Black Magic variety: description

Description of the variety

Black Magic is a pronounced kumanik, that is, its shoots grow steadily upward, they reach 1.5 meters in one year, and in two - at least 2.5, and the description of the variety from the manufacturer promises to grow 1.7 m per the first month after the spring awakening. Thorns grow on the shoots, but they are not too aggressive in the fruiting area, and on fruit branches they are generally absent, so they do not interfere with harvesting. The bushes are usually quite compact, powerful branches do not need support, but they are still tied up in order to separately direct the shoots of the first and second years, and the shoots that are heavy from the fruits can simply get confused. The bush forms up to 10 replacement shoots.

The blackberry of this variety is characterized by an early and very fast start of the growing season. So, flowering on the shoots of the second year begins in the twenties of April, and on new shoots - already in late June - early July. Each brush contains from 7 to 12 large white flowers, they are perfectly pollinated even in hot summers. Large oval berries weigh 6–7 g, when fully ripe they are black and glossy. The yield in the very first year of fruiting, as stated by the characteristics of the creators, is up to 1 kg on the shoots of the first year and up to 4 kg on the shoots of the second year, after 3 years these figures double. This productivity allows the Black Magic to be grown commercially, something that farms in Europe and America are doing with success.

Berries have a very pleasant rich taste with blackcurrant sourness, it is called dessert with a good balance of sugar and acid. In autumn, with the onset of cold weather, the sugar content decreases, but this does not make the taste worse. Berries are often eaten fresh, due to their taste, but they are suitable for making desserts and preservation, after a gradual decrease in temperature to +3 degrees, they can be stored for several days without losing their shape, quality, taste. The berries are soft, but dense enough, do not flow, easily separate from the stalk, transportable, they are better stored in a wooden container than in a plastic container.

Frost resistance in this variety is weak, but it shows immunity to some fungal diseases, which greatly facilitates caring for it.

Landing technology

If winter comes late, promises to be snowy, then you can start planting seedlings in October. In the Moscow region, the Middle Lane and to the north, it is better to plant blackberry bushes in the second half of April.

When planting single bushes, you need to leave up to 2 m between them and other plants. When a trench planting (in rows) is formed, then 8-10 shoots are calculated per 1 running meter, and at least 2 meters are left between the rows.

The place needs to be chosen open, but preferably sheltered from strong winds. In the shade, the bush will also grow, but the ripening of the fruits will slow down by a week, perhaps they will be less sweet. A pit is dug up to 50 cm deep, compost or humus, superphosphate, potassium salt are laid along with the earth.All this is laid out with a slide, the roots of the seedling are carefully spread, they are covered so that the roots do not wrap up, do not crumple. The earth is tamped, watered, after which the bud, located at the base of the stem, should be a couple of centimeters below ground level. After that, it is advisable to mulch the land around the bush.

Blackberry care

The beauty of remontant varieties consists in freeing the gardener from such troublesome business as pruning some shoots, covering other shoots - cut everything off at the root, cover with agrofibre and forget until spring. You can do this if you want to get only one late harvest, then from the second half of August for 5-6 weeks you can feast on a delicious berry, if the weather allows all the ovaries to ripen.

If you want to get an early, friendly harvest in May - June, and then still enjoy the berry at the very end of summer (when all the other berries have not only departed, but managed to forget themselves), then you will have to cut out the shoots of the second year in the fall, and shorten the young ones to 1, 5 meters and lay them on the ground under a shelter for the winter, as they do with ordinary, and not remontant, varieties. In protected ground conditions, cultivation from the very beginning involves obtaining two harvests per season, and in the open ground, the owners do not always go for it. This is not so easy to do, given the powerful upright shoots that need to be somehow bent, laid, and covered. Some gardeners, from the very beginning of growth, teach shoots to grow parallel to the ground in order to make it easier for themselves in the fall. Of the replacement shoots, 7–8 pieces are left with normalizing pruning.

Blackberries love moisture and fertilizers, if you do not infringe on it in this, then it will not skimp on large tasty berries. You need to water generously, but avoid stagnation of water at the level of the roots and thickening of the bush - this can threaten root rot and fungal diseases, although this wonderful variety is resistant to many of them. He will also endure periods of drought, but if they drag on, this can affect the quality of the berries.

They usually feed along with watering, but in early spring dry complex fertilizers with an excess of nitrogen can be scattered right around the bush - melt water will bring them to the roots. When the earth is already warming up, and the bush begins to grow intensively, you can add humus, a solution of slurry (diluted 1 in 10) or bird droppings (1 in 20), nitroammofosk, saltpeter. Blackberries respond well to foliar feeding; here you can use ready-made preparations "Kemir" or "Plantafol". After the beginning of flowering, potassium should be in the lead in the mineral complex.

Around and between the bushes, you need to remove weeds in time, it is advisable to loosen the ground under the bushes after watering, and dig in between the rows, leaving no chance for weeds, as well as pathogens that hide in them. Plant debris should not be allowed to lie near the bushes.

Although upright bushes do not really need support, it is better to tie up the shoots, so you can control their location, direct the young and last year's shoots in different directions, arrange the bush so that the branches do not shade each other.

The Black Magic variety is easy to propagate, which is important given the high cost of planting material. Young shoots of the current year can be cut into cuttings with a pair of buds and rooted, and ready-made seedlings can be planted next year. You can divide the uterine root into cuttings, for this you need to take adult (at least 3 years old) roots, 5-7 mm thick. It is even easier to plant root suckers.

Advantages and disadvantages

The undoubted advantages of this variety include the quality of the fruit and high productivity. Repairability, no matter how you use it, is also excellent quality. Compared to other modern varieties, Black Magic shows good resistance to some of the most common diseases such as brown rust.It is very convenient that summer weather does not noticeably affect flowering and formation of ovaries - the harvest can be plentiful both in cool summer and in heat. Blackberries will not dry out, even if you forget to water them, this variety is generally very tenacious, but a lack of moisture or nutrition can spoil the taste of the berries somewhat.

The disadvantages (and what about without them) is the presence of thorns, although not a very large number, but they are. Low frost resistance makes it necessary to cover the shoots for the winter, and this is very difficult to do - upright powerful shoots do not want to bend to the ground or curl up, they cannot be rolled up either. This becomes a problem for the owner who wants to get two crops. An alternative is to cultivate the shoots for one year, cutting them off completely after harvest.

Another disadvantage is associated with late ripening - with the early arrival of cold weather, part of the crop is lost. But when the sun is strong, the berries can bake, so it is better to shade the ripening fruits from too strong the sun.

Video "Description of Black Magic"

The author of this video shares his personal experience of growing Black Magic varieties.