Trailing Blackberry

A trailing-type blackberry with long, flexible canes that require a trellis or training system for best production. Trailing blackberries generally produce the most flavorful berries of any blackberry type, with complex wine-like notes. They are the parent species of many hybrid berries including marionberries and boysenberries.

Trailing blackberries are propagated primarily by tip-layering and root cuttings. For tip-layering, bury the tip of a healthy primocane two to three inches deep in late summer and secure with a wire pin. Roots develop in six to eight weeks, and the new plant can be severed from the parent and transplanted the following spring. Root cuttings taken in late winter work well: cut four to six inch sections of pencil-thick roots and plant horizontally in moist potting mix. Stem cuttings from semi-hardwood can be rooted under mist with bottom heat and rooting hormone.

The Season Plate

Your Trailing Blackberry Year

Composed for Zone 7 · typical seasons · frost passes Apr 2, returns Nov 1

Sow Trailing Blackberry Mar – Apr, pick Jun – Aug. Set your climate below and every date on this plate re-times itself.

Sowing window

Mar – Apr

re-timed to your frost dates

Plant out

after Apr 2

once frost risk has passed

First picking

around Mar 15

≈ 365 days from sowing · 3-5 kg per plant

Composed for —ColdTemperateMildWarmUse my locationUsed once to set your season · only the zone is kept

Week-by-week Trailing Blackberry reminders watering, feeding and pruning, timed to your dates

In the app

Frost alerts for your garden a warning before a cold night costs you the crop

In the app

Succession sowing dates so the picking never gaps mid-season

In the app

Prefer email? Get monthly reminders in the Almanac

Keep my dates — free for 7 daysWe nudge you as each window opens · cancel anytime

Trailing blackberries produce the most intensely flavored berries of any blackberry type, with complex sweet-tart notes and a wine-like depth that earns them a premium among berry connoisseurs. Their long, flexible canes grow ten to twenty feet and must be trained on a trellis system, as they cannot support themselves. Install a sturdy trellis with two to three wires before planting, and space plants eight to twelve feet apart to accommodate the extensive cane growth.

Trailing blackberries are floricane-fruiting: primocanes produced in the current year are trained onto the trellis and fruit the following summer on lateral branches. After harvest, remove all spent floricanes at ground level and tie the new primocanes to the trellis. A common training method is to fan primocanes along the lower wires on one side while fruiting floricanes occupy the upper wire on the opposite side, keeping the two cane ages separated for easy management.

These blackberries are best adapted to the mild, maritime climates of the Pacific Northwest, where most commercial trailing varieties were developed. They are less cold-hardy than erect and semi-erect types and may suffer winter damage in zones below 6. In borderline areas, lay the canes on the ground after leaf fall and cover with straw or row cover for insulation. Water deeply during fruit development and mulch heavily to maintain soil moisture during the dry summers typical of their preferred growing regions.

Trailing blackberries grow well alongside other trellis-trained plants like grape vines and kiwi in a dedicated vine area of the garden. Thyme and borage attract pollinators to improve fruit set. Comfrey planted beneath the trellis produces nutrient-rich mulch material and attracts beneficial insects. Avoid planting near raspberries to prevent cross-contamination of species-specific diseases. Keep away from nightshades and other plants that harbor verticillium wilt.

The Society Table

Thyme belongs beside it. Raspberry doesn't.

Old growers' knowledge, checked against Trailing Blackberry's real companion table below — test any plant you're growing.

Grows well in the company of · 2

ThymeBorage

Keep apart · 1

Raspberry

Plant Trailing Blackberry with good neighboursThe planner flags conflicts before they're in the ground

Trailing blackberries thrive in deep, fertile, well-drained loam with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, slightly more acidic than what erect varieties prefer. The Pacific Northwest growing regions have naturally acidic soils that suit them perfectly. Amend heavy soils with compost and aged bark to improve drainage. Apply nitrogen fertilizer in split applications in early spring and at bloom, as trailing types are heavier feeders than erect varieties. Avoid late-season nitrogen that delays cane hardening. Mulch with four inches of bark or straw.

