How to Trim a Gooseberry Bush

Gooseberry bushes have trunk-like stems from which fruit-bearing canes branch out. Canes that are two to three years old yield the most fruit. Older canes no longer produce berries, and canes in their first year of growth produce poorly or not at all. Proper pruning retains the fruit-producing canes while leaving some new canes in place to continue growing so that they will bear fruit the following year.

Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Prune gooseberry canes and stems in the late winter or early spring before new growth begins in the mid spring. Pruning later in the season inhibits fruit production. New canes should begin to grow each year after pruning.
- 2
  Cut off any canes, regardless of their age, that grow laterally from the stems and drag on the ground. These weaker canes cannot support fruit well and may cause the stem to crack if they do bear fruit.
- 3
  Prune all but six to eight of the healthiest stems. Cut away the excess stems at their base. A single gooseberry bush can support only a limited number of fruit-bearing canes.
- 4
  Trim all canes that are more than three years old. Cut the canes flush with the stems from where they branch out.
- 5
  Remove any dead or damaged canes. Leave no more than two to three canes on each stem. A combination of two- and three-year-old canes will ensure abundant fruit production in the current growth season as well as the next.

How to Know If a Cranberry Is Ripe

Shrubs of the Genus Rubus

Growing Berries