr bush and gets pretty good crops.

I have found that the answer I think is in the pruning,which is ,at the end of the season the removal of all the fruited growth,including any thorny growth.Cut back the new spurs by a third and limit them to about six in number,tie them in to their support individually,mulch with manure/compost and wait :D........Alan

[keef]

There so many wild bushes around here i dont bother growing them. Has anyone else noticed how much bigger wild blackberries are this year, they're massive!

[rosemary jane]

I agree keef, loads of blackberries in Hertfordshire, I have already made 10lbs of jam and will be picking for a second batch at the weekend  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Ot's ben a really good year for them as they have deep roots to obtain moisture during dry spells, and the weather was ideal for flowering. I'm pretty sure the honey I have this year is 90% bramble.

[fbgrifter]

but my plant is only about 2 foot high and has only 2 new spurs this season.  i shall remove the one fruited branch at the end of the season and leave the other 2?

[jennym]

When the plant is more established, (give it lots of muck) you will find that during the summer, many new stems will be produced. These will be the ones you keep that will fruit in the next year.
The ones that have fruited this year will be the ones you cut down and they should be cut down to the ground. I wouldn't cut ou all your stems if you only have one or two.
This is a sort of starting stage you are at, but hopefully next year when it produces more new stems, you will see the benefit the year after that.

[fbgrifter]

thanks for all the adive folks!

;D