Ideal Temperature

Hardiness Zone Compatibility

Harvest trailing blackberries when the berries are fully black, slightly soft, and slip easily from the receptacle. Trailing varieties tend to produce larger, juicier berries than erect types but are more delicate and require careful handling. Pick into shallow containers to prevent crushing. The harvest period for trailing varieties is typically three to four weeks in early to mid-summer, earlier than most erect blackberry types. Berries are best picked in the morning when cool and firm for longest shelf life.

Storage & Preservation

Trailing blackberries are more fragile than erect types and keep only two to three days in the refrigerator. Freeze promptly for longer storage by spreading on a tray and bagging once solid. These berries make the finest blackberry jam, syrup, and wine due to their superior complex flavor profile. They are the berries traditionally used for commercial Marionberry and boysenberry products. Trailing blackberry juice is also excellent for making shrubs, cordials, and artisanal sodas.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Limited cold hardiness is the main drawback of trailing blackberries, restricting reliable cultivation to zones 6 through 10 without winter protection. The long, flexible canes require dedicated trellis management and can become tangled if not properly trained. Berry mite causing red drupelets is a persistent problem in the Pacific Northwest and requires preventive dormant sprays. Thorniness is a challenge with classic varieties like Marion, though newer thornless selections are becoming available.

Growing Tips

1. Install a proper T-bar or V-trellis system with two to three horizontal wires at 60 cm, 120 cm, and 150 cm before planting. Trailing blackberries are almost impossible to manage productively without a trellis, and retrofitting one around established canes is far more difficult than building it first.
2. Keep this season's primocanes and last season's floricanes on opposite sides of the trellis by training primocanes along the lower wires and floricanes along the upper wires, or by using separate training systems for each. This separation makes post-harvest floricane removal much cleaner and reduces disease transfer between old and new wood.
3. Tip primocanes at 1.5-1.8 meters in late summer rather than letting them grow unchecked. This forces the plant to push out lateral shoots from each node below the cut, and these laterals carry the highest density of fruiting spurs the following spring. Untipped canes produce far fewer total fruit buds.
4. Water deeply and consistently from fruit set through harvest. Trailing blackberries are relatively drought-tolerant once established but inconsistent moisture during fruit development directly causes small, seedy, poorly flavored berries. Aim for 2-3 cm of water per week during the fruiting period.
5. Apply a 7-10 cm layer of straw or wood chip mulch each spring, keeping it pulled back 10 cm from the crown to prevent rot. Mulch is one of the highest-return maintenance tasks you can do: it suppresses weeds, conserves moisture, moderates soil temperature, and slowly feeds the soil as it decomposes.
6. Never apply high-nitrogen fertilizer after mid-spring. Excess nitrogen late in the season produces lush, soft vegetative growth that is highly susceptible to botrytis (grey mold), cane blight, and winter freeze damage. If you fertilize at all, use a balanced or low-nitrogen formula in early spring only.
7. Remove spent floricanes immediately after harvest rather than leaving the cleanup until autumn. Dead floricanes harbor Botrytis cinerea spores, orange cane rust, and spider mites. Prompt removal dramatically reduces pest and disease pressure on the incoming primocanes and makes the next year's training task much easier.
8. Space plants 2-3 meters apart along the trellis. Trailing blackberries are vigorous and will quickly fill their allotted space. Planting too close together forces excessive thinning work, reduces airflow between canes, and creates the damp, crowded conditions that fungal pathogens thrive in.
9. Propagate new plants by tip layering in late summer: select a vigorous primocane, bend the tip to the ground, and peg it down 10-15 cm below the soil surface. By spring the tip will have rooted and a new plant can be severed from the parent and transplanted. This is the simplest and most reliable propagation method for home gardeners.
10. In areas with hot, dry summers, plant trailing blackberries on the east or north side of a fence, wall, or taller crop where they receive morning sun but are shielded from the most intense afternoon heat. The fruit quality and plant vigor in climates above 32°C average summer temperatures improves noticeably with afternoon shade.