Illinois Blackberry Seeds

Currently unavailable :Durable, Hardy and Delicious Blackberry

Most of the blackberry cultivars are just not hardy enough. Part of the problem lies in the fact that all commercial blackberries are grown in warmer climates and the breeding efforts have focused on thornless plants and adaptation to warmer climates.   Illinois solves this problem from seed. By using selected seedlings from other varieties we were able to create a strain of hardy blackberry fully hardy in our zone 5.  This selection will spread by underground stolons but very slowly if at all.  Height is short reaching 3-4 ft. at tops. Plants will naturally regenerate from the base as well as root cuttings and will replenish the canes as the naturally die out after production for 2-3 years.   Thorns are prevalent on the canes making picking a bit tricky. But yields are good even in part shade of the walnuts we have them under. No apparent disease or insects issues. 

Further selection is being done with this strain to produce higher yields as well as finding individual plants that could be cloned if way out side of the box in terms of yield. A few plants have been found that are related to dewberry that look promising. For now only the seeds are available. Named blackberry varieties can be expensive and this from seed selection may prove to be a good choice for agroforestry applications or large scale permaculture plantings.

To germinate the seeds: Seeds sprout after two cold dormancy periods.  Cold stratify 90-120 days and then put at room temperature. Some seeds may sprout the first warm period. OR    Plant in a propagation tray lightly sprinkling sand on top of the seeds to hold them in place. Water in and pack them in the top 1/8 inch of the soil. It takes a couple of cycles for the seed coat to break down by the bacterial action of the soil. I use a peat based soil mix with good drainage.