Blackberries

Found it here:
https://bambooplants.ca/product/white-blackberry-rubus-snowbank/

Snowbank White Blackberry is a deciduous blackberry shrub, but with a distinctive, and unique white fruit. This shrub is prized for its fruit’s special translucent, milky white colour. Fruits are considered to have a sweet flavour similar to other blackberries. Best eaten fresh or used for baking.

White, self-pollinating flowers appear on long canes in May and June, giving way to the snow-white berries that ripen throughout July and August. Snowbank White Blackberry flowers are beneficial to pollinator species like bees and butterflies.

This shrub vigorously grows long, trailing stems and may be best planted along a wall, trellis, or staked to prevent tipping over. Rubus 'Snowbank' is an old cultivar introduced in 1916 by Luther Burbank, and has recently come back into popularity.
 
How about this one?
rubus-columbia-giant-blackberry-berry-size.jpg

Rubus 'Columbia Giant'​

Columbia Giant Blackberry, Columbia Giant Thornless Blackberry​

https://bambooplants.ca/product/columbia-giant-blackberry-thornless/
 
We'll move on to the giant mutant finger-berry in a moment :ROFLMAO:

The snowbank.... do you know if it's a floricane only fruiter? It's listed as Z5 so is that to suggest that it's a primacane or can just handle the cold for berries in year two?
 
TorontoJoe said:
We'll move on to the giant mutant finger-berry in a moment :ROFLMAO:

The snowbank.... do you know if it's a floricane only fruiter? It's listed as Z5 so is that to suggest that it's a primacane or can just handle the cold for berries in year two?
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This variety is floricane. I don't believe hardiness correlates to them being primo or floricane...
 
OK... reading the link I now have the same questions about the giant finger-berry monster! :LOL: It doesn't say

Also... and everyone please share your opinion on this...... with something like a berry... when they offer smaller plants cheaper and larger plants more expensive... Given the growth habits of this sort of plant... is a small plant really going to mature and deliver any differently than one a bit bigger?
 
Figgin' A said:
This variety is floricane. I don't believe hardiness correlates to them being primo or floricane...
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The reason I ask... I was reading about Prime Ark. They listed it as a Z5 plant because the first year wood would die back and it's accepted that growing back from the ground makes it Z5 hardy. Not that all above ground growth would manage Z5.... so the floricanes are more like a Z7...
 
Figgin' A said:
I hope it tastes good... Yellow raspberries are very popular with the family... Fall Gold, Honey Queen, Anne... kids love them... they are sweeter and less acidic...
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My wife is a raspberry fanatic! They literally make her, "happy". I've been wanting to plant some for her but I don't want to spend loads of time trying to figure out what's going to be most productive, easy to grow and tasty. I'm open to recommendations :)
 
TorontoJoe said:
OK... reading the link I now have the same questions about the giant finger-berry monster! :LOL: It doesn't say

Also... and everyone please share your opinion on this...... with something like a berry... when they offer smaller plants cheaper and larger plants more expensive... Given the growth habits of this sort of plant... is a small plant really going to mature and deliver any differently than one a bit bigger?
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This one is floricane as well... when they ripen in July or july-august, that's pretty much an indication of floricane. Primocane ripen in late August and until frost, with a small harvest in June-ish.

I bought from them a bunch last year, the little ones... all got over 6 feet tall by the end of the season and most ripened a little bit of fruit believe it or not. I also got a larger plant from a different nursery and it had more fruit in the same season, but size-wise, they looked very simialr to the little ones at the end of the season... they grow crazy fast.
 
TorontoJoe said:
My wife is a raspberry fanatic! They literally make her, "happy". I've been wanting to plant some for her but I don't want to spend loads of time trying to figure out what's going to be most productive, easy to grow and tasty. I'm open to recommendations :)
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Oh man... I absolutely love raspberries. My wife and kids love them too, but I think you could call me a raspberry fanatic :) And a very picky one :)
Over the past 5 years, I've gone through about 12 varieties... that includes a bunch of new varieties that I added last year.

Recommending something can be tricky as tastes differ, but I'll try.

The first one goes by 'Black Raspberry' that I picked up at a local nursery. It's not a true black, more like very dark red color. Floricane, fruits here in July. Very productive and insanely delicous to me. Superb flavor and very good sweetness with some tartness. I made a duplicate of it, the only variety so far.

Heritage. This one is primocane. Outstanding flavor. The berries are on the smaller side and can be a little crumbly, but they taste so good that I am willing to overlook that. I've tasted many varieties that had large and perfect berries, but tasted like grocery store junk that's not worth growing to me.

Those two are my favorites, but I added a bunch very promsing ones so might be able to recommend more.... I am especially excited about two black caps I added last year, also known as black raspberries.... true black raspberries, native to Southern Ontario... I hear they are sweeter than regular raspberries and exceptionally tasty. Floricanes.

Also added Caroline last year. It's primocane. Had some harvest from it and liked it. Not Heritage level, but close. Large berries, sweet and very good flavor. Let's see how it performs this season when it's more mature.

