Overview

Experience the joy of growing your own delicious fruit with this Navaho blackberry live plant starter plug. The ‘Navaho’ variety (scientific name: Rubus fruticosus ‘Navaho’) is a highly sought-after thornless blackberry cultivar, celebrated for its exceptional sweetness and firm texture. Developed by the University of Arkansas, it was a groundbreaking introduction as the world’s first thornless blackberry with a naturally erect and self-supporting growth habit. This means you can enjoy a heavy crop of berries late in the summer season without the hassle of trellises in many cases, making it a perfect choice for both experienced gardeners and beginners alike. This starter plug provides a healthy foundation for establishing a productive and beautiful thornless blackberry plant in your home garden.

The Rubus Navaho is a popular, low-maintenance option that brings both ornamental value and a bountiful harvest. Its vigorous growth and delicious fruit make it a rewarding addition to any edible landscape or backyard orchard. Get ready to pick your own exceptionally sweet blackberry fruit right from your garden.

Key Benefits

Adding a Navaho blackberry live plant to your garden offers numerous advantages, from fresh produce to aesthetic appeal. This particular variety stands out for its ease of care and abundant yield.

• Delicious & Abundant Fruit: Enjoy a heavy crop of exceptionally sweet, firm, and flavorful blackberries late in the summer, perfect for fresh eating, baking, jams, and jellies. This sweet blackberry fruit is a true summer delight.
• Thornless Canes: The thornless nature of the ‘Navaho’ makes harvesting a pleasure, eliminating painful pricks and making maintenance much easier compared to thorny varieties.
• Erect & Self-Supporting Growth: Unlike many other blackberry varieties, the erect blackberry ‘Navaho’ has a naturally upright habit, often requiring no trellising, saving you time and effort in garden setup and maintenance.
• Low Maintenance: This cultivar is known for being low-maintenance, adapting well to various conditions once established, making it suitable for gardeners of all skill levels.
• University of Arkansas Development: Benefit from a high-quality, scientifically developed cultivar known for its superior traits and reliability.
• Versatile Use: Perfect for edible landscapes, container gardening (with proper care), or traditional garden rows, providing fresh fruit for your family.
• Vigorous Growth: The starter plug will quickly establish, leading to a productive plant in a relatively short period, offering a satisfying yield of Navaho blackberry live plant berries.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Navaho blackberry live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest of delicious fruit. These plants thrive in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal fruit production and plant health. While they are adaptable, planting in a location with good air circulation also helps prevent fungal diseases. When it comes to watering, consistent moisture is key, especially during flowering and fruiting periods. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Ensure the soil is well-draining to prevent root rot, as blackberries do not like soggy feet.

The ideal soil type for your thornless blackberry plant is a well-draining, slightly acidic loam with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter like compost to improve drainage and fertility. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced granular fertilizer or a fertilizer formulated for berries, following package instructions. Pruning is essential for productivity; after harvest, remove canes that have fruited (floricanes) at ground level, as well as any weak or diseased canes. Keep only the strongest new canes (primocanes) for the following year’s crop. The ‘Navaho’ blackberry is generally hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. Protect young plants from extreme winter cold in colder zones with mulch or row covers. Common problems like anthracnose or rust can be managed with proper air circulation, sanitation, and, if necessary, appropriate fungicides. Monitoring for pests like spotted wing drosophila is also important to protect your sweet blackberry fruit harvest.

Size & Details

This offering is for one Navaho blackberry live plant provided as a healthy starter plug. A starter plug typically features a well-developed root system, ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container. The exact size of the plug can vary, but it will be a viable young plant poised for growth. Navaho blackberries are known for their erect habit, typically reaching a mature height of 3-6 feet and a spread of 3-4 feet. They are considered a moderate to fast grower once established. Expect to see fruit production within 1-2 years after planting, with full maturity and peak yields in subsequent years. This variety ships as a young, actively growing plant, ensuring it arrives ready to thrive in its new home and produce delicious Rubus Navaho berries.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Navaho blackberry live plant typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall with a spread of 3 to 4 feet. Its erect habit often means it doesn’t require trellising.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This product is a starter plug, which is a small, well-rooted young plant, ready for transplanting into a larger pot or directly into your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The thornless blackberry plant ‘Navaho’ is an outdoor fruit-bearing shrub, best suited for garden beds, edible landscapes, or large outdoor containers in appropriate climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal growth and fruit production, this plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Navaho blackberry live plant is considered low-maintenance, especially due to its thornless and erect growth habit, making it a great choice for beginners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your Rubus Navaho starter plug will arrive as a healthy, live young plant with a developed root system, carefully packaged to ensure its safe journey.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: Spring is generally the best time to plant your Navaho blackberry starter plug, after the last frost, to allow it ample time to establish before summer heat or winter cold.
• Q: Can I grow this thornless blackberry plant in a container? A: Yes, you can grow the ‘Navaho’ in a large container (at least 15-20 gallons) with good drainage, ensuring consistent watering and feeding.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Navaho blackberry is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. In colder zones, some winter protection like mulching may be beneficial.
• Q: How long until it produces sweet blackberry fruit? A: You can typically expect your Navaho blackberry live plant to begin producing fruit within 1-2 years after planting, with larger harvests in subsequent years.