When & How to Prune Blackberries for HUGE Harvests!

In this video, I will show you the two times of year to prune your blackberries (now is one of them) and simple tips on how to prune them for huge harvests of big juicy berries.

[@stuartcraner4208]

After watching several videos on pruning trailing blackberry vines yours was the clearest, the most relevant, and the most helpful. Thank you for such a great video. I was able to prune blackberry vines correctly today because of your explanation.

[@binkieinkisham2519]

I agree

[@annedwards358]

i have watched so many videos on this and got more and more confused and intimidated by the blackberries. This is , by far, the best video. I'm glad you let it get so bad so we could see how to fix similar messes. thank you

[@NextLevelGardening]

So glad to hear that! I felt the same way after watching a ton of other videos. Wasn't sure if I hit the nail on the head so thank you for the feedback!

[@denisepedigo77]

@@NextLevelGardening awesome!! thank you!

[@donasullivam5900]

Thanks. I didn’t know what to do so I did nothing. Now I can get busy.

[@melissagranillo7351]

Great video !!!!! Just wanted to clarify I live in California we really don't have a winter ....but we do have a few cool months end of November through Feb is this the time I should do my 1st prune and then again in June ......thanks so much

[@dtraveler3080]

Me too, looks like I have a bush that produced not much, and new canes sprouting over the sidewalk that produced. It is growing away from the trellis. Frustrating.

[@adamhunter1724]

Have had blackberries that look like the start of this video for awhile now because I’ve never quite had it explained to me in a way that made sense to this VERY amateur gardener. This video clicked. Going to take back control of my blackberries and looking forward to a much better harvest and garden next Spring. Thank you!

[@earthprotected1157]

Thank you for sharing, blackberries are very productive, got 11 pounds from one plant. Erect variety ,Kiowa, one plant , one stalk coming out of the ground 7foot , topped it grew out the lateral branches cut them at 5 ft, 4 ft 3 ft 2ft , to the top . An got 11pounds , this plant also got 8hrs of direct sunlight, with some organic homemade compost 😍, sweetest berries I’ve ever had , also a large size fruit.

[@luchoportuano2829]

I'm saving this video to re-watch it. It's too good.

[@fionaharvey2720]

I followed your directions last year with our blackberry plants! Wow! What a harvest we are having, here in N Ireland blackberries only ripen in September October and we have so so many it’s amazing so thank you! ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

[@elin-ym5tv]

Thank you so much for your very very helpful video on blackberries! This is probably THE most helpful video on blackberries pruning!

[@lorrilarson495]

I'm watching these in preparation for my delivery. So exciting!! 👏😁

[@greenlizardballs]

Love the segmented format.

[@6140970]

Oh thank goodness. I just moved onto a small property that has Himalayan blackberry plants sprawling all over the beginning of the garden, their getting big. I'm so thankful you have a video out on them. Now I can learn!!

[@pinballio67]

This is by far the most imformative and well explained berry pruning video ever!

[@AmusementLabs]

I'm managing a Boysenberry plant i bought from Knott's Berry Farm and i got very concerned that it produced maybe 10 berries and then seemingly started to die. However this has shined some light on what it's doing now that its past harvesting time. I have a primocane that has started to branch off without intervention, but I also have another that's a singular that is not approaching 5' when it was just a little sprout 6 weeks ago. Oh, I forgot to mention im doing this all inside an apartment. 🙂

[@deecooper1567]

I just found this and am so grateful 🤩 I plan on planting some next year-this year I’ll get my area ready. As a kid we used to go berry picking & had to bring a ladder to reach the higher ones 🤣. As a kid it looked as big as a 2 story house!! Haven’t seen any like that since. Thanks for the pruning tips❣️🧤

[@ltlbw4442]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge about growing blackberries. I planted my Blackberry about a year and a half ago and I was so shocked to see how fast the blackberry vine grew!. It is definitely about 10 ft now. I'm so glad I came across your video . I will be cutting back the main cane and cleaning up the ground around my Blackberry this weekend.😊 Many thanks!

[@markkoerner8870]

You did a great job! Close shots of canes and explanation were great.

[@mimk3873]

been watching heaps of videos on this topic..yours was very clear - thank you from the Blue Mtns in Oz..going out now to prune . fingers crossed..

[@berbice123]

I’ve watched so many videos and is always still confused. Thanks for a good explanation of how to prune, will be doing this method this year.

[@NextLevelGardening]

Your welcome!

[@gibbyutah]

Fantastic video. Very informative!

[@happyfishin]

Excellent and clear. Best video on the subject.

