Pruning berry bushes
Pruning berry bushes is important because it promotes a good harvest. You should prune berry bushes yearly by removing few of the oldest branches, as they usually produce less harvest. Old branches can be recognized by fewer leaves, darker color and scaly bark.
Pruning berry bushes
Pruning berry bushes is important because it promotes a good harvest. You should prune berry bushes yearly by removing few of the oldest branches, as they usually produce less harvest. Old branches can be recognized by fewer leaves, darker color and scaly bark.
How and when to prune berry bushes?
The pruning should be done before the buds break out in the spring or immediately after harvesting in the fall, find species-specific pruning instructions below. Always remove the shoots as close to the ground as possible – partly cut branches sticking inside the bush are prone to diseases. Removing them also leaves space for new shoots to develop in the middle of the bush.
Note! You can also remove the thinnest new shoots to ensure the bush has the strength to grow its strongest shoots.
Planting a new berry bush?
If you are planning to plant a new berry bush, pruning after planting may be necessary if the bush doesn’t have many branches. For berry bushes, pruning after planting is done in the spring. If you plant the saplings in the fall, you should prune them the following spring.
When pruning after planting, remove all weak and damaged shoots and cut the other shoots to a height of 15–20 cm, above a healthy bud. Let the saplings grow without pruning for the few following years – only remove damaged branches and branches growing along the ground.
How to prune currants?
Prune currants in the spring before new growth has begun:
- Remove few of the oldest shoots, damaged shoots, shoots that rub against one another and shoots that grow along the ground.
- You can also remove some of the young shoots from the middle of the bush to ensure that light can reach the inner parts.
If a bush has not been pruned in years, it can be rejuvenated by cutting down all the branches down to their bases over the course of a few years.
Cutting down the hole bush at once is not advisable because the bush would receive too much light and develop a large number of rapidly growing new shoots. Pruning them later would be a lot of work.
Note! If you have planted a new currant, it doesn’t need pruning for the first five years after planting.
How to prune raspberry?
Raspberry shoots only live for two years and die after they have produced a harvest.
- All shoots that have produced a harvest are removed down to their bases in the spring or late in the fall to ensure that the plant can store nutrients in its roots for the winter.
- In addition, dry, weak and damaged shoots are removed when pruning.
How to prune highbush blueberry?
The highbush blueberry needs practically no pruning, and pruning after planting is not necessary.
- In the spring, you can remove any tips of branches that have dried during the winter.
- Some of the oldest branches can also be removed if they no longer produce fruit.
- Dry and diseased branches should also be removed.
How to prune sea buckthorn?
Sea buckthorn bushes are trimmed each year in the spring before their buds break out by cutting off a few centimeters of growth from the tips of shoots.
- If sea buckthorn bush has grown too high you can trim it from the top.
- If a large number of root suckers are growing at the base of the bush, you can remove them.
- Dead and damaged branches should also be removed.
Note! Pruning after planting is not necessary for the sea buckthorn.
How to prune chokeberry?
Chokeberry bushes are pruned every year, preferably in the spring.
- Remove any damaged and dry branches, as well as branches growing along the ground.
- Chokeberry can also be pruned in the fall, and it endures pruning well, especially if the bush is vigorous and healthy.
- The lower parts of both chokeberry and purple chokeberry are sparse, pruning will not eliminate this quality.
Note! The bush will also recover from cutting down, but if you want the bush to produce berries, you should only cut a few branches each year.
How to prune blue honeysuckle?
Pruning should be done in late winter during the plant’s rest period.
- If the quality of the berries decreases, the blue honeysuckle must be pruned more frequently.
- If you have just planted a new bush, you can let the bush grow freely for a few years and start pruning it lightly after three years or so.
