Blackberries Taste Tart

Question

We planted 2 blackberry bushes 4 years ago, and every year they taste tart. We also have 11 new plants that just started to produce berries. They also taste tart. Is there something we need to put in the soil to make them taste better? The berries are big and beautiful, but just have a tart taste. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I don’t know of any nutrient(s) that can be added to the soil to improve sweetness.
Maybe you’ve already tried this, but whenever you normally harvest the berries, just experiment by allowing 1 or 2 of the plants to retain the fruit a couple of weeks longer [unless they become mushy beforehand] just to see if additional ripening time helps out. Most definitely works with strawberries.

Answer 2

My guess would be that you may simply be picking them too early. Most people tend to pick blackberries when they are a nice glossy, dark color when in fact you should wait for them to dull in color before harvesting. It could also be uneven nutrients in the soil so that only part of the plant is getting the full nutrients it needs and produces sweet fruit. Apply some fertilizer to the soil to ensure everything is even all around. The soil pH should be around 5.5 to 6.5 for quality growth.