Home BLACKBERRY Prime-Arkâ® Freedom Blackberry Bare Root

PRIME-ARK® FREEDOM

PRIME-ARK® FREEDOM

BARE ROOT

$40.95
$40.95

Product Description:

A pivotal innovation in horticulture: the world’s first thornless, primocane-fruiting blackberry! We’re proud to offer a blackberry variety that’s a recent introduction from the University of Arkansas. Where traditional blackberries will produce berries only on 2-year old canes, Prime-Ark® Freedom will bear fruit in late summer or early fall on its first year (primocane) growth. The second-year canes produce an early season flush of fruit prior to that year’s primocane crop. Big, plump, thumb-sized berries are rich, sweet, and painless to pick from the upright, thornless plants. Prime-Ark® Freedom offers the added bonus of high disease resistance to rust and strong cold-hardiness.

Blackberry plants are shipped bare root from mid-March through early May. Order early for best availability. Available only within the contiguous US.

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Plant Spacing 5–6'
Plant height 5–6'
Hardiness Zone 4–8
Bearing Age 1st year
Ripening Time Late summer/fall
Pollinator Required No

Rubus fruticosus Cultivated for centuries, blackberries are prized for their deep purple, glossy fruit that's so sweet and tasty. Packed with a high level of antioxidants, bioflavonoids and Vitamin C. We think our gardeners will love the fruit and appreciate the plants' vigor, productivity and ease of cultivation.

Site Selection
Choose a site that has full sunlight and fertile, loamy soils. Caneberries require good drainage, so avoid waterlogged areas. If the site has a drainage problem plant on a ridge or raised bed. It's best to avoid a location where tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, or potatoes have been planted within the last 3 years.

Site Preparation
Prepare your planting site in early spring. The soil pH should be between 5.8 and 6.5. Choose a site with high organic content or add compost before planting. Work the soil to a depth of about 8 inches.

Planting
Prepare your soil and plant as early as spring permits; frost will not harm them. Plant spacing is 3 feet apart within the row and 10 feet between rows. Proper planting depth is 1-2 inches lower than the nursery soil line (dark brown line on cane). Dig holes that are large enough to prevent roots from crowding together. Place roots in hole and fill with soil. Pack firmly for good root and soil contact. Water the plants in well. Trellising your plants helps keep them manageable and healthy.

Fertilizer
Apply 3 pounds of Territorial's Complete Fertilizer or 1 pound of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 feet of row at 10 days to 40 days after planting. In years to follow, apply 5 pounds of Territorial's Complete Fertilizer or 2-3 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 feet of row in the spring (before growth starts) and again in May. Maintain good weed control. If using mechanical weed control do not work soil very deeply as caneberry roots are shallow.

Pruning
Pruning has a major impact on the production of quality caneberry fruit. It will affect growth rate, fruit number, size, and disease susceptibility.

Tip for Everbearing Blackberries
These plants respond very well to tipping — cutting or breaking the very end of their canes, which will force the canes to branch out, bearing heavier yields and maintain a more manageable height. When the first-year canes reach about 12 inches tall, cut or pinch the top 1 inch. Repeat when those canes reach about 30 inches.


Pests & Diseases
Generally free of pests and diseases. If birds are eating too many berries, we recommend using BirdBlock Protective Netting.

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