Nancy Snyder of Bowling Green asks: This is the second year we have had some "wild" raspberries
growing and producing berries. The bushes right now look very wild and straggly. When should they be
pruned in order to help ensure a good crop of berries next year?
Wood County’s OSU Extension horticulturist and master gardener educator Craig Everett sought the advice
of Gary Gao, an Extension educator in Delaware County.
Based on the information provided they are assuming the wild berries are probably black raspberries.
Both Everett and Gao believe the best thing to do is to leave them alone and let them grow wild.
However, Everett said if the gardener truly wants to do something the best time is to cut them back in
March.
Extreme caution is needed, however, as the experts indicate they are full of thorns, which in these wild
berries are extremely sharp and destructive to normal apparel, and thus, the gardener.
Everett indicated the "nasty thorns" will tear apart regular garden gloves, jeans, almost all
regular clothing and protection.
"They should use heavy, heavy stuff to protect them, things like welder’s gloves and
protection," he stated. "It’s easier to leave them (the berries) alone."
"However, if you want to do something in March, cut them back to three foot in height, and remove
any dead canes. These are the primocanes (going straight up). Those going laterally can be cut back to
one foot."
The experts say when done in March it will force out new growth and new berries.
With that being said, Everett says his best advice is to either leave it alone or to just kill off all
the old wild berry plant and to start all over with a new planting of modern cultivars of the berry of
the gardener’s choice.
