1. SRSFC Blackberry Agent Training August 4, 2009 Gina_Fernandez@ncsu.edu North Carolina State University

3. Caneberries….exciting days are here Available year round Interest in locally produced food Health benefits rival blueberry Consumption increasing Varietal improvement New types New production systems

4. Exciting days for SE blackberry (and raspberry) industry

5. What we will cover Site selection Blackberry biology 101 Trellis systems NC yields

6. Site Selection Prepare 1 year in advance Full sun, good air movement, adequate soil moisture

7. Soils –Deep well drained loamy soil –3%OM –pH 5.5-6.5 –Sandy w/irrigation –Heavy soils w/drainage and raised beds

8. Site Preparation Soil tests Eliminate noxious weeds Remove barriers for good air drainage Address areas in field having poor drainage Remove wild brambles within 600’

9. Blackberryology 101 Roots are perennial –Fibrous and relatively shallow –Strong sink for carbon (store a lot) Biennial above ground growth –Primocanes, first year growth –Floricanes, second year growth Fruit –Aggregate fruit –Druplets (same structure as a peach)

10. Climate requirements Raspberries –Cool summers, sustained cold winter temperatures Blackberries –High temperatures (FF types) –Tolerate fluctuating winter temperatures in NC (don’t break dormancy) –Don’t do well below 10F (lower reports)

11. Growth Habit Erect Semi-erect Trailing

12. Thorns Thorny Thornless

13. Trellis systems “There are many types of trellis for different places and for different plants” »Wikipedia

14. Trellis Increase yield Facilitate harvest Easier to manage $

15. V trellis

16. T trellis

18. Shift trellis –Orientation of canopy changes after bloom –Fruiting side of canopy faces afternoon sun

19. Marketable yield and average berry size in Oxford and Salisbury Salisbury Outside Oxford Outside Salisbury Tunnel Apache3571.81775.77488.4 Arapaho2330.61233.74924.0 Natchez3119.23591.1no data Navaho8107.93629.111272.1 NC 4304264.8no data8041.5 Ouachita4589.74144.46700.0 Salisbury Outside Oxford Outside Salisbury Tunnel Apache10.18.410.9 Arapaho5.74.98.6 Natchez9.67.2no data Navaho5.04.45.3 NC 4306.5no data6.8 Ouachita6.85.97.6

21. Primocane Fruiting Blackberries: Laurel Springs

22. 2008 Yield Components

24. High Tunnels Salisbury, Mills River and Laurel Springs

26. Blackberry Resources SRSFC website www.smallfruits.orgwww.smallfruits.org –2008 Southeast Regional Guides (IPM and Production Guides) –Newsletters (home/smallfruitnews) –Budgets, NEW Blackberry, PF raspberry soon (crops/brambles/production) Berry Diagnostic Tool- Google –http://www.ncsu.edu/project/berries/diagnostic_tool/blackberry_diag nostic_tool.htmlhttp://www.ncsu.edu/project/berries/diagnostic_tool/blackberry_diag nostic_tool.html Raspberry and Blackberry Production Guide (NRAES) County agents, State Extension Specialists

27. Thanks!