How to cover blackberries for the winter

When to Cover Blackberries

Wait until stable frosts come from -2 to -5 degrees. At the same time, even during the day, the air temperature should not be higher than 0 degrees. By this time, the blackberry will harden, strengthen the immune system, and this will allow it to more easily survive the winter. In addition, if you hurry and cover the bushes in warmer weather, they run the risk of scorching.

In many regions, the necessary conditions develop from about the end of October to the end of November, although they can even be transferred to December. Therefore, before you go to cover the blackberries, check the weather forecast, and not the calendar.

How to winterize blackberries

First of all, cut the blackberry bushes, and also treat them with preparations for diseases and pests. About how to do it right read in our article.

After that, the blackberry stalks must be carefully bent to the ground. It is better to do this at a positive air temperature, so the branches will be more pliable and elastic. If there was little rain in the fall and the earth dried up, pour at least 30 liters of water under each bush a day before laying the blackberries. Plants will be saturated with moisture, which will also make them more flexible.

Take a five-liter plastic bottle, fill it with water and lay it on its side at the very base of the stem. Lightly bend the stems.

Do not try to lay the stems on the ground, just give them the right direction, and the bottle will serve as a limiter and will not allow you to break the blackberries.

Wait for the arrival of stable cold weather and proceed to shelter blackberry.

How to cover blackberries for the winter

If you used bottles to bend down branches, leave them in the same position for the winter. So the blackberry will not break even under heavy snow cover. In the garden, install metal or plastic arcs. Insert them deeper into the ground so that the shelter is not torn off by strong winds. You can place them crosswise with a dome or parallel to each other in increments of about 0.7–1 m.

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Arcs installed crosswise. Frame: I work in the garden with love / YouTube

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Arcs installed parallel to each other. Frame: First Zagorodny / YouTube

To protect the blackberry, a spunbond or other non-woven material with a density of at least 60 g / m2 is suitable (this characteristic is indicated on the package). Fold the agrofibre in two layers and cover the blackberry.

To keep the cover secure, secure the edges of the fabric with bricks, stones, or metal staples.

And if a wooden box is installed around the perimeter of the blackberry beds, the spunbond can be attached to it with a stapler.