I live in Atlanta, GA. I Planted 5 from plugs last year in June, they grew up to 3' by winter (fast), even got 1 berry. The 5 plants already flowered in April 2015 but all the berries dried up? not a single berry from last years cane, had about 100 or so flowers. I have no Idea way my berries dried up, I have lots of bumblebees and other berry plants are doing good. I had 1 night in March that fell below freezing around 28 degrees maybe that killed the flowers, don't know. That 1 night killed off my male kiwi and pomegranate bush that just started putting on new leaves. Did you have any nights below freezing once your plants were flowering this spring?

I already pinched my new primocanes at about 5' tall and have some new flower buds on 1 plant with some nice laterals. I moved 2 of my plants in May since I planted them to close last year, 1 week was rough on the plants but they are doing good now, 1 even pushing up another primocane.

Sometimes cold damage does not immediately show. When the plant is stressed, usually by above average heat or drought, the cold damage will show up as wilted canes and/or failed fruit. I currently have some of that happening right up to the point where the berries are almost ready to pick.

Your reported150 chill hours is the lowest I've seen for any blackberry variety. Since I'm down near the Pacific Coast in San Diego County with as low as 100-200 chill hours, the Prime Ark Freedom Blackberry is the one that I'll have to try. Based on your 150 chill hour feedback, I've gone ahead and ordered 4 of 'em. My neighbor made the mistake of planting a Navaho blackberry years 2+ years ago and has never had even one berry!!! I had to tell my neighbor that Navaho's require 900 chill hours and so will never produce here.
Looks like the Prime-Ark Freedom is THE blackberry for my area simply because of your low 150 chill hour report. The University of Arkansas developed the Prime-Ark Freedoms but could only tell me that the chill hours were expected to be low but that I would have to see for myself. Thanks in advance for your invaluable report on the Prime-Ark Freedom blackberries!!!!!

Prime Ark Freedom is an absolute winner for low chill areas. I have two mature plants and another 3 or so babies. All of them are putting out fruit. Here's my primocanes starting to ripen. The berries are huge, much larger than Triple Crown and much better tasting as well. The plant in the pics is in a 10 gallon root pouch on an aquaponics wicking bed. The thing is a beast, I tipped it twice (once when the canes were 3 ft and again when the new canes were 3 ft) and it just keeps growing. The only downside with PAF is, so far, getting some white drupes due to either sun or heat intensity. If the primocane fruit starts getting scorched, I'll try covering it in frost/shade cloth. If the canes keep producing until dec, then it'll have produced for 9 months in our climate.

Fyi, JT is right -- primocanes fruit regardless of chill (like all berries). Thanks JT for that info before! Since the weather was so weird this year (under 100 chill hours with days in the 90s during our "winter") I'm not 100% sure my previous crop would be considered floricane. I won't know for sure what a real mature floricane crop looks like in our area until next spring. That said, the Prime Ark trials (with Freedom and Traveler) seem to indicate it's a winner for our area.

I also have a baby Prime Ark 45 to see if there's any noticeable difference in our area. But, so far, Freedom seems hard to beat.

Since Boysenberries have thorny canes and only produce on 2nd year canes, I'm going to stick with the thornless Prime-Ark Freedoms that produce berries on both 1st and 2nd year canes!!!
Thanks!!!
Nice pictures of your Prime-Ark Freedoms!!!

Navaho doesn't require 900 hours. I have it fruiting in 9b San Jose and we have 287 hours at my location this very mild winter.

I've seen reports of Navaho requiring anywhere from 800 to 1,000 chill hours. See here:http://www.texasfarmbureau.org/texasAgriculture/2002/020102/020102berries.htm
Anyway, my neighbors haven't gotten any berries on there 3yo Navaho. However, I've seen Ouachita thornless and Ollalieberries have lots of berries even though they reportedly need 300 chill hours each when we actually only get around 100 hours. I'm just 2 miles from the beach in San Diego county. I'm eagerly awaiting my order of four Prime-Ark Freedom plants that were just developed and released by the University of Arkansas in 2013 as the very first thornless primocane fuiting blackberry that give berries on both 1st and 2nd year canes.

I think some cultivars have more accurate chill hours than others. For example, Van & Bing cherries are both listed at 700 hours. Van seems to flower every year even during our mild 300 hour winters. Bing only flowers during higher chill winters here.

Navaho is fruiting for me which is way less chill, but SoCal might not have enough for it to flower at all. Maybe good to rule out Navaho for SoCal but not mid-chill places.

First primocane Prime Ark, pretty delicious, huge and no sun scald. It's next to a small Triple Crown (and the rest of today's haul):

Oh man I am jealous. Ever since eating figs right from the tree in Provence I have wanted a fig tree but my zone is not conducive to that.

Hi everyone, I have been trying to work out a way to buy a few of the prime ark varieties but none of the outlets I have contacted are willing to ship internationally. There are no primocane blackberries available here unfortunately. I am wondering if anyone would be up for saving and sending some seed from their plants ? I imagine they wont come true but fingers crossed I will be able to get at least one seedling with the primocane gene / phenotype expression. Any help would be greatly appreciated! If you would like to help please send me an e-mail at way.of.tea.nz@gmail.com

@Jay Part Shade (Zone 10B, S21, Los Angeles) I'd love to know how you set up your "10 gallon root pouch on an aquaponics wicking bed"! Do you recommend that method of growing cane berries?