Stark® Black Gem® Blackberry Plant

Hi Phyllis, This is a great question. Erect varieties should be tipped or cut back to 3-4’ in midsummer. This forces lateral branches to emerge from buds below this point. Later in the fall, after they are dormant, cut back the laterals to 16-18”. Fruit will be borne on these laterals the following summer (after which, the canes should then be removed to make room for next season’s growth). See our growing guide on pruning blackberries for more help. Your planting success is important to us!

No, they are not, relatively speaking. The seed volume of Stark Black Gem is small: 6.2mm compared to Natchez (8.9), Ouachita (7.2) and Prime Ark 45 (8.1).

Hi Peggy, This is a really good question! According to the patent info, the Stark® Black Gem® Blackberry had shown moderate resistance to anthracnose, and no evidence of orange rust disease during trails. No other testing had been done to the best of my knowledge. I hope this is helpful!

This will require approximately 150-300 chill hours.

EIther Arapaho or either of the Prime-Ark varieties would be excellent crop-boosters.

Black Gem grows in a similar fashion as Prime-Ark Freedom, but Black Gem has fewer/smaller seeds and has a very velvety texture. The berries literally melt in your mouth. It is also a fine producer, giving you 11-15 lbs. of fruit per plant per year.

Cell packs are trays split into individual compartments.

This is the perfect sized container for blackberries and to the best of my knowledge, you don't need to put anything extra in the bottom.

You will most likely get less berries this summer. The new canes that grow each year produce your later summer crop. According to many these do best if you cut down the canes at the ground after killing frosts, then allow the new canes to grow in the spring. If you are in a more mild climate, you can leave some of the canes that grew during the summer, but should cut those that have been on the plant for 2 summers. Cutting the canes tip when they reach 5' will give you the best crop according to some videos I have watched. I haven't done that yet, but plan to this year. The berries are wonderful! Hopefully you'll get some new canes still! If you have last years canes still alive, you should get berries from those, but should cut them off after frost this fall.

We would not recommend this blackberry for freezing, as it has a melting quality that makes it superior for fresh eating, but it tends to break down when frozen. If you're going to make jam or preserves out of the frozen berries, it's fine to freeze them.