Unfortunately, that article although very informative discusses for the most part how a large commercial berry farm manages their berry operations. For me I have 2+ acres of thornless and a few thorny U-Pick blackberry plants, all of which are straped to 4-wire trelleses. I use 4 wires a little over a foot apart to keep my erect-style three-foot spaced primocanes which get tipped between 4-5' from falling into the rows after high winds or heavy rains come through. Because I have the extra wires (they say 2 is normal), I strap my primocane laterals in a fanned style which result in 5-6' high bushes. When I applied the theory of pruning laterals back to 12-18' as documented on the UNC Small Fruit Consortium website as well as others, I lost almost 20% in U-Pick production this past year when compared to the previous year when I left the laterals to their own demise. So, this year I compromised and last month I tipped the last 2-4" off each applicable lateral to remove their respective terminal buds (if that's what they are) to see if that gets my U-Pick production back to where it should be. We'll see how it goes. Thanks again for your help giving me new places to look. By the way, I've added a link to our web site if you'd like to see what our U-Pick looks like Ken Barber Millbrook AL Here is a link that might be useful: Barber Berry Farm Web Site

I'm not sure on the details of your particular blackberry variety, but here's the way it should work with any normal blackberry (the non-primocane fruiting kinds). You get a blackberry root cutting, seedling, or small plant and it will begin to grow primocanes in the first year. During winter it will go dormant and then in spring it will re-emerge with foliage and flower growth on last year's primocane, which is now called a floricane. Additionally a new primocane(s) will begin to emerge. The floricanes will flower and fruit and then die after fruiting. The new primocane will continue to grow through the season and then go dormant in winter to start the whole cycle over again. My guess is that the growth you have on your blackberry are primocanes or they may have not had enough chill hours. Hope that helps!

June Sky, the situation is confusing because there are several different patent laws that can apply. Utility patents can be given for genetically engineered plants, their seed cannot be saved since the patent is on the gene which is in the children. Plant variety protection (PVP) patents are the standard fruit tree variety patents and do not protect the seeds since it is the clonal variety being patented. PVPC's are Certificates that protect the stable seeds you are talking about, they are like PVP but allow any individual to save seed for themselves and also any use in breeding work is exempt. What cannot be done to a PVPC protected variety is to save a lot of seed and sell it. Note that these are all different and if a plant has a PVP it probably doesn't have a PVPC, or vice-versa. Some genetically engineered varieties may have both utility patents and PVP(C) patents applying to them in theory. So, the short answer is if you are not starting from a genetically engineered plant you are OK to save seed for yourself, and if you are crossing it with something else to make a different variety you are completely in the clear and can even patent this new variety as yours. See the link below for more details. Scott Here is a link that might be useful: details on plant patent law (pdf)

No, there aren't any citrus that will thrive outside 12 months per yr..Unfortunately.. I planted rootstock, (Poncirus trifoliata) that bears small, bitter, very seedy fruit, but was surprised when it made it through our first icy winter. Poncirus is quite thorny. Still, it was a great experiment and lived 3 yrs..If I had mulched, (mandatory) in late autumn like I had in previous yrs, I'd bet it would still be living..I fed it citrus fertilizer and applied Superthrive during growing season. There's another rootstock called Citrus Ichangensis that is also quite hardy. Citrus Junos/Yuzu is hardy to 0F. I would think all 3 citrus/rootstock could grow here, w/a good amount of mulch in winter. Check out www.worldplants.com Click on Catalog, then C, scroll down to citrus..open, and you'll see pics of these plants.. The citrus at worldplants are on the small side, (9") but there's another nursery called Mckenzie Farms that sells hardy citrus..He ships taller trees. August wouldn't be a good time to plant though, if you're interested, I'd wait until spring, after all signs of frost is gone. Spataro, do you ever shop at Jamacian Gardens in Morton Grove? They've got lovely plants, and 'just looking, lol' is worth the trip..They have a second store, smaller, further north, I believe in Libertyville..They both sell citrus, but prices are fairly expensive. I also love shopping at Ted's Nursery, and want to visit Sid's some day. Most of my citrus came from FL, but w/the current ban, we can't order.It's ashame because two nurseries I order from, Briteleaf and Harriscitrus ship nice-sized, healthy trees, for 15-20.00 each.. Good luck w/your palms this winter..Do you add Christmas lights to keep warm? Toni