re: Blackberries

quote:

---

Ok, so I’ve called all the Clegg’s and they don’t have any prime ark freedom. Said they have Arapaho this year. Does anyone know where I can get the Freedom?

---

That too bad as Cleggs they had them earlier in the year at the Siegen store. But Arapaho is very good variety.

Starks Nursery seems to to have the Ark Prime Freedom in stock on their website but many other online sources are sold out of that variety.

I purchased my plants from Pense Nursery in AR which also supplies commercial berry producers - their pricing is excellent though you’ll pay $20 shipping on orders less than $100.

Some people may not know the difference. Dewberries are what most people are eating now, a little early for blackberries. However, there are maybe some odd varieties that may be picking now?

dewberry is a super invasive menace, once established it’s there for good without drastic measures. On a property edge or something that’s fine if you like them but once they get in a bed or similar you’ll wish they hadn’t

birds eat the berries and shite out the seeds from any tree or bush they happen to be sitting in. I’ve got dewberry vines all up under my big fig tree and all I can do now is hand pull every year

You gotta net a fig tree or you will have one peck in every freaking one of them

quote:

---

After reading your post, I ordered 2 and planted them today. Most nurseries I searched were out. The plants that were sent were small and came in 4” pots. How much growth can I expect the first year. Did you fertilize and if so when and what did you use? Thanks!

---

These are 4, Ark Prime Freedom blackberry plants planted from 3 inch plugs in Feb 2019 - so a little over a year old. Note the tallest canes are new spring growth primocanes and close to 6 feet tall - they have grown much since early March of this year. 2nd photo will give you an idea of the size of the berries. This is my first crop from these plants.

Fertilization - for small 4 inch pots, sprinkle maybe a tablespoon of general purpose fertilizer, 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 around them, perhaps a second application in June/July. My plants you see in photo received a cup of 13-13-13 per plant in early March.

Where did you get them from?

Or does anyone in BR have a cutting or some small plants growing in your bed that your willing to sell?

Wasnt there a big long thread about blackberries a while back? Might have been on the outdoor board.

quote:

---

Those berries are fantastic! I'm second guessing my decision to only buy 2 plants. Maybe I should order a couple more. What's the L x W of your row? Will you cut it back after the fall crop?

---

The row is 10 ft L x 2 ft W x 1 ft high. Just bought a yard of garden mix from the retail plant nursery and wheelbarreled it into place and shaped. Put it directly on top the lawn, did kill, remove the grass nor did till the ground underneath. Plants are spaced about 2 1/2 feet apart.

Cut back - well I will remove the floricanes after fruiting as they are going die when fruiting is completed. The primocanes that are growing now, but not fruiting, and should fruit on this variety in the fall, I will probably prune this summer, to induce more lateral branching to produce more fruit. Have a little more homework to do as this my first time with the spring and fall fruiting variety of blackberry and it need to get the timing right. I do have another row of 3 Arapaho, and a row of six, Natchez and Ouachita (3 of each) - thornless, erect varieties, but they produce only a spring crop.

I called around Baton Rouge but no one had this variety and they had no idea if they would even get them this year. So I ordered them online from Florida Hill Nursery. They came packaged very securely. I’ve never ordered from them before but I’m very pleased with their service. Price wasn’t bad either. Under $30 with shipping for 2 plants. Just be careful with your order. There are several Prime-Ark varieties, but the kind I ordered specifically said “Prime Ark Freedom.”