I got some seeds of black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) a while ago. I scarified and cold wet stratified the seeds, forgot about them for far too long, eventually planted them, and had a surprisingly good germination rates.
At this young age they look similar to red raspberry plants, but have rather vicious thorns.
I am told black raspberries grow more like a blackberry, and have long arching canes that root at the tips when they touch the soil.
Given how fact they have grown this large, there is a good chance they will flower next year! I can hardly wait to see what they taste like (assuming I can get past those incredible thorns to taste the berries).
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| Seed grown black raspberry: 3 or 4 months old |
Strangely enough, some seeds stayed in the soil and are only starting to germinate now. So as well as those large plants you can see the pot also contains some tiny seedlings with their first true leaves.
Those tiny seedlings may not survive summer, or may not be large enough
to over winter. Hopefully at least one of these plants fruits next
spring/summer.
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| Black raspberry thorns are large |
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| Red raspberry thorns are small and petite |
At this stage they are growing in a pot of soil. I should probably divide them so they can grow faster, but think I will keep them in a pot for now so I can move them around easily if needed.
We haven't really had summer this year and I don't want them to be scorched by the sun if I can help it. Or maybe the heat will not phase them at all, I don't know. Time will tell if they grow well in this climate.
Are these the dioecious ones that Burbank used to make his crazy intergeneric Rosaceae outcrosses? Are you planning to reproduce that amazing work?
ReplyDeleteHi Shane,
DeleteAt this stage I am hoping that they can survive in my climate and I can get to eat some berries. The plants are probably twice the size they were in the photo above, so that is a positive sign.
I would love to do some breeding with them, but don't want to get too far ahead of myself, partly because I lack space/time and partly because I am not sure what they can cross with and I lack access to much germplasm.
When black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) are crossed with red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) it makes a purple raspberry. There is at least one purple clone in Australia so I know this cross is achievable. I would like to do something as simple as crossing them with a yellow raspberry (the one I grow is Rubus idaeus)and see what the resultant berries are like.
Crossing with blackberry or one of the blackberry hybrids sounds fun but I don't know if I have enough space to grow the seedlings. These things like to sprawl.
It will be fascinating to hear how they taste
ReplyDeleteAre you still selling items?
ReplyDeleteHi Layla,
DeleteI do still sell plants and seeds, everything is listed on my for sale page that being said, I don't expect to have any of these for sale for a while. Spring at the absolute earliest.
Hi there, how did the black raspberry plants go? And are you thinking you’ll be able to sell them? Thanks
ReplyDeleteThey have flower buds forming at the moment, so I should get to taste the berries this year. I am very excited. I don't plant to try to cross them with yellow raspberries at this early stage, but that is something I would like to do in future years.
ReplyDeleteI plant to try and multiply my plants a little so hopefully I will have some very small plants for sale in winter.
How did the fruit go? I would be very keen to buy a plant from you when they’re available. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to reply to this, sorry.
DeleteI tasted a lot of berries. It appears that these black raspberries are very productive. The taste is very different to red raspberries. They are sweet, and taste...um...different to anything I have eaten. I liked them. Sorry that my description is not useful!
They produced a lot of berries and I wasn't able to eat them all so I saved a bunch of seeds. I need to cold wet stratify these and try to germinate them.
Hi DB, I have been searching for black raspberries for some time now, somehow have stumbled across this forum.
DeleteWould you be interested in helping a fellow gardener either with some information on how to grow or possibly selling a couple of established seedlings? Joel, Melbourne Thankyou
Where are you located and are you selling seedlings?
ReplyDeleteHi there,
DeleteI am located in NSW. I have some seeds cold wet stratifying at the moment. Once the seedlings are large enough I plan to list them through my for sale page: http://living-mudflower.blogspot.com/2013/05/perennial-annual-vegetables-for-sale-in.html This probably won't be until late winter/early spring.