North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] Thornless Blackberries

In your climate you should wait until spring.  If you prune before winter and there is serious cold that damages them, you have nothing left.  Leaving them unpruned for now means you have more to choose from if there is winter damage to remove.
    Blackberries propagate by tip layering and by suckers from the roots.  You can avoid suckering by mulching instead of cultivating.  Most suckers only arise when roots are cut during cultivating.  Some of the old thornless blackberries would prouce thorny suckers, and the only way to propagate thornless plants was by layering.  A lot of the newer thornless don't produce thorny suckers, though.
>

> I have several plants(2nd year)which I  planted along
> my house in the most sheltered area I have. I didnt
> cut them back last year-just mulched them well. This
> year, the plants really shot out, vining up onto my
> roof! Questions: should I prune them back? If so, now
> or in the spring? Also, how do they spread? Your
> suggestions will be appreciated
> Kevin McCrindle, Waterloo, IA Zone 4b