ISO Prime-Ark Freedom Blackberry

BNaula1 said:
Produced twice? First year and second year canes at once? :o
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It barely has any berries on it this year. It's really small because it stayed in a 1 gal pot until this year. I gave one to my cousin last year and his is vined and pretty big. One of them died from dehydration :(.
 
Beabchasingizz said:
It barely has any berries on it this year. It's really small because it stayed in a 1 gal pot until this year. I gave one to my cousin last year and his is vined and pretty big. One of them died from dehydration :(.
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Feed it some berry-tone now and then again in late fall, water soluble balanced fert every 2 weeks if you’d like. They’ll grow in no time! Goodluck :)
 
Is the Freedom better or the Traveler? I had them both years ago. Freedom bare lots of big size fruit and Traveler was kinda shy. I decided to plant blackberry again this year and couldn't decide which one to pick(description looks good for both. Traveler seems to "travel" or ship better. Because the Traveler I had was a small sized bareroot and the Freedom was already established 2 seasons prior, that side by side comparison may not be the best.

I also had Ark 45, which I like best except for its thorns. I cursed a lot working near that bush.
 
Do you guys have Caddo or Triple Crown up north? I started growing them last season and is looking forward to the first set of fruit. Also have Ponca going. Caddo and Triple Crown can be in zone 5 supposedly.
 
grasshopper said:
Do you guys have Caddo or Triple Crown up north? I started growing them last season and is looking forward to the first set of fruit. Also have Ponca going. Caddo and Triple Crown can be in zone 5 supposedly.
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This is my first blackberry but I have seen Caddo and Triple Crown for sale up here.
 
TorontoJoe said:
This is my first blackberry but I have seen Caddo and Triple Crown for sale up here.
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Caddo and Triple Crown are definitely worth trying. They are both productive and tasty. These are Floricane (fruit on second year). Freedom & all the PrimArk varieties are primocane fruiting, fruit on the first year. Primocane is easier to manage in your location. You just chop it all down before winter or you can wait till spring to chop it. The Floricanes are cold hardy but still suffer tip damage in some winters and you have to remember to remove them once they fruit. Some people do a Y or V trelis row so that you tie all the primocanes to one fork line of the Y and the floricanes to the other fork and then alternate through the years.
 
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If anyone has
grasshopper said:
Caddo and Triple Crown are definitely worth trying. They are both productive and tasty. These are Floricane (fruit on second year). Freedom & all the PrimArk varieties are primocane fruiting, fruit on the first year. Primocane is easier to manage in your location. You just chop it all down before winter or you can wait till spring to chop it. The Floricanes are cold hardy but still suffer tip damage in some winters and you have to remember to remove them once they fruit. Some people do a Y trelis row so that you tie all the primocanes to one fork line of the Y and the floricanes to the other fork and then alternate through the years.
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Would you happen to have any rooted cuttings of freedom? 😬 now I am curious haha
 
BNaula1 said:
If anyone has

Would you happen to have any rooted cuttings of freedom? 😬 now I am curious haha
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Sorry, no. In NJ, you can also try Triple Crown or Caddo, a little more work. You may need to wait out the first year unless you get a year old crown. Triple Crown has been around for a long time so it is more widely available. Freedom is big and productive, easier to manage but taste wise, it can't beat Ark 45, the hard, sharp, thorny one from the same program. I had them side by side for years. Those thorns are sharp and long. You have to treat the wounds quickly or risk infection. I had to put on full protection before getting near Ark 45.
 
If you don't have Ponca, I would get it instead. PrimeArk's main advantage is bearing first year, but the crop is usually small. Ponca is more productive and suppose to be a better berry. Both are from Dr. Clark's breeding program. I grow the Ouachita, but will be adding Ponca next.
 
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PrimeArk is able to produce each year on primocanes, which means even with winter damage, you wouldn't miss a beat in getting fruit each year. Its floricane fruit quality is subpar even when I grew it in SoCal. My guess is the weather was relatively cool/overcasted in the coastal area I lived in during the time the floricane fruits set & mature. Primocane fruits don't have this problem.

Ponca is sweeter than Caddo in UoA trials but it is also ranked the highest in their Food Science taste tests. It was less available in local nurseries but you can probably get it online. So, I totally agree, if you can get it, get Ponca. I mentioned Triple Crown and Caddo because they are more commonly available.

I have watched a youtube video by a gardener suggesting Caddo is more productive than Ponca but I am not certain the two were planted at the same time. As blackberries age, it would become more productive once it reaches the 3 years mark. So, when buying blackberries plant/bareroots, don't go for cheap. Ask about the age of the product you are receiving. Buy a 2-3 years old would save yourself some time that is worth the cost.

If you are not sure which Arkansas varieties to pick, you can check these videos out from the UoA https://aaes.uada.edu/fruit-breeding/blackberries/
 
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