What should I do with these blackberry plants over the winter?

[drewskimac]

Are you getting killing frosts yet? I think I'd move them out of the green house if frosts are not a great issue now. The biggest issue you are going to have is that they are showing lots of tender new growth. That growth will be prone to winter kill. So, if you can get them hardened off before the weather gets very cold, that would be best. An other enemy of plants in the winter is them drying out. So, if you plant them, be sure they are well watered, but don't fertilize them. The last thing they need at this point is to be fertilized into a new growth spurt. Maybe, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Put a few out, keep a few in the green house, even move one or two into the house.

Nope - No killing frosts, so I will try to set them out and get them hardened off. Thanks!

 

[drewskimac]

Hey drewskimac- Is your greenhouse heated or does it get cold over the winter? If the latter, then I'd let the seasons do their work.



There are a number of thornless blackberry varieties out there. Here is a page of them from my favorite plant nursery: Stark Bro's. I have the Prime-Ark Freedom Primocane which I'm very happy with as they grow two crops of berries/year.

It is not heated, it gets cold over the winter. So, just keep them in there and leave as is?

 

[Dayrel]

Yes. The greenhouse will get colder as your weather does. They'll go dormant naturally.

 

[drewskimac]

Yes. The greenhouse will get colder as your weather does. They'll go dormant naturally.

Thankyou for your kind and helpful advice!

 

[drewskimac]

UC, I have tried many times to figure out what your avatar pic is, and for the life of me, I can't figure that out. Please help me!!!

Thankyou Lazy, you have always been very patient and helpful to me.

 

[lazy gardener]

YVW. Keeping them in the green house is a very valid solution. I was working from my paradigm. My green house overheats during the warm months, and temp is extremely variable otherwise, so, I was thinking inside my tiny little box.

 

[moniquem]

I just left mine. They'll come back next year....

 

[drewskimac]

I just left mine. They'll come back next year....

Yes, You are right, they absolutely will . However, I propagated these this fall with my preexisting plants. In other words, I took a cane from the original (mother) plant and buried it's growing tip in a pot with soil. I watered with a root stimulator soultion until the growing tip took root in the pot and created a root system that filled the pot. I then cut the growing tip about 2 feet up from the roots, thus creating the daughter plant. This was put in a larger pot, to be stored in the greenhouse to expand it's roots for next year!