Description Karaka Black Blackberry Bushes Characteristics of Karaka Black Bushes: Self-fertile. Only mildy thorny. Fruit weight can be up to 11g. Cooks well. Crops continuously for up to 8 weeks, from mid-July through to September. Resistant to grey mould (Botrytis) – this also means that it stores well in the fridge. Growing Karaka Black Blackberry Plants: Because this plant works so hard to make its monster sized fruit, you will get the best from it by planting in a really sunny spot. Spacing: These are not very vigorous plants, so you can get away with planting them only 3’6″ / 1 metre apart. Background Information on Karaka Black Blackberry Bushes: Karaka Black is really a hybrid berry. The parents, Aurora (which is a Rubus ursinus variety, the Pacific blackberry/dewberry) and Comanche, were bred in Oregon and Arkansas respectively, and they were crossed in New Zealand by Harvey Hall at the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research. They were released in the UK in 2003 and have performed well in tests.
