Earlier this month I had a question about how and when to prune berry bushes — more properly called brambles or Rubus spp. Rosaceae. I hope this helps my neighbor who asked the question, as well as other bramble owners and potential owners:

♦Like most plants, there are cultivars in the family that must be pruned differently. For instance, there are two types of raspberries: summer-bearing and fall-bearing. Red and yellow cultivars are summer or fall-bearers. Black and purple raspberries are all summer-bearers — and there are blackberries, trailing and semi-erect.

♦Fall-bearing raspberries should be cut off as close to the ground as possible after leaf drop in the fall. The reason is to prevent the survival of buds on lower stems that in the spring will sprout and grow into weak, nonproductive branches.

♦Summer-bearing raspberries bear fruit on second-year canes called floricanes. Prune all fruit-bearing canes off at ground level immediately after harvest is finished. Do this when the canes and leaves are dry to prevent spreading disease. Also cut off any small weak canes and suckers throughout the growing season. When the plant is dormant in early spring, thin all stems and canes back to two to four of the strongest canes, then prune those down to 4-5 feet.

♦All berries should be trellised and in full sun for best fruit production. Also, brambles are true to their name and will tangle and become unmanageable if they are not pruned and allowed to trail on the ground. Having said that, there is one exception and that is the blackberry in its first year.

♦Blackberries, trailing and erect, will bear fruit on second-year canes. They do not need trellised the first year — but should be pruned and trellised the following year. In early spring of the second year, choose the thickest six to nine canes per plant and cut them back to about 7 feet, then tie them to a trellis. Cut all other stems to about 10-15 inches and remove suckers and spindly stems.

♦Any plant improves with pruning — and fruit-bearing plants will always produce more fruit and resist disease if the ground is kept clean and mulched under the plants, and the small stems, canes and suckers are kept pruned off. The key is to direct the plants' energy to the fruiting canes.

♦These plants should be spaced wide enough apart to allow sunlight and air movement and to allow you to walk and mow, if need be, between the rows. For a home garden, that means about 5 feet for raspberries and 7 feet for blackberries.

♦Plant in well-drained amended soil and every spring, work compost into the soil around each plant.

Here are some side notes for future reference:

♦Brambles can bear fruit for 10-25 years.

♦Varieties without thorns are less hardy in our Zone 5 gardens.

♦Always purchase these plants from reputable nurseries, whether online or at a local garden center. Do not feel sorry for plants that show signs of disease or pest damage and take them home. Doing this can infect your other landscape plants. Instead, purchase obviously healthy plants that are properly labeled.