Cane Berry Growing Guide

Introduction

Cane Berries or Bramble Berries, better known as Blackberries and Raspberries are top choices for the “grow your own” foodies across the US. Cane Berries are one of the world’s most delicate and delicious fruits. Get ready for stained hands and tongues because each berry is made up of a hundred individual fruit juice bubbles. These berries are bursting with juicy flavor and packed with nutrition. A fully ripe cane berry will melt in your mouth and leave your taste buds wanting more.

Why you should grow Cane Berries?

Often the berries we buy in the store are expensive and shipped from far away. Store bought berries are picked immature while firm and bland and all packaged berries are sprayed with fungicides. This is done in order to meet the commercial demands for transportation, refrigeration and shelf life. This includes organic berries which are sprayed with approved chemicals to prevent molding. Many of the unique and tastiest varieties never make it to the grocery store shelves because they are to fragile for shipping. So why not grow this delicacy at home and enjoy healthy, vibrant fruit at peak nutrition?

Do it for your taste buds and your body! They’re easy to grow, incredibly delicious and you can freeze or preserve the harvest in jams or even make fresh fruit pies to share with friends and family. Cane Berries are nature’s “Fruitamins”!

How can you tell Blackberry & Raspberry apart?

Cane Berries and hybrids are easily distinguished by how the fruit comes off the canes.

Have you ever stuck a Raspberry on your finger before eating? That hollow core is a perfect fit for finger tips, making it a Raspberry. On the other hand, Blackberries will have a solid white core which holds the juice bubbles together and gives the fruit a firmer texture.

It’s so much fun to grow and harvest bushels (and mouthfuls) of juicy berries so let’s cover some of the basics of Cane Berry selection and cultivation in order to optimize production.

Types of Blackberry plants

There are three types of Blackberry plants: Trailing, Erect and Semi-erect. The newest cultivars are Thornless Blackberry plants with giant fruits up to 3 inches long! Check out Triple Crown for thornless canes and 30 pounds of giant berries per plant. Plant classic trailing and thorny varieties like Marionberry which is popular for unrivaled flavor and high-quality fruit. You would think all Blackberries are black in color, however, there are hybrids with purple fruit and a new release that is completely white in color, called a Polar Berry!

Many folks here in the Northwest question why they’d ever cultivate blackberries when they’re already growing wild along seemingly every road and pasture in the state, but keep in mind the named cultivars are far superior in flavor and production. We’ve seen many blackberry converts after they taste their first Triple Crown or Tayberry. Varieties differ greatly in flavor, ripening time, ­fruit ­& ­seed­ size, ­appearance, shape,­ texture and flavor.­ All types are self-fruitful, so you need only one plant to get fruit. Most Blackberries produce on second-year wood but a few will make first-year fruit too. Some OGW favorites for taste and production are thornless and “easy to pick” like Chester and primocane fruiting Navajo varieties.

Types of Raspberry plants

Raspberries come in two types and many shades and colors. There are June bearing, or floricane raspberries, which produce on second year canes. The other being everbearing , or primocane types, which produce on first year canes. Primocane varieties will produce a moderate crop in June and a much larger crop from late August until frost. Primocane varieties can be mowed to the ground after harvest and require less trellising than June bearing varieties, though we recommend planting a few of each to ensure you have a steady supply of berries throughout the season.

The rainbow of Raspberry fruit colors range from yellowish gold to shades of pink, reds, purple and all the way to Black. So many to choose from and so many delicious decisions.

Planting Bare root vs Container Plants

Container grown plants will produce fruit sooner and can be planted at anytime of the year. Bare root Cane Berries starts more economical and are best for planting in the spring. When you receive your bareroot you should plant them right away. If dry from shipping soak the roots in water for an hour to hydrate. Prune the roots if needed and the tip leaving only 3-5 inches. If you can’t plant immediately put the bareroots in a big container or pile with sawdust and or soil and “heel” them in. For dormant Cane Berry plants keep them moist but never saturated with water. Plants without leaves are the most susceptible to rotting. When over saturated with water a dormant caneberry may never wake up.

Plant Spacing

Blackberries need more space between the plants than Raspberries. Plant trailing Blackberries like Marion and Obsidian at least 6’ apart. The semi-erect and upright cultivars like Triple Crown only need about 4’ apart. Raspberries in general do best with 2’-3’ of spacing between plants.

Site Selection

Cane Berry plants require well-draining soil, rich in organic matter. If your soil is oversaturated with water or has standing water in the winter you must mound up or use planter boxes. Both Raspberry and Blackberry plants are best grown in rows with supporting wires and T-posts. Cane Berry plants prefer to be protected from the strong prevailing winds. Most areas of the US are suitable for growing Cane Berries and cultivars have been bred specifically for each bioregion of the country. Check your local extension agency for the best varieties to grow in your region. In general, Raspberry plants are more cold hardy than Blackberries.

Cultivation Tips

• “After fruiting if the cane is green let it be seen if the cane is brown cut it down”. This mnemonic device makes it easy to thin out canes.
• Removing the growing tip of each cane is beneficial for Blackberries. Cane tipping at 6’ is helpful to increase flowering and control cane length. Keep the canes in check and “soft tip” by hand in the summer. Also, tip canes back after winter in order to remove freeze damage and promote horizontal growth and increase production.
• Cane Berry plants need one inch of water or more per week between June – September. Rain or irrigation is required to produce large sized berries and healthy plants.

• Cane berry leaves should look healthy and vibrant green. Fertilize with a balanced organic fertilizer in spring and add plenty of compost to feed the canes and suppress weeds. Provide top layers of lighter brown materials like straw to retain moisture.
• In general, full sun is best for Cane Berry planting. Blackberry plants prefer a warmer area of the garden and Raspberry plants like the cooler spots with a little afternoon shade.

• Blackberry canes will tip root and spread once they touch the ground. You can make new plants this way by pulling the rooted tip and cutting it off the cane.

• Blackberry plants are more tolerant of heavy soils than Raspberry plants however it is best to grow on a site with good drainage.

• Raspberries will fill in an area once planted. Make sure you plant them in a spot where you can control the runners.