Wild Brambles

We acquired a wild bramble, probably as a result of bird action, which grows from a fairly large pot. Two years ago, I pruned it right back because it was taking over the fence. Last year, it regrew, but did not flower. This year however (2012) it flowered, and we have obtained around 20lbs of fruit from it, and it is still fruiting now (October).

My question is: should I prune it back? If so, how much? When? If I do prune it, will it produce flowers and blackberries in 2013? Simple answers please - I am not considered to be any sort of gardener!!

PV

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Peter,
20lbs of fruit is a very good yield there. I'm pretty sure that it flowers and fruits on the growth it makes that year. A picture of it would help judge what action to take this year. Can you manage a piccie please? Someone will be along soon to give more advice,
Jenny namaste

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner.

If you don't cut it back, it'll do its best to bend its branches over till the ends touch the ground & produce roots. Brambles just like to take over as much ground as they can.

 

The canes that have borne fruit this year will die and new stems produced this year will produce flowers and fruit next year.

So when it's finished cropping you can cut back the old stuff first and then decide if you want to reduce it any further.

 

Many thanks to everyone who replied. I shall be out with the secateurs as soon as the weather clears up!

 

Sorry, just seen this thread. Hello and welcome Peter.

 

Its probably clear, but just in case ...

Blackberry will produce suckers. These should be trained in such a way that they are "not in the way" of fruit picking.

After fruit picking cut off the canes that have borne fruit, and retrain (if necessary) this-year's new suckers into the position where you want them to be carrying fruit next year.

Same with Raspberries - cut down canes that have carried fruit, after fruiting has finished.

It helps if you do the pruning soon after fruiting finishes, as you can still see "evidence" of which canes carried fruit - if you leave it too long into the Winter it can be harder to work out which did, and which did not