Are you a fan of blackberries? Or do you just want to see if your green thumb extends to berry bushes? Whatever your motivation, you’ll find that planting a blackberry bush has never been easier.
What’s more, you don’t have to resort to busy gardening sections of stores to find the supplies and blackberry bushes you need.
If any of this is grabbing your attention, stick around. In this guide, we take you through everything you need to know about planting blackberries.
Understanding Blackberry Plants
Before we dive into how to plant blackberries, it’s important to focus on growing them properly. The good news is that blackberries aren’t that complicated.
First and foremost, it helps to know that blackberries are small berries that grow on perennial shrubs, so you’re not planting a whole tree.
That said, don’t let the fact that blackberries grow on a bush deter you from the fact that they can be quite big. In fact, some blackberry bushes will reach 15 to 20 feet.
It’s also important to note that blackberry bushes can be hard to control, so you need to space them out, leverage wire, and really control how they grow.
Planting Blackberries in 5 Steps
When you’re ready to start planting blackberries, the good news is that there are only a few steps that you need to follow.
We cover the steps you can follow to plant blackberries below, and don’t worry, you don’t need to have a green thumb to pull this off.
1. Choosing the Right Location
First and foremost, you need to choose the right location for blackberry bushes. You’ll want to have enough room to space out our bushes, and there should be plenty of sunlight coverage.
When it comes to sunlight, focus on ensuring that the blackberries get at least six to eight hours of sunlight daily. This is essential for their growth.
2. Preparation
Next, you need to prepare your land for a blackberry bush. To do this, you’ll want to start with a base of acidic soil. A good range of acidity to look for is around 5.5-7.0 on the pH scale. From there, you’ll need to loosen the soil.
Then, focus on spacing your blackberry plants out. A good rule of thumb to follow is that they should be two to four feet apart. If you’re planting multiple rows, make sure these rows are six to ten feet apart.
3. Planting the Blackberries
Next, it’s time to get into the fun part: actually planting the blackberries. To accomplish this, you’ll want to plant them in a way in which the crown is just below the soil level. Essentially, the roots should meet the stem of the plant just below soil level.
From there, you’ll need to cover it up, remove air pockets, and water your soil.
4. Add Support for Your Blackberries
When it comes to planting blackberries, you’ll find that they benefit from a little bit of support. In fact, without support, they may grow in the wrong direction, fall down, or cause other problems.
The best way to support your blackberries is to leverage a wire system. This keeps everything organized, makes harvesting your blackberries easier, and can even train further growth.
5. Mulch and Water Your Blackberry Plants
Last but not least, it’s time to mulch and water your blackberry plants. When it comes to adding mulch, you’ll want to add around two to three inches of mulch around each blackberry plant.
Once your mulch is down, you can focus on watering deeply once or twice per week. Essentially, you want to ensure that the water penetrates the mulch and reaches the crown that’s just below soil level.
Our Final Thoughts on Planting Blackberries
When it comes to planting blackberries, if there’s one final piece of advice we can leave you with, it’s that you need to choose high-quality bushes from reliable sources.
Even if you followed the steps we covered in this guide perfectly, with the wrong blackberry bush, you’re in a lot of trouble.
The good news? You don’t have to scrounge through department store plant sections to find the best blackberry bushes.
Instead, you can trust a reliable online resource like Best Blackberry Bushes. Not only will you find the best bushes available, but you can also find a wide variety of bushes to choose from when you shop online.
