Deep South Homestead
Deep South Homestead community with Danny and Wanda.
Community Leaders:
- Organized by
-
-
Question on Blackberry bushes?
-
Question on Blackberry bushes?
I would like to know something about pruning blackberry bushes. I have planted 3 thornless bushes now 2 years old. I know, I think, that you are supposed to prune the 3rd year canes. My question would be, do you prune it in the spring of the 3rd year or fall. Or does it matter. Trying to do the right thing in my little 1 acre homestead. 🙂
-
10 Replies
-
I’d like to know that as well, because we are thinking of starting blackberry, raspberry etc. Also, do blackberry’s and raspberry’s send out shoots and suckers that pop out from the ground around them?
-
On the second year of my blackberry, it had a single shoot sprouted up over night and on that first night it grew about seemed like 3 foot, and then all the side shoots come from that. But before that I had several smaller shoots spring up when I first planted last year and the big main one shot up from those. But oh the berries were really sweet this year, not many but sweet. Hoping for a bumper crop next year. That is why I am asking about the pruning.
-
This is MN experience/opinions. Blackberries and raspberries do spread through runners. When you plant them We’ve found it best to plant them either in an area you can box the (buried) edges in to keep them from spreading out or put them in an area that you don’t mind them spreading out from. We believe have raspberry varieties that produce on new growth and 2nd year growth…. its going to depend on what you plant. Ours we prune out the canes when they brown (old canes). I would assume blackberries are similar but don’t hold me to that…. we let our blackberries (which were here when we moved it) grow however they want and we don’t do much management of then.
-
Awesome, thanks heaps!!!
-
We are in Arizona. My blackberries have thorns. I have been told they are bi-annual and need to be pruned every two years. I am in my 4th year and even after pruning, I can say this year there is a lot of brown we need to cut out. We had a great harvest last season and so many runners I lost count. It really is an invasive grower though.
-
We have a patch of wild blackberries here in Missouri. Personally I let first year canes just go where ever they like.
Second year I prune back in spring to make them more manageable to harvest and to encourage it to set fruit.
And I try to clean out old dead canes when I get a chance a few at a time.
This works well for me. But keep in mind mine are wild landrace and situated near a power line easement between zones 4 and 5 so it’s not a big deal if they get crazy growth. Your situation may be different
Also @DavidTheGood has a great video on blackberry propagation that is super simple and can exponentially increase your brambles
-
After harvesting, I cut back any canes that fruited the current year, they are the ones that will turn brown. Also, I trim the growing tips of new canes, and tie them up so that they get bushier, not taller, keeping them at about 5 feet, for easy picking. The more side shoots, the more fruit. Of course if I need new plants, I allow a bramble to root on the ground. Good luck with yours!
-
I do pretty much the same but I prune early spring. Have had good luck so far. Deepsouthhomestead has a video on pruning black berries, I tried to take their advice.
-
-
Some like long Cain making a bushy plant growing everywhere and some like short growing up-right plant. I like mind up right so I have more control of the plant and with the new grow mine bush out. Cutting before spring and find a bud that is showing up right and not the bud down and cut. For it depends how far I want to cut back growth. If the growth is not to far out I’ll just leave it. This year before spring I really cut mine back and there was so many more berries and also it grew back with lot more growth. This year I’ll do the same way. I usually wait 2 years depends on growth. The old dead cains cut out – I cut at base. Cutting plants back some does the plant good in my opinion.
-
Thank you for the very good info!
Log in to reply.