I have a south facing blackberry bush that is 7 feet wide. It hasn't been pruned in a long time. I would really like to prune it to the ground but read somewhere that I should only prune the horizontal shoots. The Victoria storms have pretty well flattened the bush and I have no idea which shoots are fruit-producing or not. Any advice on how I can attempt doing some serious pruning and still leave the possibility of having fruit for next summer would be helpful. Also, is there any danger in moving the plant as it is currently right against the wood siding of the house?
There's virtually nothing you can do wrong pruning these monsters. They're aggressive and will rebound with amazing vigor no matter what you do. Be careful, the thorns are nasty. Cheers, LPN.
One-year-old canes produce the fruit, cut back the last years fruiting canes, this is usually done after the fruit has been harvested. Train them, any way you like, just keep the canes above the ground. If you want a more formal look, train them along horizontal wires, the wire has to be strong and well supported. They are very difficult to kill by over-pruning. Moving the plant will not usually kill it, but they do have quite a large spreading rhizome, when moved do not expect any fruit, until the following years. MMM...., blackberry wine... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
