Two of the most popularshrubby fruit plantsin North America are raspberries and blackberries.
Despite the fact that it is difficult (and sometimes painful), pruning these plants is essential.
Left unpruned, they will grow into massive plants with lower fruit production and higher susceptibility todisease.
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To facilitate pruning, contain the plants in a row.
The tops of the bushes will arch nicely, providing plenty of fruit.
Always use clean, sharp tools.
The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Hilary Allison
However, there are some modern blackberry varieties that are virtually thornless, making pruning a lot less hazardous.
These raspberries bear fruit on two-year-old canes, the ones that sprouted the previous season.
The harvest period lasts about four to five weeks.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
They won’t fruit again.
These canes will have grayish, peeling bark.
Cut them off near ground level using loppers or bypass pruners.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
Raspberries are much easier to tend and harvest if they are kept confined in well-defined rows.
Don’t worry about pruning too much.
Raspberries are very hardy and can bounce back from aggressive pruning.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
Tie the Canes
Tie the canes to fencing or stakes for support, using flexible plant ties.
Also, remove any canes that sprout up outside the designated row area.
How to Prune Everbearing Raspberries
Everbearing (primocane) raspberries aren’t really everbearing.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
But they generally have two harvests per season: one in mid to late summer and one in fall.
Many everbearing raspberries bear so late in the fall that they are not practical for gardeners in short-season climates.
If you want everbearing raspberries to produce two crops each year, prune them as you would summer-bearing raspberries.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
But if you want to force a single larger crop in the fall, use the following procedure.
Prune the Whole Bush
Prune back the entire raspberry bush to ground level in early spring.
Keep the sturdiest canes, and remove suckers outside your designated row footprint.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
This technique will give you a larger fall harvest.
Plus, it’s helpful if you also have summer-bearing raspberry bushes and you want staggered harvests.
How to Prune Blackberries
Pruning blackberries is quite similar to pruning raspberries.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
Blackberries don’t grow as enthusiastically as raspberries, but they also will yield better with regular pruning.
As with raspberries, they’re prone to diseases that can spread rapidly if the plants aren’t maintained.
Dispose of the clippings, as dead canes can spread disease.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
In the early spring, thin the canes to about five to seven per plant.
This “tip-pruning” will encourage the plant to branch out, leading to more fruit.
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
The Spruce / Steven Merkel
