5 Navaho Thornless Blackberry Starter Plug – Sweet Berries

Overview

Bring the joy of fresh, homegrown fruit to your garden with the Navaho blackberry starter plug. This offering includes 5 young, vigorous plants of the renowned Rubus ‘Navaho’ cultivar, ready to establish and thrive in your landscape. The Navaho thornless blackberry is celebrated for its ease of care and abundant production of incredibly sweet and firm berries. Developed by the University of Arkansas, it was a groundbreaking introduction as the world’s first thornless blackberry with a naturally upright, self-supporting habit. This unique characteristic often eliminates the need for trellises, making it a favorite among both novice and experienced gardeners. Enjoy a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit late in the summer season, perfect for eating fresh, making jams, or baking pies.

Each thornless blackberry plant in this starter plug collection is a live plant, carefully cultivated to ensure a strong start in your garden. The ‘Navaho’ variety is a true standout, offering not just convenience with its lack of thorns but also superior fruit quality. Its robust growth habit makes it an excellent choice for a productive yet manageable edible garden. Prepare to be delighted by the rich flavor and generous yields these plants provide, transforming your outdoor space into a personal berry patch.

Key Benefits

Choosing the Navaho blackberry starter plug for your garden offers a multitude of advantages, combining ease of cultivation with exceptional fruit quality. These plants are designed to provide a rewarding gardening experience and a delicious harvest.

• Thornless Canes: Enjoy harvesting your berries without the worry of painful thorns. This feature makes tending to the plant and picking fruit a much more pleasant experience, especially for families with children.
• Upright, Self-Supporting Growth: The ‘Navaho’ variety boasts a naturally erect growth habit, often requiring no trellising or extensive support. This simplifies cultivation and saves valuable garden space, making it an ideal erect growing blackberry.
• High Yield of Sweet Berries: Expect a heavy crop of uniformly large, firm, and exceptionally sweet berries. The superior flavor profile of the Rubus Navaho makes it a favorite for fresh eating, desserts, and preserves.
• Low Maintenance: This cultivar is known for being relatively low-maintenance once established, requiring minimal pruning and care compared to other blackberry varieties. This allows you to spend more time enjoying your harvest and less time on upkeep.
• Late Summer Harvest: The berries ripen late in the summer season, extending your fresh fruit supply and providing a delicious treat when many other fruits are finishing their production.
• Developed for Quality: Originating from the University of Arkansas breeding program, the ‘Navaho’ is a testament to horticultural innovation, ensuring a reliable and high-performing plant.
• Versatile Use: The delicious fruit from your Navaho blackberry starter plug can be enjoyed fresh, frozen, used in pies, jams, jellies, smoothies, and much more, offering endless culinary possibilities.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Successful cultivation of your Navaho blackberry starter plug involves understanding its basic needs for sunlight, soil, water, and nutrients. These plants are generally hardy and adaptable, but providing optimal conditions will ensure the best possible fruit production. Blackberries thrive in a location that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for fruit development and sweetness. While they can tolerate partial shade, fruit production will be significantly reduced. Choose a site with good air circulation to help prevent fungal diseases.

Well-draining soil is paramount for blackberry health. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter such as compost or aged manure to improve drainage and fertility. If your soil is sandy, organic matter will help retain moisture and nutrients. Ensure the planting area is free of perennial weeds before planting. Water newly planted Rubus Navaho regularly to help establish the root system. Once established, blackberries need about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation, especially during fruit development. Avoid overhead watering if possible to reduce the risk of leaf diseases.

Fertilize your blackberry plants in early spring before new growth begins, using a balanced slow-release fertilizer or one formulated for fruit-bearing plants. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application rates. Pruning is essential for maintaining plant health and maximizing fruit production. ‘Navaho’ blackberries produce fruit on second-year canes (floricanes). After harvesting, prune these canes back to the ground. New canes (primocanes) will emerge and produce fruit the following year. Remove any weak, diseased, or crossing canes to promote good air circulation and light penetration. The sweet blackberry fruit will be worth the effort!

Size & Details

This product includes 5 individual Navaho blackberry starter plug live plants, ready for transplanting into your garden. Each plug is a young, healthy plant with an established root system, designed for easy and successful planting. When mature, the ‘Navaho’ blackberry typically grows to an erect height of 4-6 feet with a similar spread, forming a dense bush. Its upright habit means it often doesn’t require trellising, making it a space-efficient choice for home gardens.

Expect your plants to begin producing fruit in their second year after planting, with a significant harvest by the third year. The berries ripen late in the summer, generally from late July through August, depending on your specific climate and growing conditions. The fruit itself is medium to large in size, firm, and boasts an exceptionally sweet flavor. These plants are shipped in a dormant or semi-dormant state, depending on the season, ensuring they arrive healthy and ready to adapt to their new environment. With proper care, your thornless blackberry plant will provide years of delicious harvests.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Navaho blackberry starter plug will mature into an upright bush typically reaching 4-6 feet tall and wide. Its self-supporting nature means it generally doesn’t require extensive trellising, making it a manageable size for most home gardens.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Navaho blackberry is an outdoor fruit-bearing bush. It requires full sun exposure and is best suited for planting directly in the ground or in large containers outdoors where it can receive adequate sunlight and space to grow.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal fruit production and plant health, your Rubus Navaho requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Less sun will result in fewer and smaller berries.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Navaho blackberry is considered a low-maintenance cultivar. Its thornless canes and upright growth habit simplify pruning and harvesting. With proper planting and basic care, it’s a great choice for gardeners of all experience levels seeking a productive thornless blackberry plant.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your 5 Navaho blackberry starter plug plants will arrive as young, live plants with established root systems, typically in a dormant or semi-dormant state depending on the time of year. They are carefully packaged to ensure their health during transit.
• Q: How long until it produces fruit? A: These blackberry plants typically begin producing a small crop of sweet blackberry fruit in their second year after planting. A more significant and abundant harvest can be expected in the third year and subsequent seasons.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Navaho blackberry is generally hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. If you are in a colder zone, consider providing winter protection or growing in containers that can be moved indoors.
• Q: What’s the best time to plant these starter plugs? A: The ideal time to plant your Navaho blackberry starter plug is in early spring after the danger of hard frost has passed, or in early fall, allowing the roots to establish before winter.