When do you prune blackberries?

After the fall harvest, gardeners must prune all of the blackberry canes that bore fruit. After pruning these canes, gardeners must also bury or burn them because they can spread disease if left close to the plant.

In the spring, gardeners can prune blackberry canes so there are about five to seven of them per plant. After pruning these, gardeners prune the side branches on all of the remaining canes. All of the pruned canes are tied to the fencing. Throughout the year, gardeners should periodically prune any canes that are broken, infested, diseased or dead. While pruning, gardeners need to wear gloves because the thorns on blackberry plants are dangerous.