Berry bushes round off the planting plan in the orchard. Regular fertilizing and watering is not enough for a lush harvest. Only expert care of the cut guarantees a rich berry load. This tutorial is packed with practical instructions for the perfect pruning of berry bushes.

When to cut raspberries depends on when they will fruit

Table of Contents

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  1. Berry bushes pruning time
  2. currants and gooseberries
  3. Cut blackberries
  4. Cut on summer raspberries
  5. Cut the autumn raspberries vigorously
  6. Blueberry Cut
  7. frequently asked Questions

    8. Cutting berry bushes - dates at a glance

    After reading this tutorial, lush berry bushes are no longer reserved for neighbors who seem to have green fingers. The following instructions explain clearly how you can train your own green thumb for the perfect pruning of opulent berry bushes. The right time is just as important as the pruning itself. The following table summarizes popular species with ideal pruning dates:

    berry bush best time to cut alternative editing date
    Red currants and gooseberries February to March after harvest
    blackberries February to March after harvest
    Summer Raspberries in summer after harvest late February to early March
    Autumn Raspberries in the fall after harvest late February to early March
    blueberries February to March no alternative date

    Numerous berry bushes receive pruning in early spring between late February and early March. Please select a day for the specific date frost-free and overcast weather. After a cut in sub-zero temperatures, there is a risk that pruned shoots will freeze back.

    Cut currants and gooseberries

    When it comes to pruning, red currants and gooseberries pull together, so the following instructions apply to both berry bushes. The longed-for fruits thrive on annual side shoots that sprout from perennial canes. Annual maintenance pruning aims at a shrub with 2 x annual, 2 x biennial, 2 x three-year and 2 x four-year old shoots. You can find out how to do this here:

    • The best time is late February to early March
    • Beginning with the fourth year of growth, cut all four-year-old and older canes to ground level
    • In exchange, leave a corresponding number of previous year's shoots
    • Remove excess annual (unbranched, green bark) shoots
    • Tails that are too long or overhanging can be slimmed down with the help of a diversion cut to a lower side shoot

    The figure below illustrates all phases of pruning currants and gooseberries. Finally, after removing the oldest branches and slimming down the remaining tendrils if necessary, move on to the base of the shrub. Remove all side branches close to the ground to a height of 30 centimeters. Young side shoots should be spaced 10 centimeters apart along the 8 skeleton shoots. Cut excess side branches back to a 2-centimetre peg.

    Currants and gooseberries benefit from maintenance pruning combined with continuous rejuvenation. Remove three of the oldest skeletal shoots in exchange for young, unbranched bottom shoots. Strongly branched or overhanging skeletal shoots direct you to lower-lying young shoots.

    How to properly cut blackberries

    Bramble bushes carry the tart-sweet fruit on one-year-old side branches, which are attached to two-year-old rods that are up to 2 meters long. If a tendril has spoiled us with delicious blackberries, it is cut off. The rigorous pruning clears the way for new rods that, after a year of growth, flower and fruit in the second year. How to properly cut blackberries:

    • The best time is in early spring between late February and early March
    • Worn rods of the previous year at ground level cut off
    • Young, lush green ones leave annual tendrils and tie loosely to the trellis
    • the side shoots annual tendrils cut back to 2 to 3 eyes, or 3 to 4 cm

    It is important to note the correct pruning technique on buds when pruning side shoots along annual canes. Place the scissors 0.5 to 1 centimeter above one eye. Do not cut into the bud or leave a long stub. From these shortened side shoots, the valuable fruit rods sprout at the beginning of spring, giving you a rich berry harvest in autumn.

    tips

    Measure the cutting circumference of berry bushes according to the rule of thumb: the fewer fruit canes, the better the fruit quality and the larger the berries.

