Blackberries Vines?

[SwampCat]

I have a 75’ row of Kiowa blackberry plants. Half of them have been in the ground and produced great. The other half has been in the ground for one year - and while they didnt produce - they grew some great primocanes. The two year old plants, while providing a lot of fruit - hardly produced a primocane. I am assuming the newer plants will produce great next year, but the older plants not so great?


Above are primocanes from two year in the ground blackberries




Above are primocanes from blackberries planted last year


Are they an every other year deal?

 

[Turkey Creek]

The varieties I have experience with the cane dies after it fruits. The canes that grow this year will fruit next year and the process repeats. The variety I had in Nebraska was extremely productive every year. Hard to beat fresh Blackberry cobbler or fresh berries over vanilla ice cream this time of year.

 

[SwampCat]

The varieties I have experience with the cane dies after it fruits. The canes that grow this year will fruit next year and the process repeats. The variety I had in Nebraska was extremely productive every year. Hard to beat fresh Blackberry cobbler or fresh berries over vanilla ice cream this time of year.

Yes, that is what the blackberry vines I have do also. But the older vines, this year, only put up at most one fruiting cane for next year, while the younger plants put out so many fruiting canes for next year that I am going to have to thin them

 

[Native Hunter]

I don't have experience with Kiowa, but what you have described is not normal for the "floricane only" fruiting blackberries I have grown. It is common for a brier to produce only one primocane for next year's crop, but that one primocane will usually be very robust. When you set a young plant with small roots, it will put more energy into building roots the first year than it does making canes. Generally the first year primocanes will be thin and weak looking and not very sturdy the next year. But after that, everything levels out and you get stronger canes and possibly multiple canes.

I dug up two Prime Ark 45 plants last year and moved them. At the spot I dug them up, this year I have 9 new canes coming up from roots that were left in the ground. I could dig those up this fall and move 9 more plants.

 

[SwampCat]

I don't have experience with Kiowa, but what you have described is not normal for the "floricane only" fruiting blackberries I have grown. It is common for a brier to produce only one primocane for next year's crop, but that one primocane will usually be very robust. When you set a young plant with small roots, it will put more energy into building roots the first year than it does making canes. Generally the first year primocanes will be thin and weak looking and not very sturdy the next year. But after that, everything levels out and you get stronger canes and possibly multiple canes.

I dug up two Prime Ark 45 plants last year and moved them. At the spot I dug them up, this year I have 9 new canes coming up from roots that were left in the ground. I could dig those up this fall and move 9 more plants.

How do you like those Prime Ark 45 blackberries. Dont they fruit on the primocanes?

 

[Native Hunter]

How do you like those Prime Ark 45 blackberries. Dont they fruit on the primocanes?

Yes, they fruit on both the primocane and floricane. They are a good, reliable berry for me. They do have thorns on the canes.

Last year I planted two "floricane only" fruiting thornless berries - Ouachita and Arapaho. I'm happy with these as well. Arapaho is a little earlier than Ouachita, and the taste is good on both.

This spring I planted Prime Ark Freedom, which is a double cropping thornless. These have grown well this year and are just now beginning to make a small crop on the primocanes.