Blackberries?

[Catscratch]

Thinking of getting blackberries to replace some trees in the orchard that didn't come out of winter. Not interested in anything that has thorns or that will spread to the pastures. Any suggestions? I'm in South Central KS, zone 7a.

Or maybe suggest a different berry or shrub? I'm open to ideas...

 

[Native Hunter]

Prime Ark Freedom is a new double cropping thornless blackberry that you can find for sale at a lot of different places now. Unlike regular blackberries it produces fruit on both primocanes and floricanes, so you will get both a spring and a fall crop.

Ouachita and Arapaho are thornless varieties that grow a single floricane crop (in the spring) each year.

I just planted Prime Ark Freedom this year, and I'm a few days away from getting my first crop of berries on the other two, which were planted last year.

PS - The canes will be skinny and not very upright the first year, but this changes in the second year once the roots get established - when the second set of canes start growing.

Pic below is from an Arapaho that was 3 inches tall when I planted it last June. Berries starting to ripen.

 

[Catscratch]

Those look great Native!
I was looking at Ark-Prime Freedom earlier today. I don't think they are seedless. Blackberries are invasive here, pastures get overtaken with them so I'm very hesitant to get something that might be a problem. Do you know if your varieties are seed producers?

Just had a friend suggest Loganberries. They look pretty good at a glance. Need to research them a little.

 

[Native Hunter]

Those look great Native!
I was looking at Ark-Prime Freedom earlier today. I don't think they are seedless. Blackberries are invasive here, pastures get overtaken with them so I'm very hesitant to get something that might be a problem. Do you know if your varieties are seed producers?

Just had a friend suggest Loganberries. They look pretty good at a glance. Need to research them a little.

I haven’t researched about the seed. Blackberries are invasive here too. That’s why I wasn’t worried about planting these. They could never compete in the wild with the native thorny ones. Those suckers choke out everything.

 

[Catscratch]

I haven’t researched about the seed. Blackberries are invasive here too. That’s why I wasn’t worried about planting these. They could never compete in the wild with the native thorny ones. Those suckers choke out everything.

Do you know how to kill them? I've tried gly, 2-4d, Remedy, fire, and mowing. They always seem to come back the next spring. Cattle won't eat them, grass can't grow in them.

 

[Native Hunter]

Do you know how to kill them? I've tried gly, 2-4d, Remedy, fire, and mowing. They always seem to come back the next spring. Cattle won't eat them, grass can't grow in them.

They have kicked my rear end. I once hired a guy with a big, nice spraying rig to spray mine with Remedy Ultra. At first it looked like we had really got them, but in 3 years they were right back as strong as ever.

Mowing once a year does nothing to control them. Mowing twice a year (spring and late summer) will hold them at bay somewhat, but that doesn't work with my deer hunting plans - and the cost of so much mowing is prohibitive. I have been spot spraying with my pickup truck at places where they form solid colonies. That helps a little but not what you and I are looking for,

 

[Catscratch]

Bummer!!!

 

[Bill]

Ever try mowing in the spring and then spraying when they bounce Back? I did with 2-4D once and it knocked the crap out of them. Slowly started coming back. But maybe with some of that stronger spray it would work better.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Do you know how to kill them? I've tried gly, 2-4d, Remedy, fire, and mowing. They always seem to come back the next spring. Cattle won't eat them, grass can't grow in them.

You need to hit them 2 or more times during a single growing season. Growing season fire and herbicide. Mowing and then herbicide. A single attack per season will not be successful. You have to deplete the energy reserves in the root system.

We have lots of wild blackberries here both at the tree farm and the home farm. I like them in the right spots. Good quail habitat. A living fence in areas. We have some wild ones that are pretty tasty right on the edge of the yard. Most of the others are not that great for eating. I believe I had the variety "Chester" ( I was never 100% sure on the i.d as I got some plants from someone else who was growing them) in Nebraska when I lived there. Very productive. Hard to beat Blackberry cobbler or a big handful of berries on vanilla ice cream.

 

[b116757]

Don’t mow them you need a lot of growth to take up the herbicide, spray them during bloom time in the spring is best per most herbicide labels I’ve read and it’s a multi year application 2-3 years to kill a patch.

 

[SwampCat]

 

[Gravel Road]

Do you know how to kill them? I've tried gly, 2-4d, Remedy, fire, and mowing. They always seem to come back the next spring. Cattle won't eat them, grass can't grow in them.

I used my usual mix of 24D and Escort and it smoked the patch I had. I don't mind some blackberries as it makes good nesting habitat, but you can only have so much.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I used my usual mix of 24D and Escort and it smoked the patch I had. I don't mind some blackberries as it makes good nesting habitat, but you can only have so much.

When did you spray them? I have some random plants that I would like to kill off, but always a little concerned with collateral damage whenever someone mentions 24D.

 

[Gravel Road]

I don't remember the timing, but I was spraying sericia a little early so maybe June or July? You might even try escort without 24D if it's a concern. I don't really like 24D either, but Escort does seem to take several weeks to work, where the mix shows results faster. I like that Escort is supposed to make the seeds sterile in a lot of invasives (according to the county extension office).

 

[Turkey Creek]

Interesting in that I just read an article tonight about people mixing products like photosynthetic inhibiting herbicides with glyphosate, because it makes them feel better that they can actually see a negative plant response from the spraying faster (wilting). However, often times the mixing reduces the effectiveness of the glyphosate which works differently in killing plants. I see another experiment in my future. LOL

 

[SD51555]

Cat, do you have adequate amounts of persimmon already? That's one I wish we could grow up here.

 

[Catscratch]

Cat, do you have adequate amounts of persimmon already? That's one I wish we could grow up here.

I do. I'm on the very western range that they can live. Very seldom see one unless someone planted it there. I have a couple of grafted one's and about 20 seedlings growing. They could get wiped out at any time though.

 

[Native Hunter]

If you like berries but would rather have a tree, look no further than Illinois Everbearing Mulberry. This was mine yesterday with just a few beginning to ripen. This goes on for weeks. But be warned that it also draws in every bird and critter in the country.

 

[Native Hunter]

Or you could do bush cherries:

 

[b116757]

I planted three everbearing a couple years ago one in the yard one on each farm mine at the house died but the other two are doing well. Looking forward to them producing.