Blackberry/Raspberry root cuttings

[bgauch]

Has anyone ever done root cuttings of blackberries and/or raspberries? I found 2 sources of how to do this. One says to make the cuttings 4-6", the other says 2-3". I have transplanted them before, but usually am only able to get 6-8" of root with the plant. It wouldn't be too useful a technique if I only got 1 or 2 plants from the original. (which would then be gone) I suppose I could always try hardwood cuttings of the remaining stem which would give me several plants each. Anyone ever do hardwood cuttings of these?

Bill Gauch.

[sewfarsewgood]

A friend just sent me root cuttings from blackberries that grow in the NW (seattle area). I hate root cuttings though because I can't see anything happening for soooo long. No buds - NADA.

[Kathy in GA]

Hi,

I did root some Balck berries last Fall. (Well the fall here is still technically Summer) they took almost two weeks to root.
Don't know much about Black berries though.
I've got to throw them all away, to due disease.
Something has made me think that they will not produce until the 2nd year. I may have read that somewhere. Anycase I could be wrong. But the vines do grow very rapidly.

I remember the pain involved in doing the cuttings, and don't really think that I'd like to experience the pain again. So this year, I think I'll just leave them alone!

Gloves of course is an option, the vine was just too small to work with that way.
I wish you luck, and admire your bravery with them!
Kathy in Ga.

[sewfarsewgood]

Anyone wanting to grow Blackberries should experience a Doyle Thornless Blackberry bush. Completely Thornless and each vine produces GALLONS of berries - as many as 20 gallons of berries per vine. Do a search on Doyle Thornless and see for yourself. We have had good success from ours and I am in the process of layering the canes for my own use as the plant is patented. I first heard about the plant in Mother Earth News. They have since sold hundreds of thousands of the plant.

[bgauch]

I dug up some blackberries on Friday. It was not fun. I intended to dig enough for about 50-100 root cuttings of both blackberries and raspberries, and if there was enough time, I was going to take some cuttings of a grapevine and divide some daylillies. I ended up getting enough roots for about 25-30 plants (blackberries only). I had enough scratches and it was cold and I kept getting poked through my heavy jacket... but I did get some. I already have some wild red raspberries and some kind of black raspberry, or possibly a wild thornless cross. The fruit comes off like blackberries(with the core), but it tastes like a raspberry. On Sunday, I went to the library, for the first time in 4 years or so, and found a couple books. It explained the logic behind root cuttings, and the length of them. It makes perfect sense. You have a food storage piece and a growing piece. The growing piece (for the species) needs to be the same length, no matter what. The food piece length varies based on temperature and how long it will be before the plant puts on new top growth. So, root cuttings in the late fall/early winter should be 4-6", but root cuttings planted in a heated room or a bottom heated tray only need to be 2-3" long.

Bill Gauch.

[Ann B.]

Hi,

I read somewhere that root cuttings from a thornless variety of dewberry will revert back to the thorned variety.

Never tried it myself. I have spent a lot of time trying to dig up as many roots as I can when I remove a blackberry bush from one of my beds. Otherwise, instead of one, I will have many, many sprouting.

Good Luck!

[Ann B.]

I'd surely like to know what kind, Bob. Did he specifically say what variety?

There are a lot more varieties now than there used to be.

Sounds great if that would work....

[bgauch]

I was just reading up on this recently. Apparently, the "thornless" attribute of the Rubus genus is in the outer most layer of the plant only. So, if you take stem cuttings of a thornless plant, they should continue growing thornless. If you take a root cutting, its hit or miss. If, by chance, you happen to have a thornless seedling on its own roots which hasn't been vegetatively propagated, a root cutting, stem cutting, leaf bud cutting, etc. should come true to form. If it has... Ouch! I've read essentially the same kind of thing about bi-color African violets. If you try to propagate a leaf, it will be different, but plant suckers come up fine.

Bill Gauch.