Ponca - A new U of A blackberry achieves "pinnacle of flavor"

i can send you a few of those as well if you want.

Yes, that would be great.

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my mom did notice that different flavor with my thornless blackberries. i noticed it too but it was ok for me i know it didnt taste like market. im growing some thorny blackberries to see what works for my area.

black satin was a little tart than sweet this cool summer the year before it was very sweet. im looking for blackberry that can be sweet during cool summers.

i dont hear too much about Siskiyou. have u tried tried wineberry? anyone?

The University of Arkansas used to have a berry plant nursery somewhere in NW Arkansas that sold plants direct to the public. I searched for it today and can’t find it. Does anyone know if it still exists?

I ordered a bunch of blackberry plants and asparagus crowns from Simmonsplantfarm.com in northwest Arkansas the last few years, not sure if that is the one your talking about.

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That’s not it, but it looks like a good one.

Most behave as you mention. In cool years they are tart. Mine were tart last year. Even stone fruit! Tayberry stays sweeter than most.

Siskiyou is very good. I need to protect it. I still think I have one in my bed. I will clone to get one in a container again if my in groound is alive? I did bury it in leaves.
I have wineberries at my cottage. there we have low light and it is tart. Nice flavor though that will make an excellent syrup. The birds really go after these. It is very hardy.

It may be like cilantro where half the people say it tastes like soap, and the other half love it (I love it). So some might not taste this off putting flavor some of us taste. I noticed though that once processed it was gone. The syrup from the thornless was very good. I sort of regretted removing them. But now that Ponca is here I can start over. Also to note it’s been at least 3 years since I removed them, but I’m still getting plants coming up. I let some grow last year. So I may have Natchez, Triple Crown etc back in the garden. They are working so hard to live, I let them go last year after 3 years of removing the suckers.

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I have Siskiyou growing here, but almost accidentally. I ordered it and was then worried it wouldn’t survive in ground without protection, so I kept it in a small pot for a few years to protect it overwinter in my garage and got some berries that were delicious. It ultimately died of neglect, but before it kicked it, it tip rooted many times, most of which I gave away but a couple are still in the ground. They are in among other plants, cut back repeatedly and in pretty heavy shade, but they just keep growing. So it looks like the variety may survive here without protection, at least with the milder winters we’ve been having. I think I may need to dig it up and give it a nice place to stretch out so I can really see if it works here and survives. But those long vine-like canes are THORNY!

@blueberrythrill you may find they work for you there just fine in terms of surviving and producing. But if you are mostly pick your own, the thorns are definitely an issue.

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Does the odd flavor also apply to thornless trailing blackberries, or just the eastern types? I have both PAF and Wild Treasure, and I’m keen on tasting the differences. I’ve heard WT is one of the best for flavor, like wild trailing types. I think it was a cross between a wild dewberry and Waldo, but I might be mistaken.

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I’m with you on giving Caddo a go. Life is too short to wait for the next super variety to come along. Because if I wait for that one, when it is finally available, maybe they’ll be an announcement of an even greater one to come. I like PAF a lot and that hasn’t been billed as the sweetest compared to these new ones, so if Caddo produces well and tastes even better that sounds great to me. I also find I need to try things for myself, since everything from your soil, the amount of sun, rain, etc. definitely effects both production and taste. What I like about Caddo over Ponca, at least from the pictures, is the size. That sure looks like a nice big berry!

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Is that the only thornless you have? I got a few samples off my PAF last year, and they were pretty good, even though they’re a large berry.

I liked Osage and Triple Crown better, but I thought all my new thornless berries were better than the whangy, sour, small wild blackberries we have here.

Yep, even growing things in a different location on one’s property could yield different results.

Don’t believe the PYO customers will tolerate the thorns after picking thornless blackberries here.

Hope to get some solid information on the newer Arkansas varieties during a grower seminar later this month Lots of new commercial blackberry plantings in NC including Osage and Caddo.

For me waiting a year is not waiting. I grew cacti that took 30 years to flower, and I was not home when it did. The flower lasts one day. Caddo is in SWD season here, so no thanks. In my experience SWD loves blackberries more than anything else.
Ponca is not, I’ll wait.

As mentioned in another thread, I went ahead and ordered a couple Ponca and one Caddo from Indiana Berry. I prob didn’t need them but wanted to see if they live up to the hype. Also got a Natchez, as it’s supposed to be a very large and somewhat sweet berry.

They are limiting the amount of Caddo and Ponca you can order, I don’t know if they’re running out or have a limited inventory.

I had a lot of Triple Crown canes that tip rooted in the ground last year, so I plan on digging those up and relocating them to other parts of the farm. @Hillbillyhort, when would be the best time to dig them up, and how should I do it?

@subdood_ky_z6b
The rooted tip layers can be dug anytime between now and when the shoot starts to grow ( early spring ).
Just need a handful of the roots with the bud at base of Cain .
Don’t need the Cain part really , just roots and that bud at the base.
Often they are left with a few inches of the Cain , as a handle , and it helps mark where the new plant is

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Thanks. So, you’re saying I could dig it up between now and when the new emerging cane comes up? Also maybe leave a few inches of the old cane when cutting it off? Would March be okay to dig them up?

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Yah anytime between now and March should be fine.
Or just not after the new shoot gets more than a few inches tall.
That “ handle “ can be cut off if you want.
The new growth comes from the bud at the base.
So the “Handle “really serves no purpose, for the plant ,other than as a handle, and a marker for you .
I have dug them when 6- 10 inches tall too.
Just take more soil with it.
Earlier is better . When still dormant

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Okay, thanks.

Those TC did really well last year. Good sized berries, and great flavor, almost had a grape like flavor. Plus, they’re more winter hardy than my UArk thornless. I plan on also giving a few cuttings to some neighbors.

Do you grow any other blackberries? Any of those UArk varieties? Or what about wild bb’s? We have wild ones here, but they’re way too sour, thorny, and small.