Blackberry Not Producing Primocanes
- Thread starter SwampCat
- Start date
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I just got into the thornless blackberries about 3 years ago, so I am still learning myself. What I noticed this year was that several of my plants were slow in making primocanes, but now I am finally seeing some small ones. Others have primocanes that are 9 feet tall by now. I did notice that some of the slow plants were in a more shaded area, but I can’t say with certainty that was a factor. I do know that on those more shaded plants that the berries are slower to ripen.
I have read a little about this and believe your plants will eventually produce them. It might not be until after you cut off the floricanes. If this doesn’t happen, the plants will die, and you will then need to determine why they died. Please let me know how this turns out for you, and best wishes to you on this.
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I thought blackberries were easy. I started with ten kiowa blackberry plants and they did great - lots of big good looking berries. I bought ten more after the first good year - and the newer ones have done absolutely nothing - berry wise. The canes are many - big and lush. They are in the same row as the first ten. They flower great and then they make a berry with about three druplets, but before they make anything - they dry up. Have not picked any berries in two years off those second rounds of plants - although the plants themselves are big and robust - and the first ones seem to be dying out
This is what the berries look like on the original ten
This is what they look like on the second ten - mainly dried up cores
I am a glutton for punishment, an idiot, or both. I planted five more kiowa, ten prime ark 45, and five big daddy - all this past winter. Plants are doing fine - except the prime ark 45 - half of them died. They are in the same row as the new kiowa and big daddy. Of course, I have to build a cage over the whole thing out of t-post and pvc and bird net if I ever want to get a berry - and then they dont make berries
I bought these plants from Ison’s nursery. I think I will email them and see what they have to say
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Prime Ark 45 has been good here, and Prime Ark Freedom planted last year is making some good berries this year. I planted Arapaho and Ouachita three years ago, and they have an insane crop this year. I noticed that some of the earlier ripening berries this year have some blanks, but It doesn't appear that will be a problem with the rest. Good luck and let me know what Ison's says.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I’ve been tasting the different ones. Prime Ark Freedom is twice as good as any of the other domesticated ones I have. It is more sweet like the wild ones. I can eat it straight off the cane with no sugar added.
Below is what my berries look like today.
Below is what my berries look like today.
Do you trellis yours? Do you cage them. Do you thin the primocanes? You have more berries showing there than I have on five plants
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I have my garden caged with 5 foot welded wire, and my berry patch is inside my garden. I drove some T-posts and strung coated clothesline between them to support the canes. I will tie the canes to the clothesline.
I did thin the primocanes this year because at some places there were just too many of them - and I had them shooting up at places I didn't want berries. I kept the best looking ones that were growing close to the original plant. I have some primocanes that are already 11 feet tall, but most are not even knee high. At some point I will top the tall primocanes so that they will bush out.
I have to completely enclose mine in netting to keep the birds out. Looks like a 100 ft long batting cage
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I have to completely enclose mine in netting to keep the birds out. Looks like a 100 ft long batting cage
Plant an Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree if you want to keep the birds occupied. But, it doesn't help much though with blackberries because they ripen before the mulberries.
Double Creek
5 year old buck +
I had a 200 yd long terrace of almost solid blackberries until the hogs got interested and subsoiled the entire row in a weekend once a few berries showed up.
Hogs pretty easy to keep out of garden or orchard or feeder. 32” field fence - they dont jump.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
As I said earlier, at this point in time I still consider myself a novice with the new, double cropping blackberries, but below is what I have seen the experts say (in my words):
For primocane fruiting, most fruit is at the tips of the laterals on first year canes. Prune the main leader at the top, but don't prune laterals until after the first year fruiting. After that, go ahead and prune the laterals in order to get a bushy plant for good fruiting the next year.
For primocane fruiting, most fruit is at the tips of the laterals on first year canes. Prune the main leader at the top, but don't prune laterals until after the first year fruiting. After that, go ahead and prune the laterals in order to get a bushy plant for good fruiting the next year.
