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View Full Version : who has any experience trasplanting raspberries and blackberries?



rmatchell
09-23-2015, 09:17 AM
My parents have wild raspberries and blackberries growing at there house and I have been wanting to transplant 5 to 10 plants of each on my property for us to be able have. My question is whats the best way to get them through this winter? The small starts growing around the edges look easy enough to just replant but looking online it talks about taking cuttings and planting them which I am completely unfamiliar with.

My goal is to end up with a ton of berries each year for the kids to pick and for us to make good stuff to can.

oldred
09-23-2015, 09:48 AM
Wild berries are a poor choice although they will transplant easily, just cut the canes off to about 2" to 3" long and dig up with some sections of the root attached. With both Raspberries and Blackberries you can actually just dig up the roots and cut them into pieces about two or three inches long and plant the pieces, almost all of them will grow next spring (wait until after frost before digging up).


Now having said that I grow both blackberries and raspberries and I strongly recommend you don't bother with wild plants, they will almost always have smaller berries and fewer on the canes so it takes a lot of plants to pick a decent amount of fruit and on top of that the fruit is of lesser quality! Plus those things can be very invasive and quickly grow into a weedy and tangled mess, well after all they are naturally a brier patch!!


Try here,

http://www.starkbros.com/products/berry-plants/blackberry-plants


or here,


http://www.alcasoft.com/winfrey/blackberry.html



Or most any nursery or Lowes, Home Depot or even WalMart in some locations but the selection will be limited at these places. You will find that Raspberries come in several different types, red, black, purple and gold varieties with some of those being unlike wild versions in that they will produce two crops a year, one in spring and another in fall. There are MANY types of blackberries and all are waaaay more productive than wild types with much larger and juicer fruit with some even being on thornless canes but be warned that most thornless varieties are quite sour and while they make great juice and are good for pies and such can not be eaten from the fresh from the cane unless you enjoy VERY sour fruit! The thorny varieties however are very good and even sweeter than wild types, a LOT sweeter in most cases, and the canes are larger and much easier to control. All-in-all while wild blackberries might be a kind of nostalgic thing for some folks they are a VERY poor choice to use for a cultivated fruit, while true cultivated varieties of berries are easy to grow and take only minimal care if they have "room to romp" and can even be grown in confined areas or containers if space is at a premium but even if all you want to do is plant them in a wild setting and let them grow without caring for them the cultivated varieties are still are much better choice as they will yield much larger fruit, sweeter fruit (most varieties, check first before selecting) and a heck of a lot more of it!

Pipefitter
09-23-2015, 09:51 AM
Mulch the transplants well with chopped up leaves before winter sets in. Blackberries and raspberries are like weeds, once you get them started it is hard to get rid of them.

Teddy (punchie)
09-23-2015, 09:57 AM
Transplant next spring early after freeze has left ground. Will take a few year to recover grow and expand the plant, roots. Look for small canes. If you do plant larger canes cut them back. The fruit will come on this years growth, next season.

Fertilizer should be be little high in phosphate like a 8-32-16 just a little around the outside of root area. Better to let the plant go after the fertilizer. Fertilizer does move some in the soil. After plants start to grow feed just a little high nitrogen fertilizer in May about 6 weeks after planting. Mulch and weeding will pay off to. Mulch will help with moisture.

When raspberries plants new growth is about 20-30 inches tall nip the tops, this will train plant to make canes at picking height, also makes more starts into ground.

FYI
don't let cattle near them, they ate my raspberries plants that needed thinned and killed a row of old jewel berries. Let then in to thin and they must have been too heavy one roots, plus ate them too short. All were gone next spring when I started to thin, transplant. Darn row was 100' and 3-5' wide, too thick to walk through.

oldred
09-23-2015, 10:18 AM
Fellas why on Earth would you want to dig up poor quality wild berry plants when GOOD plants can be had for very little cost? Bramble Berry farm has proven varieties for less than $3 each and Arkansas Berry and Plant farm has root cuttings for less than a dollar per hundred and rooted plants for about a buck each! These plants are WAAAAAAY better than anything found in the wild and they are not some kind of genetically altered monstrosities! They are simply plants what have been bred through selective breeding processes over the years and some, such as the highly recommended Lawton, are simply naturally chance developed wild berries that have been around for over a hundred or more years. Wild berries are very poor quality compared to these selective breeds and are no easier to grow plus they will yield only a fraction of the fruit and fruit of much poorer quality to boot!


