BLACKBERRIES
Our blackberry cultivars and a description of each is as follows:
Prime-Ark™ Freedom
Prime-Ark Freedom is the world’s first commercially released thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry. This is the fourth in the University of Arkansas Prime-Ark Brand Primocane Fruiting Blackberry cultivar line following the release of Prime-Jan and Prime-Jim in 2004 and Prime-Ark 45 in 2009. All of the prior-released primocane-fruiting cultivars are thorny. This type of blackberry fruits on current-season canes (primocanes) and on second-season canes (floricanes), potentially providing for two cropping seasons, both traditional summer fruits in addition to late summer to fall production. In addition to having thornless canes, this variety produces very large berries with good flavor and is very early ripening on floricanes.
Fruit of Prime-Ark Freedom does not exhibit exceptional postharvest storage potential but it is not recommended for the shipping market due the berries have low firmness. Each plant produces groups of berries, like bunch of grapes. The first yield starts forming at primocanes in the beginning of June and continues three to four weeks. During this first harvest season, Prime-Ark Freedom intensively produces floricanes, which soon begin to bloom. Floricanes are thornless. This is the second harvest season, which continues up to the middle of October.
Prime-Ark™ Osage
Osage is the thirteenth release in a series of erect-growing, high-quality, productive floricane-fruiting blackberry cultivars developed by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. An enhanced effort in the improvement of flavor in blackberries has been underway in the Arkansas program for a number of years, and Osage was developed with the intention of advancing flavor to a higher level in a thornless blackberry cultivar. Osage produces medium-sized berries and has excellent postharvest quality for the shipping market in addition to local market use. Canes of Osage are thornless and erect, up to 4-5' in height. The beginning of bloom is the end of April. First harvest date is the beginning of June. Fruits of blackberry cultivar Osage are round glossy with a uniform black finish. Winter hardiness has shown very little injury to a low of minus 8.6 F.
Prime-Ark™ Ouachita
The Ouachita blackberry is a variety of blackberry that was bred by the University of Arkansas. It is known for its large, sweet berries and excellent postharvest fruit-handling potential. The plant has erect canes and is thornless. The fruiting habit of the plant is floricane fruiting (summer-bearing). The flowering on floricanes starts in the first week of May, and the ripening date is in the third week of June. The Ouachita blackberry is moderately cold-hardy and heat-tolerant. The Ouachita (wash-uh-taw) Blackberry has excellent flavor and is very prolific. The Ouachita Blackberry has very upright and erect canes. The fruit storage and handling potential of the Ouachita Blackberry is very good, near that of Navaho; hardiness similar to other Arkansas thornless berries.
Prime-Ark™ Natchez
The Nachez blackberry plant is another variety of blackberry that was bred by the University of Arkansas. Natchez Thornless Blackberry will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.
Natchez Thornless Blackberry is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers.
Caring for Blackberry Plants
Growing Blackberries - http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/blackberries-for-the-home-garden.pdf
Southeast Blackberry Production Guide - https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeast-regional-caneberry-production-guide#
Blackberry Production Portal - https://rubus.ces.ncsu.edu/
Pest Management Guide - https://smallfruits.org/files/2020/12/2021-Caneberry-Spray-Guide.pdf
Pruning and Training Blackberries - https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/southeast-regional-caneberry-production-guide/pruning-and-training
NCSU Video on Pruning Blackberries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OztOsj3jUw
How to prune blackberries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a69fnyJEuJ4
