Hey guys, I bought a couple blackberries this season, planned to grow them out in 3 gallons and plant them in the winter or spring… One is prime ark 45 and the other is freedom. Unfortunately my freedom is growing much slower and has much lighter kind of yellowing leaves. They both got some dr. Earth fertilizer mixed in upon up potting… Receiving same care. Any ideas? Maybe a micronutrient? They are getting full sun so I’m watering when the top half to inch dries out, which is mostly everyday or every other. I will say, they both have healthy roots poking out of the bottom of the pot, so it might be a non issue and one is just taking its time putting out growth, or getting a little too wet.
A mix that I have been using for lots of years… to add to my basic starting mix of real top soil and homemade compost includes blood meal, bone meal, gypsum, epsom salt, greensand.
In a 5 gal mix… 1 tablespoon each of bone meal, gypsum… and a teaspoon each of blood meal, epsom salt, greensand.
Lots of micronutrients in that mix.
If i am growing greens i will up the bloodmeal in that mix and reduce the bone meal and gypsum a bit.
I had some persimmon seedlings last year that mid summer the new growth started turning yellow… i made 5 gal of compost tea with that mix in the tea… and watered them with it. They greened up quickly.
Good luck.
It is probably busy establishing roots. Don’t forget that plants grow in two directions with each supporting the other. Once the roots are properly established then they can start having grow spurs.
Two issues worth mentioning; are the drain holes on the bottom of the pot? Water logging can mess them up, make sure you have good drainage. The other is PH balance. Long story short if the PH is out of whack (and depending on your water it can get out of whack in a hurry) the soil can be chuck full of nutrients that the plant can’t absorb.
Plenty of drainage… Could be a bit of overwatering I suppose too. Maybe I could give it some general micros, not sure how I would check the ph… Runoff after watering? I have some ph strips somewhere
The other thing is that some plants just grow faster than others so what you are seeing is probably normal.
I have two Prime Ark freedoms in 8 gallon pots, they aren’t growing all that much at looks like stalled at 15-18" for the last month and half I’ve had them. I tipped them 2 weeks ago and they have started new side growth. I am in PNW, perhaps this variety likes more heat.
PAF has not grown well for me either here in zone 7a TN … this is year 2 for them and still quite small. Our 3f low this past winter and a late frost mid march… well they are wimpy… but they did send up new pcanes… but growth has been very small and slow again this season.
They definately do not grow like weeds here… and doubt seriously they are going to make the cut. No fruit this second year… and they will get dug up and tossed.
What varieties do best for you over there? We are 7b here I believe. My prime ark 45 is killing it right now haha