Wild berries

So I found some wild berries today while out walking part of my property that I hadn't been before.
First question, I'm not sure if they are raspberries or blackberries?

Should I dig them up to transplant them? If so should I maybe just do half to make sure they will grow? Is this an ok time of year to do so?

If I leave them there I was thinking of thinning out the weeds and mulching around them or spreading compost around them.

What do you think I should do? Here is a pic of my find:

I've got hundreds under a very large tree. They won't survive cause they are extremely shaded. I suspect they came from bird droppings.

transplant in wintertime, but it looks like they are thriving where they are. If I were to plant some I would go with modern ones that produce bigger berries. Leave the wild ones in the wild. Part of the fun is walking to the woods to get them.

Spencer can you get a closer picture of the fruit/ flowers for us?

I always waited until the fall or early spring to transplant raspberries. I thought it might be to much of a shock to do it when they are flowering or fruiting.

Almost all perennials are best transplanted during their dormant period.
(Kind of like chickens - catch them while they are asleep.)
I would guess that those are bird dropping volunteers by their size.
They do look healthy where they are.

Raspberries and Blackberries produce heavily here in part to mostly shade. I agree with Miles and John about transplanting. that's what I do.
John S
PDX OR

Those plants do look happy where they are! i can't see them very well but they look like raspberries to me. Does the berry turn black when ripe? I think one identifying thing is the cup in the berry where it was attached....a raspberry will be cupped in.
I regret ever trying to move ours. We had some happy, wild, black raspberry plants in our front yard and at the time we thought they were in the way so moved them when dormant to a 'better' spot. The transplants died and nothing was left of the original plant. I haven't found another patch in the woods like I thought I would either. Small berries and the flavor for ours didn't come out until they were slightly sweetened..... then they were delicious!

Wild berries around here in the PNW, are incredible, durable plants. People actually curse them. Pay hundreds of dollars to get people to come root them out, but unless that is followed by a season or two of hogs, the berries will persist. Then, the same people will go to the supermarket and pay $5.95 for a basket of berries (that they could have picked in less than 2 minutes in their back yard).

From our local experience, 'maintenance' is picking (before the birds wipe 'em out). By the end of summer, those weeds should be dieing of thirst, and the berry bushes growing enough that the weeds shouldn't be a problem next year. You could pull them, but around here, that would just be a waste of time. Mulch? Eh. Compost? Why not, it never hurt anything.

YMMV. Around here, blackberries are considered 'invasives'. They seem to do best in 'full sun' here, but our sun is kind of lacking...full season tomatoes and most peppers don't produce well around the Puget Sound - not enough sun.

Find some good vanilla ice cream and enjoy !

wayne fajkus wrote:I've got hundreds under a very large tree. They won't survive cause they are extremely shaded. I suspect they came from bird droppings

If these are raspberries as I suspect, they're woodland plants which enjoy dappled shade,
and can cope with quite heavy shade.
Usually raspberries in full shade have pretty low production and bland fruit though.

I will get a closer pic tonite after work. Thanks for the info everyone!

Leila, mine under the tree has maybe 4 leaves and one berry and gave a total height of 4-6". I need to walk back over thete to confirm. If the wild ones are like the modern varieties, they only produce on last year's cane. Which is a miserable growth rate. The modern ones I planted this year are 2 ft tall on the new growth this year. Rain has been ample.

Got off work late last night and wasn't able to get a pic but did get one today. Here's a closer look...I ate one today that was a darker red. My guess is raspberries.

Spencer, they look very healthy to me. Nice find.

Spencer Davis wrote:Got off work late last night and wasn't able to get a pic but did get one today. Here's a closer look...I ate one today that was a darker red. My guess is raspberries.

They are raspberries!