Cutting blackberries in an exemplary manner - A tutorial

Where do the berries appear?

Cutting blackberries is easier to figure out when you are familiar with their specific growing characteristics. We therefore invite you to take a short excursion into the botanical characteristics of our oldest native berry bushes. This is how blackberries grow, bloom and fruit:

• Up to 5 meters long rods with and without thorns (botanically correct: spines)
• Long tendrils grow in the first year
• Low-growing varieties with unbranched tendrils, strong-growing varieties with short side shoots in the first year
• In the second year long side shoots along the tendrils with terminal flowers from May to August
• Black blackberries from July to October

also read

• A trellis for blackberries in the garden
• The ideal location for blackberries in the garden
• Proper care for blackberries in the garden

Harvested fruit canes die off in winter. This characteristic simplifies the pruning of blackberry bushes. The greatest challenge for the gardener is therefore the distinction between young, future fruit canes and worn tendrils. A single bush is sufficient for harvesting juicy blackberries because the berry trees are self- fruiting .

Cutting options and dates

The pruning of blackberries has two goals: Removing worn canes and promoting young tendrils for this year's harvest. Since even weak-growing, thornless varieties grow up to 100 centimeters annually, you cannot avoid annual, consistent cutting. The scissors ensure order in the berry bush as early as the year of planting. In the years that follow, a courageous approach is important so that the growth rockets do not grow over your head, shade each other and young fruit trees fail due to the lack of light. The following table summarizes all editing options with recommended dates:

Cut option	Goal / occasion	best date
Plant pruning	orderly education on the wire trellis	after planting
Conservation cut	Thinning out worn rods, promoting young fruit wood	February to early March
Summer cut	Prune stinging shoots, remove excess tendrils	end of July
Column cut	Blend upright blackberries	February to early March

Plant pruning with trellis training

Prickly blackberries have had their day in the home garden. American premium varieties such as 'Thornless Oregon' or 'Navaho', which do without a scratchy thorn dress, are very popular. Instead, the new favorites in the orchard inspire with vigorous growth and large berries. Since pruning depends largely on being able to differentiate between annual and two-year tendrils , the following trellis training ensures order in the blackberry bush right from the start. This is how it works:

• The best time to plant is in spring (March to April)
• Set up a wire trellis at the site with a length of 6 m and 3 tension wires at 50 cm, 100 cm and 150 cm high
• Plant the young blackberry plant in the middle in front of the trellis so that the tendrils can later be sorted according to age
• Care: cover the buds close to the ground at least 4 to 5 centimeters high with soil
• After planting, cut all tendrils back to 30 to 40 centimeters
• Apply scissors a short distance from a leaf or shoot bud
• Select the best rods in the course of spring (2 to 3 on strong-growing, 5 to 10 on slow-growing varieties)
• Cut off all remaining tendrils at ground level

Less expansive varieties, such as the slim 'Navaho', are satisfied with a shorter wire trellis of 3 to 4 meters. It is important to note that there is sufficient space on both sides so that you can tie the long tendrils alternately in order to keep an overview.

You attach the selected fruit canes parallel to the growth on the wire trellis horizontally to fan-shaped to the right or left. Your blackberry will bear the first fruits on these tendrils next year. The opposite side initially remains ungrown in the year of planting. This place is reserved for the young tendrils that grow in the second year and bear fruit in the third year.

Tips

Thorny blackberries tend to grow heavily with runners. If you have decided on a classic blackberry variety such as 'Theodor Reimers', as a precaution line the planting pit with pond liner as a root barrier. It is completely sufficient if the exclusion zone extends to a depth of 30 centimeters. Blackberries thrive as shallow roots.

Mutual upbringing and maintenance

In the private cultivation of blackberries, mutual upbringing has proven to be excellent, because it does not raise questions about what to cut in February and what not. You should therefore continue the recommended training method as it was introduced in the year of planting. This is how easy it is to take care of pruning blackberries for a rich harvest:

• The best time is in February when the sky is overcast and temperatures above freezing point
• Cut off worn rods from the previous year at floor level
• Cut back side shoots along the previous year's tendrils to two to three buds

Now you will benefit from mutual upbringing. On one side of the trellis are the disused, largely dead tendrils that gave you delicious blackberries the previous autumn. On the opposite side, the now biennial canes thrive, the side shoots of which will flower and bear fruit this year. Shorten these side shoots vigorously, because they show rapid growth in length until the beginning of the flowering period.

