Blackberry, Navaho

Plant Care:

Planting: 
Choose a full sun location that receives at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily to encourage high sugar development in the berries.

Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and to the same depth. Prefers fertile, organic-rich, and well-draining soil with an ideal pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Space individual plants 3–4 feet apart.

Watering:
Water newly planted shrubs deeply 1–2 times a week to establish a healthy, deep root system during the first growing season.

Established plants require moderate, consistent moisture. Provide regular irrigation during the summer bloom and fruit-ripening periods to keep the berries from shriveling, but avoid waterlogged soil.

Fertilizing:
Apply a balanced, slow-release general fertilizer or a rich layer of organic compost in early spring before new growth begins to push.

Avoid heavy or late-season nitrogen applications, which can cause rampant, leafy cane growth at the expense of fruit production.

Pruning:
Requires a standard two-step pruning method since it bears fruit on second-year canes (floricanes). In early summer, tip the new first-year canes (primocanes) at about 3.5 to 4 feet tall to force lateral branching.

In late winter or immediately following harvest, prune all dead, two-year-old spent canes completely down to ground level.

Pest and Disease Control:
Shows good natural resistance to rosette (double blossom) and anthracnose. However, it can be susceptible to orange rust, so ensure adequate plant spacing for proper airflow.

Monitor for aphids or Japanese beetles, and protect ripening fruit from birds with lightweight netting. Note that this variety is completely thornless.

Winter Care:
Apply a 3-inch layer of organic mulch or wood chips around the root zone in late autumn to insulate the root system from winter temperature fluctuations.

Requires roughly 800–900 winter chill hours to break dormancy and fruit optimally, making it highly reliable for regions with steady winter cooling.

Plant Description:

Appearance:
Features clusters of attractive white-to-pinkish flower blossoms in mid-spring that serve as a strong attractant for pollinators.

Followed by a heavy mid-to-late summer harvest of medium-sized, glossy black berries that develop in clean, easy-to-pick clusters.

Foliage:
Medium green, deciduous compound leaves with lightly serrated edges form a dense, upright, and tidy canopy throughout the season.

Foliage transitions to soft shades of yellow, bronze, or muted red in the late autumn before dropping.

Shape and Growth:
A vigorous, completely thornless deciduous shrub with a strictly erect and self-supporting growth habit.

Reaches a mature height of 4–6 feet and a spread of 3–4 feet. Because its canes are exceptionally stiff and upright, it can easily be grown without a trellis system, though a simple wire line can help contain heavy mid-summer crops. It is entirely self-pollinating.

Fruit Characteristics:
Renowned for producing some of the firmest berries of any thornless variety, giving it an exceptional post-harvest shelf life. The fruit features small seeds and a remarkably sweet, rich flavor with a high natural sugar content, ripening later in the summer to extend your berry season.

Adaptability:
Celebrated for its rugged constitution, it handles intense summer heat and humidity beautifully. Thrives across USDA Zones 6–9 and treats varying soil types well as long as drainage is secure.

Landscape Use:
An outstanding choice for home orchards, backyard garden plots, or edible property borders. Its strictly upright, compact form and completely thornless nature make it exceptionally family-friendly, allowing for easy picking, fresh eating, baking, and summer preserves.