Blackberry pruning in spring

Despite the intensive growth of lashes, blackberry bushes have an attractive decorative effect. However, in addition to beauty, it is also necessary to harvest. Extra shoots thicken the bush. The plant becomes weak, winters poorly, brings few berries, the taste of fruits is noticeably reduced. The problem can be solved only by the correct formation of the bush, and one cannot do without pruning.

Do I need to prune blackberries

By its natural origin, the blackberry is a biennial plant. The first year the bush grows. This period is important for the formation of fruit buds. In the second year, the plant in the spring throws out flower stalks and bears fruit. The third year only foliage will grow on old branches. There is no sense in these shoots, and they are only subject to pruning. New lashes will bear fruit next spring. If the old shoots are not removed, they will accumulate so much that the blackberry will intertwine into a huge green lump. Such a bush will no longer bring a crop.

In addition to old shoots, pruning of young root shoots is still needed. It grows too much, which also creates a thickened bush.

When to prune blackberries in spring

Blackberries, like most other plants, are pruned in the fall, when fruiting ends and the culture enters the dormant stage. Terms depend on the climatic conditions of the region. Usually pruning falls in October – November.

In the spring, a sanitary procedure is carried out. Remove frozen and damaged shoots and shorten long blackberry branches to increase yield. The best time is considered to be a short period immediately after the snow has melted. It is advisable to choose a moment when the kidneys have not yet swollen, and the threat of night frosts has passed.

How to prune a blackberry

The blackberry bush consists of thin twigs. For pruning, all you need is a sharp pruner. To make the procedure painless for the blackberry bush, follow simple rules:

• for pruning, use only a clean, sharply sharpened secateurs;
• thick lashes are cut with a garden saw;
• adhere to the timing of pruning in the spring;
• follow the rules for the formation of a bush.

After wintering, the plant is carefully inspected. If no pruning has been done since autumn, then in the spring all old shoots are immediately removed to the very root.

After pruning old branches, young overwintered shoots are examined. On the lashes, areas damaged by rodents or simply frostbitten in winter can be observed. A bad shoot is determined by black color, roughness of the bark, fragility. When identified, such twigs are completely cut out without leaving a hemp.

In the spring, even healthy lashes need to be examined for viability. The unsuitability of such a stem may occur due to freezing or decay of the kidneys. Such a blackberry shoot is not pruned to the very root. It is allowed to leave a stump here if there are 1-2 live buds. Of these, new shoots will grow in the summer.

We suggest watching a video for beginners on how to prune blackberries in spring:

In the spring, when pruning blackberries, remove all thin and weak stems, even if they have overwintered well. Experienced gardeners recommend cutting off all shoots that are in doubt. Feel sorry for thin lashes is not worth it. Fewer healthy branches will bring more yield than a bunch of thin, weak growth.

After wintering and spring pruning, a bush with 6–8 last year’s healthy stems is considered to be full-fledged. If only four normal shoots remain on the plant in spring, then the bush is considered weakened. It is not allowed to bear fruit, but shortened. The bush will recover over the summer, grow, and next year will bring a crop. If this situation repeats, it is necessary to take measures to restore the shrub – top dressing, competent care.

There is also a repeated control pruning of blackberries in the spring after the foliage blooms. In an adult plant, fruiting shoots are shortened by 10 cm. The procedure is aimed at increasing productivity.

Proper formation of a blackberry bush and pruning

The formation of a bush in the spring facilitates the harvesting of berries, autumn pruning and shelter for the winter. The upright view is fanned out along the trellis. The shoots of creeping blackberry species are divided by gardeners into young (this year’s shoots) and fruit-bearing (last year’s) shoots.

Upright varieties

The blackberry, which has an upright crown structure, is distinguished by the fragility of the stems. Form a bush according to the following rules:

• in spring, overwintered lashes are vertically fixed on the trellis;
• young shoots growing in summer are allowed to go sideways;
• in autumn, before shelter, all erect stems are allowed to be pruned;
• 10 strong ones are left from young lateral shoots, and the rest are also cut off;
• in autumn, the left branches are shortened by ¼ length, laid on the ground and covered.

Next spring, these lashes are tied vertically to the trellis, and new shoots are let in sideways. The cycle is repeated.

Creeping varieties

Blackberry with a creeping crown structure is distinguished by good stem flexibility. Scourges can grow up to 10 m long. The plant is formed according to the following scheme:

• In the spring, overwintered lashes are wound on a wire in a spiral. Usually they are allowed in the right side.
• Young shoots are directed to the left and similarly wound on a wire in a spiral.
• Cut the branches on the right side in autumn. From the left wing, 10 strong lashes are left, and the rest are trimmed.

Blackberry lashes hibernate in a prepared trench. In the spring they become fruitful and go along the wire to the right. New stems will grow to the left. The cycle is repeated.

Pruning non-thorny blackberries (thornless)

Curly non-thorny varieties of blackberries are called dewberries. Culture is formed by lateral shoots. The stems are cut, leaving areas with four buds. In summer, side shoots will grow from them, which are left to creep along the ground. There will be no berries on young lashes.

After wintering, these branches already become fruit-bearing. The lashes are fixed to the trellis, and new lateral replacement shoots are launched along the ground.

