I have TC and PAF blackberries currently growing in my berry patch and was thinking about adding some Lochness and Arapaho next spring. Does anyone have a better suggestion on what I should plant here in zone 6? I am new to berry growing by the way and hope I added sufficient info? Thanks for all suggestions.
Raspberries are hardier, do you have those already?
I just planted TC and PAF along with some others (Osage, Ouachita and Traveler) this year, so I am in the same boat as you.
I think TC is hardy to zone 5, the others to zone 6, so they probably will be OK, but I guess we’ll see after this winter. If you’re in mid or southern Illinois, that’ll prob be alright.
Arapaho I think is good in z6, and so should Loch Ness, it’s good to zone 5. @jtburton is in the Cincy area (same zone as us), maybe he could comment as he’s grown many varieties of berries.
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Yes I have some raspberries.
Triple Crown is cold hardy to about -5F and then it starts to get dieback. At -10F, the canes will die back to the ground. Loch Ness is very similar to Triple Crown (both semi-erect varieties) and is similar in cold hardiness. Temperature is only one factor in the hardiness…the amount of direct wind will also play a factor, because it will further remove the moisture from the plants and cause damage. The third part is ‘when’ your blackberry plant is exposed to the cold. If the plant is fully dormant, it is less likely to be damaged. Some blackberry plants have low chill hour requirements, and will sometimes come out of dormancy later in winter when your area receives a warm spell. Then it gets really cold again and the plant is not fully dormant and as a result gets damage. Sweetie Pie and Kiowa blackberry (and others) fall into this category…usually the early ripening varieties.
Osage and Ouachita (and probably Arapaho) are similar in cold hardiness to Triple Crown.
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Thanks guys for the info. I will give the mentioned varieties a try for sure.
This is helpful. Any guess what temperature causes dieback in Chester? I’m under the impression it’s supposed to be more cold hardy than TC, but not sure how much more.
Chester, Triple Crown, and Loch Ness are all very similar, semi-erect varieties. The flavor varies but their cold hardiness and grow habits are similar. I don’t grow Chester, but my parents do and they live about 10 miles away from me in Northern KY. They grow Chester and Triple Crown. Blackberries struggle when they are planted in hardiness zones lower than 6…which is equivalent to temperatures that, on average, fall below -10F each year.
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Is Triple Crown supposed to be a trailing, upright, or semi-upright variety? Because all five of my first year plantings are down on the ground. Will they become more upright in subsequent years?
My triple crowns are the same way.
I recently came across an article claiming that a few listed varieties are viable to zone 4. I don’t have any experience with them and am not endorsing the article or its claims…just passing it along.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-4/zone-4-blackberries.htm
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I have been looking for a place that sells Illini hardy but cant find any. Would anyone know who sells them?
Semi-erect varieties will trail (e.g. grow along the ground) when they are young but will grow more erect when they grow older.
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OK, thanks. I’ll need to get them on a wire trellis soon. How do you train your TC? I was thinking on running a couple clothes line wires between T-posts, one about 2-3ft off the ground and the other about 4-5ft.
When mature, how many pints (or quarts) does one plant usually give you?
I was thinking of doing the same thing with the wire and just training them, like wrapping them around the wire.
Man I am having trouble navigating this site. Not hip to these symbols and what they mean.
Blackberry yield varies wildly and is usually expressed in pounds per cane (or acre!), but pruning methods will cause that to vary also. I get upwards of 100 pounds (~20 gallons) of TC from about 4 clumps, perhaps a dozen canes total. This is with tip-pruning and laterals method. TC does not need the lower wire; one about shoulder height will do. You could start with the lower wire for your new plantings. The trellis you describe is fine if you can keep the end posts from leaning in under wire tension and crop load.
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Thanks. 100 lbs from four clumps?!? Wow. I have five plantings, so that may end up being a lot of fruit. Of course, they’re not suckering now, but they have multiple growths (canes, I guess) coming from the same crown and seem to be adding new ones after a few weeks or so.
My row of TC is about 30ft long, so maybe I should put another T-post in the middle, to give it more support? I think the posts are 5ft tall. Maybe i could anchor the end posts by tying them to a deeply driven stake.
So, when your canes get to the high wire, do you tip them then, or just train them along the wire when they reach it? Do you tip them while they’re primocanes?
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@subdood_ky_z6b I would keep a lowered expectation on berry production. Larry is an expert at this and (i think) lives in one of the best climates (Western Oregon) in the US for berry production. I don’t really grow TC’s anymore but a couple of years ago when I had 8 TC’s in full production, the best I could expect would be a gallon a plant. I stopped growing TC because they fruited too late in the season and would get SWD infestations. That seems to have subsided some in my area but may be something to watch in your location.
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jtburton is correct about my favorable TC location and that TC is a late season SWD magnet. But in general, TC is considered one of the more productive blackberry varieties. A 30-foot row should get many gallons if winter dieback is minimal.
I would use 5 Tposts for a 30-foot row; one on each end and one every 1/4 row length. Only the end posts need stabilizing; the forces on the inner stakes is about equal. I assume your posts are 5 feet above ground after being driven in.
Yes, you tip the primocanes. Your growth habit may vary from mine; I currently have two primocanes that are 12 feet tall and are just now starting to bend at the top (I am not keeping these canes this season, just using them for extra shade!). Tip pruning robust canes at 5 feet would be fine.
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