Ouachita (thornless) Blackberry Questions

Greetings: Bought one of these from a store recently. It says on the lable two years old, so it should be able to produce this year. One of the spots where I could place it doesn't get much light right now, four hours max, but by June it will be getting closer to eight hours a day. Does anyone know about this cultivar and it's light requirements? And if the plant does well can I keep it trimmed down to two or two and a half feet high or does it need to be left alone and not pruned? The only blackberries I know are the wild ones I picked in southern Alabama as a kid. I belive this variety was developed by folks in Arkanas.

Many thanks,
peace.

This message was edited Jan 22, 2010 4:41 AM

I don't know this cultivar in particular, but blackberries in general are usually listed for full sun (and Plant Files lists that for this one as well). Since it's dormant now, the amount of light isn't as critical as it will be during the growing season, and if it's getting 8 hrs then it should be fine.

As far as pruning, blackberries fruit on second year canes. So each year you can prune the canes that fruited already, but the new canes that grew that year should be left alone if you want fruits the following year. I don't know how vigorous this blackberry is, but it's possible those canes will be longer than you want, and the more you prune them the less fruit you'll have the following year. Plant Files says it gets 4-6 feet, so if you do want a lot of fruit from it I'd probably plan on it being closer to 4 ft instead of 2.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/149156/

Hi NODude. Here is some info from LSU Ag center on blackberries in general in LA and the Ouachita in specific. Hope this helps to answer your questions....your Ouachita is certainly getting its' "chill hours" this year....grin

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/5DD47469-DA9F-4398-AD57-85FDB3E9327E/27320/pub1553blackberriesFINAL.pdf

Thank you both for the links. I guess my game plan is going to be put it somewhere with more light and not prune it. I learned something new today that the canes are biennial. As a kid it was great going out into the woods to pick them, but those days are (somewhat sadly) gone. The LSU ag site is good, but I guess I haven't fully explored it. I do try to follow it's planting time tables, but I just buy the cheap seeds and don't often try to buy the specific cultivars it suggests for S. La.

Rock on.

You are very welcome. Good luck with your plants. Garden on Dude...grin

Nourse Farms has a good site; not only do they sell these but they have planting guides: http://www.noursefarms.com/HomeGardeners/PlantingGuide/Raspberries.aspx

Good luck and enjoy!

Sue

Hey Dude, thanks for asking this question, I'm going to have to pick up a few of those for my fruit patch.

Hi NOLADude (Geaux Saints!)

I picked up a really nice-looking Ouachita the other day too. Here's a bit of info I found from backyardberryplants.com

"Ouachita is the latest release from the University of Arkansas’ blackberry breeding program (2006), and the latest addition to our farm's ongoing quest for excellent blackberry cultivars. Ouachita, pronounced WAH-shi-tah, is a very upright growing, vigorous, thornless blackberry. It should be tipped when canes get to 48” tall, to make it sturdier and more productive. However, trellising or staking may be needed to keep a full crop from leaning towards the ground. Fruit quality is excellent. Berries are firm, sweet and about the same size as Apache. Fruit matures beginning in late June to early July here in Brown County, Indiana, depending upon the spring weather. Yields seem a little better than Apache, but less than Triple Crown. Breeders and researchers have observed that Ouachita appears to be resistant to double blossom as well as orange rust infections. Space 4 feet apart in the row. Hardiness zones 5 to 10"