After obtaining our propagations, you will discover they have a massive root structure, much more dense than what you will normally find at the big box or hardware stores. The variety we grow1 is well adapted to the Ozarks soil and weather patterns.
You should do a little planning before putting your plant into the ground. Things to consider are:
- Soil
- Location
- Trellising
Although blackberries will grow in just about any soil, it is beneficial to provide soil that is in the 5.5 to 6.5 pH range2.
I have found that a good rule of thumb is: If there is more grass than weeds growing where you want to plant your blackberries, the pH is good enough for them.
The general consensus is that all blackberries need full sun. Anyone who has hiked through the Ozark woods knows this is not true of some blackberries. There are "thorned" blackberries growing all through the heavily forested ozarks.
The main variety we grow for propagation seem to flourish in the morning and early afternoon sun and in the shade from tall oak trees that significantly filter the late afternoon heat. It seems like a beneficial environment. During the early spring the leafless oaks allow the warm late afternoon sun to extend the warming time for the vines which are trying to push out their new growth. In the intense heat of the summer the leaves of the oaks provide shade for the developing berries. This helps mitigate the loss of juice in the berries in the afternoon.
Our propagated plants love to be trellised.