Easy access
The canes have no thorns, making tying and picking much more comfortable.
Rubus ‘Black Satin’ 13cm
Normal price
€10,00
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The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Rubus ‘Black Satin’
Pick with bare hands and eat with a smile. No scratches, no pain, just fruit 👐
- Completely thornless canes
- Large glossy fruit
- Harvest July–September
- Vigorous growth 2–3m
Rubus ‘Black Satin’ fills summer with glossy blackberries and asks for no gloves before you enjoy them. Long thornless canes spread neatly over wires and produce generous fruiting laterals for fresh picking, desserts and homemade preserves. With proper support it becomes a striking edible screen that offers shade, privacy and fruit on the same structure.
Long canes show their best outline when spread along horizontal wires. This year’s fresh growth can be trained separately from the canes carrying fruit, keeping the crop visible and easy to reach. A fence then gains seasonal greenery, small pale flowers and, finally, glossy dark blackberries.
What makes it special
‘Black Satin’ combines genuinely thornless canes, a strong semi-erect framework and a long season of black fruit.
Edible screen
Long flexible canes readily cover a fence or three wires without severe clipping.
Prolonged ripening
Clusters do not ripen all at once, allowing frequent picking from summer into early autumn.
Why you will love it: It is the blackberry for anyone wanting generous quantities, easy access and an attractive living screen.
In the garden & on the terracePositioning & plant combinationsA firm trellis or fence with three wires, in sun and with room to separate new from fruiting canes.
Ideal position
Give it 2–3m of length on a strong structure and at least 1.5m from the next plant. Late-afternoon shade helps in very hot regions.
Compatible combinations
Resilient perennials in the outer zone cover the soil without obstructing annual cane replacement.
- Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’ — Late pink heads continue the display beside the final black fruit.
- Stachys byzantina — Soft silver foliage creates low contrast and tolerates the drier outer edge.
- Echinacea purpurea — Firm flower heads attract insects and stay clear of the new-cane zone.
Care at a glance
Light
Sun or bright partial shade; afternoon shade during heatwaves.
Water
Even moisture through flowering and harvest, without standing water.
Climate & hardiness
Good winter hardiness in a sheltered position; in very cold regions tie canes lower for protection.
Safety
Wash fully ripe fruit before eating.
Detailed careComplete care guideSoil, watering, support, feeding and cultivar-specific prevention.
Soil & roots
Plant in deep, humus-rich soil that drains freely yet stays cool. The shallow roots respond very well to a 5–7cm organic mulch kept clear of the canes.
Watering
Water deeply when the top few centimetres of soil dry. Maintain even moisture from flowering to the end of harvest, as sharp fluctuations affect fruit size and firmness.
Support
Use three strong wires at 60, 120 and 180cm and train by direction: fruiting canes right, new canes left.
Feeding
In early spring add mature compost and a balanced fruit-plant feed according to its label. Avoid excess nitrogen, which produces soft, overlong canes.
Summer care
Keep the root zone cool, remove weeds by hand and pick ripe fruit frequently. Light afternoon shade helps during heatwaves.
Prevent problems
Remove spent canes promptly, tie new growth with space and pick every two days so overripe fruit does not remain.
From flower to basketFruiting & harvestSimple guidance on pollination, ripening, picking and protecting the crop.
Pollination
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Abundant insect activity helps each fruit fill evenly.
When it ripens
Harvest usually begins during July and continues in waves into September.
How to harvest
Wait until fruit is evenly black, glossy and slightly soft. Lift it upwards without squeezing it.
Fruit protection
Stretch netting in front of the row on separate supports and open it like a curtain for daily access.
After planting: keep 3–4 strong canes, train them onto wires and water evenly while the perennial root framework establishes.
Clear pruning planHow to prune this fruiting plantImmediately after harvest · tidying in late winter
When to prune
Immediately after harvest · tidying in late winter
‘Black Satin’ fruits on laterals carried by previous-year canes. Each cane crops once and is then removed completely, while current thornless canes are tied separately for the following season.
01
Build
Young semi-erect canes
Action: Choose 4–6 strong canes and bend them gradually along the first and second wires without a sharp kink.
Retain: Keep all healthy length and remove only thin surplus shoots.
02
Train
Split sides
Action: Place fruiting previous-year canes on one side and new canes on the other. Shorten only overlong laterals obstructing the path.
Retain: Keep flowering canes intact and a clear gap between the two ages.
03
Renew
After harvest
Action: Trace every brown fruited cane to the crown and cut it 3–5cm above soil. Move green new canes into its place.
Retain: Keep 4–6 young thornless canes in a clear fan.
New / productive — retainOlder canes or stemsCut pointRemoved growth
Clean tools
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Late winter
Remove only damaged tips and renew loose ties. Do not cut healthy previous-year canes again.
Do not do this: Do not confuse green new canes with brown fruited ones; cutting both together removes next year’s crop.
Development over timeHow the plant developsA realistic path from establishment to mature form.
New canes
Strong green canes rise semi-erect and bend gradually onto wires.
Second-year laterals
Previous brown canes fill with short flowering laterals along their length.
Black screen
Large glossy berries hang in waves in front of new green canes.
Mature habit & dimensions
Mature form in 3–4 yearsHeight 1.8–2mSpread 2–3mSemi-erect thornless screen
Long semi-erect canes spread along wires and carry fruiting laterals. Fresh green canes are retained separately for the following year’s crop.
Form through the seasons
New cane year one · fruit year twoThornlessThree wiresTwo-year cane cycle
Fruiting seasonLong semi-erect canes spread along wires and carry fruiting laterals. Fresh green canes are retained separately for the following year’s crop.
Winter · leaflessAfter leaf fall, the crown and woody stems remain. Pruning follows this plant’s specific fruiting cycle.
The studies show habit and seasonal development; growth varies with age, climate and cultivation.
What to expect after planting: Strong green canes rise semi-erect and bend gradually onto wires.
History & originCultivar originAn American thornless cultivar from the USDA breeding programme, released in 1974.
Rubus ‘Black Satin’ originated in the USDA’s American thornless-blackberry breeding programme, with work at Beltsville and Carbondale. The programme developed productive selections combining vigorous growth with canes free of prickles, suitable for training in rows.
‘Black Satin’ was released in 1974, alongside ‘Dirksen Thornless’, as part of that generation of semi-erect thornless blackberries. In gardens it retains the characteristic combination of long canes and fruiting laterals. Prickle-free growth makes picking more comfortable, while support brings order to the vigorous stems.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forBotanical detail behind the plant's appearance and behaviour
One fruit made of many drupelets
Each small glossy unit of a blackberry is a drupelet with its own seed. Many drupelets develop together from one flower, forming the aggregate fruit that we pick.
Floricane cycle
Each cane is biennial: in year one it forms nodes and stores carbohydrates; in year two it activates flowering laterals and then dies. The root system remains perennial.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
01Does it need another plant?
No. It is self-fertile, though abundant insect activity helps each fruit fill evenly.
02How large does it become?
Canes reach about 2–3m long and are trained as a screen 1.8–2m high.
03Is it suitable for a container?
Only in a very large container with a firm trellis and strict separation of new and fruiting canes.
04When is the fruit picked?
From July into September, when fruit is fully black, glossy and slightly soft.
05Does it need support?
Yes. Long semi-erect canes need three strong wires or a firm fence.
06When should it be pruned?
Immediately after harvest cut only the canes that fruited at ground level.
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