How to Trim Blackberry Canes

Blackberry plants are quite prolific and will become a problem in the home garden if not pruned properly. Growers must watch the plants during the growing season to prune the right canes at the right time. The plants consist of floricanes, which are the branches that produce fruit in any particular season. Floricanes die once the fruiting season is over. Primocanes are new growth that will produce fruit the following year. Pruning is done at different times and in different ways for each of these types of canes.

Gloves
Long-sleeved shirt
Long pants
Pruning shears
Loppers

Instructions

- 1
  Examine the blackberry bush to determine which canes are floricanes and which are primocanes. Floricanes will have fruit buds where clusters of berries will grow. Primocanes do not have fruit buds.
- 2
  Protect yourself well with long-sleeved shirt, long pants and work gloves. Blackberries have very sharp thorns that can easily draw blood.
- 3
  Prune primocanes when they reach a height of seven or eight feet. This will be in late June and July. Trim them to a height of about 42 inches. If you prune the primocanes before this point, the lateral shoots will grow out too quickly and interfere with harvesting the berries.
- 4
  Wait until the harvest is over before pruning the floricanes. Use loppers and cut them off at ground level.
- 5
  Trim the lateral shoots that grow from the primocanes to a length of about 18 inches during the spring of the next year. If you do it earlier, you risk winter damage to the plant. You can leave up to 12 fruit buds on a sturdy shoot. Weaker shoots should have only six or eight buds left.

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