Old Geezer the Gardening Guru: Pruning soft fruits

Friday, 2 December 2011 2:55 PM

By Old Geezer

What with preparing everything for the winter, sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything in the garden done as soon as you might like.

Luckily there's still time to prune the soft fruit, even if it perhaps should have been done awhile ago.

I'll just deal with the basic crops here as there are new hybrid berries appearing almost annually. We'll start with the most frequently grown cane fruit, raspberries.

It is important to remember there are two distinct types, the early fruiting and autumn fruiting.

Let's deal with the early ones first, the key thing to remember is that these fruit next season, on the canes which have grown this year.

This is a job which ideally should have been done as soon they finished fruiting, but there we go. Cut out the canes which have fruited (the old ones) along with the weak new ones.

Tie the strong new shoots to the supporting wire and aim for one every six inches, this is about the ideal.

The late fruiting varieties are different as they fruit on the new shoots, which at the moment are only a few inches high. With these varieties I prefer to leave the old canes until spring as they offer a degree of protection over the winter.

Come the warmer weather, the old canes which fruited this year should be cut down to within an inch or so from the ground and burned if possible. It is also a good idea to thin out the new growth at the same time, i.e. mid-to-late April. Again, aim for one good cane about every six inches.

Blackberries are another popular fruit crop. With these it is important to have two wires between two strong posts.

During the summer the plants will send up new strong shoots from near the base. Select two or three of the strongest of these and tie them to the lower wire as they grow.

A word of caution, these soft and thick shoots break VERY easily, the trick is to tie a loop of string loosely around the growing stem and pull it down onto the lower wire. You can do this a little at a time over a couple of weeks. Tie these new shoots to the wire whilst trying to avoid twisting the stems around it.

When it comes to pruning at this time of the year you are best off removing all of the old growth, untying the new shoots, and then retying them to the top wire. All you have to do is try to avoid bleeding to death from all the scratches!

As with most things, there is a way to avoid the more serious injuries. You should focus on working slowly, cutting out small pieces at a time.

Start at the ends and work back to the roots, or onto a strong new shoot. Again burn the prunings as soon as you can if possible. Always keep things clean around your fruit bushes/canes and don't be afraid to remove sick or dead shoots at any time.

Removing dead leaves and rubbish will make a big difference in reducing pests and diseases.

All the best, Old Geezer.

Next week – Pruning currants and gooseberries, along with some tips on keeping your Christmas tree alive.

Old Geezer (Paul Rix) is the author of 'Beyond the Potting Shed' a comprehensive guide to growing your own. Available from all good book shops or Amazon.

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