Blackberries...

[Jessiebean]

We have a patch of brambles we have domesticated in our yard but after a big crop early in the season we have only had one or two ripening at once- most of the berries are not ripe all over before one part of it starts to rot away(or the birds get them of course). We prune the long stragglers (which don't have fruit) back and have never fertilised the soil... is there something we can do to ensure more consistent cropping?

[MKG]

Depends how heavy that pruning is. The stragglers are first-year growth which, as you say, doesn't bear fruit. On the other hand, it turns into second-year growth which does bear fruit. After that, the cane dies. So, if you're cutting back too far, you're giving the plant very little chance to do anything, especially as it leaves up in the growing season. If your bramble is restricted to a "tidy" bush, most of it is shaded - and blackberries do like a bit of sun.

If it's near a fence or wall, you could try using the espalier method. Each tail would have to be totally cut out after the second year, but you'd get a bumper crop.

Mike

[Jessiebean]

I don't think being too tidy is the issue...

brambles.jpg (117.7 KiB) Viewed 1806 times

and here is the fruit...

fruit.jpg (80.87 KiB) Viewed 1806 times

I do think that if I removed the blackberry patch the shed would fall down though!

[MKG]

I know that bramble well ...

But does it crop more heavily in the bits that are too high to reach (where you don't prune)?

Mike

[Jessiebean]

hmmm, I don't think so- it is just that the individual berries don't ripen all over at once meaning part of them is often rotting before the whole is ripe... rather frustrating for me who wants to make more jam!