I also love yellow raspberries, they are very sweet, little acidity, and very flavorful. Honey Queen is probably my favorite, floricane. Fall Gold is outstanding too, primocane. So is Anne, also primocane.

Also trialing crosses like Boysenberry, Loganberry, etc... haven't tasted them yet.
 
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TorontoJoe said:
Nice!

OK... loaded question. If I asked you what raspberry I should get.... which would it be and why?
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See above...

Just want to add... I sense that you are a little apprehensive toward floricane raspberries on account of them dying back to the ground in our climate... Don't! A lot are hardy to Z4-5. I've never had any dieback on my 'Black Raspberry' ... only some tip damage on some that I added last year.... I suspect because they didn't grow long enough to lignify those tips, but should be fine this season...

Floricanes ripen in july and taste best to me... also, no fruit flies or SWD in July or early August... but all primocanes must be protected in late August and until October... I cover them with fine mesh insect netting... PITA if you ask me...
 
TorontoJoe said:
OK... reading the link I now have the same questions about the giant finger-berry monster! :LOL: It doesn't say

Also... and everyone please share your opinion on this...... with something like a berry... when they offer smaller plants cheaper and larger plants more expensive... Given the growth habits of this sort of plant... is a small plant really going to mature and deliver any differently than one a bit bigger?
Click to expand...
I always get the smaller option, usually plug size plants, when it comes to raspberries and blackberries. They grow very vigorously with some consistent feeding that it makes up at the end of year plus you save a bunch $$
 
TorontoJoe said:
@Figgin' A and I were starting to dig a blackberry rabbit hole so here we are! :)

I have some questions about Prime Ark pruning but perhaps we can start with this... I have no idea.... a "white" blackberry.

Talk to me... what is this thing? Shape looks raspberry like

View attachment 22623
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i agree btw, this is a raspberry not blackberry.
it is pretty often for nurseries that are otherwise reputable to use incorrect photographs on the plants. but also ones that are irreputable. it drives me nuts. I didnt buy from an ursery because it had photoshopped strawberries instead of actual alpine strawberries and then i found out theyre legit and their graphic designer is just lazy.

Or using photos of black raspberry for blackberries etc
 
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there are white blackberries though but in the picture that is 100% a raspberry.

I grow ponca and twilight blackberries, ohio treasure and jewel black raspberry, fall gold yellow raspberry, boyne raspberry, and glencoe purple.

Also have purple flowering raspberry which is more of an ornamental.

:) big rubus lover !
 
Just FYI, there are multiple "Prime Ark" blackberry varieties from U of A. Prime Ark is the prefix U of A adds to their blackberry variety names. There is Prime Ark Freedom which I have that grows on primocane and floricane. Then there is PA Traveler, PA 45 and I think a couple other varieties. I believe PA Freedom is the only one that produces on primo and floricane.

We REALLY like our PA Freedom. It produces early in the spring with the floricane (2nd year) and then takes a month break and then continues producing throughout the season on the primocane new wood. And the berries are top notch.
 
julie said:
Just FYI, there are multiple "Prime Ark" blackberry varieties from U of A. Prime Ark is the prefix U of A adds to their blackberry variety names. There is Prime Ark Freedom which I have that grows on primocane and floricane. Then there is PA Traveler, PA 45 and I think a couple other varieties. I believe PA Freedom is the only one that produces on primo and floricane.

We REALLY like our PA Freedom. It produces early in the spring with the floricane (2nd year) and then takes a month break and then continues producing throughout the season on the primocane new wood. And the berries are top notch.
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i think all the prime-arks are everbearing. and that is the reason for ther "prime" in their name
 
Ugh typed up a whole thing about pruning and my phone refreshed or something
Basically try the bumper crop in spring if its not good (like my kokanee primocane raspberry)prune to the ground after the main. The bumper doesnt have a good taste.
If the bumper tastes good like my fall gold prune it to about 18 inches after main crop is done and then in spring itll bumper crop
I also have what i think is possibly one of the rarest berries in atleast in the north east. On my friends property he has wild black cap raspberries. We found feild mutated orange ones that taste like apricots. And got them propagated this past fall by tip rooting. The picture is the closest thing i can find and not my picture.
Ive eaten the white blackberries and didnt care for them but im also not huge on blackberries over blueberries or raspberries. I also added gooseberries and jostaberry this year.
I have 6 blueberry bushes 3 raspberry bushes 2 blackberry bushes.
Pruning primocanes is funny cause even if ya mess it up you will still get the main crop.
I attempted fall gold 2x before i got the right one. I mustve got something weird in the first one because it was the most vigorous raspberry ive seen theyd crumble into peices when pulling them off didnt taste good and were red. Was supposed to be fall gold. I ripped those out and replaced and got the real fall gold.
The other pic is my blackberries i also wanted to touch in types of blackberry plants theres upright semi upright and vining. The upright seem to have way less pest pressure and they dont seem to spoil as much as my vining blackberries. Maybe its just the type but the upright in the picture is my prefrence
Just some thoughts before figs i was deeply into berries 🤣
 

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