moving blackcurrent & blackberry?

[kerryp]

Hi,

Im really new to all this gardening stuff & last year planted 2 blackberry & 1 blackcurrent bushes... well twigs ;o)

They started to take over my raised bed last year & so this year we want to move them. Would they still grow ok in big pots so that they could be contained? When is the best time to move them? Should i be pruning them?

Thanks for any help in advance.
Kerry

[FB.]

Now is a good time to move them.
Both will easily root from 6" cuttings in the autumn, so if you grow them in containers, you'll easily be able to take cuttings to grow somewhere else.

Pruning isn't something that you have to do - pruning is to shape the plant to what you want and thin-out crowded branches/stems, or those that are damaged/diseased or just too old to be very productive.
If the plants are healthy, well-shaped and not too large, then there's no need to prune just for the sake of it.

You'll probably find that if you dig out your blackberry, in several months time - maybe as much as a couple of years time - tiny deep roots will grow back into another blackberry. They're a devil to get rid of, once planted.
I moved a Bedford Giant in 2007.
18 months later, it has re-grown in the exact original location - evidently from a tiny piece of root left behind (like a dandelion!).

[kerryp]

thanks for that, im not planning on being in the same house in years to come so it can be a welcome (?) suprise for any new owners if they keep our raised bed in the garden! hehehehe
we grew them from twigs from £shop year before last i think it was & got nothing last year as only just grown into "decent" size so maybe this year they will be bit better.

[FB.]

Most plants need a year or two to settle-in and get some good roots down, before they'll start fruiting.
After all; plants in the wild need to establish a strong, healthy structure and roots to compete against other plants.
If they put all their effort into fruting from year one, they'd be overgrown and overwhelmed by competition from plants that had chosen to grow instead of fruit.