Blackberry Bush Revival?

[KD_Spring]

Hi everyone! First time poster here. I moved into a new home in CT after 11 years of living in NYC and I keep learning new things about the land every day—sometimes the hard way.

I recently used poison ivy killer (which "kills at the root") on what I thought was a huge patch of poison oak. Turns out the "poison oak" that survived is starting to bear blackberries... which bummed me out. I'd describe this bramble as "fuzzy thorny" with thick red stems and triads of wide leaves (maybe someone knows what variety it is?)

Anyway, my main question is: should I uproot the plants I killed and hope more grow in their place? Or should I do some pruning and wait until next year to see if I get new stalks anyway? Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[YumYum]

Are they wild berries? If it is a wild berry then they don't really produce berries like a variety you buy. If I was going to spend time working on berries, I would just buy a couple bushes then clone them next year. I really don't thin, I would eat off those bushes anyways since you know the poison is in the plant.

 

[Meadowlark]

What herbicide did you use on the poison oak? Some herbicides are persistent in the soil and plants growing in that soil and no fruit from them would be suitable for human consumption. I would not take that risk for a few berries.

If it were mine, and I wanted blackberries, I would start anew in a different location with fresh plants that you like.

There are many varieties these days to choose from.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

If you plan on using anything to kill poison ivy, I would use 1 gal vinegar, cup of salt and a tablespoon of dish soap. SLOWLY heat the vinegar and salt over the stove. Once the salt disolves and cools add the dish soap. Use a sprayer to hit the PI leaves. You might nees to do it a couple times but it is worth it. Lots of info on the internet for this.

I also have wild blackberries and thought it was poison ivy. Must be a common mistake. The thorns and the white powder look finally convinced me it wasnt PI. They taste great but the size makes it not worth growing unless you want to pick a lot of smaller berries.

I tried so many varieries and failed miserably. The ones that produce a light crop on first year canes always died the second year when they should produce heavy. Tried Natchez (I think) also died the second year. Had another varity and same thing. Did some research and Triple Crown was a more disease resistant variety. Had to wait 2 years but finally success. This year its a bumper crop! I dont like blackberries but I grew them for my son. Tried a ripe one today and they are not bad. I could definely eat these. Every year the canes get thicker and longer. After so much frustration I finally have blackberries.

Good luck!

MOD