    Summer raspberries - instructions for the cut

    Characteristic of summer raspberries is the growth of very long canes, which flower and bear fruit on their side shoots in the second year. When cutting, this requires the selection of worn and young tendrils. How to do it right:

    • The best time is after the summer harvest
    • Immediately cut off every empty cane you have picked
    • Tie this year's green tendrils to the trellis wire
    • Also remove weak, superfluous shoots of this year
    • Cut back the tails to 150 to 180 centimeters in February/March of the following year
    • Apply scissors a short distance from an outward-facing bud

    The figure below demonstrates that summer raspberries are ideally grown on a frame about 180 centimeters high with three cross wires. Tie the wire for each meter of wire 10 strongest rods of this year on. Prune off harvested vines beforehand so you have a good overview of the trellis and can select the most promising canes for next year's harvest. All other ground shoots of the current season must give way.

    After the summer harvest, cut off all worn tendrils. Tie the ten best rods of this year to the trellis. In March of the following year, cut these rods back to 150 to 180 centimetres.

    Cut autumn raspberries rigorously

    Raspberry varieties with an autumn harvest make life easy for the gardener. Box office hits like 'Aroma Queen' or 'Autumn Bliss' blossom and bear fruit this year's rods. The image below illustrates the easy care of the cut. After harvest or in the following February/March, cut off all canes at the base. A wire grid about 120 centimeters high serves as a support and simplifies the harvest. You are free to leave the vines in the bed after harvesting until next early summer because they will bear a few raspberries. Of course, you can achieve the best possible crop yield by cutting back radically in autumn or spring.

    Cut off autumn-bearing raspberries after harvest or in the following spring. This creates space for this year's heavy-bearing rods.

    Blend blueberries every year

    Blueberries are the ideal berry bushes for gardeners with limited time. The delicious fruits thrive even if you don't cut the wood extensively every year. It is perfectly sufficient if you use the Thin out the oldest scaffold shoot, in the sense of a continuous rejuvenation.

    If after a few years the fruit quality no longer meets expectations, extend the pruning care. At the end of February to the beginning of March, cut back strongly branched rods as part of a derivative cut. To do this, look for a short, strong side shoot in the lower part of the rod that points outwards. Make the cut at the fork of both shoots. Take this opportunity to cut off dead or hopelessly branched skeleton shoots to ground level. As a replacement, leave young, green canes from the previous year in the berry bush.

    frequently asked Questions

    In October last year I planted 3 berry bushes that grew very well. I underestimated the strong growth, so there is already a lack of space at the location. Can I transplant the shrubs? When would be the best time to do this?

    Within the first five years it is possible to transplant berry bushes to another location without any problems. The ideal time window opens after the leaves fall in October/November. Prepare planting holes with fresh compost at the new location and then water regularly and plentifully. A pruning of the shoots should compensate for the lost root volume.

    Our three-year-old blueberry bush has hardly flowered and only borne a few berries. Is it because we've never prune the berry bush before?

    Regular pruning and pruning promotes the growth of flowering branches, which improves the yield significantly. In addition, it is advisable to plant at least one more blueberry bush. Most berry bushes benefit from having several conspecifics in close proximity, regardless of whether they are self-pollinating or not.

    In your pruning instructions you can read that autumn raspberries should be cut close to the ground every year. Conversely, does this mean that the berry bushes will not bear fruit if they are not cut back?

    An annual pruning optimizes the crop yield. Of course, the cut is not absolutely necessary. The instructions only serve as a recommendation for the perfect pruning care if you want to achieve a rich berry harvest.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    When berry bushes degenerate into impenetrable undergrowth, bloom little and bear sparse fruit, the plants suffer from a classic pruning mistake. The following table sums up the three most common mistakes when it comes to cutting care and gives practical tips for prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    never cut dense undergrowth, few berries trim at least once a year
    wrong cut no sprouting below the interface Canes prune just above a bud
    cut in frost rods frozen back, low yield to total failure Do not prune berry bushes during frost
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    tips

    The perfect pruning of berry bushes requires the gardener to differentiate between old and young shoots. Basically, the bark turns darker the older the wood. If you don't want to rely on the visual feature alone, equip the tendrils with rings of different colors.

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Vegetable garden