How to Trim Boysenberries

The boysenberry is a dark, seeded berry that's a cross between a raspberry, a blackberry and a loganberry. Boysenberry stalks take two years to produce fruit. Each stalk grows for one year, then puts out fruit the following year and never fruits again. It is, therefore, best to go ahead and remove the old growth before it becomes woody. Boysenberry bushes should be trimmed back twice each year: initially after all fruit has been picked and once more in late winter or early the next spring, before new flowers develop.

Gardening gloves
Anvil pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Put on sturdy, protective gardening gloves. Boysenberry bushes have sharp thorns, and lots of them.
- 2
  Cut back the stalks that produced berries this year after you've picked all the berries. Use anvil pruning shears to snip through the stalks down to the base. New growth will emerge the following year, renewing the bush.
- 3
  Cut 1 to 2 inches off of the newer stalks to prevent them from becoming too leggy. If you don't do this, the new growth could become top heavy, flop over and snap off during heavy winds.
- 4
  Let the plants develop for the rest of the autumn and winter. You'll do another round of trimming in late winter when the plants are dormant.
- 5
  Cut back all plants to between 4 and 5 feet tall in late winter to help promote low, spreading growth in spring. This results in bushier plants and makes it easier to harvest berries.
- 6
  Thin out weak stalks, as well as those that have been damaged by winter weather. Cut them off at the base and discard.

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