Do not cut blackberries after harvest

Please do not be tempted to cut your blackberries immediately after the autumn harvest. Undoubtedly, this is the easiest time to tell which rods to cut and which not. As with all shrubs, your blackberry will sprout cheerfully after pruning. This late in the year the fresh shoots can no longer ripen in time and have nothing to counter the first frosts. In the worst case, the berry bush freezes back completely and no longer sprouts in the next spring.

The only exception to the autumn pruning applies to regions with mild winter conditions , such as the Lower Rhine, along the Moselle, Ahr and Neckar. Where in winter the thermometer does not drop below -10 degrees Celsius, a blackberry bush can cope with the late cutting time.

Digression

Cut blackberry rods hold valuable life

In the natural garden, removed blackberry sticks are not carelessly disposed of. The long tendrils are often used by wild bees as a nursery for their larvae. Please do not dismember the shoots, but leave the natural length as possible. Bundle the clippings and store them as a sunny pile of dead wood. In this way, the larvae can mature in peace and, as fully grown wild bees, they can actively participate in the pollination of your ornamental and useful plants. If you maintain a Benjes hedge, thinned blackberry tendrils are an ideal component. In the cottage garden, the flexible rods are simply woven into a pole or hunter fence.

Summer pruning - blackberries fined

In the case of strongly growing blackberries, a cut in late winter is not enough to prevent the berry bushes from forming confusing undergrowth. When this year's tendrils sprout from the rhizome, lateral stinging shoots form in summer . These are sterile, lush, leafy shoots that cast shadows on flowers and fruits. By skimming a blackberry bush in the summer, you can promote abundance of flowers and fruit yield. Surplus, noticeably weak ground shoots should be removed on this occasion. How to do a knowledgeable summer pruning:

• The best time is at the end of July
• Tie this year's rods to the trellis
• Remove weak ground shoots that go beyond the ideal number of rods
• Cut the side shoots on this year's tendrils back to one or two buds

Side shoots that grow out of this year's sticks are always stingy shoots . There are several disadvantages associated with growth. Unless you raise the blackberry bush alternately, the leaves will cast unnecessary shadows on flowers and fruits. This disadvantage does not apply to a separate education. At the same time, stingy instincts should be cut back even if they are mutually educated, because they compete with the main instincts for nutrients and water.

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Cutting fruit wood on buds - this is how it works

When the blackberry cut is dedicated to the side shoots, the focus is on the buds. A competent cut always starts where a bud is directed outwards. A bud can be identified as a slight to distinctive thickening on the shoot. Leaf buds form alternately along the shoots in many places. Flower buds thrive at the end of the side shoots of the mighty tendrils. Stingy shoots sprout from the leaf axils of the side shoots during summer. Apply the scissors a short distance of 0.5 to a maximum of 1.0 cm from a bud. If a cut leaves a stub that is too long in February or July, rot and pest infestation are inevitable at this point.

Column cut - cut upright blackberries

For a long time, blackberries were a rare guest in the small garden and on the balcony. Modern, slow-growing and thornless varieties pave the way for home-grown blackberries when there is little space. As part of the planting process, tie the two strongest ground shoots to a bamboo stick. Cut off all remaining ground shoots at the base. In the course of summer and autumn, guide the tendrils up the support pole. In February of each year you subject your columnar blackberry to a vigorous maintenance pruning. How to do it right:

• Cut off worn ground shoots
• In exchange, fix one or two new ground shoots to the support post
• Cut back all side shoots to one or two buds
• Shorten both main shoots to the required length
• Important: always cut at a short distance from a bud

How you proceed with the harvested rods depends on your judgment in the case of upright blackberries. In practice, pruning back to a 10 to 15 centimeter long stump after harvest has proven itself. The plant will sprout new tendrils from the sleeping eyes in the next year, which you slide up on the stick. Alternatively, cut off worn rods in February at ground level and guide the most promising specimens up from this year's ground shoots. Cut off all remaining shoots from the rootstock at the base.

frequently asked Questions

My three blackberry bushes are four years old and have grown strongly. The space is nowhere near enough. Can I transplant the blackberries without any problems? When is the best time?

