I have tried blackberry cuttings several times and have not had any success with them. I can easily propagate with root cuttings, harvesting the suckers, tip and serpentine layering but cane cuttings has proven difficult. Note, I have not tried using the rooting hormone for the cuttings so maybe that is why but research says you can do it without the rooting hormone. I recently did an experiment on stem cuttings trying both primocanes and floricanes along with scratching and no scratching to promote rooting. Neither worked. It’s difficult to keep the right moisture levels. I’ve also tried using a lot of moisture and less moisture along with keeping the cuttings inside and outside in the shade. Still no growth. I don’t want to use a rooting hormone so I’ll stick with root cuttings, harvesting the suckers, tip and serpentine layering which I find the easiest. Check out my experiment below.
Tag: Trellis
One of my favorite things to grow in the garden are blackberries. They are easy to propagate, cold hardy and great to eat and enjoy with family. See my video below for more details and examples of why I recommend everyone grow blackberries at home!
My first blackberry trellis was a simple I trellis using garden string. It worked very well for one season but now that my blackberries are established it’s time for an upgrade. The video below is upgrading my T-Post I trellis from string to 12 gauge wire.
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Texas Heat Wave Summer Garden Tour
The weather has made a particularly difficult time for my garden this summer. We had a record temperature of 111 degrees and several weeks before and after of triple digit heat here in Texas. See the video above for a tour of my garden and a quick look at blackberry pests and watermelons eaten by animals.
Watch the video above on planting bare root raspberries and how to build a simple inexpensive V trellis as well as some lessons learned in the process.
Here are 3 ways to help grow and support vertical growing in the garden.
1. Hammock
Use a wide piece of hose or stocking to create a simple hammock to hold watermelon and cantaloupe on your trellis.
2. Inside mesh bags, hose or stockings.
You can reuse the mesh bags that fruit came in from the store or hose to stockings to keep fruit up off the ground and on the trellis.
3. Cross method.
Use 2 or more pieces of hose or stockings to create a hammock crossing over each other to hold larger fruit in place like watermelon. You can also use an old t-shirt as an alternative method for larger fruit like watermelon.
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Simple I-Trellis for Blackberries
My 4 Natchez Blackberry plants have grown considerably since being planted on April 24th, 2020. After about 4 months of growth – some are up to 48 inches tall and they are folding over and getting close to the ground. I had built a very simple short I-Trellis with garden twine that is no longer enough for them. You can see that trellis video here. To see my 4 Natchez Blackberry plants from the start with video and timeline pictures click here. It was time for an upgrade. Here’s how I made a very simple I-Trellis for my Blackberry plants.
What started out as 4-6 inch plugs have now after about 4 months grown up to 48 inches tall!
How I built a low cost arch trellis to grow my watermelon and cantaloupes vertically. Two 16 feet cattle panels and eight 6 feet tall U-Posts.
The Texas Gardener 