Thornless Blackberry

**Durgan** · 09-08-2009, 01:02 PM

Thornless Blackberry
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CMASD 8 September 2009 Thornless Blackberry.

There are two plants on the 8 foot trellis. These two plants were purchased two years ago from a supplier and there was no name, except thornless blackberry. The berries are quite sweet and are excellent, provided they are picked when just about ready to fall off the plant. This is my first experience with blackberries in the home garden. This is the first picking of the fruit.

**Labontet** · 09-09-2009, 05:54 AM

I have 1 Apache Thornless Blackberry plant that I planted this last spring. It produced a minimal amount of berries. When I tasted the black ripened berries, they were not sweet like I expected.
Maybe I most likely need to purchase a 2nd one this next spring for better pollen production. Maybe that will help the berries become sweet. I don't know

**Durgan** · 09-09-2009, 06:13 AM

Originally Posted by Labontet

I have 1 Apache Thornless Blackberry plant that I planted this last spring. It produced a minimal amount of berries. When I tasted the black ripened berries, they were not sweet like I expected.
Maybe I most likely need to purchase a 2nd one this next spring for better pollen production. Maybe that will help the berries become sweet. I don't know

Don't pick the fruit until when touched the berry literally falls off the stem. A day can make a large difference in sweetness. Even slightly unripe the fruit rivals a lemon in taste.

Blackberry bushes take about three years to produce well. I picked the few berries off the first year to enhance growth. This is my second year, and I should have destroyed the flowers, but the two plants were growing so well they were allowed to produce fruit. The third year is supposed to be the start of full production.

**Pemberleyan** · 09-09-2009, 09:21 AM

We have about a dozen plants, but I didn't label them, so don't know which varieties are which. Some produce better than others. I've never thought of blackberries as being sweet, but tart, and they make great jelly and cobblers!

**Durgan** · 09-09-2009, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Pemberleyan

We have about a dozen plants, but I didn't label them, so don't know which varieties are which. Some produce better than others. I've never thought of blackberries as being sweet, but tart, and they make great jelly and cobblers!

Blackberries can be almost as sweet as raspberries when fully ripe. I have eaten handfuls in Vancouver in a park , and they rival almost any bush berry for sweetness. Most of the blackberries are picked when not fully ripe and are very tart. All supermarket blackberries are tart due to requirements for shipping.

**Nada.Leona** · 09-10-2009, 06:47 AM

lol When I clicked on this phone, I thought it was going to be a joke about the phone Blackberry.

My mistake!

**Labontet** · 09-10-2009, 07:28 AM

Thanks Durgan about the information about the 3 year method of working with the bushes.
I know that blueberries need to have 2 different types of bushes for pollinizing the bushes for production. Do you know if I need 2 different varieties of bushes for blackberries, or will the 1 bush be sufficient?

**Durgan** · 09-10-2009, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Labontet

Thanks Durgan about the information about the 3 year method of working with the bushes.
I know that blueberries need to have 2 different types of bushes for pollinizing the bushes for production. Do you know if I need 2 different varieties of bushes for blackberries, or will the 1 bush be sufficient?

All types are self-fruitful, so you need only one cultivar for pollination or fruit production. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SXFYI citation.