Any luck planting blackberries?

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I live in Boise, Idaho and am blessed with a couple of large blackberry bushes running along my fenceline. Best part is I get all the berries (about 7 gallons last year) and don't have to water them at all-there is a flood irrigation "creek" just on the other side of my fence.

Although I know many people up here consider black berrries a weed, I want to be able to take some bushes/grow my own when I move out of this place into the next. Has any of you had any luck planting your own bushes or growing from seed? The best info I could find to date was to cut the canes back severely and try to dig up as much as I could and simply transplant. If possible I'd prefer to take cuttings or plant from seed-easier to move with. I don't know where my next home may be but I still want to make some good jelly & syrup.

-- Chris Stogdill (cstogdill@rmci.net), June 04, 2001

Answers

Chris, I don't know abut cuttings or seeds but I have always done really well with transplants. Look around the plants, there should be lots of new starts coming up around them. Those dig up easy, don't take up much room, and replant and grow great. Have fun, Joanie

-- Joanie (ber-gust@prodigy.net), June 04, 2001.

Pull a really nice cane from this year that was loaded with berries, stake it down to the ground in a few places. Wire that you make into a big U will hold it down nicely. Flag these wires so you can find them eaisly and poor some really nice soil on the cane at these wires. Roots will form where the canes lay on the ground, making for easy transplants. But....I would just cut the whole plant to the ground, dig up these wonderful mature roots, devide them into small plants! You will have more berries quicker at your new home! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 04, 2001.

Chris: You ever try those thornless blackberrys. They really take off here in California and you can burrow right down into em without fear of disfigurement!!!....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), June 04, 2001.

My blackberries always root and new plants come up. These are the ones I give to friends. I either pot them in well composted soil or just dig them up and pass them along. I know the nurseries hate that. They want you to believe theirs are some special disease resistant variety, but frankly I've had much better luck with home grown.

We are picking a few now and enjoying them.

-- jennifer (schwabauer@aol.com), June 04, 2001.


Chris, come on by the house, any time, and I'll give you all the transplants you need!

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echweb.net), June 04, 2001.



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