How to Transplant Blackberry Shoots
For many gardeners, blackberries are a desirable addition to the garden both for their edible fruit and for their potential as a hedging plant. However, blackberries are sometimes difficult to control due to the ease with which they reproduce and many gardeners turn to transplanting shoots or suckers to more desirable areas of their property. Transplanting shoots from around blackberry brambles takes little time or effort since they are very adaptable and will swiftly regenerate, but it is best done in early summer after the newly emerged shoots have rooted. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Prepare a planting site for the blackberry shoots before digging them up for transplant. Choose a sunny or partially shaded spot with moderate drainage and mildly acidic soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Dig a planting hole measuring 1 foot deep and 1 foot in diameter using a pointed spade.
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Select a suitable shoot for transplanting from around the base of a mature 3- to 5-year-old blackberry bramble. Choose one that is no more than 14 inches in height with greenish bark, abundant foliage and a diameter comparable to a pencil.
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Locate the halfway point between the blackberry shoot and the parent plant. Insert the pointed spade 10 inches deep into the soil at the halfway point. Work the blade of the shovel around the shoot so there is a portion of soil and roots with a 6-inch radius attached at the base.
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Lift the blackberry shoot from the hole. Set it down and remove approximately one-third of the soil from around the roots. Run water over the roots using a garden hose to hydrate them.
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Hold the blackberry shoot inside the prepared hole so the base of the stem is 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the surface of the surrounding soil. Backfill around the roots with soil. Periodically tamp the soil as you work to press out any trapped air.
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Water the blackberry shoot to a depth of 6 inches. Water again once the soil dries out at a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Cease watering in late summer to allow the shoot to go dormant for the winter.
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Spread a 1-inch-thick layer of oak leaf or pine needle mulch around the base of the transplanted blackberry shoot one to two weeks before the first frost.
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References
- University of Florida IFAS Extension; The Blackberry; Peter C. Andersen and Timothy E. Crocker
- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Fact Sheet; Raspberries and Blackberries for Home Gardens; J.A. Sullivan and T.T. Clark; September 1999
- University of California Cooperative Extension; Growing Blackberries in California; Paul Vossen
- Washington State University; Gardening in Western Washington; Native Plants: Transplanting Suckers
