Thornless Blackberries? No Thanks! ... A 6 Year Update

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Күн бұрын

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@ayanbaqur571 7 ай бұрын

I've got a pair of thornless blackberry bushes in my back yard and they produce big, beautiful, and tasty berries every year. I'm not sure of the variety since they came with the house. Also I'm on the west coast.

@bonsaibean2971 5 күн бұрын

Interesting take & I appreciate those who actually provide long term updates. That being said, your experience with one variety of blackberry in one spot that you didn't apparently prune or provide a great deal of care for is indeed only your experience. Clearly lots of folks all over grow thornless blackberries successfully. I've got a 20 foot run that provides more big sweet berries than I can eat every year. Just shows again that not everything is for everyone, in every location.

@cynthiafisher9907 7 ай бұрын

I wonder what variety of thornless blackberries you grew? I grow Triple Crown thornless blackberries and they are wonderful and huge, as long as I prune them well.

@JudasBytes 7 күн бұрын

are they sweet?

@cynthiafisher9907 6 күн бұрын

@ Yes, they are sweet if you let them ripen on the vine. There is a temptation to pick them too early because they look ripe enough, but if you do, they will be sour.

@ToddBossaller 7 ай бұрын

We have eight varieties of blackberries at our farm, four thorny, four thornless. Ensure you are pruning them correctly as that can impact flavor, among other things. Our Natchez plants are very productive with large berries, but if they overcrop, the flavor will be off. The leaves are important as well as the ratio of berries. Make sure they are in full sun. My favorites are Natchez, Ponca, and Caddo. If I could only plant one, it would probably be Natchez. Once you fill a shell with those big berries, anything smaller is just more work :-) I order from NourseFarms near you.

@kandhalagrofarms 6 ай бұрын

Hi , what 4 varieties in thorny you are having ?

@daved217 3 ай бұрын

Growing a mulberry tree will keep you in berries until you get the blackberries sorted out.

@zigzagstreaks793 7 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear of your unrewarding experience. I grow Arapaho, Ouachita, and Prime-Ark Traveler in heavy clay soil in Texas, and although they took their time getting established, the fruit is plentiful and sweet. The trick, in my case, is to wait until the berry has been black for a couple of days before picking it.

@christajennings3828 7 ай бұрын

I agree. I grow mostly Black Satin, but also Natchez. They need to be picked fully ripe, when they have gone past the shiny black stage, to slightly dull and soft.

@darthmaulx 6 ай бұрын

from Arapaho, Ouachita, and Prime-Ark T, which one did you prefer?

@zigzagstreaks793 6 ай бұрын

@@darthmaulx Tough question, as they all display similar growth habits and I can't discern any flavor difference in the berries. However, my Ouachitas edge out the others in production, maybe 10-15% more berries.

@tlovesgreens8244 5 ай бұрын

@@zigzagstreaks793Ouachitas are awesome!

@MetalSwingBlues 2 ай бұрын

@@zigzagstreaks793good to know. That's what I got in clay soil in AR. Grew 15 ft tall this year.

@sharondye4244 2 күн бұрын

Bless your heart. Keep on keeping on I suppose.

@dannpurvis 22 күн бұрын

We grow a thornless variety called Freedom Ark primocane tame. They were the absolute best-tasting and most productive we've ever had. We live in the south zone 7b, though.

@k.d.8924 7 ай бұрын

Doyle's are good, but you have to pick them dead ripe. A day early and their sour, a day late and their mush.

@farmerbobsgarden5554 7 ай бұрын

i would like to know what variety you planted ?

@iwatchthistuf 7 ай бұрын

had 20 planted, i adjusted the soil ph first and made certain the area had no tress that were juglone producing, fertizlzed with horse manure. had great tasteting berries the first year. then the two oldest horses figured out that working together they could unlock the barn gate , then unlocked the garden gate pulled the plants up from the roots and ate everything. had enuff money in that patch to buy 2 tons of stock and stable , or 7ton of pairie hay . wife said," I told you my horses were smart."

@novampires223 7 ай бұрын

The first year I grew a thornless raspberry they tasted terrible and I was going to rip them out. The second year they were much better. When I moved across state I bought more, I will see if it's the same. No thorns is really nice..

@mikhailkalashnikov4599 7 ай бұрын

We grow thornless blackberries and they do great. They produce heavy the entire month of June, the berries near the top of the bush that get all day sun seem to be the largest and sweetest although we eat them all. None of them really taste bad. I catch the tips in buckets of soil in the fall, and by spring I've got new bushes growing in the buckets. Cut them free from the mother plant and you're in business! They sell out quickly on marketplace.

@David-kd5mf 2 ай бұрын

Yeah im done with thornless blackberries too. Flavorless and spit worthy.

