Take care that the growing tips of the canes don’t touch the ground or they will quickly take root. Remove and destroy any infected plants. Blackberries are native to North America and hardy to plant in USDA growing zones 5 through 8. Most of our blackberries are summer bearing, which carry one crop of berries on the over-wintering canes during the summer months. The canes are grouped together in rows which have the appearance of bushes. Plant multiple blackberry plants at least three feet apart with a wooden stake next to the plant, about 4-inches thick. If you’re blackberry plant is not producing new canes, see … Each cane lives for 2 years. Plant blackberry plants in a full to partial sunny area with well-draining soil. Blackberries are a bramble fruiting plant, with the berries being produced only on two-year-old canes. Each year blackberry plants produce new canes from the crown just below the soil surface, and from roots that extend some distance out. Blackberry plants should be set into the ground about 6–8 inches (15.2–20.3 cm), and spaced between 3 and 6 feet apart from one another. Blackberry lilies are generally trouble-free plants. will keep you canning, preserving and feasting on the fresh fruits in mid- to late summer.These prolific, vining berry plants grow well without taking up a lot of gardening time. In colder climates they are usually planted in spring. The large, sweet berries are delicious and grow on a semi-erect, thornless blackberry plant. If you do plant blackberry bushes from early spring to early autumn they will require watering initially in warm or dry weather. If your plant looks wilted or discolored, look for this hole. The berries will have best flavor by allowing them to fully ripen. The berries are firm and excellent for fresh eating, jams, jellies, and pies. Keep them well-fed, mulched, watered and trimmed, and keep an eye out for pests and diseases on them throughout the growing season. They thrive along the eastern coast, as well as in the cool-night areas of the Appalachians, Ozarks, and Blue Ridge Mountains. http://gurneys.com/blackberry-plants/c/61/ - In this video, Felix from Gurney's shows how to prune Blackberry plants in the Early Spring. Rubus fruticosus 'Navaho' is an erect, self-fruitful, thornless shrub with clusters of pinkish-white, rose-like flowers which give way to a heavy crop of large, blue-black, juicy-sweet blackberries over a harvest season lasting 30 days in mid-late summer. Blackberries are perennials, but on most plants the canes are biennials. Upright or erect plants can be closer than trailing varieties, which should be more like 6 or 7 feet (1.8 or 2.1 m) apart from one another. Free-standing, this plant does not require support. Before you start to plant them consider how large they may grow. Planting Blackberries. Vigorous varieties will need 4m / 13ft of space from other plants, the least vigorous varieties will require 1.2m / 4ft. Plants begin fruiting in mid summer, and the season lasts approximately 3 - 4 weeks. It won't fruit again, so old canes should be pruned out as soon as possible after the harvest to prevent disease from attacking the plant. If suckers are thrown up from the stool below soil level, pull them off or they will weaken the plant. Before planting, separate the roots so they will spread out more easily, becoming more healthy and producing more fruit in the long run. I have five Triple Crown’s and they’re my favorite, both in taste and ease of care. Plant Details Blackberries grow in areas of the South where summers are not too dry and winters not too harsh. Of course the soil should not be frozen, so the temperature should be above 32˚ F. The pest is insidious, and may leave no signs at first except an entry hole at the base of the plant. However, the common iris borer can infect and even kill plants. The first year a cane produces only leaves, the second year it bears fruit. Growing a stand of blackberry bushes (Rubus spp.) In mild climates Blackberry plants can be planted any time they are dormant from late autumn to early spring.