Blackberry Field Day 2019

Tour of eastern NC blackberry industry

Picture of people at one of the new blackberry farms in Bladen Co.

Last week our lab group took a tour of the growing blackberry industry in eastern NC with the local county agent in Bladen Co, Bruce Mclean (thanks Bruce).  We were joined by staff from the Piedmont Research Station, Hort Crop Unit. 

Although blackberries are not new to this part of the state,  this new acreage is an exciting addition to our dynamic blackberry industry. Here are a few of the highlights...

• There are several new large plantings of 20 acres or more in the area and all will be under high tunnels when in fruit is being produced. 
  

•  Growers are using automated fertigation systems that can be run from cell phones remotely.

• 

• Some growers are planting Univ. of Arkansas cultivars including the new 'Caddo', one grower is testing some of the new USDA cultivars ('Eclipse' and 'Galaxy') others are planting proprietary cultivars. 
  

Spring Caneberry Checklist 2019

Spring 2019 has been WET. But blackberry plants have broken bud are ready to start the season throughout the regoin. Chores and timing may be somewhat different in your area or for your cropping system.  

For IPM recommendations and general production practices, see the 2019 Southeast Regional Caneberry Integrated Management Guide.

http://www.smallfruits.org/assets/documents/ipm-guides/Caneberry-Spray-Guide.pdf

The SRSFC production practices are in the Regional Caneberry Production guide (includes link to PDF format):

·      https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeast-regional-caneberry-production-guide

Crop phenology for IPM

The IPM guide above lists these stages of growth or planting age. This is the time of year we are now leaving (or have left a while ago!) the dormant period and by the time the next newsletter comes out, we will likely be harvesting in some locations.

·      Dormant (prior to budbreak)

·      Delayed dormant (swollen buds) to green tip

·      Shoots 6 inches long and before blooms open

·      Pre-bloom (when flower buds show white)

·      Early bloom (5-10%)

·      Full Petal

·      Cover sprays

·      Pre-harvest (14 days before anticipated harvest)

·      Harvest

Plant growth and development during the spring/summer

·      Plants deacclimate quickly

·      Bud differentiation (additional flowers can be formed)

·      Bud break

·      Flowering

·      Primocane emergence

Pruning and trellising

·      Finish pruning and make sure all floricanes are tied to the trellis before budbreak

·      Remove canes from field to minimize spread of diseases

·      Rotate shift trellises to horizontal position before budbreak; rotate to upright position immediately after flowering.

·      Prepare for flower to fruit monitoring (see http://teamrubus.blogspot.com/2015/03/monitoring-flower-to-fruit-development.html )

Weeds

·      Weed growth can be very vigorous at the same time as the bramble crop peaks

·      Weed control is best done earlier in the season, with pre-emergent herbicides before harvest commences

·      Hand-weed perennial weeds in and around plots

Insect, disease and crop ripening

·      Growers with a history of cane diseases and/or mites often find that certain fungicides and oils are most effective just prior to bud break. The period of time in the spring when the plant is flowering is the most important season for control of insects and diseases. Know what your pests are and how to control them.

Water management

·      Test irrigation system and look for leaks

·      Caneberry plants need about 1”-2” water/week. This amount will be especially critical during harvest

Fertility management See Caneberry Production Guide

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeast-regional-caneberry-production-guide/fertility-management

Marketing and miscellaneous

·      Service and clean coolers

·      Make sure you have enough containers for fruit in the coming season

·      Prepare advertising and signage for your stand

·      Contact buyers to finalize orders

·      Hire pickers

·      Prepare signage for field orientation; it is easier to tell pickers where to go if rows are numbered

·      Check buds and canes for cold damage (27°F is temperature that kills all stages of flower buds see http://teamrubus.blogspot.com/2016/04/damgage-to-blackberry-flowers-at-27f.html

·      Monitor and record peak flowering date for each variety every year. Then later during harvest, check your records for peak harvest of each variety.  Over time, it will help you to determine when your peak harvest will occur.

