Citrus Growers Forum

gary27 · Joined: 05 Dec 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Baton Rouge, La

I bought a couple of Kiowa Blackberry plants, and am pleasantly surprized. The plants are hardy, love full sun (thats saying something in Louisiana) prolific, very easy to grow, and the fruit are huge. The only problem is that the mockingbirds love them..........Gary

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Gary

David · Posted: Sat 16 May, 2009 1:38 pm

Yes they do and not only them but birds of all sorts.....racoons and possums....................I have Brazos right now but I have a friend that is going to give me a start of the Kiowa and I will get them planted. The only way I know of to cure the bird damage is called "pellet gun guard" Its a Benjamine pump that can be pumped up just enough to do the trick and not make a ton of noise. Netting can be employed but it is a pain. I have triend plastic owls and plastic snakes and they will work for a few days but soon the devils find out that they have been made fools of and renew their raids.........good luck Gary. David

mrtexas · Posted: Sat 16 May, 2009 3:43 pm

I'm 150 miles west of you in Beaumont. Roseboro out produced Kiowa by 5 or 10 to one in my garden

buddinman · Posted: Tue 19 May, 2009 12:05 pm

I have a good friend about 10 miles North of where I live. Kiowas has out produced all the varieteis that he has tried. He sell different fruit including blackberries. He has several acres under production and is not limited to a back yard with a few plants.

David · Posted: Tue 19 May, 2009 5:35 pm

I hear that Bonnie. I hear that Kiowa is the best all around berry. Big and juicy and black. Easy to grow and need a minimum of attention. I am waiting for my start of Kiowa.........Here in Louisiana the Brazos has done a fine job but I want more fruit and bigger so I shall try Kiowa........David

morphinelover · Posted: Tue 19 May, 2009 9:49 pm

I have triple crown and ouachita here. Both thornless. The thorns don't bother me on some of the other varieties but my two little nieces don't care for them so that is why I mostly grow the thornless kind. Arkansas University has a new thornless (Natchez) that is supposed to be the earliest of all thos varieties and very good too. http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/fruits_nuts/Blackberries/default.htm#Arkansas%20Varieties
Another good cultivar (Chesapeake) released by Harry J. Swartz at University of Maryland but it is thorny. http://www.stokesberryfarm.com/A55969/stokes.nsf/Nursery!OpenPage
Most people don't know it but the blackberry cultivars that we are talking about here are made up of a very complex variety of rubus species. They are based mainly on the eastern erect blackberry species rubus argutus and rubus allegheniensis but has numerous other rubus species mainly from eastern north america but some parentage from Europe and believe it or not they have Rubus strigosus (American raspberry) in there parentage that came from Brazos which has alot of it in its heritage.

buddinman · Posted: Wed 20 May, 2009 9:27 am

Several years ago i was a judging at the fruit and vegetable show at Orange TX. There was an older gentleman that brought Kiowa blackberries that were best of the show. He was scratched from wrist to shoulder from picking the berries. The berries were really great.

David · Posted: Wed 20 May, 2009 10:21 am

Hi Bonnie
From what I can tell.....Kiowa is the best tasting and the most prolific according to most growers. It is not thornless but it does not have the profusion of thorns that a lot of black berries have. I dont mind the thorns ..........they are worth the good taste and prolific bearing tendencies of the Kiowa..........David

mrtexas · Posted: Sat 23 May, 2009 5:25 pm

Excuse me, I stand corrected, Kiowa is way better than Roseboro. How silly of me to have an opinion different than Bonnie Childers, I must be wrong. After all I only have a few plants in my back yard having grown them personally for the last 15 years vs a friend of Bonnie with acres of them.

David · Posted: Sun 24 May, 2009 6:20 pm

That was a nasty remark Mr. Texas....................I saw nothing wrong with Bonnie and his opinion...................I am not going to get involved in any nasty remarks.........................sorry you feel that way. David

morphinelover · Posted: Sun 24 May, 2009 11:38 pm

mrtexas wrote:

Excuse me, I stand corrected, Kiowa is way better than Roseboro. How silly of me to have an opinion different than Bonnie Childers, I must be wrong. After all I only have a few plants in my back yard having grown them personally for the last 15 years vs a friend of Bonnie with acres of them.

BOOOOOOO

karpes · Posted: Tue 26 May, 2009 10:59 pm

Dont you have to be a certain distance from native black berries so that they dont cross pollinate? I have tree lines full of native berries so trying these varieties may not work for me.
What do you think?
Karl

morphinelover · Posted: Wed 27 May, 2009 2:25 am

karpes wrote:

Dont you have to be a certain distance from native black berries so that they dont cross pollinate? I have tree lines full of native berries so trying these varieties may not work for me.
What do you think?
Karl

No, it doesn't matter what you have planted beside them on the basis of cross polination. Corn is the only thing that i can think of right now that once pollinated by a variety besides itself destinguises what its going to taste like because the part you are eating on the corn is the seeds. When most fruit is cross pollinated (sexual reproduction) by a different variety its not going to matter what it is going to taste like, the only thing it will determine is the characteristics of the plant that comes from when you plant the seed. That is why you have to plant different cultivars of corn a good distance away from other cultivars or they will cross pollinate and most if not all the little kernals on the cob will be different than the cultivar you bought because they are seeds. Just remember, cross pollination changes seed characteristics not the fruit and corn kernels (edible part) is a seed. Got it. I hope that explains things so that some understand. I'm not good at explaining.

karpes · Posted: Fri 29 May, 2009 9:13 pm

Thanks for clearing up the pollination thing. What is the spacing for the Kiowa and does it really not need a trellis?
Karl

buddinman · Posted: Sat 30 May, 2009 1:46 pm

I just returned from Sztraky farm at just North of Silsbee TX. They are selling very nice Kiowa blackberries, u-pick $2.50 a pound or they pick $4.50 a pound. They are large and very sweet. There were several people picking their own plus buying the ones that were already picked