Hi,
I am planning to grow Boysenberry vine. There are two varieties - Thornless & Thorned.
Has anyone tasted both varieties of Boysenberry? The seller (who sells the thorned variety) told me that the Thorned variety has a superior flavor to the Thornless variety. Has anyone experienced a flavor difference between them?
Do you have any thoughts on what variety of Boysenberry I should plant?
Thanks.
The issue with thornless Boysenberry is that the plants are often a thorned variety whose roots have been treated with an auxin. Over time, the roots produce rhizomes that sprout thorned canes.
Good to know!
Thanks, Richard. I have no issue with the point you bring up. Thereâs YT video that discusses it.
My question concerns the difference in flavor. If you or anyone else knows the answer, please let me know.
I have grown thorned illini hardy for 20+ years.
The flavor is closest to a wild blackberry that I have ever grown⌠except they are larger and sweeter.
No problems with birds or deer with the heavily thorned illini.
Thornless blackberries here are deer food⌠they wear them out and the birds get most of the fruit.
No experience with boysenberry but I have grown loganberry thornless for many years now. I have it planted on the east side of my home right next to the house⌠the deer do not bother them and very few birds.
TNHunter
Thornless Boysen-
If you have FB on the Backyard Blackberry Growers there is a guy that bought 1 plant 15 years ago and has propagated and sold almost 30,000 of them since. He lives in Browns Valley CA⌠his berries look just as good as the thorned ones and he says they taste the same. His are ripe end of May.
However i think in lesser climates Z7 and below they dont fare as well⌠and tend to have smaller canes and also smaller less desirable fruit.
Boysens seem to like alot of sunlight hours⌠places like CA, Oregon and New Zealand is where they fare the best.
Lots more info on FB on groups like Boysenberry Growers etc.
If you live in Z9 thornless should do well for you⌠i think they also sell the thornless plants at Knotts Berry Farm so maybe they grow thornless ones now for production?
Thornless Boysens were grown commercially by the Pense family in Ark. for many many years⌠after the Lavaca Berry schtick played out.
'Iâve been growing two of some fantastically large and flavorful Blackberry varieties for a # of years.
However, I came across a number of online reviews that indicated that Boysenberry has a better flavor than most Blackberries and raspberries. Thatâs what started me looking into acquiring Boysenberry. The more I dug into Boysenberryâs research, the more questions I had âone of them being Thornless vs. Thorned.
@Krismoriah, thanks for the photos and the information. Guess I will have to restart using FB (intrusive) and join the group to learn more.
I am in NorCal Z9b, so hopefully, climate should not be an issue here growing Boysenberry. This flavor difference was mentioned by the family (who farms it in NorCal) of Boysenberriesâ original breeder/creator. Knotts Berry Farm got the original vines from Mr. Boysen, so they are most likely thorned. Interesting history on the discovery of Boysenberry is available on some YouTube videos, if anyone is interested in it.
I am still looking for the answer to my question.
@gf38238
The good news: âthornlessâ boysenberry and youngberry sold at big box stores (at least in the western U.S.) are often the auxin treated variety, and have no flavor difference. I believe Peaceful Valley uses the same source.
A word of caution: Several of us have been growing Rubus cultivars for decades across the U.S. Most of us that have trialed Boysenberry have ceased due to flavor, including myself here in San Diego county. Perhaps though your taste palate will rank it #1.
@Richard which Rubus cultivars are your top ranked for flavor?
I was gifted some thornless boysenberry and prime ark freedom canes this year so I will be growing those.
@armeniangreg
Iâve spoken a lot about climate making significant differences in flavor. Two summers ago I went to an international Rubus conference held in Portland. There I was surprised to learn about regional differences in berry flavor preferences in the U.S. So there are berry lines deemed appropriate for the mid south, the north east, etc.
Personally, I like them all. My favorite berries are the ones ripe right now. My wife prefers Arapahoe, followed by Olallieberry. If all the berries were ripe at the same time, Iâd give the Olallieberry 1st place. As of late Iâve been trialing triple crown, von, and ponca. The triple crown has similarities to the Arapahoe while the other two are in a flavor category of their own. They are all excellent.
I have been growing many of the highest rated blackberries here in sunny Nor Cal, near Sacramento, for over a decade. By far the best have been my thornless Boysenberry. No small seeds and a juicier, more complex, flavor quality that is definitely sweeter. However, they are medium sized, not near as big as many of the blackberries. They are one of my earliest crops, and make amazing pies as well as fresh eating! Mine are sourced from Dave Wilson Nursery.
@Richard, thatâs good info; thanks.
As you said before, each palate is different. 
I got rid of my Triple Crown some years ago and replaced it with PrimeArc Freedom, and I havenât regretted it at all.
@fruitgrower, that sounds really encouraging! Iâm just curious: Have you tasted Thorned Boysenberry berry? If so, did you notice any difference?
The local nursery currently sells bare-root Thornless Boysenberry vines from Dave Wilson Nursery (reputed and well-known locally). Now, I am tempted to purchase it!
By the way, the berry size of the original Boysenberry cultivar is claimed to have been up to a thumb long. However, I have never seen a photo of that large Boysenberry.
Thornless Boysen as well as other variants such as Riwaka etc were bred in New ZealandâŚwhere they have taken Boysenberry to the next level.
As far as a cultivar is concerned Thornless Boysenberry is tissue cultured and sold by many reputable nurseriesâŚ
As far as taste and other information it is subjective.
From Berries Unlimited-
Large, almost seedless, sweeter than thorny ones, juicy, full-bodied flavor.
You can also find reviews that state that the thorned ones âhave a deeper flavorââŚetc etc.
Im not sure about the auxin comments maybe there is information out there somewhere about that. But it is widely sold by tissue culture as its own cultivar in todays time 2025. Not sure about the past.
That can only be answered by yourself. You can grow them both side by side and have different results than someone a county or state away. Many folks have reviewed things on these forums and caused others not to grow them due to their poor results.
I planted thorned boysenberry in the fall. If I get any this year Iâll let you know how they taste. The thorns are scary (curved), but I grew up picking rasp/black berries on my grandparents farm, so thorns donât bother me. I also have animal pressure a little, so I pretty much always go with thorns 
.
I grow thornless boysen. The fruit quality is excellent. I havenât tried it at the same time as thorny boysen, but from what I remember, itâs just as good.
That is âBoysenâ in name only. It is a disingenuous marketing ploy that puts a well-known name on a very different Rubus.
I have grown both thorned and thornless Boysen, and during the same season.
Portland OR Z9. Thornless canes were much more slender and longer than thorned.
Thornless fruit size was 1/2 or less than thorned. Thornless flavor was bland compared to thorned. SWD flies made short work of later thornless fruit.
Boysen is a tricky variety to rate; I have U-picked some very high quality fruit, and 20 miles away other U-pick Boysens were not nearly as tasty. Both U-pick fruits looked the same.
Boysen needs to be hand-staining ripe for full flavor. The first two images above do not show fully ripe fruit, although at that stage they may be tasty and good for baking and juicing.
Yes I have had both and canât tell a difference in taste or size. They are both amazing here and better than any of our Blackberries. We took out the thorned version and replaced with another thornless as they are easier to pick and maintain.They are early enough here we donât have any problems with SWD. As for size, we get them about the size pictured above, which is perfect for us. Medium sized fruit is almost always better than large as its more concentrated in flavor. I have added Marionberry this year, as it is one of the highest regarded berries for taste. We shall see.
