On 11/10/2012 11:34, wrote:
In article ,
David Hill wrote:

I've never known black berry shoots die off after just one year, I wish
they would

Only the weak ones do. The normal growth habit is to flower on
shoots off the old stems, which then die or become very feeble,
and their place is taken by new stems that shoot from the base.
Just like raspberries, wineberries, loganberries etc.

Some of the introduced ones have longer-lived stems, but their
vigour decreases after the second year, and that's not rare in
the other biennial-stem Rubi. But this was different - as Charlie
says, it was very like a rambling rose.

If you have ones that behave like that, where are you? I did know,
but have forgotten.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


When we grew blackberries as a crop we would always cut out the old
stems after fruiting and tie in the new growth as the new stems gave the
best crop, but here; in South Wales; I find that most blackberry stems
last for 3 or 4 years if not removed, they are wild and I'm not to happy
either,
Found this interesting Blackberry a few years ago,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...berryleafx.jpg
A good medium sized fruit, but a stem grew in an unused polly tunnel and
the flavour was great, you wouldn't have known it was a blackberry.
David @ the wet end of Swansea Bay