I ordered 100 Prime Jim plants. I am wondering what type of trellis support will be best?

Any erect blackberry plants need 2 wire trellis I use #12 high tensile wire and Metal T post I drive in V shape down row in line with plants you need 6 inch wooden end post crop plants can get heavy with fruit and wind. In V shape want T post about 30 inches apart at top. The primer berry will heavy on top bad fall over.

Thanks. That about what I had in mind. Is 3' spacing between plants about right?

I grew Prime Jim and it needed no trellis. Very stout upright canes. I have no wind issues though. I took it out because of the thorns.

3' are 4' 3' works best thornless. 4' on thorny. When go remove old canes best do a lot cutting before go pulling cut canes out. I never grew primer Jim blackberry plants.

I have torn out Prime Jim and Prime Jan years ago. Junk compared to Prime-Ark 45....have now torn out Prime-Ark 45 (which were terrific) to be replaced with Prime-Ark Freedom. These Prime-Ark series are amazing. The reason I took out Prime-Ark 45 is simply because Prime-Ark Freedom is thornless and the berries are bigger(huge). Mike, if you can still change your order, do so. Get one or the other of the Prime-Ark series. Simmonsplantfarm.com has them for 3.00 each at the 100 rate.

My pick your own customers are gonna' thank me for changing out to the Prime-Ark Freedom! BTW...with adequate water, the Prime-Ark's pretty much never stop bearing. Last year we had rain all summer (odd for Texas) and my 45's had berries from Spring until the first hard freeze...as in frozen berries hanging on the canes. This was something I had not realized. I do not typically irrigate my Blackberries so I did not realize this potential until the natural rain demonstrated this.

Tim. The Freedom attracted me because of its early fruiting (week before Natchez) and the followup summer and fall fruit. If it does well for me I might remove all my other thorn-less varieties.

??? Have you had any problems in the fall with SWD, and if so how are you dealing with it? Thanks, Bill

I prefer the taste of prime jan to ark 45 but the ark 45 does give me a better primocane crop. I just planted a freedom and look forward to trying it in the fall.

Hi Bill, thus far I have not seen SWD in this area nor have I had any reports of it. Perhaps I am just lucky.

I think Freedom is going to hit it out of the ball park compared to Natchez. I too have other thorn-less varieties such as Natches, Apache ect. that are pretty good and I have not removed them. From what I have seen about Freedom and experienced with the 45's I figure I simply can't go wrong. The spring crop should be tremendous compared to older thorn-less ones and the later crops are just icing on the cake, right? I ordered all my Freedoms as tissue culture plants and they are in the greenhouse now growing out. I will be anxious to see what happens with them.

Thanks Tim. Hope the Freedom work well for you.

Tim june bugs and japanese beetle give most trouble I lived in Bowie county 2005 2010 had six acres u-pick blackberries. When crop comes in heavy it was best for pick berries freeze in one gallon freezer bags in deep freezer a lot customers didn't want pick. You add 5 pounds berris in freeze bag USDA said 5 pounds and 4 oz is one gallon, hard find that info. Supply upick with container over gallon, I used one gallon gray paint buckets, they pick full what previde. Good scales pay for himself. I sold upick 3.00 pound and I pick 4.00 pound a 8th grader from school or three pick a lot berries. I ordered 10 plants from simmons freedom for my own use yesterday hope not sold out.

Prime Jan has been OK for flavor, but doesn't come close to Triple Crown. I'm pulling most of them out, as I don't want to deal with the very nasty thorns. I had a couple wires around the row, but they were erect enough that they weren't needed most of the time. I may leave one as a comparison point for the Prime Ark Freedoms, Natchez, Osage, and Arapaho I am adding this spring.