@rickleffel256 7 ай бұрын

Good luck with the future plans

@annmacbride3100 Ай бұрын

Not sure where you are in upstate NY...We are in the Adirondacks..zone 4. We can only grow thorned blackberries. Recently we found some wild blackberries in NH near my husband's hunting camp...we picked 4 gallons...very flavorful. We decided to try to take some cuttings to transplant at home. Hopefully they take. I planted a bunch of blackberries I got from Cornell Cooperative extension years ago...not thriving is an understatement.

@chuckh1958 7 ай бұрын

I've had the same problem with the wild blackberries in my backyard. When we moved in 6 years ago they were delicious. The last couple of years though they've had no taste whatsoever. Wild Wineberries growing in the backyard however still tastes delicious.

@carlschnackel3051 7 ай бұрын

I planted a bunch of blackberries last year. I haven't gotten any berries yet, but they're loaded with green berries now. I was told by a local horticulturist that thornless berries will usually have a lower yield than the thorned varieties. I've got some Kiowa blackberries planted next to some Prime Ark Freedom blackberries. At this time, I can say that the thorns on the Kiowa bushes are vicious, while the Prime Ark is thornless. So far I can see that the thorned bushes appear to have a larger crop at this time. I've got some Black Gem thornless blackberries in my back yard that just have a few blossoms on them. They might be a disappointment, regardless of the doctors in the University of Arkansas, who developed them, saying that they were their favorite. One other thing about the Kiowa... The berries are huge = averaging about 2 inches long. I hope they also taste good. I'll find out.

@seattlebeard 7 ай бұрын

I planted Bushel and Berry's 'Baby Cakes' and I the same experience. Scant fruit with absolutely no flavor. I don't know why they're being sold in nurseries. Fortunately for me I planted them in large pots. I replaced them with black currants from Raintree Nursery.

@RoyatAvalonFarms 7 ай бұрын

I suppose not all thornless varieties are the same. We planted a few Triple Crown thornless blackberries at my dads place after taking diggings from my sisters house and both places are doing fantastic. Loads of sweet berries on every bush. And they keep trying to grow side shoots which we dig out and either give away or sell to others. Mostly giving away.

@dorothyfu7540 7 ай бұрын

So sorry about your thornless blackberries. You probably should have done some research on them before planting them. Because I love blackberries so much, (more than any other berries), I probably would have put up with the thorns. Once I went picking them in the wild, (sort of edge of a University campus), came back to the dorm with cuts and scratches all over, but I didn't care. Those blackberries were wonderful.

@herrickkimball 7 ай бұрын

It never occurred to me that thornless blackberries would not be flavorful. Why even sell the plants. 🤷‍♂️. We get wild blackberries here along our woods. You’re right… they are good. My wife usually picks some in season. But they are on the small side. 😕

@cherylradabaugh2720 6 ай бұрын

My berries on my Arapaho are quite delicious.

@sciencesaves Ай бұрын

my triple crown thornless berries are amazing, you probably just had a bad variety growing

@CathyKnight-i2o 25 күн бұрын

Beautiful black berries

@rodeleon2875 7 ай бұрын

i had same experience with 2 or 3 varieties of thornless. the thorned ones produced great but were brutal to pick.

@MrKhankab 6 ай бұрын

Black berries are my favorite to grow because im a lazy gardener. I love perennials and black beries will grow in any soil and any ph. And they are considered a weed. So its impossible to kill or mess up as a beginner. Prune if you want. But i recommend ferilizing. Thats is all. Just feed them, so they feed you. If you were under fed you wouldnt taste good either 😂

@henrywilliams1965 7 ай бұрын

I dug some thornless blackberry plants up at a friend's house about 8 years ago and planted them in my garden. They produced the very next year and are still going strong. I've keep them to about 14 plants. Last year I must have had at least 12 gallons of berries. Love them.

@doubledragon9530 2 ай бұрын

What variety did you try to grow?

@alanknight4418 7 ай бұрын

Have you tried looking at the bottom of that little waterfall for gold? That's a perfect catch.

@herrickkimball 7 ай бұрын

I haven't tried but I have thought about it. Waterfalls like that are all down the creek. The problem is that it's a shale-bottom creek. Lots of shale not far underground around here. Can you find gold in a shale-bottom creek? 🤷‍♂

@alanknight4418 7 ай бұрын

@@herrickkimball gold washes down hill or downstream from the source. If there is a source in your area yes. I know New York is a gold bearing state. So it stands to reason. Finns a local club that does sniping or small dredge and they could show you how to find out. Usually a partnership is reached. Your property their equipment and knowledge. Good luck.

@RandyFelts2121 6 ай бұрын

I traveled to the end of the rainbow for 50 years Yep no gold maybe I should stick with waterfalls. Hopefully it won't be so long a trip.

@robertwren8878 Ай бұрын

Water,shade,trees? You dont say why you think they didnt produce berries but the above may be a clue as well as pruning!

@MikeDawson1 7 ай бұрын

i recommend you try multiple different varieties to find the ones that work best for you

@chocalatekid8024 7 ай бұрын

Lovely stream

@bknomad283 3 ай бұрын

I don't think thornless-ness is related to the flavor. The variety, plant nutrient, and timing are major factors.