[@Gkrissy]

I am so glad that you did this video. I have ignored my thornless,trailing blackberry plant that I got as a gift this spring. (Zone 7B). I got no fruit this season, most likely the soil is poor in that area (Needs more NPK). I will add more compost and mulch. Some of the cans have rooted itself in the soil. So I need to prune now, like you suggested for next year's harvest.

[@olyadowning2825]

Thank you so much, Brian! I think it was a very clear and complete tutorial. I just planted my first blackberry plants, so I make sure I follow your instructions on how to prune them this summer after they fruit.

[@kimmye8]

Great info! I bought two small blackberry starter plants a couple of years ago and little knowledge of how they grew or what to do with them. They both grew these massively long canes last year and fortunately I came across a video a few months ago that mentioned pruning them down in late winter, so I did that and wow, they have got so many beautiful side branches on them now and my berries are growing beautifully (exciting!). Thanks to your video I now know to prune them this summer after my harvest. Thanks!

[@ritasenergyherbs3650]

I planted bare root plants last Summer. This summer dealt with the deer pruning them to the ground. Until I put up the deer fence I wasn't getting any growth so this summer I didn't have berries yet. So I have young plans with no old canes as of yet. This was a very good video as I want to do what's necessary to allow these young plants to grow and prosper me berries. Thank you Brian

[@bbales2305]

SUPER video! EXACTLY what I needed. THX!!!

[@nicolasmillet1905]

Really useful video with great illustrations of what to do. Thks a lot

[@highlandscommunityclub1160]

Excellent video! Will make note to prune after harvest, as well as winter!

[@alynnaaleman2240]

Thank you! I’ve watched several videos and you made it so clear!

[@RT3Creations-Learn]

Great video! This will help my process of documenting my BlackBerry bush’s growth and it will help its overall growth. Thanks again!

[@jonathanco404]

Nice video

[@marlinandrus2764]

Your video helped me immensely. Very easy to understand. Thanks

[@dealman3312]

This video was so awesome. Thank you! I had a 21 foot cane that i grew horizontally along the trallis, and back. You are right, no side shoots. This winter there was so much snow the rabbits started to eat at the bark and it destroyed the cane.

[@Maggie_R]

This was so incredibly helpful! I popped in to learn how to take care of olallieberries but you made me understand what I’ve been doing wrong with my raspberries, so that was an added bonus! Thank you, thank you!

[@sheridennis4870]

So incredibly helpful! I inherited a huge bramble that’s completely out of control. I now know how to attack it and hopefully get berries eventually to make jellies. Thank you!

[@sweetpeasbackyardgarden1236]

Great information. I planted my first blackberry plant. It has been very warm the past 2 months here in N. cal and it’s only June. So, the plant was struggling. I had to adjust the watering schedule. With your tips I’m looking forward to next season.

[@vermiliongamboge155]

Fantastic! It was bad for you that you didn't prune when you should have, but it let us see what to do and how the canes should look after winter pruning. Thank you.

[@colemansines9722]

It was very helpful to me because it’s so much real life. Many times viewers are fixing a problem that occurred. We need to know exactly how to fix it. It addressed everything very well!

[@laurazavala7409]

Thank you for sharing excellent information for me that did not know anything about berries. I just did my blackberry transplant and raspberry. I also bought two blue berry plants December 2019 and I am so happy because they are both startec to bloom. I can't wait for my black berry to grow and bloom. Your video excellent, well explained now I know what to do for my berry plant, thank you 🤗👍🌱

[@NextLevelGardening]

Thank you so much!

[@kr4awkr4aw5]

Great video and information. Thank you!!!!

[@peterjford]

I have never pruned my blackberry/boysenberry jungle but this year I have a huge crop. I will definitely clean it up this winter and redo my trellis that is sagging under all the weight.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Did you have unusual amounts of rain?

[@peterjford]

@@BlackJesus8463 we had almost none, which is a little unusual, but I have irrigation to keep them happy. I can report that pruning them and putting them up on trellis resulted in a huge crop this year.

[@gwendolynwebster7722]

Very well done! You are so helpful, Brian. Thank you!

[@Hollipop]

This was soooo helpful! Thank you for your comprehensive information!

[@user-kj5ul3it4y]

Good video. I’m growing lots of blackberries now and your video really helped me understand the pruning process. Good job and thank you.

[@bridgettewood1713]

Thank you for the info on the pruning my thornless blackberry. God bless.

[@gettingtherevegan421]

Thank you for your video. This was extremely helpful and explained a lot about my blackberry bushes. Great video.

[@tmontero8492]

Thanks Brian, I needed this info from scratch. You explained blackberry growth so clearly. Appreciate you sharing your vast knowledge and experience! Greetings from SFO bay area! 👩🏻‍🌾🐝🌱

[@ubuhubbub]

Best blackberry video I've seen. And I've seen a lot.

