If you planted bare root blackberry plants this past spring, you’ve already seen them work hard to establish themselves—sending out roots, pushing new canes, and adapting to their new environment. While blackberries are hardy and resilient once mature, their first year is all about building a strong foundation.

As fall approaches, your blackberry plants are transitioning from active growth to dormancy. This shift is critical, and the care you give now will protect them from winter damage and set them up for vigorous growth and fruit production in the coming years.

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Understanding Blackberry Growth Cycles in Year One

In their first growing season, blackberry plants focus primarily on root development and cane growth. Many won’t produce fruit in year one, but the canes they develop this season are the framework for next year’s crop. Fall care is less about coaxing more growth and more about:

• Helping plants store energy
• Protecting roots and canes from frost damage
• Preventing disease carryover into the next season
• Setting the stage for healthy primocanes (first-year canes) to become floricanes (fruiting canes) in spring

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Transitioning to Dormancy

One of the most important tasks in fall is to allow your blackberry plants to slow down naturally. That means stopping any fertilization by late summer to avoid stimulating tender new growth that can be killed by frost. Watering should also be adjusted—continue to irrigate during dry spells until the soil freezes, but avoid keeping the root zone constantly soggy. Moisture is important, but overwatering can cause root issues in cool weather.

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Mulching for Winter Protection

Mulch is a blackberry’s best friend in fall. A 2–4 inch layer of organic mulch such as straw, pine needles, or shredded bark applied over the root zone helps stabilize soil temperatures and reduce freeze-thaw cycles that can damage roots. Be sure to keep mulch a few inches away from the base of the canes to prevent excess moisture from causing rot.

In colder climates, additional mulch around the crown can provide extra insulation through the harshest months.

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Pruning and Cane Management

Proper cane management in fall is essential for a healthy crop next year. Once your plants have gone dormant and leaves begin to drop, remove any canes that fruited this year—they won’t produce again. First-year primocanes should be left in place, as they will bear fruit next season. Trim these canes to about 3–4 feet in height to reduce wind damage and encourage branching in spring.

Tidy up the plant by removing any dead, diseased, or damaged canes, and dispose of them away from your planting area to prevent overwintering pests and diseases.

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Protecting from Winter Injury

While most blackberry varieties are cold-hardy, young plants may still need some protection in areas with severe winters. In very cold zones, primocanes can be bent down and secured close to the ground before heavy frosts arrive, then covered with a breathable frost blanket or additional mulch to shield them from extreme cold and drying winds.

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Orchard Floor Clean-Up

An often-overlooked step is cleaning up the area around your plants. Remove fallen leaves, berries, and plant debris from the soil surface. This reduces the risk of pests and pathogens overwintering and re-infecting your plants in spring. Keeping the planting area clean also helps improve airflow and reduces competition from weeds when growth resumes.

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🛒 Where to Buy Bare Root Blackberry Plants

When you’re ready to expand your berry patch or replace older plants, order from Ty Ty Plant Nursery, LLC for quality and reliability:

✅ Best prices on premium bare root blackberry plants
✅ Non-GMO, variety-specific selections suited to your climate
✅ Fast, careful shipping so your plants arrive healthy and planting-ready
✅ Free 1-Year Plantsurance™ Guarantee – store credit if your plant doesn’t survive 🛡️

At Ty Ty, we make berry planting zero stress and all success.

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🌟 Final Word

The first fall after planting bare root blackberries is all about protection, preparation, and prevention. By encouraging dormancy, mulching, pruning, protecting canes, and maintaining a clean planting area, you’ll set your plants up for a long, productive life and abundant harvests in the seasons to come.

Order your bare root blackberry plants from Ty Ty Plant Nursery, LLC today and start building a berry patch that will reward you for years.