I forgot to trim my blackberries last fall..how can I tell old vs new?

[Rozzie]

With blackberries, at least the ones I've had, you can just wait until they are obviously dead, then trim them out. You'll be able to tell the difference: they will look dead. You just don't want to wait until you have a briar patch. Then it can be really a nightmare to get rid of them.

(One of my places has a whole lot of berry vines. I can't even fathom what it is going to take to clear all that mess. Probably big equipment...)

 

[Naughty]

I just bought this place last november and was pleasantly surprised to find blackberries growing. I didnt know last fall that I should do the pruning thing. So will I still get a crop this year? When should I try to determine what is old and what to prune out? If I just let them go - and they do get into a bramble - will they still just keep going ? Its just a small little area - so I don't mind reaching thru for the harvest lol

what do you recomment?

 

[Ridgerunner]

They will just keep going. The two main reasons for pruning, at least to me, is to make it easier to harvest them and to thin them out so they get better air circulation.

They produce on last year's canes, so you don't want to remove those. I don't know where you are, but not that long into the season, you will be able to tell which are dead and which are growing so you can remove the dead ones if you wish. But be careful not to rip the flowers, leaves, or fruit off the new canes when you remove the old ones. They grow together and you can do damage to your new ones if you are not careful.

 

[Naughty]

thanks! i am sooooo new to the garden thing - just never had the space or the time in my life - but am loving it - plus it does wonders for my weight lol