Not all types of berries need pruning. Elderberries and sea buckthorn do not need to be cut back. The situation is different with gooseberries and currants. If old shoots are not removed, the bushes will hardly produce any berries.
Which types of soft fruit need to be cut?
Berry fruits such as elderberries, sea buckthorn, blueberries and cranberries do not require pruning. Gooseberries and currants, on the other hand, require pruning to maintain fertility. Remove harvested, old shoots and leave new shoots standing.
Berry fruit that needs little or no cutting
Berry varieties you can easily grow include:
- Elderberries
- Sea buckthorn
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
Blueberries and cranberries sprout almost completely new ones every year, so that the plants rejuvenate themselves. Here it is only advisable to thin out the bushes occasionally. Then the berries get more light and become larger and more aromatic.
Elderberries and sea buckthorn grow on large bushes that reach tree size. Pruning is unnecessary because the crowns do not become very dense. These berries grow anyway, even if they get little light.
You have to cut these varieties
- Red and white currants
- Blackcurrants
- Gooseberries
Cutting red and white currants
When it comes to pruning currants, it depends on the variety. Red and white bushes bear most of the fruit on the two- and three-year-old shoots.
All shoots that have been harvested are cut off directly above the ground after harvesting. New shoots must remain on the bush.
With black currants, the berries already grow on one-year-old wood. Therefore, cut off all shoots immediately after harvesting.
Cutting gooseberries
Here too, pruning takes place after the harvest or at the latest until the onset of frost.
Gooseberries bear on one- to three-year-old shoots. So only the shoots that are three years old are cut, because they would only produce a few berries next year.
Care cuts for all berry fruit bushes
For all types of berries, dead, dried branches must be cut out. This also applies to diseased branches.
Shots or branches that are too close and grow across the bush should also be thinned out.
Tips & Tricks
Experienced gardeners only cut their berry fruit bushes in spring, as then there are no longer any leaves hanging on the bushes. However, this requires a trained eye that recognizes how old the shoots are. Beginners should better grab the scissors immediately after harvesting to avoid cutting mistakes.