Blackberry varieties /

Osage blackberry variety

Rating [ 4.8 ]

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

Fruiting habit - floricane fruiting (summer-bearing)

Begins to bloom in the fourth week of April

Harvest season starts in the second week of June

Productivity is 3 kg per plant

Soluble solids - 10.3%

Acidity - 0.46%

Cold hardiness is moderate

Heat tolerance is moderate

Country of origin - United States

Patent US PP26,120 P3 dated November 22, 2015

Current status - cultivated (actual)

Osage is the thirteenth release in a series of erect-growing, high-quality, productive floricane-fruiting blackberry cultivars developed by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. An enhanced effort in the improvement of flavor in blackberries has been underway in the Arkansas program for a number of years, and Osage was developed with the intention of advancing flavor to a higher level in a thornless blackberry cultivar. Osage ripens mid-early, slightly before Ouachita and just after Natchez. Osage produces medium-sized berries, smaller than that of Natchez but comparable to that of Ouachita. Osage has excellent postharvest quality for the shipping market in addition to local market use. Canes of Osage are thornless and erect, up to 1.5 m in height. Vigor rating is good and slightly higher than Natchez, Ouachita and Prime-Ark 45. The beginning of bloom is the end of April. First harvest date is the beginning of June. Average berry weight is about 5 g. Average yield is 3 kg per plant. Fruits of blackberry cultivar Osage are round and similar in shape to Ouachita. Berries of Osage are glossy with a uniform black finish. Winter-hardiness can be one of the more important characteristics of successful blackberry cultivars, particularly in colder climates or in severe winters.
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.

Table 1. Сomparison table of Osage, Ouachita, Natchez and Apache blackberries at the University of Arkansas Fruit Research Station, Clarksville for a 3-years replicated trials
Main features	Variety
Main features	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?

1. Include annual preemergence and postemergence herbicide applications;
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.

What diseases is blackberry Osage resistant to?

Osage has very good resistance to diseases such as Anthracnose, Crown Gall, Verticillium Wilt

What diseases is blackberry variety Osage vulnerable to?

Osage is quite prone to diseases such as Grey Mold, Fire blight

Download Osage patent US00PP26120P3

Useful Growing Guides:

1

Berry Soil and Nutrient Management – A Guide for Educators and Growers. M. Pritts, C. Heidenreich, L. McDermott, and J. Miller; Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

2

Caneberries Nutrient Management Guide. J. Hart, B. Strik, and H. Rempel; Oregon State University

3

Blackberry cultivars comparison table (2021). Compiled by myblackberryplants.com

4

High Tunnel Raspberries and Blackberries. AJ Both, Kathy Demchak, Eric Hanson, Cathy Heidenreich, Greg Loeb, Laura McDermott, Marvin Pritts, and Courtney Weber; Cornell Cooperative Extension

5

Raspberry and Blackberry Production Guide. L. Bushway, M. Pritts, D. Handley; Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service Cooperative Extension, Ithaca

6

Growing blackberries in your home garden. B. Strik, E. Dixon, A.J. Detweiler and N. Sanchez; Oregon State University Extension Service

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Reviews of the variety Osage

Review from [SHARON SHORT ORCHIDS AND GARDEN]

Osage BlackBerry bush, first fruit of the season.

Review from [EKLAND MARKETING CO. - EMCO CAL]

EMCO CAL - Osage Blackberry Variety

Review from [ARKAGRESEARCH]

Review from [JTBURTON-GW]

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.)

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