The saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is especially true when it comes to blackberries. You can avoid most disease or pest problems on your plants by following a few simple practices, which our experts outline in this segment of the show. You'll also learn to detect when blackberries are at their peak of ripeness, and you'll pick up some harvesting tips as well.
Diseases and PestsAlways purchase certified disease-free raspberry plants. Plant them at least 1,000' from any wild blackberries, since wild blackberries often carry diseases that can be transmitted to the cultivated varieties.
Because blackberries are
susceptible to verticillium
wilt, don't locate them
where potatoes, tomatoes
or peppers have grown
in the past three years.
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Anthracnose (also known
as cane spot or gray
bark) first appears as
small purplish slightly
raised or sunken spots.
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Another excellent control mechanism against almost all blackberry diseases is good sanitation practices. Cut out floricanes immediately after harvest and burn or destroy them. If left in the garden, floricanes--even pieces of them--can let diseases overwinter.
Insect damage appears
as jagged bitten holes in
the leaves.
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Septoria leaf spot causes
spots that vary from
light to dark brown.
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Having a neat and tidy site can also keep your garden thriving. Weeds compete for nutrients and water and can also host insects and diseases. Your best weeding tools are your hands (figure A). You can grab many weeds at the base and yank them out, roots and all. Another option for removing weeds is to use a hoe (figure B). Just remember: blackberries are shallow-rooted, so you don't want to hoe more than 1"-2" deep.
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