Blackberry bushes can quickly become unruly and overgrown if they are not pruned properly. By following these simple tips, you can keep your Blackberry Bushes healthy and under control.
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The Basics of Pruning Blackberries
Late winter is the ideal time to prune blackberry plants in order to encourage optimal growth. It is important to remove any dead, diseased, or damaged canes as well as any canes that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Canes that are weak or spindly should also be removed. This will ensure that the plant has the energy to put towards growing strong, healthy canes.
Why prune blackberries?
Pruning blackberry bushes is important for several reasons:
-To promote new growth
-To encourage fruit production
-To get rid of overgrown and diseased canes
Pruning also makes it easier to harvest the fruit. Well-pruned blackberry bushes are less likely to suffer from disease and pests, and they will produce more fruit than unpruned bushes.
When to prune blackberries?
Pruning blackberries is essential for several reasons. Primarily, it helps to keep the blackberry plants healthy by preventing the spread of disease and improving air circulation. Additionally, pruning encourages the blackberry plants to produce more fruit. While each type of blackberry has different pruning requirements, there are some general rules that apply to all types of blackberries. In general, you should prune your blackberry plants in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
The Different Types of Pruning Cuts
Pruning blackberry bushes is a necessary part of cultivation in order to ensure that the plants remain healthy and produce an abundant crop. There are three types of pruning cuts that can be made on blackberry bushes: heading, thinning, and renewal.
Thinning Cuts
Thinning cuts are the most common type of pruning cut and involve removing entire canes or branches. Thinning cuts are made to promote air circulation and light penetration, encourage fruiting wood production, and reduce the overall weight of the plant.
Canes that are removed with a thinning cut should be taken out at their point of origin on the main stem of the plant. When pruning blackberries, always remove canes that are diseased, broken, crossing, orRubicon Rubicon Rubicon too close together.
Heading Cuts
Heading cuts are made to the stems of a plant, just above a set of leaves. This type of cut encourages the plant to produce more lateral, or side, shoots. Heading cuts are made at a 45-degree angle just above a node, or leaf set. The node is the area on the stem where leaves are attached. It’s important to make heading cuts at the correct angle so that water doesn’t pool on the cut surface and cause rot. When making heading cuts, always use clean, sharp pruning shears.
Renewal Cuts
Pruning should be done every year for blackberry bushes to produce an optimal yield. For a bush that is already well established, renewal pruning is the best way to encourage new growth. This type of pruning involves cutting the canes that bore fruit last year all the way back to the ground. This may seem drastic, but it will stimulate the bush to produce new canes that will bear fruit the following year.
How to Make Pruning Cuts
Whether you’re wanting to improve the appearance of your blackberry bush or simply keep it from taking over your yard, pruning is a necessary task. But if you’ve never done it before, the thought of cutting away at those beautiful, juicy berries can be daunting. Never fear, with a little know-how, you’ll be pruning like a pro in no time!
Thinning Cuts
Thinning cuts are made to remove an entire stem at its point of origin on the main cane. This type of cut is performed to thin out the blackberry patch so that remaining canes have more room to grow. It is also necessary to remove any weak, diseased, or damaged canes. Make sure to cut these stems back to ground level so that new growth will be encouraged.
Heading Cuts
Pruning blackberry bushes stimulates growth and prevents the spread of disease. The best time to prune blackberries is in early spring, before new growth begins. You can also prune in late fall or winter, but it’s important to make sure the plants are dormant first.
To make heading cuts, start by removing any dead, damaged or diseased canes. Then, cut back the remaining canes to about 6 inches tall. Heading cuts encourage new growth, so be sure to leave some leaves on the plant so it can continue to photosynthesize.
Renewal Cuts
Renewal cuts are the harder pruning cuts that involve the removal of diseased, dead, non-productive, or structurally weak canes. You’ll want to make renewal cuts every year to unencumbered your plant and help it produce bigger and healthier fruit. You can identify these spent canes by their:
-Smaller diameter
-Lack of lateral (side) branches
-poor fruit production
-Diseased or dead appearance
When making renewal cuts, you’ll want to cut these canes all the way down to the ground.
Other Considerations for Pruning Blackberries
Other considerations for pruning blackberries include the type of pruning you plan to do, the time of year, the blackberry bush’s height, and the health of the bush.
Canes
Pruning blackberry canes is a little more complicated than other fruit bushes, because you need to consider both last year’s growth (floricanes) and this year’s growth (primocanes). The canes that bore fruit last year (floricanes) will produce fruit again this year, so you need to be careful not to prune them too severely. This year’s growth (primocanes) will not produce fruit until next year, so you can prune them more aggressively.
In general, you should prune blackberry canes that are more than two years old. Canes that are two years old or younger should be left alone, as they are still producing fruit. When pruning older canes, start by cutting away any dead or diseased wood. Then, cut back the remaining canes by about one-third their length. Be sure to sterilize your pruning shears before and after use to prevent the spread of disease.
Primocanes
Primocanes are the first-year growth on blackberry plants. At the end of the growing season, these canes are green and unbranched. Once primocanes mature and produce fruit, they are called floricanes. Floricanes should be pruned annually to produce the best fruit crop.
During the first year after planting, allow all of the primocanes to grow. When canes reach about 18 inches tall, tip-prune them to 6 to 8 inches to encourage branching. Canes that are not tip-pruned will produce fewer but longer fruits. The following year, thin primocanes to three or four per plant, and remove any that are Crowding or rubbing against each other. Also, remove any canes that are weak, diseased, or damaged.
Once a plant has been in the ground for two years, it will begin to produce floricanes – canes that bear fruit. Each year after fruiting, prune out all of the old floricanes that bore fruit that year; this includes any canes that are more than three years old. If you live in an area with harsh winters, it may be necessary to wait until late winter or early spring to prune so that you do not damage new growth that is just beginning to emerge.
Floricanes
Floricanes are the 2nd year canes and they will produce the fruit. You should thin these canes to about 6-8 per square foot and then remove any that are older than 2 years old. When you are pruning the floricanes, you will want to make your cuts about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud. You should also remove any suckers that are growing from the roots.