Best Blackberry Varieties for the South

Growing up in the south I've always been around many types of blackberries but I've learned a lot about tame, cultivated varieties over the last decade and I hope this helps some one.There are also several new primo-cane fruiting varieties available but Dr. Clark at the University of Arkansas says they don't like high summer heat for primo-cane fruiting, so that would rule them out for me.

[chalisblur]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge from over the years! So valuable!

[dvrmte]

I live in zone 7b of South Carolina. I do use a spray program for my blackberries. I grew for many years without spraying but I was constantly having to replace vines because of crown borers. Cane borers were also a problem. My basic program is to drench the crowns in he Fall or early Spring with Bifenthrin. Just before before bud break I spray with copper fungicide. Just before the blooms open I spray with an insecticide and a fungicide. I will spray a fungicide during bloom if it's rainy. After petal fall I spray again with a fungicide and insecticide. If there's a lot of rain I might spray another fungicide. On late ripening blackberries I usually spray once with organic Spinosad for spotted wing drophilis.
The following are the thornless blackberries I've grown, and opinions, and comments on them:
Osage: My favorite. Productive disease free vines with the best flavor of all. Nice sized berry, not too big. Keeps and holds up well. Flavor was good even during periods of heavy rainfall.
Von: University of NC release. Very good low acid flavor that keeps and holds well. Vine is less vigorous than Osage but is disease free. Flavor holds during heavy rainfall.
Navaho: I grew it when it first was released. It performed great when I didn't spray but had to eventually be pulled because of Orange Rust susceptibility. Spraying helped but I still got some of the rust. Great flavor and good yield.
Sweetie Pie: This one came from the University of Mississippi. It has vigorous, healthy vines, and excellent flavored berries that hold up in rainy weather.
Triple Crown: Almost too vigorous. Flavor depended on the amount of recent rainfall. In drier years the flavor was excellent but tasted like water in others. I grew it without sprays. I pulled the vines.
Apache: Vigorous vines, huge berries and very good flavor. White drupes was why I eventually pulled it. I even tried shade fabric but it only slightly decreased the white drupes. I pulled the vines.
Caddo: I planted one vine last year for trial. I actually harvested on berry from the small floricane I planted. It was good but I'll wait for further comment. It has healthy looking leaves and should produce a decent crop this year.
Prime Ark Freedom: I've grown this primocane producer since it was released. I can harvest berries from late May to December. The first few years it was fantastic. However, after several rainy harvest periods, I'm not impressed with it. I picked 5 gallon buckets full and put them in the compost pile. They were tasteless but Osage, Sweetie Pie, and Von were good. I pulled all but three vines. I keep them because I get berries all the way to late Fall. When there isn't too much rain the berries are huge and very sweet. The flavor isn't complex like Osage, mainly sweet. The primocanes are very susceptible to anthracnose disease. I have to spray them all season with fungicides to prevent it. I might pull the last three because of that.

[irahandwerker]

helpful video as i am about to order blackberries for my home in southweest ga