Pruning Blackberry

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WOBTJ 19 January 2013 Pruning Blackberry
There are two thorn-less blackberry bushes, supported by three, (12 feet wide) reinforcing concrete mesh, eight feet tall. The name of the cultivar is unknown, but the fruit is excellent,amongst the best I have encountered. There was no fruit in 2012 due to a Spring frost damaging the plants. My two plants are reasonably straight with several main stalks from each plant. My method of pruning is to trim each stalk and tying to the trellis using wire strips.Had there been fruit, the fruit bearing canes would have been cut out after the harvest.These two plants produce many berries in a good fruiting year. Around 20 quarts. The bushes get horribly crowded and pruning is necessary, and the method is somewhat subjective. At this time of year the plants are completely dormant.

 

[897tgigvib]

Both my thornless blackberries, each different varieties, still have leaves on them. Blackberries, even the gone wild ones, only go semi dormant here.

 

[Durgan]

Both my thornless blackberries, each different varieties, still have leaves on them. Blackberries, even the gone wild ones, only go semi dormant here.

What or how or when do you prune?

 

[897tgigvib]

Mine are all new planted to the ground last spring, and I'm new to growing them. So far this winter all I've pruned is the one cane that grew out of my netting.

An added thing about my row of berries is I have so many kinds. 2 varieties of thornless blackberry, one is probably Burbank's. It wants to lay along the ground, I want to tie them up. I also have Tayberry, Loganberry, Boysenberry, Indian Summer Raspberry, a local gone wild Blackberry supposedly descended from Loganberry, one vine of the wild Dewberry, one purchased Blackberry that had no tag, and I will very soon be going to my secret berry patch in the woods to dig up a start of the unusual leaved Blackberry there that makes somewhat small blackberries. Plus, this spring I will purchase a few more unusual types I might see at the nurseries when I go to town.

I believe all except the Raspberry are 2nd year fruiting cane types. I need them to grow high into the light. Once going, the canes that produced will be the canes removed the following winter. I do see that the Tayberry that made some, the cane that produced was a short one, and it looks like it's died back. Tay, Logan, and Boysen all did make a few sample berries for me this year.

In case you couldn't tell, I love Blackberries and Raspberries!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have pruned blackberries right after they quit bearing and are still green. I usually use lopping shears for that. Mine are definitely not thornless and I get damaged skin less with the loppers than using pruning shears. My normal method though is to wait until they go dormant and remove the ones that bore the previous year. My main reason to prune is to get rid of the dead canes so I have more room to pick the berries the next year. I don't find that the dead canes actually block that much light but they do damage my skin. Those thorns can be nasty. It's just easier to work in there with them gone.

Supposedly you help reduce the chance of diseases being carried over if you prune out the dead canes but I'm not sure how critical that actually is. You might get rid of some over-wintering insects too but again I'm not sure how much that helps. I still consider it a "good practice" to prune out dead canes.

Something else I often do. I'll top a blackberry cane when it reaches maybe 5' long. This supposedly causes it to grow side suckers which increases yield. I haven't performed and studies on that, but I think it helps.

 

[majorcatfish]

I do the same with my blackberries as soon as the primocanes get 5' high off goes the top, as for removing the floricanes it's to bloody hot I wait till end of Sept to prune them out and then selectively prune the primocane runners, then do a final prune in nov.
planted 6 triple crown thornless 12 years ago, now have 64 out of those 64 still have 2 mothers the rest are daughters.

use the double tee trellis system very easy to pick the berries.

went out today and raked up all the gum balls my dog was very helpful she eat all the rabbit poop

what we do not use we sell. from what we sell we save the money and put the profit towards the property tax at the end of the year.
last year they covered 1/3 of our tax's

 

[Durgan]

Only got a a few in 2011(no discernible reason) and none in 2012 due to an early Spring frost killing the buds. I really like them and am expecting a fine crop in 2013.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IZJEX 11 August 2010 Thornless Blackberry
Seven pounds of berries were picked from these two thornless blackberry plants in their third year, and the first year of production. The berries ripen over a three week period. Quality is excellent. All the berries have a slight tart taste. This depends on the degree of ripeness. If the berry is fully ripe, determined by it falling off the stem when touched, the berry will be sweet with almost no tart taste.

I didn't require the netting, since the birds do not attack. Probably other more desirable fruit around.

 

[majorcatfish]

last year between the 3 main runs we harvested 60 gallons before the Japanese beetles, june bugs, stink bugs and sun scald got the rest.
back in 2011 we had a great start I mean loaded, but when it came time to pick<berries the size of a half dollar and beautiful matte color to them> the whole crop was a failure the sugar never set in them.
talk about a pucker.

 

[Durgan]

last year between the 3 main runs we harvested 60 gallons before the Japanese beetles, june bugs, stink bugs and sun scald got the rest.
back in 2011 we had a great start I mean loaded, but when it came time to pick<berries the size of a half dollar and beautiful matte color to them> the whole crop was a failure the sugar never set in them.
talk about a pucker.

This is/was my first attempt at growing blackberries. I am beginning to imagine it is not as easy as it would appear at first sight.

 

[majorcatfish]

last year between the 3 main runs we harvested 60 gallons before the Japanese beetles, june bugs, stink bugs and sun scald got the rest.
back in 2011 we had a great start I mean loaded, but when it came time to pick<berries the size of a half dollar and beautiful matte color to them> the whole crop was a failure the sugar never set in them.
talk about a pucker.

This is/was my first attempt at growing blackberries. I am beginning to imagine it is not as easy as it would appear at first sight.

blackberries will not start producing any an quantity till their 3 year.
thinking about tipping about 50 this summer, and plant a new berry patch next year.