12. Soil pH
If your blackberry plant is slow to grow, and does not yield any fruit – or it produces tiny berries, then the chances are that you have problems with the soil pH in your garden. Soil pH is a vital factor in your garden.
You can do everything right, tilling, fertilizing, planting, and protecting your blackberry plant, but if the pH is wrong, then you will get an underwhelming harvest at the end of summer.
After tilling and fertilizing your soil, leave it to rest for up to 4-weeks. This strategy gives the nutrients time to disperse evenly in the ground. After the resting period, test the p-H of the soil. Blackberries grow best in soils with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8.
You can test the pH by using a digital pH gauge that you stick into the soil. However, if you don’t have a gauge on hand, then take a soil sample to your nearest plant nursery, and they should be able to test it for you while you wait.