It is believed that the blackberry is more useful than raspberries. Most often it is grown for industrial purposes, but what prevents it from planting it in its private plot and enjoying juicy, fleshy, sweet and fragrant fruits? Nothing! And this means that it's time to start.
Description of the blackberry variety "Black Satin"
This variety has black, like lacquered berries, quite large. They taste fresh and sweet. They grow on the horseless strong shoots gathered in the bushes. Shoots must be tied to the trellis and trimmed in the fall, but otherwise the plant does not require special care.
In autumn the bush should be simply bent to the ground and covered for winter. In the second year, the thickness of the shoot is about 3 cm, the leaves become more rigid, dark green in color. Berries are formed by clusters.
The blackberries themselves have an oblong irregular shape and weigh 5-8 grams each. Its name came from the color of berries - black and shiny, like satin. They are ripening unevenly, so they harvest the harvest in stages. If you miss the moment and give the berries a glimpse, they will become soft and will not be so well transported.
How to plant a blackberry "Black satin"?
Saplings before planting should be stored at a low temperature - from 0 to +2 ° C. To avoid stretching the shoots, it is necessary to bring the plant to a cool but well-lit place when the buds appear. Landing in the ground should be carried out only after the threat of frost passes.
Blackberry "Black satin" loves well-lit and windless areas. The soil in the place of the proposed disembarkation should be rich in organic matter.
Before planting, cleanse the soil of weeds, prepare pitches of 40x40x40 cm size. In each we pour 5 kilograms of rotted manure, 100-150 superphosphate grams and 50 grams of potassium fertilizers. All this is mixed well with the soil.
We deepen the seedlings to the root neck and immediately cut the ground part, leaving only 30-40 cm on the surface. Water each bush with 5 liters of water, mulch the soil around the compost or peat with a layer of 6-8 cm in thickness. If you grow a blackberry with fan molding, leave 2-3 meters between the bushes.
Care for the blackberry "Black Satin"
Blackberry variety Black Satin has a two-year development cycle. And in the first year the bushes grow, the kidneys are laid, and in the second year they bear fruit and die.
In order to facilitate the care of the plant as much as possible, fruit-bearing shoots should be directed in one direction, and shoots of the current year should be directed in the opposite direction. This is the so-called fan molding. In this case, young shoots need to tie in the summer to the tapestries as they grow, and old and fertilized branches are simply cut out at the very bottom and cleaned.
For the winter, the bushes are harnessed, laying previously tied up shoots to the ground. Do it carefully so as not to damage them. Fall asleep with peat and leaves. When winter comes, they are covered with snow.
In the spring, before the bud buds begin to swell, the bushes need to be uncovered, pruned, and shortened long shoots by one-third. Also tweaked shoots that grow in the wrong direction.
Healing properties of blackberry
In the fruits of this berry there are a lot of vitamins of group B, E, K, PP and microelements. Leaves are also useful - they contain a lot of vitamin C - 4 times more than, for example, an orange.
Traditional medicine uses all parts of the plant without exception. Of the leaves make a sweaty broth, the ripened fruits are used as a laxative, immature blackberries - on the contrary, as stapling. Decoction of the roots is suitable for gargling with angina.
Blackberry strengthens capillaries, has anti-sclerotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Both leaves and fruits are widely used in dermatology and cosmetology.