# Dead blackberry / raspberry bushes



## CarolynRenee (Jan 30, 2008)

I bought two-year blackberry bushes last year. They grew like crazy, but not a single berry on them. So I pruned them down last fall / winter hoping for something better to happen this year. Well, they are still crispy sticks, so I pulled one of them up & the rootstock was crispy dry also. Did I do something wrong? I didn't prune them back to the ground, only left about a foot of cane.

Also, I had some raspberry bushed that did almost the same thing, except that they sent up runners. It's like the main part of the plant died (is crispy with no new growth), but the roots sent up suckers. Are they a loss also? I'm I correct in assuming that those suckers / runners will not produce berries?


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## MN Gardener (Jan 23, 2008)

It is not uncommon for them to look dead, sometimes they die but put out runners.


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## CarolynRenee (Jan 30, 2008)

Will the runners produce berries?


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

well if the roots are dead, they are dead..however..generally the initial years canes die and new canes are sent up the following year..and it can take a while


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

the runners will produce berries...it's not like the suckers on fruit trees. they are not grated onto anything.


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## poppysfarm (Apr 10, 2009)

Blackberries produce on second year canes so if they didn't produce last year, I think you should have left them to see what happened this year. I wouldn't pull them up, just leave them and see if you start getting green coming up from the center of the plant over the next few weeks. I almost ripped out my grapes for the same reason and now they are green and look great. If they don't green up in a few weeks then think about replacing. I think the Rasberries will produce next year on the runners you are getting this year - trellis them and leave them to grow. Your supposed to cut out the wood that produced last year usually in the spring of the following year. The branches that you prune back should look gray and dead and have produced fruit the previous season. It seems like it takes a few years before the brambles produce regularly...thats been our experience.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

the best way to plant them is to plant them early, like in the spring, and prune them when you plant them. it takes a lot of energy to support canes of any size with a poorly established root system. the crowns need time to adjust and make new roots before they can support the canes. it is possible that if they were planted too late they may not have had enough of a chance to establish themselves before having to survive the winter.

i tried to move a few this spring and left a LOT of top growth. just like the last time i tried that, the tops died, but the crowns sent up new canes that should produce next year.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

But if you did manage to kill blackberries, which I didn't think was possible, you could move here and have a lifetime job. I fight the Battle of the Berryvine every year. And that is with the goats putting the best effort into it.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Leave the blackberry canes. They fruit on 2nd year wood - as stated above. Why the roots died - I have no idea. Check to see if you have the correct varieties for your climate. Though MO grows great blackberries, there are varieties more suited for futher south that won't survive MO winters.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Simple. You killed them last fall when you trimmed back what would have been this year's producing canes. If I'm not careful, I can do the same thing to my black raspberries. 

Martin


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

So Paqubot- how do you take care of black raspberries?


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

where I want to said:


> So Paqubot- how do you take care of black raspberries?


Remove fruit-bearing canes as soon as they are done bearing, about end of July. Never prune them back except to cut off growth tip just before it touches the ground to avoid leapfrogging.

Martin


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## Saffron (May 24, 2006)

I had raspberries in pots and they died. I just left the pots alone because I had no need of them. I finally decided to plant something in them and went to get them (2-3 years later) only to discover that the raspberries had regrown in the pots. I took them out and planted them and now have a small little grove of them.
Had blackberries do that too, but not in pots.

I guess they do that sometimes.


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## wyld thang (Nov 16, 2005)

I have some sort of everbearing raspberry, no idea of name. I cut the canes down to about 12" in the fall. In the spring there are shoots coming off a few of the old canes and new canes coming up from the ground. I wish I knew what variety they are, they are the best ever--tasty, huge and best part EVERBEARING all summer long!!! 

So just saying I cut mine down(everything) in the fall, and get fruit the next year. 

The wild himalayan blackberries here produce on 2nd year canes. They seem to benefit from a complete cutting down to the ground every five years or so(I have to dig them up to kill them). I also have native blackberries that are more viney. And wild black raspberries and wild strawberries... Don't know nothin about domesticated blackberries.


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## Porscheguy (Feb 1, 2016)

I planted a raspberry bush this past May, and to my surprise, it has already born berries twice...once about mid summer, then again from September up through December.

My question is, I now have a bush with long 3+ feet high stems, and some small runners. The tall stems appear to be dead, with almost no leaves, is this normal for winter?

How do I trim these, should they be cut to the ground, or do I leave part of the stems, say a foot or two high?

I live in SoCal, and also plan on planting boysenberries on the hill in my back yard this spring.

Thank you in advance for any help.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

If they bore fruit twice, yes cut those canes to the ground, the new canes will bear fruit this year. If those canes bore fruit last fall only they would bear fruit again this spring. Sounds like yours are dead....but, before you cut them at the ground, cut one down about 3' from the ground. Does it still have a green stem, it might leaf out this spring. 2 kinds of Raspberries, 1 bears once and is done. The other bears in the fall and leaves back out and bears again in the spring, (here). Cut those down right after they bear, the new canes that grow all summer bear in the fall. Boysenberries send up new canes in summer, these bear next year and get cut down, new canes that come up in the spring/summer, bear next year....James


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