Arapaho Thornless Blackberry Bush
Rubus hybrid ‘Arapaho' (PP# 8510)
Arapaho Thornless Blackberry Bush
Rubus hybrid ‘Arapaho' (PP# 8510)
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
-
If you love berries – for their juicy richness and healthy properties – then growing your own is a great way to enjoy them super-fresh, and in profusion. Of all the berry crops, blackberries are one of the easiest to grow, and the Arapaho Thornless Blackberry is pleasant to grow, because it doesn’t have those nasty thorns that make handling blackberry bushes dangerous. They grow fast, so by next year you will be picking lots of tasty berries, and your bushes will give big crops for years, with just a simple annual pruning. One bush will give you up to 10 quarts of berries, throughout June, earlier than most other varieties. The berries have very small seeds, making them great for eating fresh.
- Early crop of large berries
- Tiny seeds make them great for eating fresh
- No thorns, so plants are easy to handle
- Upright canes need no support system
- Just prune once a year – that’s all it takes
Your Arapaho Thornless Blackberry Bushes will grow best in full sun, although they will tolerate some shade. They grow in a wide range of soils, from sandy soil to clay, and they give the biggest crop in soils enriched with organic material. This variety has upright canes and it will grow without support, but plants on wires or a fence take up less room in the garden. Few pests bother it, and it is genetically resistant to major blackberry diseases. The Arapaho Thornless Blackberry is a versatile fruit. It is delicious fresh, or baked into pies alone or with other fruits, and it makes wonderful jams and preserves too.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 6-9
- Mature Width 3-4
- Mature Height 3-5
- Sun Needs Full Sun, Partial Sun
Berries are among the healthiest and tastiest of fruits, and they grow on small bushes, so you don’t need room for big trees. This makes them ideal for smaller gardens, or in a large garden you can grow a big crop. Although they are easy to grow – among the easiest of all berry bushes – blackberries can be a problem, because they have nasty thorns that makes pruning, handling and picking a painful chore. With the Arapaho Thornless Blackberry, now they are a pleasure to grow. This variety is completely unlike old, wild forms. Not only does it have no thorns, the stems are so strong and upright they need no support system, and they can be grown right in the garden. Plant them among your other shrubs and flowers and have berries right there.
The Arapaho Thornless Blackberry is early fruiting, so you get berries before other crops are ready. All through June you will be picking these delicious fruits, and you can expect to get as much as 10 quarts of berries, each 1 to 2 inches long, from every bush you plant. The fruit is exceptionally sweet, with 9.6% sugar, and the berries have very small seeds, so it is ideal for eating out of hand, or putting in a fresh fruit salad. It also makes beautiful pies, and blends very well with apples in tarts, crumbles and pies. As well, it makes delicious jams and preserves, as well as a vitamin-rich syrup for sweet winter drinks.
Growing Arapaho Thornless Blackberry Bushes
The Arapaho Thornless Blackberry grows biggest, and crops the heaviest, in a well-drained loamy soil. This is a tough, adaptable plant, and it will also grow very well in just about any kind of soil from sandy soils to heavy clay. In lighter soils water during dry spells, and use fertilizer for maximum growth, but even with very little attention, you will still produce a good crop.
The Arapaho Thornless Blackberry grows by sending out strong, upright stems that grow to 4 or 5 feet long in a single season. These first-year canes do not flower, but the following spring they produce many clusters of small white flowers. These quickly develop into berries and throughout June you will be picking berries from this early-ripening variety. If you grow other, late-ripening types alongside it, you can extend the season through summer.
Planting and Initial Care
To grow the Arapaho Thornless Blackberry, enrich the planting area with organic material like garden compost, rotted manure, or old leaves, and dig this into a wide planting zone. Water well when planting and mulch each year with a rich organic material. This will conserve moisture. Allow 3 feet between each plant, and if you are planting rows of blackberries, allow 6 feet between each row. You can also grow this plant in a large, shallow box, so even if you have no garden room you can pick blackberries right on your balcony or terrace. Feed plants in containers regularly with a liquid fertilizer for flowers and fruits, and don’t let the soil dry out completely.
The Arapaho Thornless Blackberry has such strong canes that it can be grown free-standing, without any support. To save space in your garden you can also grow it against a fence or wall, in the sun, and then tie the canes to the wall, spreading them out and bending over the tips to increase flowering (and fruit production). You can also save space in the garden by spreading the branches on two wires, stretched between stakes driven into the ground. Space the wire 2 feet and 4 feet above the soil level. Plants on wires are very easy to pick.
Pruning and Maintenance
Annual pruning is easy. After fruiting the old canes are no longer healthy, and they will not produce many flowers the next year. So as soon as you have picked the last berries, cut those old canes right down to the ground. By then new canes will already be growing, and these will continue to grow all summer, without interference from the old canes. If you are using a support, tie the canes in as they grow.
Buying Arapaho Thornless Blackberry Bushes
This hybrid berry was created by advanced hand-breeding at the University of Arkansas, by Professor James N. Moore, in the 1980s. It was patented in 1992, and the proceeds of the patent fund further research into creating new, improved fruit varieties. Our plants are produced under license by skilled growers. They take stem pieces, not seeds, so that they can preserve the unique genetic properties of this plant. If you only know wild blackberries, you will be amazed at the difference.
The Arapaho Thornless Blackberries we offer are directly produced from the original patented plant, so you are assured they will be exactly as described here, and they will have all the best features of this variety. We regularly receive new, fresh stock, but fruit growing is a popular activity, so our stocks never last long. Order now while we can satisfy your order, so you can enjoy growing your very own berries at home.
