I have several “Jewel “and “Bristol“ black raspberries.
This will be my first fruiting year, and I have a lot of flower buds showing on both, but I have noticed that, while Jewel is said to have a larger fruit and be more disease resistant, Bristol seems to be a far more vigorous plant.
Most of my Bristol plants have already sent out somewhere between four and eight new primocanes, but most of the Jewels have 1 to 4 so far. Not including my one Jewel plant that looks chlorotic or stunted for some reason.
Can anyone else confirm this to be their experience as well?
I have a Ohios treasure, Anne and Caroline raspberry plants. Ohios Treasure was obtains in September so has shown little growth. My Anne showed some growth but very little. My Caroline showed little growth and I am pretty sure just died. Meanwhile my Bristol was the first to show green growth this spring and they had all sent up lots of shoots. I can see why some people don’t like black raspberry plants opposed to yellow or red. My yellow and red raspberries had few thorns. Some got stuck in you but they were not too bad. I could pull out the yellows and reds for transplanting pretty easily. Meanwhile my black raspberries are like roses that spread like wildfire. In one year each one sent up canes all around the crown and there was massive thorns that go all the way to the roots.
I have grown ‘Jewel’ blackcap for 25 years and it has always been stingy with protocanes, just 1 to 3 per clump per year. After 5 years for any one clump, I would recommend tip-rooting new plants if you want to keep the variety going long-term. My most vigorous Jewels are about 1/2" thick at the base and ~10 feet long. Most are smaller/shorter.
Looks like they are sending up plenty of primos near the crown. I remember that later in the spring last year my mystery black sent up some root shoots too.
I do have two Cumberland plants, but 2023 will be the first year I get any significant fruit from them. The couple fruits I got this year were indistinguishable from Bristol, (Jewel fruit was just different enough to tell apart) although the plant is somewhat different. No reddish new growth, somewhat thinner canes.
Thanks @BG1977 … I will try some Bristol / Munger… I noticed that OGW calls them Munger…where Indiana Berry calls them Bristol… but they do state that they are the same as Munger.
Think I am going to have to try a Purple Royalty too.
Something not quite right about their Fruiting Season “4” on Heritage Reds… here in TN mine start ripening end of May, and ripen thru most of June… they take off July and August and start back up again in September and go until frost.
Perhaps up north they do not get the first huge spring/early summer crop that I get.
I get a BIG crop of raspberries late May and June… and then smaller trickle in harvest in the fall.
Anyone growing black raspberries in SoCal (Zone 10)?
I have a Jewel that I haven’t put in the ground (bought last year) but reading this I’m wondering if I’m better off getting a Bristol. Super limited for space so one plant that doesn’t really perform is going to be a big waste of space for me
Thank you!
Cc @Richard for any feedback as well since I think he was in CA.