I highly recommend the Lawton as it is a true wild berry that was discovered about 150 years ago and has simply been propagated over the years and has excellent low maintenance qualities. It tends to grow just like other wild berries and is about as care free as can be found with good resistance to disease and high fruit yield, not as good as some but MUCH higher than typical wild berries. It has "wild blackberry flavor", is quite sweet and has a much better seed to pulp ratio than wild types, this is extremely important for eating as probably the number one objection to blackberries is the seeds, seeds are much less of a problem in almost all cultivated varieties.

runfiverun
09-23-2015, 10:28 AM
wow one hour, and I already know more about raspberry's than I thought I ever would need to know.

pretty handy info though as I was looking at the side of the neighbors garage yesterday and though that would be a pretty good place to turn into a raspberry patch.

rmatchell
09-23-2015, 10:38 AM
Good information, thanks for the replies. I have never noticed poor berries on these bushes maybe someone planted them before they moved in and they are not a wild variety

We are planting strawberries today in our raised beds so I wont be doing anything today with them.

oldred
09-23-2015, 10:49 AM
Good information, thanks for the replies. I have never noticed poor berries on these bushes maybe someone planted them before they moved in and they are not a wild variety

"Poor berries" can be a relative term, have you looked at and compared any of the cultivated varieties? For instance one of the varieties I grow is the Kiowa that has a very good flavor, is quite sweet and has berries as big as your thumb and that's not an exaggeration! Others are also good quality and similar in flavor although none are as big as the Kiowas but most are close. A couple of the varieties (I presently have six different varieties, Kiowa and Lawton being my favorites) have slightly smaller berries but more than make up for it in production, the canes literally are bowed over under the weight of the berries! I have seen lots of different berries in the wild from Canada to south Georgia and I have never seen a wild berry even close to any of these.

When it comes to Raspberries it's hardly a question at all, wild berries are vastly inferior in production due to the numbers produced on each cane and a MUCH longer productive window, the same goes for cultivated Blackberries for productive periods vs wild berries. The cultivated Raspberries such as the gold varieties can give two crops per season, a heavy crop early in spring and later fall crop that is lighter but still much better than the one short wild season. But again just as with Blackberries the cultivated varieties are better than wild versions in almost every way, and why shouldn't they be since basically they are just wild berries that have been selectively chosen and propagated over the years from the best plants with the most desirable and highest quality fruits.

dilly
09-23-2015, 11:14 AM
I live in MO. I don't grow them myself, but they grow do grow like crazy here.

A nursery that has the plants will have pretty easy instructions. You may even be able to get a thornless variety which will help the kids. I know I've seen thornless blackberries. You'll be picking and jamming more than you can handle in no time!

rmatchell
09-23-2015, 11:17 AM
Thats my hope dilly. The kids love berries and the more we grow the less we buy.

oldred
09-23-2015, 01:41 PM
Just be warned that most thornless Blackberries are sour, and I mean SOUR!!!! Not all however so select carefully and watch for the tricks they use, such as saying "tart" instead of sour, etc. Of course someone may very well want the sour varieties because they seem to sell pretty good and have been around a long time but that sure wasn't the case for us, we didn't like them at all and couldn't even give the things away so I plowed them under and replanted the much better Lawtons and Kiowas. The Lawtons are like wild berries in almost every way but bigger, sweeter and way more productive.