You can transplant blackberries without any problems within the first five years. The best time after the leaf fall is between October and November. Cut off the root ball in a large radius with a spade. The fewer roots that are torn off when lifting out, the better for the rooting. Prepare the new location with fresh compost and water generously so that the berry bushes grow well. A pruning in February should compensate for the lost root volume.

Do blackberry bushes form many runners? Should I plant with a root barrier?

No root barrier is required for popular varieties such as the thornless 'Navaho'. Thorn-armored game species and the resulting varieties are characterized by strong growth with runners. Plant these blackberries with an impenetrable geotextile (€ 84.99 on Amazon *) that lines the planting pit about 30 centimeters deep. In order to control the long, above-ground tendrils, we recommend fixing them to a trellis.

Our thornless blackberry bush produced only a few fruits in the second year of standing. Is that normal for a young blackberry or is a pollinator missing?

Blackberries depend on a good supply of nutrients. Compost and horn shavings (€ 6.39 at Amazon *) should already be added to the soil during planting. If there is no additional fertilization in the second year, the yield and fruit size suffer. Furthermore, the berry costume leaves a lot to be desired if the bush is not regularly thinned and pruned. Basically, blackberries are self-fertilizing. A second variety nearby always optimizes the crop yield.

Are blackberries hardy?

Blackberries are sufficiently hardy in the Central European climate. This applies provided that you stop fertilizing from the beginning of August. The worn, two-year-old rods usually die during winter. You can choose to cut the shoots back to the ground after harvest or in February. Blackberry bushes may dry up over the winter. Simply cut out dried shoots in spring. Experience shows that winter protection is not necessary. We only recommend covering the root area with fleece in the event of long frosts.

Are blackberries suitable for keeping in the bucket? Which variety is particularly recommended?

In principle, all blackberries can be grown in the tub. However, the strong growth of classic species is accompanied by extensive and frequent pruning. The rather weak and thornless variety 'Navaho' is recommended for keeping pots. The berry bush naturally grows like a shrub and does not require an extensive wire trellis. Grooming and harvesting is easier if you grow a blackberry bush in a pail on a single support pole.

For 6 years I have been caring for two blackberry bushes of the thornless variety 'Loch Ness' in my garden. After the plants have grown with thick new rods each year, the current tendrils remain thin and weak. The blackberries are fertilized with blue grain / Entec. Can the berry bushes still be saved?

A nutrient supply with mineral blue grain is to be seen here as the cause. The concentrated nitrogen charge ensures an increased growth of numerous and thin new shoots. Our advice: switch to an organic fertilizer, such as ripe compost and horn shavings, or use Oscorna's berry fertilizer. Cut off all thin tendrils at ground level, because no more fruit wood will develop from them. As a result of the change in fertilization, the blackberry bushes regain their equilibrium and from then on thrive with strong stems.

Is there an evergreen blackberry that can grow as a privacy screen for my hen house?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a blackberry that grows evergreen in the true sense of the word. The classic variety 'Theodor Reimers' wears an evergreen foliage that lasts in mild locations until late winter. Leaf shedding only begins as a result of severe frost. However, it is a strikingly prickly blackberry. If you want a thornless blackberry that keeps its leaves for a long time, we recommend 'Thornless Evergreen'.

The 3 most common mistakes

Without a cut, you can struggle with impenetrable blackberries that are unrestrained in the garden. If the gardener fails to properly train them, valuable fruit canes fall victim to the pruning. The following overview shows you the three most common cutting errors in blackberries and gives you tips for prevention:

Cutting errors	Damage	prevention
never cut	impenetrable network of meter-long tendrils	Thinning and cutting at least once a year
no mutual training	difficult differentiation between worn and young fruit canes	Raise blackberries alternately on the wire trellis
not exhausted	Shadows cast on flowers and fruits, reduced yield	Cut back stinging shoots vigorously at the end of July

Gardeners make another common mistake in the preparation phase. If unclean shears are used, diseases and pests spread on blackberry bushes. Do not cut berry bushes and all other plants in your garden until you have thoroughly cleaned the cutting edges, blades or saw blades and disinfected them with spirit or sagrotan .

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Tips

Clever blackberry gardeners use the pruning in early spring for propagation. Just cut off some young rods. Then cut the shoots to a length of 20 to 30 centimeters. Insert the cuttings into the nutrient-rich, loose soil in the partially shaded location at a distance of 2 meters. At this point, the cuttings grow into high-yielding blackberry bushes within a short time.