WInter Caneberry Checklist

This checklist was originally developed for blackberry growers in North Carolina. Many of the items apply to raspberry production as well. You may have to adjust your work activities either earlier or later depending on your location.

This checklist is very general, but should help get you to think about what types of activities occur at various times of the year.

Check the items listed below off as they get done.

WINTER 

Plant growth and development

·                Plant is not visibly growing during the winter months although many blackberries will retain their leaves through the winter

·                Some differentiation occurs in the flower buds (flowers continue to develop)

·                Low chilling cultivars can break bud in January after adequate winter chilling. You can monitor chilling hours accumulated in eight states in the eastern US by accessing this site: cronos/blackberry/chill_model

·                Developmental stages at this time of year as mentioned in the IPM guide http://www.smallfruits.org/assets/documents/ipm-guides/Caneberry-Spray-Guide.pdf

are : 1. Dormant  2.Delayed dormant (swollen bud) to green tip

Pruning and trellising

·                Pruning should occur in late winter.  However, in some areas winter ice storms can do tremendous damage to plants and trellis systems. If you produce blackberries in one of these areas, pruning can take place early winter to help avoid severe damage

·                Make trellis repairs after plants have defoliated but before pruning and training.

·                Erect types

• Prune out the spent floricanes
• Tie canes to wires in a fan shape
• Cut lateral branches back to 8-12”
• Thin canes to 6-8 canes/ hill (4 ft spacing)

·                Trailing types

• Prune out spent floricanes
• Tie or weave canes to wire so that they do not overlap
• Prune side laterals to 12-18”
• Thin canes to 6-8 hill (6-8 ft spacing)

·                Primocane fruiting raspberries and blackberries

• Prune (mow) primocane fruiting types to ground level

Weed control

Check the Southern Regional Bramble Integrated Management Guide for recommendations. www.smallfruits.org

·                Many summer weed problems can be best managed in the fall and winter using preemergent herbicides. Determine what weeds have been or could be a problem in your area. Check with local extension agent for cultural or chemical means to control these weeds.

·                Some growers are having success with biodegradable mulch to suppress the weeds the year of the planting

Insect and disease scouting

Check the Southern Regional Bramble Integrated Management Guide for recommendations. www.smallfruits.org

·                Scout fields for insect and disease damage and remove those canes

·                Remove wild blackberries and raspberries by the roots if they are within 600 ft of your planting during the winter 

Planting

·                Take soil tests to determine fertility needs for spring plantings. 

·                There are some new raspberry and blackberry cultivars available each year. If you have not tried them or it is not know how they will do in your region, it is best to order a small quantity to see how well they will perform in your area

·                For larger growers, prepare list of cultivars for 2020 plantings and order now. Smaller quantities of plants can be order in early 2019 for spring 2020 planting

·                A commercial small fruit nursery lists at 

• www.raspberryblackberry.com/ for-growers/
• https:// blogs.cornell.edu/berrynurseries/

Water management

·                Make repairs to irrigation system (check pumps, lines, etc.)

·                Plants generally do not need supplemental water in winter 

Marketing and miscellaneous

·                Order containers for next season

·                Make contacts for selling fruit next season

For more detailed information, check the Southern Region Integrated Bramble Management Guide and the Southeast Regional Bramble Production Guide online version: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeast-regional-caneberry-production-guide

Or PDF version: http://www.smallfruits.org/assets/documents/ipm-guides/2016/AG-697_2016SoutheasternCaneberryProduction_Press.pdf

Attend grower meetings

North Carolina Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Association. Feb 15, 2019. 

Meeting will be held at the Cleveland County Extension Auditorium, 130 S. Post Rd; Shelby, NC 28152. Please arrive in time to set up prior to the start of the meeting. Contact Daniel Shires for more information. (704) 482-4365