Garden Answers

Berries & Grapes

Question: My question is about pruning my thornless blackberry bushes. I only have two and they are about six years old. The canes get very long and seem like they will never bear berries, so I cut them off. The ones I cut are old and brittle. I have gotten perhaps 1-2 quarts of berries a year (total) in the past two years. I seem to remember something about needing two years' growth of a branch before it will produce berries?

Answer: Pruning Blackberries (and Raspberries too, for that matter) can be confusing. If you're able to stop in the store, we have a guide on Berries that more clearly explains and illustrates proper pruning. I'll do my best to explain what you need to know.

Blackberries fruit on twiggy side branches, called laterals, that grow on canes of the PREVIOUS season. The canes fruit only once and must be removed entirely each year. In the spring, last year's growth is blooming and bearing fruit as new shoots emerge from the crown. Remove all but five of the new shoots. Let them continue to grow on the ground. After harvest in June or July, cut all of the bearing canes to the ground and tie the five new canes to the wire or trellis you use for support. Head back the new canes about 3.5' to 4' above the ground to encourage lateral growth along the wire or trellis. In November, cut those laterals that grew out from the five canes you saved back to 18". They will bear the next summer and continue the cycle.

 

Question: We planted rhubarb this summer. Do we need to cut the leaf back before the winter? Also can we eat next year's crop?

Answer: Wait until the foliage dies down late this fall before cutting back the plant. You should get good stalks of Rhubarb next spring. Sometimes, the plant will try to send up a flower stalk in the spring. Cut that off as soon as you see it. You don't want the plant putting a lot of energy into making flower and seeds; you want it in the stalks!

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Question: How do I store my hanging strawberry plant?  I have about 10 daughter plants growing off of it and I don't want them to break off.

Answer: Are you planning on leaving the strawberry outside over the winter? It should be cold hardy enough to do that if you take a couple of precautions. The first is to put the pot on the ground near the house or some other building. Some people even dig a hole to put the pot in. It's helpful to "mulch in" the pot by covering it with a coarse organic mulch like straw, shredded leaves or a commercial shredded mulch you can get at your local garden center. You don't want to apply the mulch until things are freezing up pretty well. I'm not talking about a frosty night or two but when the ground starts to freeze. Around here, that's late November to early December.

The second thing you want to do is to put the plant in a shady spot over the winter. I like putting the plant on the north side of the house. Doing this will keep the plant frozen over the winter instead of freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing. That can be hard on the plant. It also helps to keep the soil in the pot from drying out so fast. Surprisingly, drought can hurt a plant in the winter just as much as it can during the summer. 

If you're planning on keeping it inside over the winter, I'd probably try to talk you out of that unless you have a greenhouse or conservatory. It's hard to get enough light to the plant indoors, even in a bright and sunny room. If you still want to try it, put it in as much light as you can and be careful about over watering the plant. The plant will slow down its growth in response to the change in environment plus the time of the year. The plant will not be taking up water as quickly as it did outdoors. It's common for people to kill plants when they bring them in because they don't modify their watering schedule. Soak the plant well when you do water but allow the soil to dry out a little before soaking it again. You'll want to move it outdoors as soon as possible in the spring.

As for the daughter plants your strawberry is putting out, you can preserve them for now but eventually you'll have to think about cutting them off. Take the opportunity to plant them in other pots or out in the garden to increase what you have. They're really meant to be on their own eventually. Enjoy them for now, but I'd guess that next year you'll want to cut a few of them off. The mother plant will sprout new daughters to replace them. Hope this helps.

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