[@jimt6151]

Good video, and perfectly timed. My blackberry canes are in about the same condition as yours. The only difference is that I DO want some more plants. Several of my over-grown canes are in the rooting phase now, so I'll use some of those for new plants, and prune the rest as you showed. Thanks!

[@JesperAndersen]

Brilliant instructions, thank you very much :-)

[@farmerbob4554]

I have to do this with my Boysenberry “jungle”. Good timing on your video. Thanks!

[@NextLevelGardening]

Glad to hear. Thank you!

[@edwinfarr7301]

Very concise and detailed guide!

[@jennybaez-cepeda4919]

Muchas gracias. I love love your videos

[@NextLevelGardening]

Thank you!

[@BarryG-hv8nb]

Great video - very helpful !

[@emekasearthgems3376]

I need to do this. Thanks for sharing 💜

[@brendaeeds2629]

Thank you. Very clear explanation.

[@annausta4246]

Quite clear and thank you for showing how to do this :)

[@katiejoynt1328]

I really would love to see how you made this trellis! Love your channel!

[@KatieKnuteson]

Love the video!! Thanks

[@planetZ999]

Excellent info !!!!!

[@jendickerson6530]

LOL, this is exactly what happened to my blackberries and i had like 3 clusters of fruits and the birds got to them before I did. I literally just let them grow and be feral plants. Thanks for this video!

[@tessiesimmons9118]

Good info. Thank you so much

[@GeorgeGates]

Great video , thank you !

[@melindaduncan3073]

I just started blackberries a few years ago and they are a mess but I’m going to give it a go! I’ll let you know how it goes. Thank you!

[@gfkgfk7178]

Well done!Thank you sir.

[@michasosnowski5918]

Thanks. That was everything I needed to know. Maybe one thing that was missing was what to do with a new plant after planting. And I got reccomendation to cut it at around 30 cm to encourage growth of the roots.

[@fionahobbs8818]

Very helpful video, thanks.

[@WARHORSE465]

Thank you for such a helpful video. I also live in Southern California but in San Diego. It is January and my canes are still Fruiting! It is hard to tell sometimes because it doesn’t get cold enough always for all the leaves to fall off so identifying the floricanes from the primocanes is sometimes a challenge. Your video showed clearly which canes were which, so hopefully, I will trim the correct ones. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience

[@NextLevelGardening]

You're welcome. I'm in north county now!

[@derekbryan28]

Great video

[@estle]

great, clear video. Thanks! I hope you got the bumper crop in the end

[@klangklang5249]

This was wonderful, dear friend. Thank you for your knowledge. It broke my heart to see you beat yourself up for not pruning - it's okay!! You're doing so great, you're so inspiring. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It's okay to make mistakes.

[@bradytanguay3046]

Best wishes from Maine.

[@MegaMyjason]

Next Level Gardening, Great video and pointers. My question is ; when do / can I (supposed )to transplant a sprout ? I tried several times ( most likely at the wrong time, Lol ) but they die... What am I doing wrong ? What kind of soil ( around a creek ) ? Any fertilizer needed ? La. resident ...

[@claudiavogel7342]

I’m fairly new to your thread. I’m looking at past threads and found this one on pruning blackberries. My blackberries finished producing about a month ago, and I was wondering how I should prune them. After watching your video, I was able to go out and prune my plant to five new mega canes that are about six feet high. I clipped the end off of each cane, so the growth will now go into all the little side shoots that I see coming out at many of the leaf junctures. I am now hopeful for lots of side shoots with LOTS of big berries next year. NOW, will you please tell me how to keep the cardinal pair, that seems to this this bush is THEIRS, out of the bird netting we put around the bush this Spring??? We think we have all the holes plugged and then we see one of them inside the netting snagging berries!!! AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!

[@naserbukhare3669]

Dont feel too bad buddy becoz i also allowd my primocanes to grow like u did without prunng at all. Now i learned from ur and my own experience. This yr ill definitely cut this yr vines at 5 ft. I scrwed up my plants like u did but atleast i learned from my mistake

[@kimtaiferragamo]

great video.........

[@valleyofthemoon7113]

Thankyou for Not confusing me ! 👍👍😊

[@thelittlelearningfarm622]

Awesome video. If you are pruning in the summer, should you remove the leaves? Thanks so much.

[@yaslh3534]

I have the same question.

