Bramble berries, which include beloved varieties like raspberries and blackberries, are a delightful addition to any garden. These fruits, including Marion, Boysen, and Dewberries, grow on second-year canes, making proper pruning and staking essential for ensuring a bountiful harvest each season.
To support your raspberry plants, consider implementing a trellis system. Start by setting up two sturdy posts and stringing wires at 2.5 feet and 5 feet above the ground. This structure allows you to tie the canes securely, making harvesting easier and promoting healthy growth.
When it comes to pruning, red and yellow raspberries are straightforward once you grasp the basics. After summer harvesting, prune the fruited floricanes down to the ground. During winter, thin out any weak, small canes, and in spring, trim back the primocanes to chest height, ensuring a spacing of about 6 inches between each cane. This practice will help your plants thrive, producing fruit in the late season for ever-bearing varieties or the following spring for June-bearing ones.
For black raspberries, such as the Munger variety, it’s crucial to encourage side branch growth. Pinch off the top 2 inches of canes when they reach 3 to 4 feet in height, usually in spring or early summer. Additional summer pruning may be necessary to maintain height, and after harvesting in late summer, remove the fruited floricanes. The following spring, trim side branches back to 8 to 10 inches to promote larger fruit.
Blackberries, including varieties like Boysenberry and Marionberry, require specific pruning techniques based on their growth habits. For trailing varieties, remove floricanes after fruiting and select the six healthiest primocanes to tie in bundles of three. Cut back lower side branches and shorten those higher up to 2 to 4 inches. Installing a trellis at planting time simplifies annual pruning.
Upright blackberry varieties are pruned similarly to black raspberries. Allow them to grow freely in their first year, then in the second year, head back canes that reach 3 to 4 feet in spring. During summer, remove weak growth and cut side branches back to 12 to 18 inches. After harvest, eliminate any canes that have borne fruit.
At our nursery, we offer a wide selection of berries and small fruits, including blueberries, currants, elderberries, and more. Whether you’re looking for fruit trees or unique berry varieties, we have something for every gardener.
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Happy gardening! 🍇🌱