# Thornless Blackberry??



## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

The rabbits work on mine pretty good when they are small, but once they got some size it wasn't as much of a problem. Definitely more eatable than the thorned varieties. Where did you get yours?

Do you know where Brushy Creek is? I have friends there.


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## Ronnie Elliott (Mar 24, 2004)

Ross good to hear from you. I got them over in Lindale at R&T Nursery, they are probably 4-miles North Of I-20, on Hwy. 64. They will also do mail orders on bare root bushes. Phone 903-881-0600. I have also bought bare root bushes some years ago at Cooper Farms in Fairfield. You probably have seen their roadside trucks selling peaches. I couldn't find their number, I found their website on goggle, you can e-mail him: [email protected] Good Luck, Ronnie


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

The University of Arkansas has maintained extensive research toward improving the thornless types of blackberries. In the nation, they are unsurpassed in offering new named typed and improved disease resistance. I have three types so far, and I am most pleased with the crops they put out.
As to deer and other critters, I do not sweat that too much, and just take my losses, since these berries put out enough for everybody. I also have a couple of Russian mulberries, which the birds prefer to the blackberries.
Pense Nursery has the very best pricing and their berries are hard to plant, as they always come with a great root system. I have 100 Arapahos here now, along with 100 Apache and 100 Ouachita. It would be hard to name a favorite. I am hoping to sit upon the porch and collect the dough from my pick-your-own deal.
Good luck with your berries.
Rick~LtlWilli


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## Walliebee (Nov 17, 2006)

Ronnie Elliott said:


> I read where you can staple alumnium foil strips to the wire, with a dab of peanut butter. What are your experiences?


It really lights them up! I had them knock down the fence a few times because the shock scared them so much. After a few weeks, all of them had learned to stay clear.

Don't wait for them to eat your plants before putting up the fence. They love blackberry plants!

I would spray the plants now with Deer-off or some repellent now. That will buy you some time to get your fence up.


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## longrangedog (Jun 24, 2007)

You have to train the deer to avoid the fence. The peanut butter attracts them and the aluminum foil conducts the charge from the fence to their lips. It worked for me for several years with the exception of last year. I baited the fence with peanut butter in foil as I did every spring. A couple weeks later I noticed small piles of shreded foil on the ground. They were eating the peanut butter. Further investigation revealed that my charger wasn't producing a charge. Instead of training the deer to avoid the area I was attracting them. Putting a new charger in didn't have much effect. By then they were more interested in the tender young plants than the peanut butter and weren't afraid of the fence. They simply hopped over and ate.


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

*Blackberries*

I've truck farmed for 20 years and have one acre of blackberries. The apache blackberrie has a large berry but doesn't bare as heavy as my other berries,of course this could be a location problem? The deer don't bother my berries but the japanese beetles, WELL, if you've had blackberries very long,I don't have to say any more.How do you deal with them? Jack


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

As I admitted, I am more than willing to risk a really bad infestation if it 'll keep poisons out of my fruits and berries. It gives me a good feeling to tell folks " Go ahead and eat some to try" without a worry. Often, it is the differance between a sale or not....Oh, whenever I spot mantis egg clusters, I do move them out there.
This will be the first year with these Arkansas bearing fruit in quantity----last year I had only this year's canes coming up. Some od the Apaches for this year had real bull canes, reaching12' or so before I topped them. The Ouachita is only a tad shorter, but the flavor is grand. The flavor of all is at least better than what we have seen in the past, and that includes the Shawnee. I guess it's time for Brazos and Darrow to hang up their guns..(LOL)
The supposed very best of the current offering is said to be the Navaho. Another great thing about them is their reported shipability without mashing. You can pick a whole gallon without having an inch or two juice and seeds......I guess that is verbose as I dare to be but I will still help where I can.
Thanks
Rick~LtlWilli


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## iwombat (Feb 3, 2009)

I put in arapahoes about 4 years ago. I get more fruit off of them than I know what to do with. Then again, I'm in blackberry country. They seem to prefer growing existing canes out to establishing new ones. It took a couple of years to get any kind of sucker production going.

Around me, elk are the big problem and anything that's not behind an 8' fence or in a small enclosed area gets eaten down to the ground the next morning. Makes deer look like mosquitoes.


