How and what to feed blackberries in spring, summer and autumn during flowering and fruiting
Blackberry feeding is very important for the normal growth of the bush. Top dressing is foliar and root. Both types of fertilization are important for the plant. Blackberries are fed throughout the growing season.
Why is it important to feed blackberries
You need to feed the garden blackberry in the same way as any other plant. Top dressing saturates the soil with nutrients that are necessary for the normal growth of blackberries.
In addition, top dressing promotes the growth and development of the shrub, increases the immunity of plants and has a positive effect on the palatability of the fruit.
Deficiency of nutrients leads to the fact that the shrub grows poorly, the yield decreases, and the plant itself does not develop well. A deficiency, like an excess of fertilizing, negatively affects the growth of blackberries. The shrub begins to actively grow deciduous mass, but at the same time the yield is practically zero.
Procedure technology
There are two types of feeding - foliar and root. Foliar top dressing means processing the leaves of a bush. Roots are applied directly to the soil in the area of the root system.
Root
The essence of root feeding is that nutrients go directly into the root system and immediately saturate the plant with useful microelements necessary for growth.
Root dressings are organic and mineral. Organic dressings are diluted in water or mixed with soil in spring or autumn. Mineral fertilizers are dissolved in water and watered with shrubs or scattered over the soil and after that they are watered with warm water so that the granules dissolve.
Foliar
Foliar dressing is only mineral. It is rare to find a recipe for organic foliar fertilization. When using this method, fertilizers are dissolved in warm water and sprayed on the bushes.
It is necessary to spray the blackberries with minerals so that in the coming days after the procedure there are no heavy or prolonged rains.
How plants are fertilized
There are two types of fertilizers - mineral and organic. Mineral fertilizers are complex and one-part. At the same time, it is allowed to introduce both minerals and organic matter into the soil. Blackberries will not get any worse from this.The main thing is to make sure that the bush does not overfeed.
Mineral fertilizers for blackberries
The main minerals for agricultural plants include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Plants require different substances at different stages of the growing season.
At the stage of bud formation and deciduous growth, it is recommended to introduce nitrogen into the soil. During flowering and fruit formation, nitrogen can also be added, but at the same time combined with potassium and phosphorus.
Before the onset of cold weather and after harvesting, blackberry bushes need potassium. This mineral fertilizer increases the immunity of plants and helps to survive the winter frosts.
Organic
In the fall, it's time for root dressing. After harvesting, the soil around the shrub is loosened with a pitchfork. Organics are used as fertilizers:
- manure;
- chicken droppings;
- urea;
- compost;
- sawdust;
- wood ash.
Organic fertilizers are also sold in specialized gardening stores. For example, "Fertimix Biohumus". The drug stimulates the growth of leaves and root system, increases resistance to diseases.
Another drug is Novofert Yagoda. The substance is used during the flowering period every 2 weeks. Stop feeding the shrub after the fruit ripens.
Folk remedies
For root dressing, folk methods are used, for example, watering blackberries with an infusion based on weeds. Weed grasses are cut and filled with water. Insist one week. Yeast is also added to the infusion. When it is ready, you need to water the blackberry 2 times a week for about 1 month.
The source of calcium for blackberries is eggshells. To prepare the fertilizer, the eggshell must be crushed, and then filled with water and left for a day. Water the bush with the resulting solution.
Algae are used as fertilizer. They contain about 60 trace elements that are necessary for normal plant growth.
Nutritional supplements are prepared from animal wool waste. To prepare top dressing, you need to mix the soil with wool in the fall. In the spring, the soil will be saturated with nitrogen.
It is useful to periodically water blackberry bushes with infusion of nettle. For its preparation, 2 kg of fresh nettles are poured in warm water in a large barrel and left to ferment in the sun. After a few days, the resulting infusion is diluted in water and the bush is watered. It is recommended to water plants with nettle infusion during the flowering period and the formation of ovaries.
The nuances of seasonal care
Depending on the season, feeding has its own nuances. Blackberries need different nutrients at every season.
Spring fertilizers
In the spring, after the snow melts, potash nitrate is added to the ground. This fertilizer contains nitrogen and potassium. The fertilizer is produced in the form of granules. The granules are scattered on the ground and then poured over with warm water to dissolve. From mineral fertilizers, superphosphate, nitrogen and potassium sulfate are used.
In the summer
During this period, complex fertilizers are applied to the soil. In summer, plants are sprayed with nitrogen, potassium or phosphorus diluted in water. Mineral substances are introduced only into moist soil. In August, they take a break from feeding until the onset of autumn, when the preparation of the shrub for winter begins.
In autumn
In September, the preparation of blackberries for winter begins. In the fall, after pruning the plant, the soil is dug around and organic matter, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are introduced. In addition, the soil is mixed with pre-prepared compost or humus.
How to feed blackberries
Blackberries are also fed depending on the growing season. Also, during the introduction of nutrients, the composition of the soil is taken into account.
Features for fertilizing blackberries on different soils
Blackberries prefer to grow on drained loamy soils with neutral or slightly acidic soil. Before planting, the soil is mixed with organic matter.
After planting young seedlings
After the young seedlings have been planted, the soil is fertilized with Bioterra. The drug promotes rapid survival in a new place. Bioterra consists of 4 types of manure and organic waste.
For the growth of seedlings, nitrogen-containing dressings are used, which contribute to the activation of shoot growth. For example, urea or ammonium nitrate. Such fertilizers are applied when planting seedlings in spring.
During flowering
With the beginning of flowering, the bushes are fed every 12-15 days with the substance "Novofert Yagoda". Such dressings are carried out before the beginning of fruiting. Another effective remedy is Kemira Universal 2. The substance helps to increase the yield and growth of plants.
During the ripening of berries
During the ripening of the fruits, in order to increase the yield and fruiting, top dressing should be applied, which includes 20 g of saltpeter and 10 g of urea. When fruiting is just beginning, it is useful to fertilize the soil with potassium sulfate. 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate is diluted in 5 liters of water. From foliar dressings, the leaves are sprayed with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
After harvest
After harvesting, it's time to prepare the bushes for the onset of winter. At this time, organic fertilizing and potassium are used. From organic matter, the soil is fertilized with manure, compost or humus. 2-3 times a year, the earth is dug up with chicken manure. Immediately before the onset of cold weather, the soil next to the blackberry is mulched with peat or straw.
Common mistakes novice gardeners make
The most common mistake inexperienced gardeners make when feeding blackberries is not to pay attention to the appearance of the bush and act strictly according to the instructions or the timing of fertilization. Feeding any crop is based on how the plant looks. If the blackberry grows abundantly deciduous, but does not bear fruit, you need to stop feeding it.
Another mistake of many inexperienced summer residents is ignoring the composition of the soil, climatic features. The poorer the soil, the more and more often you will have to apply mineral and organic fertilizers. Especially during the period of growth in spring and during the formation of ovaries.
