PI553322 Chester Thornless
I received PI553322 on 9/8/14. This variety came from Illinois in 1985 and is called Chester Thornless (blackberry). It was received as a cutting that I put rooting gel on and planted into a pot in the house, as the weather is getting colder quickly now.
The photo above was taken on Thanksgiving Day (11/27/14). It now has multiple leaves growing from the branch nodules. It is just starting to grow from the top now as well. It does not seem to be effected yet by the aphids that have infested my indoor garden. I'm hoping these two will survive the winter indoors under the grow light so that I can plant them outside in the spring.
After suffering some kind of problem (believed to be spider mites) in late November and early December that killed off the leaves, I had thought that this plant was dead. As of January 21, 2015, new leaves are starting to grow at the stem nodules. I have watered it from the bottom with fish tank water (for better nutrients) and moved the plant to a closer light in a warmer room.
After two treatments with alcohol and water, followed immediately by a soap-based spider mite spray, the two Chester Thornless blackberry cuttings have made a full recovery. They continue to get water from the fish tank for added nutrients. The photo above was taken on February 12, 2015. It has more leaves now than it had originally before it was effected by spider mites.