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Wintering Berries

 
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What steps do you take to get blackberries and raspberries ready for winter?
 
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I don't, generally,  but I  want to learn.
My process of pruning cane fruit stems(lol) from a need to tame them,  with little knowledge of what's best for them.

I've been reading about the primocanes, floricanes, how to tell the difference and when to cut them,  but I'm far from having any competence.

One thing I used to do was set bricks on top of the canes to root bew plants.
I've even rooted them directly into buckets of potting soil.
These days I'm leaning towards rooting the prunings instead.

One fascinating overwintering technique I did stumble on was growing them in hoop houses for season  extension.
I see lots of possibilities for this with "everbearing" varieties.
Our everbearing raspberry kept producing right up to first frost, and the leaves are probably still green right now.
 
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Timely topic. I have some of the hip new genetics in blackberries that fruit on primocanes (Prime-Ark Traveler.)  Two options are: cut back to the ground in winter so the primocanes will make a fall crop the following season -or- only cut back old/diseased canes so that some remain for a summer crop + new primocanes grow out for an additional fall crop.
I haven't pruned at all yet, but intend on cutting them back to the ground when winter really kicks in. I'm fine with waiting on my blackberries in the late summer/fall next year since I'll have strawberries in the earlier part of the season. That and it will be easier to cut them all back and throw some mulch down than it would be to try to pick and choose which canes to keep.
 
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