gtarman Posted December 18, 2015 Hey all. So I don't often see blackberries growing wild in the subtropics...actually I can't recall ever seeing that. But I'm thinking of trying to grow a thornless blackberry here, and I just thought I'd ask the SAB brains trust if anyone has done that or knows how they do in a humid subtropical climate before I blow $20 on a plant. So has anyone grown it in the subtrops or know anything about how it would go? Cheers, Gman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pinegapcontrol Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) all I can add man is I worked on a berry/cherry farm for 18 months, they knew a grower in coffs harbour but it was all in green houses, done hydroponically. im not sure if it was climate controlled or not. EDIT, where I worked was in outer east melbourne Edited December 18, 2015 by pinegapcontrol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted December 18, 2015 From the bits and pieces I can find it sounds like the common blackberry needs cooler winters than we get in the subtropics and can have problems with rot and stuff, although apparently a type of blackberry called "keriberry" has been bred for warmer areas like mine. Just seems impossible to track down a cutting of it. Guess I can opt for a dwarf mulberry in a pot, or apparently loganberries also grow well here. Just trying to get some antioxidants out in the garden. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Berengar Posted December 18, 2015 What type of subtropical climate do you live in? I live on the edge of subtropical (Mediterranean) climate, hot, dry summers, wet winters with temperatures around 5 C, with a few colder nights, and thorny blackberry is native here, grows everywhere and is practically impossible to kill. Raspberries and thornless blackberry cultivars on the other hand struggle, they do usually survive but do not produce well at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wocket Posted December 18, 2015 I'm also in a subtropical climate and we too have invasive native blackberry/dewberry species, also several bred just for the climate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted December 19, 2015 I didn't know there were different types of the subtropical type lol. Yeah it doesn't get that cold where I am...doesn't go below 13 degrees often here in "winter". And summers are humid as f*ck. Might just be the wrong conditions. Also I probably wouldn't want to plant the thorny kind...I doubt I'd be very popular with my neighbours or the council even if it did survive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wocket Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) My Köppen climate classification is Cfa, if that helps, humid subtropical. Orange rust is usually the biggest problem here with all the humidity. As long as your neighbors don't fall into it, thorns shouldn't be a problem You could try blueberries? Mine mostly just worry about all the cacti. Edited December 19, 2015 by Wocket Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted December 19, 2015 rust diseases would be the issue 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted December 19, 2015 I spent about 5 years when I first moved to the subtropics trying to grow various strains of berry I picked up retail That was a long time ago, but my advice is don't bother. They were a PITA to keep alive, and that's despite getting a few frosts here every winter. Stick with berries which will grow in the subtropics. Atherton raspberry is one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_probus They aren't as sweet as the European species but there are occasionally commercial cvs available which are def sweeter- check your local native plant specialist After a few years foraging the local ones here I gave in and just transplanted some young plants I found on my walks to my garden They're great foraging, low on thorny, and robust 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shonman Posted December 20, 2015 (edited) mold can be a problem some times of year even where they do grow Edited December 20, 2015 by shonman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starling Posted December 26, 2015 (edited) I recommend youngberry. Not as sweet as blackberry, but massively prolific and very tough. Reliable in the subs. Atherton raspberry is good, I actually prefer them to normal raspberries. Do not ever plant any rubus in the ground. Once they take off, keeping them under control is a nightmare, and the only way to get rid of them is to use genus specific poisons, not even glyphosate will do the job once when they go proper feral. Grow in pots/raised beds against a trellis. Prune every year keeping only three of the largest, thickest shoots. Edited December 26, 2015 by starling Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
