5 Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry Live Plant Starter Plugs – Everbearing Rubus

Overview

Bring the joy of fresh, homegrown berries to your garden with the Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant. This outstanding variety, developed by the University of Arkansas, is renowned for its high yields and unique primocane-fruiting habit, meaning it produces fruit on first-year canes. Unlike traditional blackberries, the everbearing blackberry ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ offers an extended harvest season, providing delicious berries twice a year. Gardeners can look forward to a summer crop from floricanes (second-year canes) and a late-season crop from primocanes (first-year canes). This versatility makes it an excellent choice for maximizing your berry production and enjoying fresh fruit over a longer period. Each starter plug provides a strong foundation for a robust and productive plant, ensuring a successful growing experience for both novice and experienced gardeners.

The ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ is a particularly vigorous and rewarding Rubus Ark Horizon variety, known for its adaptability and consistent performance. Its ability to produce fruit on primocanes sets it apart, allowing for a more flexible and extended harvesting window. Imagine picking sweet, juicy blackberries from late summer into fall, long after other varieties have finished. This makes the Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant a highly sought-after addition to any edible landscape or home orchard.

Key Benefits

The Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant offers a multitude of advantages for the home gardener, ensuring a rewarding and delicious experience. From its prolific fruiting to its adaptable nature, these plants are designed to deliver:

• Extended Harvest Season: Enjoy fresh blackberries for a longer period due to its primocane-fruiting nature, yielding both summer and late-season crops. This everbearing characteristic ensures a continuous supply of fruit.
• High Yielding: This variety is known for its abundant production, providing a generous harvest of berries from each plant. More berries mean more for fresh eating, baking, and preserving.
• Large, Firm Berries: The ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ produces impressively sized berries, averaging 7.8g, with some reaching up to 10-15g. These berries are not only large but also firm, making them ideal for handling, shipping, and extended shelf life.
• Excellent Flavor Profile: These blackberries boast a delicious, classic blackberry taste, perfect for eating fresh off the vine, in pies, jams, or smoothies. The quality of the fruit is a hallmark of the Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant.
• Adaptable Growth: Well-suited for USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9, this everbearing blackberry variety thrives in various climates, particularly successful in the mid to upper South, demonstrating robust growth and resilience.
• Vigorous Starter Plugs: Each plug provides a healthy, established young plant, ready to be transplanted and quickly grow into a productive bush. This jump-starts your garden success.
• Home Garden Friendly: Ideal for backyard growers, these plants offer a sustainable source of fresh, organic fruit with relatively easy care requirements, making them a fantastic addition to any home garden.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful harvest with proper attention. These plants thrive in conditions that mimic their natural habitat. For optimal growth and fruit production, select a site that receives full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Adequate sunlight is crucial for fruit development and sweetness. While they are adaptable, a well-drained, fertile soil is paramount. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter like compost or aged manure to improve drainage and nutrient content. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-6.5) is generally preferred for this everbearing blackberry.

Watering is essential, especially during dry spells and when fruits are developing. Blackberries require consistent moisture, so aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Avoid overhead watering if possible to reduce the risk of fungal diseases; drip irrigation or soaker hoses are ideal. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced fertilizer, or one slightly higher in phosphorus and potassium to encourage flowering and fruiting. Pruning is key for primocane-fruiting varieties like the ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’. After the primocane crop, cut back the canes that have fruited to the ground. For floricanes, prune them back after they have produced their summer crop. This annual pruning encourages new growth and maintains plant vigor, contributing to a healthy and productive large blackberry fruit yield.

Protecting your plants from pests and diseases involves good garden hygiene and regular inspection. Common issues can include cane blights or fruit worms, though ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ is generally considered robust. In colder regions within its hardiness zone, providing winter protection, such as mulching or covering, might be beneficial, especially for young plants. Ensure proper air circulation around the plants to prevent fungal problems. With these care tips, your primocane fruiting blackberry plants will flourish and provide you with delicious berries for years to come.

Size & Details

You will receive 5 Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant starter plugs, each a healthy and vigorous young plant ready for transplanting into your garden or larger containers. These plugs are carefully cultivated to ensure strong root development, providing the best possible start for your future berry bushes. The ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ is a moderately sized blackberry bush, typically reaching heights of 4-6 feet and a similar spread once mature, making it manageable for most home garden spaces. Its upright growth habit can benefit from trellising or support, especially when laden with its abundant large blackberry fruit.

These everbearing blackberry plants are known for their relatively fast growth rate, allowing you to enjoy your first primocane crop within the first year of planting under ideal conditions. The extended harvest season means you’ll be picking berries from early summer through late fall. Each plug represents the potential for a thriving bush that will produce for many seasons with proper care. Plant soon after arrival to ensure successful establishment and rapid growth for your new Rubus Ark Horizon plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plants get? A: The ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ blackberry typically grows to a height of 4-6 feet and can spread similarly. Providing support or trellising can help manage its upright growth habit and support the heavy fruit load.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant is an outdoor plant, best suited for garden beds or large outdoor containers where it can receive full sun exposure and establish a strong root system. It thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9.
• Q: How much sunlight does this everbearing blackberry need? A: For optimal fruit production and plant health, the ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. More sun generally leads to sweeter and more abundant berries.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the primocane fruiting blackberry ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ is considered relatively easy to care for, especially for gardeners within its recommended hardiness zones. Basic care involves proper watering, annual pruning, and adequate sunlight.
• Q: What condition will the starter plugs arrive in? A: Your Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant starter plugs will arrive as healthy, established young plants, carefully packaged to ensure their safe journey. They will be ready for immediate transplanting upon arrival.
• Q: How long until it produces large blackberry fruit? A: Being a primocane-fruiting variety, you can often expect your first late-season crop of large blackberry fruit from the ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ within the first year of planting, with a larger floricane crop in the second year.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9. If you are in Zone 6, some winter protection like mulching may be beneficial, especially for young plants, to ensure survival and vigor.
• Q: What is a primocane-fruiting blackberry? A: A primocane-fruiting blackberry, like the ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’, produces fruit on canes that grew in the current year (primocanes), as opposed to traditional varieties that only fruit on second-year canes (floricanes). This allows for an extended and often earlier harvest.
• Q: Can I grow this in a container? A: While primarily an in-ground plant, the everbearing blackberry ‘Prime-Ark Horizon’ can be grown in very large containers (e.g., 20-gallon or larger) with excellent drainage. Container-grown plants may require more frequent watering and feeding.
• Q: How often should I water my Prime-Ark Horizon Blackberry live plant? A: During the growing season, especially when establishing and fruiting, aim for about 1 inch of water per week. Adjust based on rainfall, soil type, and temperature, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not waterlogged.