Method for wrangling black berries, other canes and vines

Braided Canes:

In early Spring, or anytime cane shoots are soft and movable begin to weave them into a braid.
The braid of canes later shades the fruiting branches and as you braid through the seasons the fruit gets better and better. The whole weave becomes a structure so it can bear larger fruit in bigger numbers. Because you are pulling all the cane shoots into a controlled shaped it is also easier to maintenance and harvest. After a few seasons when the braid gets heavier it can slump, especially in snow country. The braid can be to pulled from the ends, allowing you to reshape the entire braid when needed. For example: after the fruit sets, in Spring when cane shoots get lanky, or in early Spring if the braid has been smushed by a snow load.

I wrote a blog post that describes Braided Canes in detail here =>  https://nomadgardens.com/wp/braided-canes/

*You will save yourself a lot of labor and plenty scratches if you use the right tools like a Japanese sickle(or something similar) and a rock rake to grab canes or vines. Japanese sickles are built to make precise cuts with ease, the serrated sickle curve does all the work. Hold onto a bunch of a canes/vines in one hand then pull then over the blade and hold pressure up against them with the blade hand. It makes easy work and you can sculpt and shape most woody plants and hedges etc. good tool to have on hand.

Ok, I am going to give this a try next season. My blackcap raspberries are out of control.

Never tried braiding them but I've always just done the two-wire system and it gets tedious fast. The idea of the braid becoming self-supporting over a few seasons is actually interesting though. Wonder how it holds up once the canes get woody.

Ive seen people plant willow cuttings at 45 degrees, alternating the direction so they can weave the shoots to look like a fence. Perhaps the same could be done here, and make it into a circular or oval shape so it remains self supporting. Just leave a gap to walk inside the form to reach the interior fruit?

Edit: I also saw a method where t-posts were placed in pairs angled outwards a bit so the tops are further apart than the bottoms, so 2nd year canes can be tied to the outside for easier harvest, and the new shoots can grow in the middle. Then the old growth can be cut back and those interior shoots get tied to the outside for second year harvest, and new shoots are directed inside.

Awesome innovation!

I planted some blackberries last year, and the year before.  I will remember this when I get some canes

I have a huge raspberry patch & yes…many plants droop and then I get sandy berries. I love the idea of braiding but sure wish the photo was easier to read.

I just came in from harvesting Heritage Red raspberries, and the canes are totally out of control. We've had a lot of rain the last couple weeks, and everything is bowed over with the pounding rain and the weight of the berries. I'm pretty sure that raspberries only bear on 2nd year canes, so we cut all canes down each fall. I would love to see some ideas for trellising and bird net support. Right now the net hangs on two wires that run the length of the bed, effective for bird control but difficult to navigate. When I duck under for harvest, everything catches on the net...buttons, hat, hair clip, toes, etc. And I find I have to tiptoe backwards through the canes to avoid stepping on them.

I like the idea of braiding canes to be self supporting, maybe begin with a tunnel of hog panel outside the bed? Then keep the canes on the inside of the tunnel only, and tie them to the tunnel. I'm also picturing the center of the tunnel kept clear so I can walk easily. Not sure about the net support; it would have to be outside the tunnel and raised a bit away from it. Has any one been successful with something like this for raspberries? Or any other idea? I have plenty of berries to share, but the cost in labor, mosquito bites, and frustration is high.

I think there are primo cane blackberries and raspberries, and thornless— blackberries anyway, I don’t know about thornless raspberries.

That’s not much help to folks with established patches, but might be of interest to those in the planning phase