Osage
Date: 2020-08-17, updated: 2023-03-29
Erect-growing, high-quality, early-ripening productive floricane-fruiting blackberry cultivar with long fruiting period
Rubus subgenus Rubus Watson 'Osage'
Originated from a cross of A-1719T x A-2108T
Variety denomination 'Osage', tested as A-2362
Plants are thornless
Bushes have erect canes
Fruit weight is 5 g
Berries have a rounded shape
Soluble solids - 10.3%
Acidity - 0.46%
Fruiting habit floricane fruiting (summer-bearing)
Flowering on floricanes starts in the first week of May
Ripening date (regular) - third week of June
Productivity is 3 kg per plant
Cold hardiness is moderate
Country of origin United States
Patent US PP26,120 P3 dated November 22, 2015
Current status - modern or widely used
Overall, Osage appears similar in hardiness to most of the other Arkansas developed cultivars such as Ouachita and Navaho (minus 13 C). Blackberry Osage is expected to perform well in areas where Apache, Arapaho, Ouachita, Natchez or Navaho is adapted.
Main features | Variety | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Osage | Apache | Natchez | Ouachita | |
Flowering date | ||||
10% bloom | April 26 | May 3 | April 20 | April 30 |
50% bloom | May 2 | May 8 | April 29 | May 6 |
Harvest date | ||||
First | June 10 | June 18 | June 5 | June 13 |
Peak | June 26 | July 6 | June 17 | June 29 |
Last | July 24 | August 9 | July 15 | July 27 |
Berry weight, 1 pcs | ||||
First | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 5.1 |
Peak | 5.6 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 5.8 |
Last | 4.0 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 4.0 |
How to cultivate blackberry Osage?
2. Include annual spring nitrogen fertilization (about 56 kg/ha) using ammonium nitrate NH4NO3;
3. Summer tipping of primocanes at 1.1 m;
4. Sprinkler irrigation apply as needed;
5. Use dormant pruning;
6. A single application of liquid lime sulfur (94 L/ha) each spring at budbreak for control of anthracnose;
7. A single application of liquid ferrous sulphate each fall after the plants have gone into chill;
8. Plant spacing at least 0.6 m.
Useful Growing Guides:
Reviews of the variety Osage
I ordered two Osage Blackberry plants last year, around late July, as tissue culture plugs and finally planted them in the ground in late August. Going into last winter I had about 1ft of cane growth on each. The young plants were covered with pine straw and made it through the cold winter uninjured. This year their growth has been vigorous, more so than the Ouachita of which that they are often compared. I pruned the plants to maintain a 4ft height, so they expanded outwards in response to the pruning, so they are quite wide (about 5-6ft). My Ouachita, which are allowed to grow to 5ft unpruned, tend to not be wider than 3ft in diameter and make a nice hedge.
From that 1 ft cane, I had several 3ft long fruiting laterals grow out and 20-30 berries to sample. Fruit size is smaller than Ouachita, in the 6-8 gram range; the berries tend to be round or at least rounder than Ouachita. The flavor is sweeter, when ripe, than Ouachita but not as full flavored as Triple Crown. You do have to wait a day or two from the black color stage for the sweetness whereas Triple Crown can be tolerable to eat just as it turns black. Ouachita always requires several days after turning black to arrive at mild sweetness. I would recommend it as a thornless blackberry option but make sure you give it at least 3ft between plants.
I'm including a picture of some of its fruit late in the year (Sept.)