Pruning is an essential gardening practice that keeps your blackberry, blueberry and raspberry bushes productive, healthy, and easy to manage. While pruning can seem intimidating, it’s straightforward once you understand the seasonal needs of each plant. Here’s what you need to know about pruning your berry bushes in both spring and fall.
Pruning Raspberry Bushes
Spring Pruning (Late Winter to Early Spring)
Raspberry pruning depends on whether you’re growing summer-bearing or ever-bearing (fall-bearing) varieties.
As a rule, for both varieties, always remember to cut the canes out at the ground level and remove the cut canes completely from the bed. The cut canes often harbor diseases, so you do not want to use them as mulch around the existing plants.
For summer-bearing raspberries:
Summer-bearing raspberries require two prunings.
Immediately after harvest, remove all the canes that fruited (floricanes).
Thin remaining canes to about 6 inches apart, keeping the strongest ones for fruit production.
In spring, cut back the side shoots on the floricanes slightly - remove less than one-fourth of the length of the cane. This procedure is called “heading back” and prevents the shoots from becoming too heavy.
Trim any overly long or weak canes to about 4-5 feet tall to encourage sturdy growth.
For ever-bearing raspberries:
The most efficient method for fall bearing raspberries is to cut them all down every fall after harvest. Treating them like an annual crop this way gives you only one large crop in late summer or early fall. But it is a good way to avoid disease and damage from rabbits by overwintering canes.
If you want a summer and fall harvest, remove only the top portion of canes that fruited in the fall, leaving the lower part to bear fruit in early summer. After these canes fruit the following summer, cut them out at ground level.
Be sure to monitor carefully and immediately remove any canes that show signs of disease.
Black and Purple Raspberries
When the primocanes are 2 feet high in the summer, pinch out the tip of each shoot. This will cause side shoots to grow, increasing your harvest and making the berries easier to reach.
After harvest, cut out all the canes that fruited.
In early Spring, cut back side branches to 12 inches, and remove all but four to five of the best canes.
Final Tips for Success
Always use sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent damage and disease spread.
Label your berry varieties if you grow both summer-bearing and ever-bearing raspberries to ensure proper pruning.
Prune on a dry day to reduce the risk of fungal infections entering fresh cuts.
Prepare for winter. If you live in a cold climate, consider tying up raspberry canes to prevent wind damage and adding mulch at the base for insulation.
Pruning Blackberry Bushes
Note - Blackberries are not generally recommended in northern Illinois. They are not normally hardy enough for our climate. However, if you are in a more moderate micro-climate close to Lake Michigan and have a spot protected from strong winds - then you may be able to grow Blackberries successfully.
Training & Pruning Blackberries
Blackberries produce on second year canes. You train them the same way you do black raspberries: prune the tips of the canes the first season when they reach four feet in order to stiffen the canes.
Prune out canes that have fruited immediately after harvest or any time before Spring growth begins.
In early Spring while the plants are still dormant, cut back each side shoot to 8 inches.
Remove dead, damaged, or diseased canes. This prevents disease and promotes healthy growth.
Tip-prune the canes. Cut back the top few inches of young, vigorous canes to about 3-4 feet to encourage lateral branching and increase fruit yield.
Space out canes. Keep about 6 inches between canes to ensure good airflow and reduce disease risk.
Fall Pruning (After Harvest)
Remove spent floricanes. If not done earlier, cut back any canes that fruited during the summer to ground level.
Thin the primocanes. Leave only the healthiest, strongest new canes for next year’s fruiting, spacing them about 6 inches apart.
Cut back lateral branches. Trim lateral growth to about 12-18 inches to encourage better fruit production the following season.
Prepare for winter. In colder climates, consider tying canes to a trellis and applying mulch around the base for insulation.
Final Tips for Success
Always use sharp, clean pruning shears to prevent damage and disease spread.
Label your berry varieties if you grow different types to ensure proper pruning.
Prune on a dry day to reduce the risk of fungal infections entering fresh cuts.
Pruning Blueberry Bushes
Special reminder: Blueberries require acid soil of pH around 4.5. Our regular Deep Roots compost and worm castings have a pH of around 7. Create special soil blend and use a low pH fertilizer.
Skip the first 3 years
It is not necessary to prune new blueberry bushes for the first three years after planting.
Spring Pruning (Late Winter to Early Spring)
After three years, begin pruning every year while the plants are still dormant.
Late Winter or early Spring is the best time to assess winter damage and shape your blueberry bushes for a strong growing season.
Remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches. These branches won’t contribute to healthy growth and can spread disease.
Remove weak shoots and twigs less than 6 inches long to let in more light, reduce the risk of fungal infections, and produce more fruit.
Renewal Pruning. Blueberries produce fruits on second year growth. Every couple of years remove the oldest and heaviest branches. New shoots will grow from the base of the plant and produce a better crop.
• Limit excessive height. Trim back overly tall stems to keep the plant manageable and promote fruiting within easy reach. Ideally, prune back long canes to about 4-5 feet in height.
Fall Pruning Not Needed for Blueberries
In general you do not prune Blueberries in the fall.
Fall pruning will stimulate new growth too late in the season, which may not survive winter.
You may want to remove any diseased or broken branches. This helps prevent issues from carrying over into winter. But avoid major cuts. Save heavy pruning for early spring when the plant is dormant.
Clean up debris. Rake and remove fallen leaves and pruned material to reduce the risk of pests and disease overwintering in your garden.
Happy Gardening!
With regular pruning, your blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes will reward you with abundant, high-quality fruit for years to come. See the full list of our Grow Your Own Food blog posts. Each post is assigned ”tags” which are under the post title.
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