Description and characteristics of Black Satin blackberries, planting and care in the open field
Black Satin blackberry is cultivated in Europe and America, the hybrid takes root in the middle latitudes, and a shrub is grown under cover for the winter in the northern regions. For the observance of agricultural technology and good care, the variety rewards an excellent harvest of berries, which contain a lot of vitamins, organic acids, natural antioxidants. Black Satin ripens earlier than other known varieties, but fruiting lasts at least two months. The shrub grows rapidly, the height of the shoots is approaching 7 meters.
Blackberry breeding Black Satin
Gardeners and farmers owe the creation of many varieties of culture from the Rubus family to the state of Illinois, which nature has awarded with tropical summers, snowy winters, and frequent destructive hurricanes. Black Satin was developed by specialists from the University of Carbondale. When the known varieties Thornfrey and Darrow were crossed, a fruitful hybrid with fast-growing smooth shoots was obtained.
The advantage of culture
Blackberry Black Satin was liked by many gardeners, since the variety borrowed many advantages from its closest relatives, but it also has disadvantages. The advantages of a hybrid include:
- Lack of thorns.
- High productivity.
- Pest resistance.
- Great berry taste.
Blackberry roots do not grow over the site, but go deeper and withstand prolonged drought.The fruits ripen unevenly, but this can be considered both a minus and a dignity of the variety. They are sweet and aromatic, but they are not stored for a long time, and berries, which are valued for the abundance of ascorbic acid, can only be transported in an unripe form.
Bushes need to be formed from young branches, as in mature plants they become tough and brittle.
Description of the variety
Long shoots of Black Satin blackberries grow up to one and a half meters, after which they bend to the ground and spread along it. In a two-year-old shrub, the thickness of powerful branches reaches 30 mm.
Fruit
Blackberries are collected in a brush up to ten pieces or more. They have an elongated shape, when ripe they acquire a glossy sheen and black color. The fruits that are tied at the top of the stems weigh about 7 g. The berries are rich in carotene, organic acids, and minerals.
When using them:
- insomnia passes;
- increased immunity;
- returns elasticity to the vessels.
Fruits, which begin to sing in early August, have a sweet taste and pleasant aroma, Black Satin blackberries ripen earlier than their parent varieties.
Bush
Powerful shoots of the hybrid develop and grow very quickly. On strong branches in spring, trifoliate leaves of an emerald color appear. Purple buds turn into snow-white inflorescences. The shrub has a decorative appearance, the roots do not spread over the site.
Yield
A lot of berries are formed on the branches of blackberries. Subject to the requirements of agricultural technology, careful care, you can expect to collect up to 2 buckets of fruit from one bush.
The yield of Black Satin is slightly higher than that of the parent varieties, but the berries must be processed immediately.
Specifications
The hybrid, bred in the USA, quickly attracted the attention of European gardeners by the absence of thorns, early fruiting, excellent taste, and resistance to major diseases of plants from the Rubus genus.
In which areas it is possible to grow
The Black Satin variety is cultivated in the southern regions, the shrub is not afraid of drought, withstands heat. Blackberries take root and bear fruit in mid-latitudes, grows north of the Moscow region, subject to winter insulation.
Frost resistance
The hybrid can withstand negative temperatures, but when the thermometer drops to -20 C °, the shoots freeze slightly, and berries are not tied to them. In all regions of Russia, except for the southern regions, both the roots and branches of the shrub must be covered for the winter.
Exposure to insects and disease
The Black Satin hybrid was created by crossing varieties that have good immunity to pests, fungi and viruses. Blackberries have inherited from them resistance to most diseases, but in wet weather it is sometimes affected by gray rot. To prevent this problem from occurring:
- Lower branches must be removed from the ground.
- Remove spoiled berries, cut out infected shoots.
- Before flowering, you need to spray the blackberry with Bordeaux liquid.
Although the shrub attracts bees, it does not suffer from insects. There is no need to treat foliage with insecticides.
Reproduction methods
Hybrid variety Black Satin can be diluted with shoot tips. In summer, the strongest side branch is tilted to the ground, fixed with a bracket, and covered with soil. In the fall, the shoot is separated from the bush and sent to a new place.
How to plant blackberries on the site
There are certain requirements of agricultural technology, under which the culture takes root faster, develops better and bears fruit. Planting in open ground is carried out in an area that is illuminated by the sun, inaccessible to drafts. Blackberries adore loose fertile soil, cannot stand stagnant water.
Optimal planting times
In the southern regions, there is not much difference when to place a young bush in a permanent place - in spring or autumn. In the middle lane, where it gets cold early, and frosts are often in May, it is safer to plant Black Satin blackberries in early June.
If necessary, this can be done in September, but immediately covering the shrub so that it does not die in winter.
Preparation of soil and seedlings
They dig up the ground under the blackberry on the site in advance, pull out the remnants of the roots, remove weeds, bring in humus and ash. If the water comes close to the surface, a drainage layer is poured, although it is better to find another place. One-year seedlings with three roots not shorter than 15 cm take root well. When purchasing a blackberry bush, you need to pay attention to the bark of the shoots, there should be no cracks or wrinkles on it.
Landing scheme and algorithm
Since the Black Satin hybrid develops rapidly and reaches 5-7 meters in height, the holes are dug out from one another at a distance of 2.5 m. The blackberry, together with the ground, are moved into the ground, leaving the root collar above the surface, watered, tamped the soil and mulched with peat.
How to provide proper plant care
Black Satin will thank you with a decent harvest, if you take good care of it - feed, moisten, cut, support the shoots with a trellis.
Fertilizer
When planting a bush, a bucket of humus is introduced into the onion, a tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium salt each. Until next year, blackberries do not need any additional substances. In the spring it is fed with urea, in the fall - with mineral fertilizers, which will protect it from frost. Every 2-3 years, up to 2 buckets of manure are brought under the bush.
Irrigation and loosening
The blackberry is watered every time as soon as the top layer of the earth dries up. Most of all, the Black Satin variety needs moisture during the period of ovary formation. With its lack, small berries ripen, with an excess, the roots rot. After irrigation, the soil is carefully loosened so that it does not become crusty.
Pruning
A hybrid blackberry bush is formed following a specific pattern. In summer, on annual shoots, pinch the top at a height of about a meter, in the spring, remove new branches that have appeared below 45 cm above the ground, the rest are cut to 40. In autumn, they get rid of the growths on which there were fruits.
Do I need to tie a blackberry
The Black Satin hybrid stretches strongly upward, and then begins to creep. In order for the bush to bear fruit well, the shoots are attached to the trellis.
To do this, a structure of wood or metal is installed in the form of an arch, annual branches, and no more than 6 of them are left, they are tied on one side of it, the rest on the other.
Preventive treatment
So that in damp weather the blackberry does not suffer from gray rot, in early spring the bushes are sprayed with copper sulfate, in the fall the fruiting shoots are cut to the ground.
Preparing for the winter period
The branches of the plant freeze already at -20 C. In the southern regions, they are tied in a bundle, laid in a near-trunk circle and covered, in middle latitudes, the shoots are first sprinkled with peat and leaves, then spruce branches are placed and only then they are insulated with material.
