lord_seagrave Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Back in August, I was on a gardening job and tasted some of the best wild blackberries I think I’ve ever had. The brambles were choking a client’s conifers and so they were unceremoniously slashed and burned, but I did keep a handful of berries. Having read a bit of advice online, I crunched them up and spat them out and extracted the seeds. I bagged them up with a handful of moist compost (ericaceous, I think it was), and lobbed them in the salad drawer of the fridge. Well, I’m intrigued to see that at least one has germinated, and is apparently pretty eager to get going! I’ll pot them up and see what happens. LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Are there different varieties then? I thought a blackberry was a blackberry, some of the banks around here are covered in them and each year they taste different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyboy1950 Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Good fun growing from the seed. I do have a ten year old cultivated blackberry in my garden which I cut to the floor each autumn, but it still manages to grow at least 10 ft either side of the main corm each year. As the flowers only grow on the new growth it`s not a problem. The advantage of a cultivated black berry is the fruits are always large and sweet, also they are thorn less so better when the grand children are about nicking the fruit! and not so painful on your own hands and arms when reaching for the fruits. If you let the suckers grow you find they revert to type and are a mass of thorns. Slightly off topic but I found a hazel nut (Cob nut bush) in the woods years ago that had the biggest nuts I have ever seen so I picked a load and potted half a dozen and they came on ok. But not exactly like the parent bush. Apple seeds are a good example of this in that you need a cutting from the parent to get the apple you want. Good luck, you may accidentally grow the Granny Smith`s equivalent in Black berries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Heron Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Well credit to you for doing this I thought that Black berries were something you had to be carerful that you did not catch your foot under when you were out shooting let us know how you go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 I have seen brambles growing along a old railway cutting bankside where some grew huge fruits and others little measly ones. Wonder why as I'd have thought that they would all be the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 The Rubus species can easily hybridize. I have seen massive fruits on what looked like wild bramble bushes in wild gardens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 On 15/02/2019 at 15:19, old'un said: Are there different varieties then? I thought a blackberry was a blackberry, some of the banks around here are covered in them and each year they taste different. You need to pick the higher ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lord_seagrave Posted February 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2019 Loads of variations out there. I’ve had domesticated blackberries before - big and mostly thornless, but also sugar-sweet and, well, a bit bland. These ones had pretty average-sized fruit on ****** thorny brambles, but the flavour was perfect! Hopefully, I can grow something out (setts fruit in year two, FYI), but it might be a long wait! LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted February 17, 2019 Report Share Posted February 17, 2019 Cuttings are a better way to propagate if possible, that way you get an identical clone. On blackberries the end of the growing shoot will root if pegged into soil. Weather plays a big part in the fruit quality. Last year was an incredible year for blackberries, the hedges around here were absolutely laden and the best flavours for quite some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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