Endless Snacking – Pruning Berry Bushes

Berry bushes in the garden are something truly special during harvest time. Whether it's raspberries, blackberries, or currants—berry season is snacking season! But for the bushes to yield a rich harvest, they need regular pruning.

You know that one neighbor who has outrageously lush berry bushes in their garden and often doesn't know what to do with all the harvest? There's good news: envy is no longer necessary if your own berry bushes are pruned regularly and correctly.

Generally, spring is considered the ideal time for pruning—not just for ornamental shrubs. So, it seems natural that berry bushes should also be pruned in spring. This is generally true, but just like with ornamental shrubs, it really depends on the type of plant and its characteristics.

For example, autumn-fruiting raspberries are cut back to the ground in late autumn or winter. Other raspberry varieties don't require pruning. Currants, however, are pruned in spring, as are blackberries and gooseberries. These berry bushes get their trim starting in March to encourage bushy growth and a bountiful harvest. The pruning technique also depends entirely on the specific berry plant you're working with.

Red and white currants bear fruit on shoots older than two years. Therefore, during spring pruning, only 4 to 5 new shoots are left standing, and the rest are completely removed. Black currants, however, bear fruit on new, one-year-old shoots.

For gooseberries, branches older than 4 to 5 years are removed in spring. Similarly, 4 to 5 new shoots are left since gooseberries fruit on one- to three-year-old shoots. Gooseberries are best pruned after harvest and no later than March.

For blackberries, the old fruiting canes die off. These are then removed at ground level during the pruning in the following spring.

The basic rules for pruning berry bushes aren't significantly different from those for ornamental shrubs. The alpha and omega of pruning is the tool, and it should always be sharp for every cut. It doesn't matter whether the pruning happens in autumn or spring: only a sharp pair of shears will injure the plant as little as possible.

Every cut is a wound, and every wound needs to heal. That's also why the cut surface should be kept as small as possible, and the cut should always be made straight. Of course, the specific pruning requirements vary from plant to plant, but generally, the rule is: the smaller the cut surface, the less the plant is injured, and the better and faster it heals. This makes a pruned plant a healthy plant that bears many pretty blossoms and, as a berry bush, provides delicious treats.