10 Big Daddy Thornless Blackberry Plants – Live Fruit Bush for Zones 5-9

Overview

Bring the joy of fresh, homegrown fruit to your garden with the Big Daddy thornless blackberry live plants. This collection features 10 vigorous starter plants, ready to establish themselves and provide an abundant harvest. The ‘Big Daddy’ variety is celebrated for its impressive yield and, most notably, its lack of thorns, making harvesting a pleasure. These robust thornless blackberry bush plants are a fantastic addition to any edible landscape, offering both ornamental beauty and delicious, nutrient-rich fruit. As a self-fertile specimen, a single plant is capable of producing a remarkable 10 to 15 pounds of fruit each growing season, meaning this pack of ten plants could provide an exceptional bounty for your family and friends. These perennial shrubs offer a lustrous deep color to your outdoor space, creating an attractive hedgerow or garden border.

The ‘Big Daddy’ blackberry (Rubus hybrid) is a highly sought-after cultivar due to its ease of care and prolific fruiting. Unlike some other blackberry varieties, its stiff, short canes grow upright from the crown, forming a neat and manageable hedgerow. This characteristic makes them ideal for various garden sizes and designs, ensuring that even gardeners with limited space can enjoy the benefits of growing blackberries. These plants are winter-hardy and demonstrate excellent adaptability across a wide range of climates, particularly thriving in USDA zones 5 through 9. Prepare to enjoy sweet, juicy blackberries straight from your garden with these reliable and productive plants.

Key Benefits

The Big Daddy thornless blackberry plants offer a multitude of advantages for home gardeners, combining aesthetic appeal with practical benefits:

• Thornless Canes: Enjoy hassle-free harvesting without the prickles, making these bushes perfect for families and easy maintenance. The thornless nature also makes pruning and care much simpler and safer.
• High Yield: Each self-fertile bush can produce 10 to 15 pounds of fruit per growing season, ensuring a generous supply of fresh blackberries for eating, baking, and preserving. This characteristic makes it a truly high yield blackberry.
• Beautiful Garden Addition: The lush green foliage and deep-colored berries add significant visual interest to any garden space, whether planted as a hedge or as individual specimens.
• Winter Hardy: These plants are resilient, thriving in USDA Zones 5-9, and capable of withstanding colder temperatures, making them a reliable choice for many regions.
• Self-Fertile: Only one plant is needed to produce fruit, simplifying planting plans and ensuring a harvest even with limited space.
• Perennial Growth: As perennial fruit plants, they return year after year, providing continuous harvests and an excellent long-term investment for your edible garden.
• Versatile Use: Fresh blackberries are perfect for snacks, desserts, jams, jellies, and smoothies, offering a delicious and healthy addition to your diet.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

To ensure your Big Daddy thornless blackberry plants flourish and produce abundant fruit, proper care is essential. These resilient bushes 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 production and flavor development. While they are adaptable, a well-draining soil rich in organic matter is ideal. Before planting, amend your soil with compost to improve fertility and drainage. The optimal pH range for blackberries is between 5.5 and 6.5. Good drainage is paramount to prevent root rot, so avoid heavy, waterlogged soils.

Watering should be consistent, especially during dry spells and when the plants are establishing. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. During fruiting, consistent moisture is even more critical for plump, juicy berries. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer or an organic compost. Avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, which can lead to excessive foliage growth at the expense of fruit production. Pruning is vital for maintaining plant health and maximizing yield. Since ‘Big Daddy’ is a floricane fruiting variety, fruit is produced on canes that grew the previous year. After harvest, cut back the canes that have fruited to the ground. Thin out weaker new canes, leaving 4-6 strong new canes per plant to fruit the following year. This practice is key to successful growing blackberries.

These plants are generally hardy in USDA zones 5-9. In colder zones, consider providing winter protection such as a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plant. While generally robust, common issues can include cane blight or anthracnose; ensuring good air circulation and proper plant spacing can help prevent these fungal diseases. Keep an eye out for pests like Japanese beetles or blackberry psyllids and address them promptly with organic pest control methods if necessary. With proper care, your thornless blackberry bush will reward you with years of delicious fruit.

Size & Details

This offering includes 10 live starter plants of the Big Daddy thornless blackberry. These plants are shipped with their roots carefully wrapped to maintain moisture and ensure they arrive healthy and ready for planting in your garden. Upon arrival, the plants will be young but robust, similar to the last picture, designed for successful transplanting and rapid establishment. Each plant is a self-fertile specimen, meaning you do not need multiple varieties for cross-pollination to achieve fruit. The ‘Big Daddy’ variety is known for its vigorous growth, producing stiff, short canes that grow upright, forming a desirable hedgerow structure.

These perennial fruit plants are expected to begin producing fruit biennially, with new growth emerging in the first year and fruiting in the second. With proper care, you can anticipate a significant yield of 10 to 15 pounds of fruit per established plant each growing season. They are well-suited for USDA hardiness zones 5-9, demonstrating excellent winter hardiness. The mature size of these bushes typically reaches 5-6 feet in height and spread, making them a substantial and productive addition to your landscape. Plant them in spring or early fall for best results and watch your investment grow into a delicious asset.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Big Daddy thornless blackberry plants get? A: These Big Daddy thornless blackberry bushes typically grow to a mature height and spread of about 5-6 feet. They produce stiff, upright canes that form a manageable hedgerow.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Big Daddy thornless blackberry is an outdoor plant, specifically a bush or shrub designed for garden and landscape planting. It requires full sun exposure to thrive and produce fruit.
• Q: How much sunlight does the thornless blackberry bush need? A: These plants need at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to ensure optimal growth and fruit production. Full sun is crucial for developing sweet, juicy blackberries.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for, especially for beginners? A: Yes, the Big Daddy thornless blackberry is considered relatively easy to care for, especially due to its thornless nature which simplifies harvesting and pruning. Consistent watering, adequate sunlight, and annual pruning are the main requirements.
• Q: What condition will the plants arrive in? A: The plants are shipped as live starter plants with their roots carefully wrapped and kept damp to ensure they arrive healthy and ready for planting. They will be young but vigorous specimens.
• Q: How long until these perennial fruit plants produce fruit? A: These perennial fruit plants will typically produce new growth in their first year and then fruit biennially on the second-year canes. You can expect your first significant harvest in the second year after planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these Big Daddy blackberry plants? A: The best time to plant these blackberry plants is in the spring after the last frost, or in the early fall, giving them time to establish their root systems before extreme temperatures.
• Q: Will these high yield blackberry plants survive winter in my zone? A: The high yield blackberry ‘Big Daddy’ is winter-hardy and thrives in USDA Zones 5-9. If you are in a colder zone (Zone 5), consider adding extra mulch for winter protection.
• Q: Do I need more than one plant for fruit production? A: No, the ‘Big Daddy’ blackberry is a self-fertile variety, meaning a single plant can produce fruit on its own. However, planting multiple plants will increase your overall yield.
• Q: What kind of soil is best for growing blackberries? A: Blackberries prefer well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (5.5-6.5) is ideal for optimal growth and nutrient absorption when growing blackberries.