In order for your blackberry bush to bear lots of fruit in the new year, you need to prune it properly. We'll show you the best way to do this.
Blackberries are not only he althy, but also totally delicious. No wonder, then, that many hobby gardeners bring a blackberry bush into their garden. In order for it to bear a lot of fruit, however, it also needs regular pruning measures in addition to the right care for the blackberries. The shoots that have already borne fruit must be removed.
When is the best time to cut back?
One hears again and again that gardeners cut back their blackberries right after the last harvest in autumn. In principle, this is also possible. However, this should only happen in regions with mild winters. Because the young rods are then no longer protected and can be damaged by frost and direct sunlight. It is best to prune your blackberry bush in the spring - around March, when no more severe frosts are to be expected.
Pruning strong growing blackberries
Strong-growing blackberry varieties such as 'Theodor Reimers' are best planted in the middle of a six meter wide trellis with wires at a height of 50, 100 and 150 centimetres. In the course of spring you should determine the four strongest long shoots and attach them to the trellis at the top. You can cut off the others close to the ground.
In the following spring, if there are very dense side shoots, remove individual whole shoots. Cut back the remaining side shoots to one or two buds. The fruit wood is later produced from these. The resulting branches bear leaves in spring and ripe berries in summer (August to September). New long shoots emerge from the rootstock in spring and bear fruit the following year. From these, pick out the strongest shoots and tie them to the trellis at the bottom. Cut the remaining rods back down to the ground.
In the coming spring, cut off the old main shoots that have already borne fruit, close to the ground. You can then detach the previous year's shoots from the lower wire and attach them to the two upper wires. As in the previous year, thin out the side shoots and shorten to one or two buds. thefasten four strongest regrowing long shoots, which will bear fruit next year, to the bottom of the trellis again.
Tip: If you didn't remove last year's shoots, only a lot of small blackberries will form in summer, and they won't ripen until late. The yield is correspondingly low. Therefore, the following applies: the fewer shoots the blackberry bush has, the better the quality of the berries.
Pruning underperforming blackberries
Slow-growing blackberry varieties such as 'Loch Ness' should also be planted in a trellis. This should be about 180 centimeters high and three meters wide.
The following spring, pick out the six to ten strongest canes and discard all others. The remaining canes will bear fruit in the summer. Route them vertically up the center and diagonally through the trellis wires on the sides. All new rods let them grow first. The six to ten strongest routes guide you through the espalier in late spring or early summer in a gap between two previous year's routes. This will prevent the new and old rods from overlapping. If the previous year's canes grow beyond the trellis, shorten them at the end. If necessary, you can cut back the side shoots in July.
This diversified arrangement of the rods makes your work a lot easier: In the years that follow, you always cut off the rods that have already borne fruit and later guide the same number of new rods through them in the same place Trellis.