How to Cut a Boysenberry Bush

Boysenberries work well in jams and pies.

Boysenberries have a deep, rich purple hue similar to blackberries but with sections that are as red as raspberries. Boysenberries are not as widely grown as they once were: California was home to 2,400 acres of harvest boysenberries in 1954. Boysenberry farms have decreased significantly since that time, and modern boysenberry farmers have a difficult time selling the fresh fruit because its skin is so thin that the juice begins to leak soon after harvest, resulting in fast decaying. Growing and pruning a boysenberry bush in your backyard is an ideal method for enjoying fresh boysenberries.

Things You'll Need

• Thick gardening gloves
• Pruning shears
• Roll of garden wire

Instructions

1. Put on a pair of thick gardening gloves. Some boysenberry bushes have thorns, and some do not. In either case, gardening gloves allow you to get a good grip on the pruning shears while protecting your hands from other sharp objects.

2. Cut off the fruit-harvested branches in the early fall by holding the base of the branch about two inches from the ground and cutting the branch between the ground and your hand. Boysenberry bushes produce many branches, which are also called canes, and pruning keeps the bushes thinned out so the fruit can grow and develop to its full potential. Boysenberries are ripe and ready for harvest in May through July, so the earliest you can prune is late summer. New boysenberry bushes do not produce fruit their first year, so do not prune the bush until after its fruit production in the second year.

3. Realign any branches along the stake or trellis that were not pruned because the purpose of cutting boysenberry branches is to make room for the next set of fruit-producing branches. Consider guiding young branches that did not produce fruit into one direction after harvest, which leaves room for new branches to grow. When the sectioned-off branches produce fruit, you can easily distinguish them from new growth. Garden wire works well for keeping the sections separate. Continue to keep two boysenberry branch sections throughout each harvest and pruning: one that will grow fruit, and one for new branches that will produce fruit the following year.

References

• LA Times: Boysenberry – A California Treasure
• Monrovia: Thornless Boysenberry
• Gardening Australia: Fact Sheet – Planting and Pruning Berry Vines
• Royal Horticulture Society: Blackberry and Hybrid Berry – Pruning and Training