Growing Navajo blackberries, variety features
The Navajo blackberry is a successful variety, bred by American breeders and known everywhere. The berries have a rich dessert taste, so they can be consumed both fresh and in various preservation. The variety is rather picky and does not require special care, but it gives a high yield every year.
Characteristics of the variety
Among the benefits of the Navajo blackberry are:
- high tasting score (from 4.5 to 5.0 in different periods);
- the absence of thorns on the shoots, which greatly simplifies the manual picking of berries;
- good yield with simple care;
- the ability of fruits to maintain their shape and density for 5 days, which allows them to be transported to the places of sale.
The description and characteristics of the Navajo blackberry cannot but affect its taste. The berries are juicy, sweet, with a slight sourness and a pronounced blackberry aroma. They ripen in late summer or early autumn, each bush bears fruit for about 3 weeks.
Landing rules
Planting and caring for Navajo Blackberries is easy. This plant propagates by seedlings, which must be purchased and placed in open ground. It is worth paying attention to the site for planting, since the bush, with proper care, lives for about 15 years. The requirements for this variety are simple:
- Blackberries prefer places that are not exposed to direct sunlight. It is better to choose a half-shaded area.
- The plant is unpretentious to the composition of the soil. However, the description of the Navajo blackberry variety says that the best harvest can be obtained on sandy or loamy soils.
- When planting, it should be borne in mind that the bushes can grow quite large, therefore, at least 1.5 m should remain between neighboring plants.
- Place in a pit for landing organic fertilizers (compost, humus) so that the blackberry takes root better. The plant is lowered carefully so as not to damage the roots, and then watered with water.
Navajo blackberries are planted in spring. In warm southern regions, it is possible to plant it in the fall, but for the winter the seedlings will definitely need to be covered.
Care features
Despite the fact that the variety is quite unpretentious to the composition of the soil, lighting, fertilizers and other conditions, it is also not recommended to leave it to grow on its own. The bushes will not lose their vitality, but the amount of the crop and its taste may decrease.
Among the basic rules for caring for this variety are:
- Watering is carried out 1-2 times a month, 1 bucket of water is needed for one bush. Plants are not watered during their flowering period.
- Once a month it is recommended to loosen the soil under the bushes and remove weeds.
- Fertilizers can be applied 2-3 times a year. At the beginning of the year, nitrogen fertilization will be useful, which stimulate the growth of leaves and shoots, and then potassium and phosphorus fertilizers that increase yields.
- Shoots are pruned in the fall, when they reach at least 1 m in length. From 7 to 9 shoots are left on each bush.
The variety is not classified as frost-resistant, so the bushes must be covered for the winter.A week before the first frost, they are hidden under the soil or special fabric shelters.
Before you start growing this berry, you should look at the description of the Navajo blackberry variety with a photo. The berries of this plant are not very large, but very sweet and grow in large quantities. You can grow them in the garden or in the garden, but you need to make sure that the bushes do not burn out under the scorching sun. One plant will be able to produce a crop for 15 years, subject to proper care. Berries can be eaten fresh or made into preserves, jams, confiture, compote for winter.