Blackberry plant, where should I cut it?

by PM_me_your_evil_plan

3 Comments

  1. AutomaticBowler5

    I dont prune back fruiting canes, just clip them to the trellis. Depending on your variety will tell you how it produces fruit. A lot of varieties only fruit off last years canes. Some with do this year and last year, although its generally obvious what is too old for fruit because it will look dead.

  2. brokenfingers11

    Depends a bit on varietal (looks to me like Triple Crown?), but from visuals I would prune those long side shoots back to 18 inches. Each bud will generate a shoot 12-18 inches long, where the berries will grow. If you leave those long stringy ones, there’s a risk the weight of the new shoots and berries will split them from the main cane, compromising quality.

    For this years new shoots, you might want to try “tipping “. Pinch off the top inch or so once they reach 12-18”. It will cause them to branch out to 3-4 stems at that point. Do it again at 30”, and you’ll have something more like a bush, with more berries and less risk of splitting.

  3. TummyDrums

    It might depend on the variety, but traditional advice says to tip the main cane when it gets to 4-6 feet tall, then trim any laterals that appear to 18-24 inches.

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