Rick Hodges
09-23-2015, 01:50 PM
My only experience has been with the wild blackberries and a few wild raspberries....in all cases the plants seem to be on an every other year cycle. A good crop is followed by a minimal crop. Half the fun was the trip to go berry picking....and was always a good time....even when I had a disagreement with a black bear over just who should be eating from HIS patch. LOL....
What I remember most was the fresh blackberry cobbler and ice cream that Grandma made after Grandpa and I returned.
Thanks for reminding me.

JonB_in_Glencoe
09-23-2015, 02:08 PM
my, my,my ...all the dislike for wild blackrazberries !

I have transplanted Wild black razberries from a wooded acreage at my friends veggie farm. They are easy as heck to dig up and transplant in the spring. The plants will grow huge if you prune them properly and tie them up. They are hardy enough to handle a Minnesota winter, although I do get some winter die back on the tops of the plants that don't get covered in snow and are exposed to the wind on sub-zero nights. Rabbits like them, and do plenty of damage.

My plants are in the full sun and are incredibly productive (compared to the ones out in the woods that don't get full sun), but not as productive at commercial varieties. The Berries are smaller, but tastier, very concentrated, like a flavor explosion ...like 10 times the flavor. Also, they have larger-harder seeds, eating them right off the bush, usually ends up with seeds stuck in your teeth. But they are far better than commercial varieties for Wine or Jam(must strain the seeds), they are better because the flavor is so concentrated.

I have them planted in clusters surrounding a post, to tie them up...4 plants per cluster...in that 4 plant cluster, I prune the new canes, so only 3 canes or on each plant. So that is 12 canes per cluster, if I don't get any rabbit damage and all the canes produce, I'll get about 1 to 2 lbs of berries per cluster. Also, when the Canes are about 2' tall, I nip the top off and then the Cane will send out 3 or 4 branches, that's called a witches broom, each branch will produce like it's one cane that wasn't nipped.
Good luck.

PS, If I were growing razberries for Kids to eat fresh, I'd skip the Blackrazberries (wild or commercial) all together and get a good red razberry, like "heritage".

denul
09-23-2015, 09:16 PM
I have a commercial variety, that produces a very long whip like cane,that did not produce this year, due to an April freeze. They are coming back nicely, but I wanted to ask if anyone knows when the best time is to trim these back to get that branching effect.

DougGuy
09-23-2015, 09:22 PM
There are wild blackberries growing near us, the canes produce heavily, the berries are not as big as a cultivated commercially available plant, but the flavor profile is INTENSE to say the least! Therefore, we picked a few gallons of them and used them for juice in making jam/jelly, and used our large thornless blackberries for the fruit content. Best of BOTH WORLDS!

Denul, you would have to prune back the 2nd year canes in early spring, before they set blooms cut them to 3' or 4' so they will put out lateral branches. Then, in mid summer when the berries are done, cut back the canes that bore fruit that summer 2" or 3" above ground level. Berries are only produced on 2nd year canes, so the canes that are new one year will be the ones bearing fruit the next year. Once they are cut back to ground level when the berries are done, it will make the plant send up some more new canes that will of course bear fruit next year.

Edit: Also, if you want more canes, simply let some grow full length and in early spring bend them over and poke them 4" to 6" in the soil, maybe stake and tie them so they stay put, and they will develop roots and you will have a new cane from roots that you can cut in the middle later on. You can keep making more canes like this.

tward
09-23-2015, 10:32 PM
Once your plants are established (2years) they tend to spread like crazy from shallow runners. Most red raspberries are very hardy, and very tasty. Good luck, Tim.

gon2shoot
09-24-2015, 04:20 AM
Just spread a bucketful of ticks and chiggers in your yard, the blackberries will follow.

oldred
09-24-2015, 06:02 AM
I have a commercial variety, that produces a very long whip like cane,that did not produce this year, due to an April freeze. They are coming back nicely, but I wanted to ask if anyone knows when the best time is to trim these back to get that branching effect.


Early spring but don't cut them, prune the soft green tips by pinching them. The crushing of the tip by pinching vs a clean cut with a knife will result in a more "stunted" main cane with heavier branching and berry production, this is an old berry growers trick.


