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Sweetie pie blackberry bush care12/24/2023 ![]() ![]() It is not recommended for southeast or northwest Texas. ‘Womack’ is the smallest of the TAMU releases, with fruit that is firmer and better quality than ‘Brazos.’ Also released in 1977, it performs best in Central and North Texas. ‘Rosborough’ is a large plant, disease resistant, and very popular throughout Texas. It ripens just after ‘Brazos,’ and has firmer, sweeter berries and smaller seed. ‘Rosborough’ was released by Texas A&M in 1977. The Texas standard for years, Brazos is a large, erect growing, high yielding blackberry. Most of the thorned varieties have Brazos in their heritage. ‘Brazos’ was developed at Texas A&M and introduced in 1959. Which variety to plant? Tim planted these thorned blackberries: Tim says to cut back all the blackberry canes that have produced in July –August, leaving the primocanes for next year’s crop. The second year the same canes, now called floricanes (flori=flowers), get busy housekeeping, have flowers and berries and retire. The first year, the new canes “primocanes” grow vigorously but don’t have any flowers. But the top canes do a two-year production number before their curtain call (biennial). The roots aren’t going anywhere (perennial). ![]() ![]() The “berry” is actually a collection of many drupelets each holds a seed surrounded by the luscious berry flesh.īlackberries can’t decide whether they’re a perennial or a biennial. Maybe that explains those worrisome thorns. Turns out blackberries and raspberries are not true berries they belong to the Rosaceae family and are kissing cousins with roses. If you look at a blackberry leaf, it doesn’t resemble the smooth oval leaf of a blueberry. Blackberries like lots of moisture and full sun run a drip irrigation line down your row of plants. (Now I buy them at the farmers market.) I assumed that blackberries, like blueberries, had to have only acid, sandy soil.īut listen up here: We can grow blackberries in Dallas! If you amend Dallas’ heavy, alkaline clay with expanded shale, cottonseed, and compost, and plant in raised beds, you will have enough berries for all the pies you can eat. I have even picked black/blue berries in East Texas’ crushing heat and humidity. Up till now, I lumped blackberries in with blueberries. (Guess which one won the popularity contest.) Four kinds: three with thorns and one without. Next thing we knew, he was planting blackberries. A few years back, Tim set his eye on a row of unplanted soil at the Demonstration Garden. When Tim gets an idea in his head, you might as well step back and let him go. ![]()
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