@Frame-6b They come out a lot sooner than I realized. I noticed them in my late summer ripening figs last year and have since set out fruit fly traps. The traps work, but of course I can’t get rid of them all. Ponca starting ripening for me end of may, and I guess thats still not soon enough. I still recommend you try Ponca, they are very productive and consistently sweet.
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These are bird planted. 3 weeks earlier than Jewel. Should possibly avoid SWD and extend the black raspberry season.
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I went plant shopping over the weekend and saw some more Hall’s Beauty blackberry plants at Lowes like they had last year. The plants at Lowes were blooming and they had a single flower or a single layer of petals as opposed to a “double flower” or two layers of petals which the variety is supposed to have, so I have reason to believe the Hall’s Beauty plants purchased last year are some other blackberry variety as well. Unfortunately, the canes on the plants I purchased last year died to the soil level in the containers I left in my unheated garage over the winter, so I won’t be seeing any flowers on them this year. I purchased some more Hall’s Beauty plants from Burpee online since they show the double flowers in the product listing and hope they will be true to name, although I may not know for sure until next year when they actually bloom. Sigh…
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I found what appears to be a bird planted black berry. It’s in a decent spot, but…
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would you recommend I remove it and pot it ASAP if I don’t want it taking over my yard?
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how difficult is it to remove blackberry without herbicides? Would it just be as bad as mowing the shoots down when I see them and digging up the roots the best I can?
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Newberry- 2025
I didnt have time to take the note and i wanted to capture the sunlight but i did a poor job with my photo.
The berries were picked 6/12 off of only 3 of my crowns that had the least winter damage. This is harvest 3 i believe.
Notes-
The berries are a burgundy color if held to the light not black as the picture represents.
This year has been hot, although humid and the canes are in a special mix to restrict water that i am testing. (mostly sand and pine fines with a little pro mix) in a sandy loam soil.
Taste- Cherry with a shot of raspberry Kool-Aid. I note this because i have never tasted this before in a blackberry or hybrid and i have been eating sweet cherries from the grocery store the past week. Its definately Cherry flavored this year. I note not much if any blackberry other than the size and texture.
Cane growth is different this year as well with primocanes… they are growing upward (thank goodness).
Final thoughts- other than winter damage this past year… i have not had much winter damage so far. Something around Zero degrees is just too much for them other than a few feet if im lucky above the crown. This one likes my mix… and loves lack of water. I am on year 2 of not even fertilizing to try to keep its vigor at bay… so far im losing. I think it takes this kind of punishment to get the maximum flavor out of it… i could be wrong its just my observation.
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Very nice sized berries. Are yours ripe now? I wasn’t sure how early the window would be for me, but if it starts a few weeks earlier for me here that would be nice to have something before Ponca.
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I added notes to the photo… will continue on other subjects in this note.
Yes Newberry is early, Siskiyou is a week or so to go… and Kotata looks to be a week after that maybe earlier. (cool)! A good solid Z7 or above would be earlier… probably a week or two earlier than me.
Wyeberry has failed this year… I really really gave it alot of attention…nice mulch and i pruned it near perfect. Cane Borers got me. Every fruiting floricane is dying and every one has borer damage… such a waste of time and effort for me… but i did get them propagated… so theres that.
Silvan- im still at it. I had to move them again… now they are in my prime location. I have alot of time and effort into this one with nothing to show.
Rasps… cane borers are getting my canes one by one… fingers crossed.
Sweet Giant- well its still going so if this one never comes back i will help some of you out.
Loganberry- all of my thornless ones failed… died to the crown but have came back with a vengeance… I think i have a reverted one going… which means i may finally get a thorny Logan. Time will tell its young but i think i did it correctly.
Shultz- what a strange little plant… i am treating it like gold but it is so wimpy. This will take some time i think. Its starting to gain some vigor.
Victory- i had some losses… voles got a few of my crowns… and RCB got a dozen or so canes. I pruned harder last year than i have ever pruned them… then on top of that i lost the above canes… yet its magnificent. Such an amazing amazing specimen. The voles caused some suckers which is new… its never done that.
So tough year here… RCB, Winter… but ‘theres always next year’ on some.
Other things are fruiting like black rasps and some other rasps and a few blackberries but nothing interests me on brambles like the hybrids and my Victory. Maybe things will change.
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Blackberries for dummies question- can they fruit half decent in part shade like raspberries? Or do they really need 8+ hours?
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Depends on how far north you are/how strong your sun is, but by and large they’ll fruit even in part shade. Most of mine are in part sun to part shade. The ones with more shade produce a little less, but they also get less sun damage and are easier to manage because they’re not as vigorous.
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Good to know. And, I the idea that you can’t plant raspberries and blackberries within 50 or something feet of each other- is this real? If the blackberries are in a container and just not right next to raspberries but within 20 feet, what is the risk?
That old rule/law hinges on the insect.
Theory- black rasps are more prone to disease.
Rationale- plant them farther away from other brambles so that an insect cannot travel and carry/transmit the disease.
Some look at this as a law or rule or something but it just isnt sensible.
Not to mention insects are vastly unknown to science/humans. You or I may have insects that havent even been discovered yet in our growing areas or orchards…or may not have ‘the insect’ that only travels 50 feet… or may not ever encounter ‘the disease’.
It may happen in commercial plantings in the PNW etc… but im sure they have much higher risk of disease and likely many more insects that do such things due to the high density plantings for commercial production.
YMMV though… everything is basically a challenge in one way or another.
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Thank you for dropping the experience/knowledge! I always love learning from your posts. Sounds like I’m getting a blackberry or two in the fall.
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Anyone here ever get fire blight on their raspberries ?
Trial and error and my hobby so i tend to be odd in that im not totally about production… i like diversity and observing more than anything.
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I think diversity is key to healthy ecosystems (all systems…) and we all need to treat our micro habitats as such.
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Okay, it is interesting you ask this. I have horrible fireblight this year on my pear trees which aren’t too far from the raspberries. I noticed just yesterday a drooping browning raspberry cane -that had been brand new growth- and it reminded me of fireblight.
In my head I said, “Huh, that looks like fireblight, but raspberries don’t get fireblight- maybe it’s cane borers?” Then I had to go to work and haven’t though of it again until I saw your post.
Please let me know if you diagnose yours.
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I’m 90% sure. I didn’t even know it was a thing until I saw it and went through the same thought process you did.
It’s been a bad year here for it. The only way most of my trees have avoided it is that they are somewhat “resistant” varieties, immature, and haven’t bloomed yet.
Bramble fire blight. New fear unlocked…
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