Does this look like it might be about to bloom? This is the oldest of my PAF blackberry root cuttings and it is still a baby… About a foot tall in a 3 gallon pot. I was going to wait until fall to put these in the ground so they are still in the greenhouse. As you can tell I’m really a novice here–just so excited to be actually attempting something larger than a veggie garden.
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The Prime Ark Freedom is my first blackberry to start growing which might be the reason that it is reported to ripen ten days before the Natchez. The featured blackberry in the picture is a late spring root sprout from where I remove the original. Hope to get enough of the early crop to compare with my other varieties. Bill
Pic 001
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It’s nice to see yours waking up, Bill. Mine have been insomniacs this winter. They never went completely dormant. One seems to be determined to grow the first berry of the year, and has kept making a few blossoms at a time since the first of the year. It hasn’t succeeded in making berries, yet; there have been no pollinators, and they’ve gone through two bouts of lower 20’s night temperatures. All of the PAFs here are now pushing growth along their entire canes. They also seem to be starting new flower buds daily. There are now more buds on them than they had the entire previous season. There’s a chance that I’ll get more than one ripe berry from them this year.
Mine did not do well last year. The tips of canes and branches kept dying back.
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I have two groups of them, bought at two different times and places. I’m not positive they are the same plants. One group has gone dormant and does not seem to be waking although there are some tight buds all along the canes. My other group never went dormant but the new growth now is prolific. They too are putting up blooms that are going nowhere but then we are not past our average frost date and had a freeze the last two nights. They have not flinched in the cold (well…cold for us–28 degrees.) The other group still sitting there with a few purple leaves. I really don’t think this group is PAF. I guess I’ll never know…
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Hope you get enough fruit to see how you like them. The PAF has enough different characteristics that you can observe and get a pretty good idea of what type berry you have. The fruit is a different size and shape than any others that I have and it is supposed to be the first thornless/primacane fruiting variety. There is another recent release but I doubt that you have had enough time to get it. Good luck. Bill
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I really don’t know enough about growing blackberries to make a judgement but the canes and the way they grow just doesn’t seem to be similar. The first set had 5 leaves to a group and the second set had only three. The leaves of the first group are a dark green and have gone dark purple since the fall while the second group stayed very green with some bronzing on the edges. The canes of the older ones are much longer and more “whip like” if that makes sense. The second group is more compact and “bushy”. The first group was bare root plants while the second group was 4" root cuttings. Now the one set is still growing and the other is waiting. It will be interesting to see the fruit.
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The rabbits ate my PAF down to the ground 
, guess I’ll have to wait till Sept. for the primocane berries to get a taste. . .
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I would urge people living in tropical, rainy, humid conditions to at least give PAF blackberry a try. My plants have been in the ground for almost a year. Just started harvesting my first berries (from floricanes surprisingly, not primocanes) and I am thoroughly impressed with their size and flavor!
That’s my dad in the picture.
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Hello all PAF growers.
So what is the conclusion of the matter? Updates? Pros? Cons? Other advice?
@aphahn @timclymer @David @Auburn @k8tpayaso @MuddyMess_8a @Hydro
How do they taste in comparison to other blackberries? Are they disease/insect magnets?
And how/when do you prune these? Once a cane has borne do you remove it or will that same cane bear in the fall?
Trying to decide whether to do these. Thanks for your input.
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Great taste but I’m not doing so well growing them or any of the other varieties.
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I am not a blackberry expert. I planted blackberries last year for the first time. I have some PAF’s and I have another variety that were sold to me as PAF’s but they are not. So I can compare the true PAF’s to them (whatever they are) and the wild ones in the woods.
My PAF’s grew vigorously with lots of large canes that did produce as floricanes and primocanes. The berries are huge and I think the flavor is really good and they are very sweet when you let them fully ripen. My primocanes started producing berries in early July so they weren’t a fall berry for me although I am still getting a few every few days. I don’t have but about a dozen original plants and they are only a year old.
Because I have never grown berries I didn’t keep them tipped back enough and they grew so fast that several canes broke with the weight of the berries. I am still struggling with keeping them tipped back. However this continual tipping has kept my canes producing all summer. I am in Texas and we have a very long growing season and it was 90 degrees today and in the 60’s tonight. I picked and ate two berries today but most are gone. I planted these where they get mid afternoon shade since it gets so hot here and they have produced sweet berries. Big ones. I am not sure how well the canes will hold up for the spring crop because they have gotten pretty long even though I have tried to be diligent in keeping them shorter. Did I say they grow vigorously?!?! I don’t know if the crop would have been larger if they weren’t shaded or if the shade helped them produce. I don’t know if the production was good for first year plants or not. I’m pleased with them. I’m learning and making mistakes but I’m eating berries while I am doing it! I did make a pie once and I did make jelly. My other berries that I do not know what variety they are did make a larger floricane crop of smaller berries that had a different (but good) flavor. They are in full sun. They are not primocanes.