As far as wild berries having a more intense or stronger flavor, some folks apparently just haven't tried the right cultivated berry! I have been growing Blackberries for close to forty years and I have seen wild ones from the North to the South and while some are definitely better than others, some major differences can exist in even the same patch, there is just no comparison to a cultivated berry in overall quality. I agree than some varieties (just like any other fruit) may be lacking in some respects such as trading flavor and sweetness for huge production and thornless canes for example but you can't judge them all by one or two varieties. If someone wants to grow wild brambles then it's their garden but the same effort would yield many times the fruit and fruit of higher quality with a much better rate of reliability, "Wild" Blackberry flavor is indeed present in many varieties (most in fact) usually with much bigger fruit and smaller seeds so that's no reason at all to opt for wild berries.

trapper9260
09-24-2015, 07:24 AM
Some parts of the country have wild blacks that are as big as your fingers tips.Some are like stated are small.One of my sister was still in MA where I grown up have blacks in her back yard that where wild and I told her I like some for here in Iowa and she sent me 3 canes to get started. and 2 live out of 3 but they took off and they are now planted inside where a corn crib was to stop them from going any where then in there.they are all large berries.My brother got some red ones canes from some people and they took off and have alot of them.After you have them going it is best to cut them back in the spring to just cut about 3" of the top of the canes that way you have more berries.I use to work on a apple farm back in MA before I move here and one of my jobs was to prune the rad berries.Straw berries when you plant them space them and that way they will run easy and fertilize them the first year ,you put a very light amount about 2 to 3" away form the plant and use a hole to mix it in the soil and then use straw to mulch them to stop the weeks,they are more work then the black and red.also take the flowers off of them the first year unless they are ever berrien if they are just take off the first flowers at the start of the season and then after that you do not have to anymore.It is just to let the plant get a good roots to start off.

JonB_in_Glencoe
09-24-2015, 11:25 AM
Early spring but don't cut them, prune the soft green tips by pinching them. The crushing of the tip by pinching vs a clean cut with a knife will result in a more "stunted" main cane with heavier branching and berry production, this is an old berry growers trick.


As far as wild berries having a more intense or stronger flavor, some folks apparently just haven't tried the right cultivated berry! I have been growing Blackberries for close to forty years and I have seen wild ones from the North to the South and while some are definitely better than others, some major differences can exist in even the same patch, there is just no comparison to a cultivated berry in overall quality. I agree than some varieties (just like any other fruit) may be lacking in some respects such as trading flavor and sweetness for huge production and thornless canes for example but you can't judge them all by one or two varieties. If someone wants to grow wild brambles then it's their garden but the same effort would yield many times the fruit and fruit of higher quality with a much better rate of reliability, "Wild" Blackberry flavor is indeed present in many varieties (most in fact) usually with much bigger fruit and smaller seeds so that's no reason at all to opt for wild berries.
With all due respect, I disagree (red highlights).
I have grown the 3 varieties (of commercial black razberry) offered by Jung Seed that will grow in Zone 3/4. After about 4 years, I got tired of growing berries that tasted like water, compared to the fruit from the wild black razberry plants I got from the woods of my buddy's farm. I grow them for wine and jam. I do grow 3 varieties of red razberries for eating fresh, and they are much better "eating" than those commercial black razberries I use to grow.
That is my experience.
Jon

oldred
09-24-2015, 01:16 PM
With all due respect, I disagree (red highlights).
I have grown the 3 varieties (of commercial black razberry) offered by Jung Seed that will grow in Zone 3/4. After about 4 years, I got tired of growing berries that tasted like water, compared to the fruit from the wild black razberry plants I got from the woods of my buddy's farm. I grow them for wine and jam. I do grow 3 varieties of red razberries for eating fresh, and they are much better "eating" than those commercial black razberries I use to grow.
That is my experience.
Jon

Well we will just disagree then, along with all my customers who also will disagree -wholeheartedly! Varieties such as the Lawton I have mentioned several times will rival wild berries grown anywhere and are sweeter than most, still have that tart "wild berry whang" but not as sour as some. The biggest difference is that while the berries are somewhat larger than most wild berries the canes will GREATLY outproduce wild strains and grow more vigorously with a longer growing season! Grow wild berries if you like but those who want to grow better fruit and a heck of a lot more of it for the same effort there's the proven varieties of cultivated berries that you apparently have not seen.


