For me Chester seems a little more cold hardy then triple crown. I have had die back several times to within a few feet of the ground on my Triple Crown while Chester only had a few inches in zone 6b. I think the low temps got down to -6 or -8 those years. As a side note I like the taste of Chester better they seem to be sweeter and have more blackberry flavor, Triple Crown is a clear winner for fruit size between the two.
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I have both lochness and triple crown in second leaf at least in my climate lochness is 2-4weeks ahead of TC, both are vigorous and prolific. I had allot of snow last year and didnāt tie primocanes up until the spring so as far as winter hardiness it hard to sayā¦will be ableto give a better picture of hardiness next spring
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Thatās exactly as Iāve been growing them- the wires are 2-3ā apart. It works pretty well, though I havenāt always kept up with weeding them. My yield depends on how much dieback I get (and if I let the weeds get bigger than the berries). This year has been pretty bad on both fronts. But I have some ripening now and they are large and tasty. And in my best years, I never got to 25 lbs/clump. Though I havenāt measured, Iād be happy to get 1-2lb per clump.
In terms of training, you want to tip them before they start tipping over. I try to let them get about 5-6ā tall, then pinch them- at least when Iām on top of things with them. This year Iām undecided about weeding them now, or just waiting until after Iām done picking them before cleaning things out. An argument for weeding now is so that I can see the berries. But, I may knock off more than I find if I doā¦
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Thanks Bob. Those look very nice, and pretty big. Do you have to wait a while before they get sweet? Hopefully next year weāll be enjoying some from our own plants.
Are your canes more upright this year than in previous years, or do you have to lift them up onto the wires? Mine are all basically on the ground, not at all like my UA plants.
They are sweet once they start to soften. If you have SWD, then it is tough to get them before they are infested.
They were a bit droopy at the start (5+ years ago), but now they stand mostly erect. At least until they get too much growth to one side, then theyāll start to fall over and it good to have the lines. The main issue with them falling over is that they tip-root like crazy and youāll have way too many plants soon enough. Unless you want enough to started a few more rowsā¦
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Dave, you ever find any? I live in AK in a Zone 4 and have been looking for some. No luck so far. Iāve been calling everywhere.
No I have not found any either.
Darrow survived a couple nights at -24f this last winter for me unprotected. Only the tips were lost to cold damage if anyone is still lurking this thread
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tnhunter iirc has Illini Hardy and I have Doyle. Mostly wanted Doyle as a comparison with some of the UARK varieties. IMO, flavor is mediocre at best.
Ollalie has been proven in NY as i posted last yearā¦ not sure of other areas colder than that.
Dave Wilson says Z4 and upā¦ which is unlikely but perhaps.
Other nurseries seem to guess at its hardiness.
Its breeding is pretty interesting to say the least.
Was wondering if you have tried to grown Marionberry. I hear itās not likely to survive our winters.
From Wikipedia: āOlallie gets its name from the Chinook Jargon word klallali, which means berries.ā. Geographical placenames here in Oregon use the same spelling.
Other spellings may just be what someone jotted down phonetically and placed on old documents.
Where did you āhearā that?
Im growing it no winter damage last year. Isons says Z6.
An āexpertā says Z6 Can I grow marionberries? - Ask Extension
Several nurseries say Z4 which is most likely wrongā¦ a few nurseries say Z7 which is probably a safe bet for themā¦ but i think it will likely be ok in Z6 and above barring a polar vortex or something.
Barring all of thatā¦ Obsidian should be an improvement over Marionberry if we can figure out why it grows as if its diseased for all of usā¦ if it clears up it should be double the yield of Marionā¦ and similar in cold hardiness.
Well, I have several zone 6 rated blackberries and they havenāt always survived our winters. Marion is a zone 6 berry based on what Iāve seen from various vendors. So, it might work out some years. I have wanted to try them, but never pulled the trigger.