Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Pruning
During the first year, allow Arapaho blackberry plants to produce as much growth as possible without pruning.

Established plants grow new canes while the old canes are fruiting. During the summer, prune off the last few inches of the new canes, leaving them 3 to 3.5 feet tall. This is called “tipping.” Tipping forces the cane to develop lateral shoots from buds near the top portion of the cane. Fruit produced
the following year from pruned canes will be at a convenient height for harvest. The fruits will be larger and of better quality than if canes are not pruned.

While tipping the new canes, cut off old canes that have finished fruiting. Make the pruning cuts down near the crown of the plant and then discard these canes.

New canes that have produced lateral branches after summer pruning should be pruned again in late winter, before new growth begins to emerge. Shorten the lateral branches to about 12 inches in length. Some new canes may need to be completely removed during
the winter so that fruit harvest will be easier the next year. This thinning will also increase air circulation, discouraging disease growth. Leave 3 to 5 canes per linear foot of row on erect varieties. Arapaho is an erect type. Leave 8 to 15 canes of 4 to 8 feet in length on trailing varieties. If there are dead canes which fruited but were not removed during the previous summer, these should be removed at this time.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F
Arapaho is a self-supporting, very erect blackberry plant that ripens earlier than any other thorn-less varieties, during the last of May. The large, firm, sweet and tasty berries are reds and blacks.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Planting
Plant blackberries in a site that provides full sun (a little shade is okay), near a convenient water source, and with good air circulation. Though Arapaho is self-supporting, a great place to plant blackberries is along a fence that will act as support. Blackberries can thrive in most soils, but prefer deep and well-drained soil. They prefer a soil pH somewhere between 5.5 and 6.5 if possible.

If you are planting blackberries in rows till or turn the soil thoroughly mixing in a good amount of organic matter. If you are planting just a few blackberry plants and have purchased them in containers, dig a hole 2 to 3 times the width and a little deeper than the rootball. If your soil is heavy clay or dense soil, add in enough compost to the soil removed from the planting hole to soften it. Set the root ball in the hole and plant with the top edge level with the ground. Backfill with your soil mixture tamping lightly as you go to remove air pockets. Water deeply and apply a 2-inch layer of shredded wood mulch or pine straw around plants to help control weeds and hold in moisture.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Feeding
Blackberries are not heavy feeders and don't require much fertilization. Too much fertilizer, in fact, can burn the shoots or even kill them. I would suggest using a mild organic plant food applied lightly in spring after new growth begins to emerge.

Gardenality.com · Gardenality Genius · Zone 8A · 10° to 15° F · Comment About Problems
Consistently wet soil can cause problems with the roots. If old canes are not removed they can attract borers, which can be problematic.