Asking whether it is necessary to cover the garden blackberry for the winter, it is important to understand that it fructifies on last year's shoots, and if they froze, you risk losing a crop in the new season. The harsh winters, as practice shows, carry only the strongest plants. It is better not to rely on the grace of nature, and in advance to stock up knowledge of how to properly cover the blackberry for the winter.
At what temperature is the blackberry covered?
Cover the blackberry needs after proper preparation, which includes pruning two-year shoots and pinching annuals, cleaning around the bushes and sprinkling the bottom of the blackberry with sawdust or peat to preserve the roots from frost, as well as better soil moisture.
The temperature of the air at the time of shelter of the blackberry should be -5 ... 7ºС. Approximately this moment occurs at the end of October - beginning of November. An earlier shelter, when there are no night and daytime frosts, will only harm the bushes.
Than hide the blackberry for the winter?
If you have a few bushes on the site, you can stockpile straw, sawdust, fallen leaves and other dry materials. But if the plantation is large, it is worth thinking about more serious ways of hiding.
- For example, you can cover the ranks of blackberries with polyethylene in one layer. But it should be borne in mind that without ventilation, the plant can "mate", and after a sharp nightfall, the temperature will freeze. Therefore it is recommended to make a perforation in the film with an awl or screwdriver.
- Another material for shelter is paper covered with film. Paper will play the role of a snow cover, and the film will not let it get wet and scatter.
- Popular material for the cover is a modern nonwoven spunbond agricultural material. Under this cover, bushes tolerate freezing to -35 ° C. You can build a wooden frame over the plantation with a blackberry, and throw a nettle over it. Very convenient and inexpensive.