[@karenlatham4053]

Now I need to buy some trailing blackberries because I know how to take care of them! :)

[@NextLevelGardening]

Yes. You do!😉

[@parabellum7961]

Helped thanks

[@jj-eg5up]

Thank you

[@Laycismom]

I just got my first blackberry. It’s a “Chester” thornless. Thank you for explaining so well. It looked a little miserable when I brought it home a few weeks ago. It has one older main Cain and two pretty side shoots. It is late Fall here in California. Hoping it does well.

[@laurenbryant647]

I just got a Thornless variety but wanted to make sure you knew you need 2 separate plants in order for them to cross pollinate and produce fruit.

[@Laycismom]

@@laurenbryant647 hello. I just checked and the Chester is self fruiting. I hope we get lots of berries! 😁

[@thomasgregory8941]

Good. Thanks

[@none-ya-dam821]

Finally I get it... thanks

[@janicejurgensen2122]

My favorite is a berry and cream homemade puff pastry/pastel. Or as we call it pasteles de frutas 🍇 topped with a little bit of cinnamon and powdered sugar.eaten with or without vanilla ice cream. Warm or cold.

[@devchonkadada9628]

thank you.

[@markkristynichols845]

Excellent video and like the segments too!!! Finding that this is a great time of year to prune! Have 9, 50 foot rows of triple crown thornless blackberries 😊. We don’t do the best with pruning but keep trying to get better. Any advice for weevils? Thanks , Kristy in Missouri zone 6b😃🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@VFRRiderFT]

Boy am I so pleased that I found this video as I have done exactly the same through ignorance, but having now watched this I realise just how stupid I have been! OK so I'm about 2 months late but I guess that today I need to get all the old-growth cutout and just harvest what I have this season. Question: Can let last years primocanes ground to root for a new plant or is that only this year's new growth that will produce a new plant?

[@NextLevelGardening]

You can let it root.

[@BroomClosetArtistry]

Found a wild berry bush behind the house. 3 stalk visible, old cane that was dried , this years fruiting cane and I’m guessing a new, thick long shoot, but it was damaged at the base. Will the plant return or have new shoots if that newest cane is gone?

[@sandramadden6966]

Just found your channel - thank you! We just moved onto property that has a number of LARGE wild blackberry brambles. Since discovering them (and harvesting tons of berries) this summer, I want to work on taming the craziness and ideally increasing production for next year. What you showed in this video is pretty much what I want to do (cut out dead canes - which now include the ones that fruited this summer), and prune primocanes. Can I also dig up and transplant the primocane structures so I can arrange them on trellises for easier management going forward? If so, when would be the best time of year to move them?

[@carolcampbell3720]

Have only pruned my blackberries every 10 years or so. They are quite bushy and most of the fruit is on the top and sides. Some inside. Then when they are really too much , I clearcut them to the ground right after fruiting. Seems to work and is really easy!

[@learning2growmyown]

Thank you for the knowledge New Subscriber

[@NextLevelGardening]

Welcome!

[@purpledragonstudios5174]

mine only fruited just this year. it got a new shoot and im watching it grow and seeing about maybe using the top as a cutting and rooting it. do you root the cuttings? or can they not be rooted?

[@Will-bp2yc]

More TUCK! Great videos!

[@johnroberts7959]

You always seem to address the very issues I am dealing with.

[@Warwck24]

This was good to watch thk u unfortunately i left mine and its now spring w flowers but not many i need to prune desperately i realise thks again what do we say? Oh yeah n... nxt year 😂😂

[@lesliekendall5668]

Also prune in July. 🤔. That might explain my diminishing yields. Arg. Better late than never. Thank you!

[@joshuafoyminer]

Thank you so much for this video!! if I miss the summer window, am I still able to prune in the fall? Thanks so much!

[@mrzhall2109]

Thank you for explaining this....i think i get it now. Im a newbie gardenere. Here in Cali its fall now and i never pruned my blackberries. I did top it off tho 😁. I got some SUPER LONG side shoots that grew this season. Do you have to wait till winter to prune? Its fall and my blackberry plant leaves are brown now....i think its going into dormancy 🤔

[@shingj4007]

I'm glad to have found your video to learn about pruning. You said once the primo cane touched the ground and rooted, you can dig it out and plant it somewhere else, can you not dig it out and just let it grow where it is? Thanks.

[@rainskitchenandgarden]

Great explanation Brian! Those look very pokey...gloves needed! Interesting...do raspberry plants behave this way ? (I've never had any berry plants besides a few hanging strawberry plants). What a difference from before and after!

[@NextLevelGardening]

I haven't had success here with raspberries so I'm not sure about that.

[@draftplus]

June July pruning .....noooooo.....and if I cut them back now (Oct) I'll get even less .....thanks for the info to get on track to a bountiful harvest.