I forgot to trim my blackberries last fall..how can I tell old vs new?

[btpeters]

:/ mmm... I was afraid this would happen, but I just put it off and I just looked at them and can see a difference. do you think it will be easier in the spring? what to look for? will the old growth have any green on them at all? thanks for your help!

 

[journey11]

I didn't get all mine pruned this fall either and just finished them up recently. You can tell the old canes because they turn pale and grayish-brown as they start to die out. They may also still have the clusters of sepals left from the blooms/berries. Your good canes will appear green/dark red and are clearly still alive.

ETA: !

 

[btpeters]

thanks for getting back to me, and for the warm welcome i'm thrilled to have found some like-minded people.

when i last checked the canes, they all kind of looked the same, but i'll give it another try now that i have confidence its possible to tell a difference at this time of year. they are good, established vines, so i know some of those canes are alive

 

[Greg R.]

btpeters. Just wanted you to know I can sure relate to your signature.
Truth be told I need all the therapy I can get! LOL!

 

[btpeters]

Me too! I think gardening keeps me sane. Much cheaper than going to see someone, and much more helpful!!! (not to mention enjoyable...

thanks.

 

[MuranoFarms]

Is this an issue with wild blackberries also? Maybe that's why I don't get all that much fruit from them! lol

I'll be planting raspberries this year also. Do these need a fall trimming too? Thanks so much! It seems like every new thing I plant has a different set of care instructions. I just figured out grapes and it's been 2 years! lol

 

[vfem]

I am doing my raspberries right now, same thing, dead non-producing canes turn a gray/beige and look very old stick like. The darker canes (at least here) are swelling with bids of fresh growth.

I only take the plants down to 6-8" where they look gone since I didn't do this earlier.

 

[hoodat]

Old growth may show a few leaves in the Spring but it will be weak and slowly die off.

 

[journey11]

Yep, the wild ones do the same. That is why they will eventually make a thick mess of briars. The old canes die, but they take a long time to decompose. The new shoots that come up during the summer will bear next year's fruit.

 

[btpeters]

Is this an issue with wild blackberries also? Maybe that's why I don't get all that much fruit from them! lol

I'll be planting raspberries this year also. Do these need a fall trimming too? Thanks so much! It seems like every new thing I plant has a different set of care instructions. I just figured out grapes and it's been 2 years! lol

I hear you! I feel like I have looked up how to prune various fruiting plants every year to remember! I just wanted to mention, that some types of raspberries work like blackberries (need to prune out old canes), and some you prune down the whole plant for fresh growth--you can even just mow it! Some say to do it in the fall, and some say the spring is better. The second type seems much easier for me to deal with b/c there is nothing to think about, you just prune it all! and I have had more luck with it as well--more productive/hardier plants. they will tell you which type yours is when you purchase them.