鈥淭railing鈥 blackberries are a type. The canes grow along the ground and they must be tied to a trellis to keep the fruit off the ground. However, they are not cold hardy and do not produce in cold regions.
Semi-erect blackberries tend to grow close to the ground, like vines. Assuming you do not have true trailing berries (thus, you must reside in a warm region), perhaps you have semi-erect berries. Sources suggest that semi-erect berries become upright and branched in their second year鈥攁nd yours are in their eleventh year!
We can not find any information about blackberry canes self-rooting at the tip. As for cutting one end without killing the plant, you want to avoid cutting the base, the source. Presumably, it is thicker than the tip of the cane.
Perhaps your grandfather pruned and you simply did not realize it. He must have had a system! If it is as thickly tangled as you seem to suggest, It may be time to cut them back (in late winter, to about 7 feet) and essentially start again, securing them to wire fencing or the like. Such hearty plants will probably withstand even a (forgive us) gross over cutting on your part, but it will give you a fresh start and, hopefully, quite a few years of wonderful berries.
鈥淭railing鈥 blackberries are a type. The canes grow along the ground and they must be tied to a trellis to keep the fruit off the ground. However, they are not cold hardy and do not produce in cold regions.
Semi-erect blackberries tend to grow close to the ground, like vines. Assuming you do not have true trailing berries (thus, you must reside in a warm region), perhaps you have semi-erect berries. Sources suggest that semi-erect berries become upright and branched in their second year鈥攁nd yours are in their eleventh year!
We can not find any information about blackberry canes self-rooting at the tip. As for cutting one end without killing the plant, you want to avoid cutting the base, the source. Presumably, it is thicker than the tip of the cane.
Perhaps your grandfather pruned and you simply did not realize it. He must have had a system! If it is as thickly tangled as you seem to suggest, It may be time to cut them back (in late winter, to about 7 feet) and essentially start again, securing them to wire fencing or the like. Such hearty plants will probably withstand even a (forgive us) gross over cutting on your part, but it will give you a fresh start and, hopefully, quite a few years of wonderful berries.
We hope this helps!