Gaj blackberry variety

Gaj is thornless erect blackberry cultivar from Experimental Station Of The Institute Of Horticulture, Brzezna, Poland. Gaj is extremely vigorous plant without root canes. Stems are thick and strong, up to 3,5 m in length and up to 25 mm in diameter, fully thornless. New canes are bright green in color, but soon become hardwood. Strongly recommended to lay the canes on the trellis timely for prevent canes damage. Laterals usually are short. First ripen berries appear at the end of July. The harvest season continues up to the end of August, but typically all plants starts and finishes fruiting at the same time (2-3 weeks).  Berries of Gaj cultivar are large in their size, saturated glossy black in color and have oval shape. Taste is sweet with notable acid. Average berry weight is about 8 g. Yield is high, about 8 kg from plant. Blackberry Gaj has good winter hardiness up to -30 C. In south region there is no necessity to use winter shelters. But it is recommended to use light covers like nonwoven materials. Cultivar is very tolerate to bacterial diseases like anthracnose and grey mold. In some trials a fruits injury was observed during high summer temperatures.