@stonehillfarm866 7 ай бұрын

I have three varieties of thornless blackberries planted. This will be their 2nd year and I'm anxious to see what the fruit will be like. I have pruned them to two main primocanes per plant and have them all very contained along a wire. Expecting one variety, Prime-Ark Freedom to produce in late June and the other variety, Chester to fruit in August. (I just realized that I've forgotten what the third variety is. I have a tag somewhere.). The Chester ("Great all-around blackberry - firm but not tart. It is the most productive plant of its kind that you can grow in the upper Midwest") is a variety that does well in colder climates so I'm hoping for success here in NE Ohio. The Prime-Ark Freedom' variety is interesting because it "is a cultivar of blackberry developed by John R. Clark at the University of Arkansas and is the first thornless primocane-fruiting blackberry ever developed". For those not familiar, a primocane is the first year growth canes. I've done a lot of research into these varieties and worked really hard setting them up and pruning so if there is no flavor I'm going to be really disappointed. Our little farm is surrounded by wild blackberries but I'm not crazy about thorns.

@herrickkimball 7 ай бұрын

It sounds like you are doing everything right, not using the “benign neglect” method. Perhaps pruning and trellising will make all the difference. I prune my raspberries and they do reward me for the effort. 👍

@christajennings3828 7 ай бұрын

Be sure to let them get fully ripe. They should go a day or two past the shiny black stage, and be getting more dull, less shiny. That is key to sweet fruit.

@briantrout7051 7 ай бұрын

I have some of those Prime-Ark berries as well. I have a row of thorned ones that produce very well. But the row of thornless ones are always a disappointment for production. They appear to need much more attention with pruning than the thorned berries. Flavor is good IF ripe, which is hard to do because they turn black before they get ripe and it's hard to resist picking them too soon.

@stonehillfarm866 7 ай бұрын

@@christajennings3828 thank you! It's going to be hard to wait, lol, but if it means sweet berries it will be worth it.

@stonehillfarm866 7 ай бұрын

@@briantrout7051 thank you, it's a work in progress for sure.

@christineedwards4865 7 ай бұрын

I must have your variety, lol. Mine has hardly gotten a chance to fruit because of deer pressure in the spot I planted it, not to mention poor soil and weed competition because it was meant to be a temporary planting just to get it out of the pot, but when it did manage to make some fruit a few years back, it tasted terrible. What's strange though, is that the same plant made fruit while still in it's pot a year after it should have been planted (this was something around 10 years ago), and made fruit that tasted decent. I think the poor flavor might be related to stress or nutrients, heavily cultivated plant varieties are often heavy feeders, such as the nice looking large delphiniums. I'm not giving up on my variety yet, one of these days I'll give it a better place to grow and see if the flavor improves. Be prepared to smother that area if you want to wipe out your blackberries, because they easily regrow from a piece of root left in the ground.

@beerdrinker6452 7 ай бұрын

Nice video.

@rawbacon 7 ай бұрын

Reminds of buying those big beautiful raspberries in the grocery store and they have absolutely no flavor.

@RoyatAvalonFarms 7 ай бұрын

This is in TN for reference.

@marynunn1708 7 ай бұрын

Id be real cautious about building a workshop so near a creek unless its elevated well above the flood zone. As for the berries you didnt mention any kind of soil testing. But it sounds to me like they had an over abundance of growth promoting minerals and insufficient minerals supporting reproduction. And based only on the tree shadows in this video, may not have gotten enough direct sunlight. In short, struggling plants generally dont produce great tasting fruit.

@anonperson4597 5 ай бұрын

My thornless are big as my thumb. I have to prune them well.

@corinne7126 6 ай бұрын

I can grow raspberries but not blackberries

@RobertVastine 7 ай бұрын

That site does not get enough sun for blackberries most likely.

@onedayatatime4633 7 ай бұрын

Tried thornless blackberries over 20 years ago. Beautiful berries but completely tasteless! I’ll stick with the wild ones😆

@christajennings3828 7 ай бұрын

Do you know what variety you planted? There are many thornless varieties. I have several Black Satin thornless blackberries, which make a good amount of delicious, sweet, large fruit. They are barely fertilized, and occasionally watered (in drought ridden California). I keep them pruned pretty hard and tied to a hog panel fence, because they are alongside the driveway. Perhaps you chose a poor variety, or they were getting too much nitrogen or something.

@christajennings3828 7 ай бұрын

Also, they need to be picked absolutely ripe, when the shininess is fading. When they are still shiny, they aren't sweet enough yet.

@catherinewhite2943 7 ай бұрын

I had thornless blackberries for a number of years. Carefully chosen variety suppressed to be full of flavor. Sour, and tasteless. Just awful. Ripped them all out and still rip out stragglers that crop up every year. I'll stick with my tasty raspberries, thank you very much.