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Pruning raspberries
Bf206
Posts: 234
in Fruit & veg
I had a potter around the garden earlier and was half thinking it was time to prune my (autumn fruiting) raspberry canes down to ground level. Problem is they've already got new buds on the canes so have I missed the chance to do this? Mild winter strikes again, I guess...
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Nope, cut them down now - mine had shoots when I cut them back 3 weeks ago. They'll send up new growth from underground.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I think I've just been a bit wary generally about pruning now in case winter suddenly bites?
I've also got a blackberry bush. I cut back last year's fruiting canes in the autumn. The main new one, though, looks pretty dead from halfway up - below that looks nice and healthy. Should I prune that too?
I've never grown blackberries intentionally, having always lived near plenty of wild ones - however, you treat them like summer fruiting raspberries as they fruit on wood grown the previous years - so I'd leave them until you're sure the tip halves are really dead. It won't be too long now before leaves being to sprout - then you'll have confirmation of death or not. If dead then yes, clip the dread stuff off.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.