As far as Raspberries it's the same, some varieties such as Jewel will rival the taste of any wild berry but be far more productive and even more important have a MUCH better pulp to seed ratio than the wild varieties. Production per plant however is the biggest benefit since they will produce 3 to 4 times the fruit per plant.

JonB_in_Glencoe
09-24-2015, 07:37 PM
I don't think any blackberry plants, like the Lawton will handle a Minnesota winter.
two of the three commercial black razberries I grew were Bristol and Jewel, I don't recall the other...while the plants were hardy enough, the fruit didn't hold a candle to the wild ones I grow.

The ones you grow in east TN are probably way better than anything I can grow :(

bangerjim
09-24-2015, 08:05 PM
When in MI we had tons of berry plants both wild and commercial. The comm ones did much better with better yield and bigger fruit.

Fast forward 30 year and now I get the biggest sweetest nicest berries of all kinds at my local stores her in PHX. No hassle, no mess, just grab a flat and enjoy! I like simple.

the only thing we grow now is citrus..........15 trees of the dang stuff! 5 varieties of oranges, tangelos, tangerines, grapefruit, limes, lemons.............and on and on.

bangerjim

bayjoe
09-24-2015, 08:24 PM
Will blackberry's attract bears?

rmatchell
09-24-2015, 09:43 PM
I think Ill just dig up the free plants and replant them now and then in the spring I might pick up some other varities from somewhere local. That way I have plenty of both.

Now for the hard part...where to put them.

MaryB
09-24-2015, 09:59 PM
You still have access to those canes Jon? I am getting a berry patch started and no locals have any black raspberries... got some nice reds started that should produce next year.


I don't think any blackberry plants, like the Lawton will handle a Minnesota winter.
two of the three commercial black razberries I grew were Bristol and Jewel, I don't recall the other...while the plants were hardy enough, the fruit didn't hold a candle to the wild ones I grow.

The ones you grow in east TN are probably way better than anything I can grow :(

JonB_in_Glencoe
09-24-2015, 10:41 PM
Yes, still have access (in Big Lake) but it'd be easier to get some off my plants in Glencoe...and less poison Ivy :oops::shock:

MaryB
09-25-2015, 08:58 PM
I will have to contact you next year, think they would be good along the east side of the new garage...

Iowa Fox
09-26-2015, 12:19 AM
35 years ago we had just a few wild black raspberries by the timber, 20 years ago I planted some red and black raspberries by the garden. Between the birds and animals the patches getting bigger, we are overrun with them. Plus the berries are killing us as we do have a ton of them. Raspberry pies, raspberry kolaches, raspberry jam, raspberrys and ice cream after supper every night while they are in season.

Lloyd Smale
09-26-2015, 07:34 AM
I disagree with some. My wild blackberries make the best jam going. As to rasberrys I like the big berries on my boughten plants. Sure makes picking a lot easier but the flavor advantage goes to the wild ones hands down.

Geezer in NH
09-26-2015, 10:40 PM
Want to make money?? Get good plants. Wild ones grow great stem but produce bubpkus fruit.

Multigunner
09-27-2015, 09:43 PM
In East Tennessee the wild black berries around here seem to be plenty big enough and taste much better than the store bought variety. They are subject to the weather conditions, and wild life makes short work of them. Most likely if you find only small berries its because the birds already got the larger ones.

A Black Bear that roamed through my neighborhood and was caught sleeping in a tree near the high school may have been attracted by all the wild berries and fruit trees.