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Suckers at the base of blackberry base?

trowel and errortrowel and error Posts: 15
in Problem solving
I have lots of vigorous, thick soft branches growing from the base of my blackberry bush with an extra number of leaves on each stem.  Are these suckers, should I remove them and will they bear fruit?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    They’re the new canes that will bear fruit next year. 

    When the old canes have borne fruit they should be pruned out and the new canes tied in to replace them … in a similar way that summer fruiting raspberries are  trained. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • trowel and errortrowel and error Posts: 15
    I have noticed that some of the new canes have more leaves on the branches compared to this years fruiting canes.  This is why I thought they were suckers and unproductive canes.  Is there a foolproof way of knowing which are next years fruiting canes and which are suckers as both seem to be sprouting from the base.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    They can only be suckers if the top growth has been grafted onto a different rootstock ... I'm pretty sure that blackberries aren't grafted .......

    @BobTheGardener @Mr. Vine Eye  ... what do you think?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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