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## Beacon Woods (Aug 2, 2006)

*Japanese Beetles*

Brookesbeefarm, yes those nasty critters can do a number on blackberries (and raspberries and green beans and...). I have found that placing a few strategically placed lures and traps (basically far enough away from the blackberries but close enough to attract) that I get most of the bad boys. Then I feed them to the chickens for a daily dose of protein. They love 'em. It gives me great satisfaction to protect my plants and to provide "free food" to my chickens.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I planted a bunch of them and between the deer and the rabbits they ate them to the ground and killed them. Next time I'll get the ones with thorns.


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

Back a few years, while trying to make few bucks with Brazos and Shawnee berries, we had a big cur dog that walked patrol day and night in that patch. I was concerned when I noted a shortage of ripened fruit. Then I saw that dog carefully running his snout in amongst the briars and taking only the ripest ones. Man! Never had a better dog...LOL


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## Orion (Jun 18, 2007)

Our dog Rocky used to do that with the raspberries. Bless his soul!

Orion


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## Black Creek (May 19, 2006)

*Doyle Blackberry*

anyone tried the Doyle variety? supposedly they can produce up to 20 gallons of fruit per plant. i have a few plants i put in a couple years back. I'm not seeing 20 gallons yet, but this past summer they started producing pretty good. They are pretty expensive and the plants you get are just little plugs, but once they get going there's no stopping them. they grow like a vine so you have to tie them up. the only down side i'm seeing so far is that the berries have to be really perfectly ripe. seems like they are ripe for about 5 minutes and then fall off the plant.


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

I recall them to be an older variety that has been good enough not to be replaced by newer types.That says a lot for a fruit, and I very well try to find some....Another one for the longevity prize is the Ozark Premier plum. It was dveloped in 1900 by Luther Burbank himself. It's still around for a reason. I have one and I know why....LOL


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

Black Creek said:


> anyone tried the Doyle variety? supposedly they can produce up to 20 gallons of fruit per plant. i have a few plants i put in a couple years back. I'm not seeing 20 gallons yet, but this past summer they started producing pretty good. They are pretty expensive and the plants you get are just little plugs, but once they get going there's no stopping them. they grow like a vine so you have to tie them up. the only down side i'm seeing so far is that the berries have to be really perfectly ripe. seems like they are ripe for about 5 minutes and then fall off the plant.


Sounds alot like the Triple crown berry that I have.They Don't produce quiet 20 gal.per plant( I think they claim 30 lbs per plant),but are big berries,sweet and keep good.That is until people find out I have some.Got mine from Starks Bros. Nursery.Jack


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## LtlWilli (Mar 11, 2008)

Stark Bros. is a bit high, but you cannot beat the quality of what you'll recieve....Thorns killed the u-pick doings for blackberries. These new, sweeter thornless berries should revive it all again....At least my wallet hopes so.


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## summersetretrievers (Mar 4, 2006)

I don't have a large raspberry patch so I've put up windchimes on shepherds crooks around them deer are skitish so the wind blows or they bump the windchimes and off they run. We also found some irridescent foil type tape that blows in the breeze and helps keeps the birds away. LOL nothing to keep the dogs away though. We just keep the higher up berries for ourselves


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## wmgysi (Feb 14, 2009)

*Deer*

I had to build about 300 feet of 8 foot fencing to keep the deer out of my young apple trees. It also keeps the bear away from the mature fruit trees and also black caps, similar to black berries. Anyway. I set a post every 7 feet. then cross timber spaced about 32" and then up and down poles 8' or longer at 6" spacing. I have a lot of maple bushes and alder and these are a perfect wood to do it. Sticks are from 3/4 inch to about 2.5" in diameter and if they are not streight I make them point outwards. It looks a kind a cool and some of my friends think I was a Viking before building a fort.
The peanut butter trick on electric fence works to deter the deer but they are smart and just go for the better stuff, the buts on the trees. I never tried running the radio on a talk show but that is something to try if you have just a small area.
Good luck



Ronnie Elliott said:


> I just planted 22 1-gal containers of Arapaho Thornless Blackberrys. My friend tells me I will have to put up a high fence to keep the deer from eating the buds. If I have a problem I might try a electric fence with ?jowles, that I already have. I read where you can staple alumnium foil strips to the wire, with a dab of peanut butter. What are your experiences?


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