How to Grow Apache Blackberries

Site Selection and Preparation: The perfect growing site for blackberries features well drained soil and is sheltered from hard freezes in the spring---berry blossoms do not tolerate temperatures below 28°F. Locate your planting site in an area that receives full sun, near a convenient water source, and with good air circulation (such as on hilltops). Treat soil strips of about 5 feet wide with a herbicide prior to planting, and cultivate the soil to a depth of 12 inches. Blackberries can thrive in most soils, but prefer deep and well-drained soil. Adjust the pH of the soil to a rating between 5.5 and 6.5 if possible.

Planting: Apache blackberries grow best if planted between December and February in relatively mild areas. If you purchase bare-root plants, keep them moist and cool; you can store them in the refrigerator or in a cool area with the roots covered by damp soil---don't let the roots dry out. If your berry shoots are longer than 6 inches, cut them back with a sharp clean blade to about 6 inches, and plant them at the same depth as they were in the nursery. Gently tease the roots apart so they're spread to contact the soil during planting, making room for the roots in the soil so they're not bent. Tamp the soil lightly around the roots so there are no air pockets in the planting space. Space the planted shoots about 3 feet apart. Do not apply fertilizer at planting time. The young plants will become established in about a month, and they grow fast once established. Gurney's Seed & Nursery recommends that Apache blackberries should not be planted in areas where tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant or peppers have been grown in recent years.

Fertilizing: Apache Blackberries are not heavy feeders and don't require much fertilization. Too much fertilizer, in fact, can burn the shoots or even kill them, because the roots of blackberries are shallow and grow close to the soil surface.

Watering: Blackberries need adequate irrigation, especially during the first year. Avoid getting blackberry leaves wet, and keep the soil moist during dry weather. Blackberries require little or no irrigation during the winter and early spring, and mulching around the canes with plastic sheeting or organic compost will help conserve water during hot weather.

Weeding: Mulch your berries to control weeds around the canes. Research by the University of Florida shows plastic mulching to be the most effective, with a pine bark mulch noted as the second most effective.