Pruning remontant blackberries

The easiest way is to form remontant blackberry bushes. The plant is pruned only in autumn under zero, that is, the entire above-ground part is removed. Remontant culture bears fruit only on the stems of the current year.

Pruning garden blackberries in spring

In cold regions, blackberry seedlings are planted in the spring. Immediately the plant is pruned. Removing most of the stems has a positive effect on the growth of the root system. After rooting, in almost a couple of weeks, young shoots begin to grow.

Pruning blackberry seedlings in the spring must be done according to the following rules:

• Immediately after planting, the lateral processes and tops of the seedling are cut off, leaving a twig up to 30 cm.
• The next season, in early spring, pruning of the grown side stems is done, shortening by 15 cm. They will bear fruit. In the fall, these lashes are cut out, and in the spring, replacement shoots grown in summer are left.
• In the spring of the third year, last year’s branches are already shortened by 30 cm. Now they will bear fruit.

A further pruning cycle is repeated from year to year.

How to shorten stems

Healthy stems are shortened by ¼ length since autumn. In the spring, they will throw out more flower stalks and bring a rich harvest. Branches are to be pruned only above the buds without leaving stumps.

After a spring inspection of the overwintered crop, they begin sanitary pruning. Only a partially frozen stem can be shortened to 1-2 buds. Pruning of completely damaged branches is carried out under the root.

Rationing the number of shoots

A blackberry bush, consisting of 7-8 shoots, is considered to be full-fledged. After wintering, usually 5-6 shoots survive by spring. You can leave 10 branches from the fall to reach the desired result. Extra lashes can always be trimmed in the spring. In general, overwintered six shoots are considered the norm for a plant.

If only 4 branches came out by spring, then the bush is considered weak. But it can be restored, leaving an additional 3-4 young shoots. When only three branches survived after wintering, the plant is considered very weak. It is better to remove such blackberries from the garden or strengthen the shrub with top dressing.

Blackberry garter after pruning

It is more convenient to grow blackberries by tying whips on a trellis. Last year’s fruiting shoots are brittle. Under the weight of the crop without support, the stems can break off. Blackberries tied to a trellis are much more convenient to care for during the season, and harvesting is much easier. Moreover, the plant is illuminated to the maximum by the sun, ventilated. The stems are tied to the trellis in the spring immediately after pruning. The plant is formed according to one of three popular schemes.

Fan

The scheme is based on fixing young shoots to the trellis in the center of the bush. Old fruit-bearing branches are directed one stem sideways. The fan pattern is more suitable for an upright blackberry variety.

Cable car

The scheme similarly provides for the distribution of young blackberry shoots in the center of the bush, tied vertically to the trellis. Fruit-bearing branches are allowed to side, but weave them in two pieces. The resulting braids increase the stability of the tied plant.

Wave

In the wave pattern, young shoots are tied vertically to the trellis and let sideways along the top wire. The fruit-bearing stems are launched in waves to the sides along the three lower wires of the support.

Care after spring pruning: garter, loosening, watering

Immediately after the end of spring pruning, all branches are removed from the site and burned. Pests overwintered in the damaged bark, and they need to be disposed of. Cropped bushes are tied to a trellis according to one of the selected patterns.

The soil near the trunk is loosened, watered, mulched with peat. With the onset of active growth, the plant is fed with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer. You can use organic matter or add 1 g of saltpeter per 20 m². When forming the ovary, they are fed with potash and phosphorus fertilizers.

How to prune blackberries in summer

Summer pruning of blackberries allows you to get rid of the thickening of the crown. Remove unnecessary, intensively growing shoots. If the bush throws out a lot of extra shoots, they are also pruned.

Immediately after fruiting, you can remove the old branches so that the bush uses all its strength to form new lashes. In early varieties, extra branches are removed in June. Pruning of remontant, mid-season and late blackberries is carried out as needed.

Possible mistakes when pruning garden blackberries in spring

Sometimes pruning blackberries in the spring can seem like a daunting task for beginner gardeners. A person begins to get confused in his actions, make mistakes, which leads to bad consequences.

So that spring pruning does not harm blackberry bushes, the following rules must be adopted:

• If you did not have time to cut the stems before the awakening of the buds, it is better to leave them in this state until autumn.
• In the spring, you can not cut the branches of last year. They will produce a crop. Pruned only biennial, fruiting shoots.
• It is necessary to take into account the varietal characteristics of blackberries. There are varieties that it is desirable to prune once every two or three years. The annual removal of branches will lead to a decorative splendor of the bush, and the berries will be small and sour.
• When forming a crown, it is impossible to leave fruit-bearing branches more than the prescribed amount. The plant is not able to provide nutrients to shoots with a large number of berries.

Following these four simple rules will help you avoid making blunders in cropping.

Conclusion

Pruning blackberries in the spring is a very important event, the purpose of which is to normalize the number of shoots, form a shrub and remove damaged, frozen stems. The meaning of this procedure is to increase the yield of blackberries. Perhaps the trimming process will seem difficult for someone. But later, having gained experience, the gardener’s hands will intuitively determine which branch to remove and which to leave.