Would I plant the PAF’s again? Yes! Do I know much about growing berries? No!
I got these plants as root cuttings by mail. I ordered 10, received 13 and transplanted 11 that actually rooted. It was a very inexpensive way to start and the company I ordered from was very reputable. I ordered the set of berries that are not PAF’s from a different place–I would not recommend them. Let me know if you have any questions.
Katy
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Not much to report yet. Only a few berries this year. They are much better than the old semierect thornless I have, but not as good as Marion or Black Pearl. The single floricane frutited in mid July and the primocanes are just now ripening, might be one ready now 
It put on several canes this year, so next year should be more representive. So far it is very promising.
I don’t know about pruning yet, except that once the floricane fruits it is done (as with any BB).
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My plants have been producing since march and no signs of stopping. Even with continuous rose beetle damage, most of the fruit is quite large and very delicious! I like that they’re large enough that you can actually savor the flavor of a particularly nice berry. I don’t really know if I’m getting primocanes or floricanes sometimes, but it seems any kind of growth with eventually end up with blooms.
Heavy pruning on these seems to force a lot of new blooms/fruit. They actually act a lot like the mulberries in my climate. One thing I’ve learned is that they don’t need support if properly pruned and they can bear fruit as low as you’d like. Once a primocane has finished fruiting, I clip it back to a healthy-looking node. At that time, some of the floricanes will have probably started growing already.
I have very wet and humid weather most of the year. Anthracnose can be a problem in these conditions. My Natchez has been affected many times, and for whatever reason, it has never fruited. I’ve seen it occasionally on my PAF, but so far it seems quite resilient.
I’m no expert, but I believe this variety is a gem. Prime Ark Traveler is very similar, but not quite as prolific. I’m starting a ton of new cuttings to plant a large patch of these for our local market.
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Hey Benjamin, the info I was researching on PA Traveler came short on describing the taste. How would you compare the taste of the PAF vs PAT?
Would you be willing to share where I could or shouldn’t order from? You can PM me if that would be preferable to you.
I ordered both my sets of berries off eBay. The reputable seller is no longer selling on eBay but it may be that it is not in season for it. However they do have internet sales from their web site www.bibleridgeberries.com. Contact info is Bible Ridge Farms LLC, 434 944-0959; email bibleridgefarms@gmail.com. Paul Joseph Cangialosi, 2986 Allens Creek Road, Gladstone, VA, 24553
On their website they only quote prices for 100 root cuttings but they may sell smaller amounts as I ordered 10 through eBay.
I received my root cuttings in late May and potted them in my greenhouse. I didn’t put them in the ground until fall when they were good sized plants.
They other person that I ordered from sent really nice bareroot plants they just didn’t happen to be the variety that I bought. I can pm you his selling name if you like.
Katy
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It’s very similar, but PAF seems to have a richer flavor. PAT just doesn’t taste as interesting in my opinion. Haven’t had a chance to see how they compare in storage though.
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Sounds like the Triple Crown could have Down Mildew? Von are big plants that have high yields. I can’t remember about the taste/shelf life. It is a later variety
Someone sent me a PAF, and I think I owe them plants. I have the plants now, tip rooted this summer, just don’t know who you are? PM me if I owe you plants please. I remember they wanted the yellow cap, I also have Marion and New Berry too, which I would suggest instead of the yellow cap. The yellow caps look great, but nothing that special in taste. Marion and New Berry though rock as far as flavor. Although thorny, and trailing types.
This year a thornless trailing volunteer appeared in one of my pots. Apparently the robins like to experiment in breeding! I had about 10 raspberry, black raspberry, and various blackberry plants spring up in pots, and in the ground all over my yard. Most I destroyed. I kept a few for fun.I kept the thornless trailing one, it could be something interesting!
I am planning to place a big bet on Prime Ark Freedom this spring… I ordered 25 plants. I am hopeful that in a couple years they will be prolific enough to overwhelm the birds but I guess I will find out. I am planting on a fairly steep hill that gets 4-5 hours of direct midday sun and some filtered sun the rest of the day.