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maxmillan

Planting thornless blackberries in a pot

maxmillan
16 years ago

Is it possible to produce blackberries if this plant is grown in a large pot with the proper soil, nutrient and pruning? I live in the Vancouver BC area so I assume I won't have any trouble as blackberries grow wild in the city.

I plan to take this with me when I move, rather than a cutting, because I'm sure my landlord does not care to have this in her yard.

Thanks for your help.

Comments (2)

  • bonniepunch
    16 years ago

    Sure - why not. I've never grown blackberries or any of their relatives in a pot, but I have grown just about every thing else in a pot.

    Based on how they grow and what I know of growing plants in pots (all my plants are in pots), you're going to want a large pot. There are two common ways of growing this sort of plant. One is in a big clump, and the other is along a row and trained onto wires or some sort of trellis - sort of like grape vines. I would try growing them as a clump as the trained method takes up a lot of space.

    If you don't care what the pot looks like you can buy a 'utility bin' (looks kind of like a big pot with rope handles) or a 80 litre + rubbermaid storage bin at Canadian Tire for less than $10 (you'll need to drill or cut holes for drainage). Something nicer that is a sufficient size will cost you a minimum of $20 and may run to over $100 if you want a really nice pot.

    Fill the pot with soil that is a mix of black earth, peat, and perlite. Or whatever you want - just don't use some sort of Miracle Grow pre-bagged and pre-fertilized soil. Blackberries aren't really fussy, but they don't like an overly rich soil. Don't put broken pottery or stones in the bottom to 'improve drainage' - they do no such thing and actually make it worse.

    Pots dry out very fast. You'll have to water every day, and possibly twice a day if it's really hot. You'll also need to keep the pot itself out of the hot sun - it'll heat up too much and cook the roots. Shade it with some other plants or whatever you have handy.

    You may also need to pollinate the flowers yourself. Sometimes in a city there just aren't enough bugs or bees around to do it or they're drawn to more attractive plants. So use a cheap artists brush and dust from one flower to another.

    Overwintering them should not be a problem in your area. Normally plants in pots are not as tolerant of winter cold as plants in the ground are but you live in a warm enough area to make it a moot point.

    BP

  • maxmillan
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks bonniepunch. Your suggestions have been very helpful.

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