Blackberry tip propagation

[littlemoney]

I have two questions on blackberry propagation.

1. In October last year I place the tip of the current seasons growth in a 10 litre pot which had been used for some sugar snap peas in the summer. There are two new shoots showing in the post and the tip is still connected to the parent plant.
a) How long should I leave the tip connected?
b) Does the, I hope, rooted tip need any feeding as I assume any feed in the compost would have been used up by the previous crop. Any other care needed?

2. In February I put the tip of another blackberry cane into the soil as the cane was hanging down in the hope it would root. Totally the wrong time I know but I thought what had I got to loose. Is there any chance it will root and how long should I leave it in situ.

I am hoping to get two new plants if possible, one for myself and one for a friend who is hoping to move house this summer and woud like a blackberry for the new garden next year.

Any advice appeciated please on what to do and when for each plant.

[nickdub]

Re number 1 check the contents of the pot carefully and, assuming there are plenty of new roots, the cane connecting the new plant to the parent can be cut now.

For number 2 the likelihood is that you won't get a new plant from that until very late this year, but again it's the formation of new roots at the tip end which is the aim.

[ameno]

1) I'd cut it now regardless.
It should have at least a fist-sized rootball by now, and that's more than enough. They grow away very quickly, even when you don't want them to. I've cut off rooted tips from my loganberries and tossed them aside and they've just continued growing. I also gave some quick small, weedy ones to my uncle a few years ago, and they were growing very strongly by the second year.
I would also plant it straight into its final position now.

2) Current-year growth roots well enough to be detached from the plant within a couple months during the summer. However I'm not sure if second year stems will even root, as they are now in fruiting mode, and after that they will usually die. If they do root, I suspect they will take longer than new growth would.

[Plot70]

They grow if you just chuck a cane into the ground like a spear as long as it is green.