Pruning & Protecting Your Soft Fruit Bushes

Pruning & Protecting Your Soft Fruit Bushes 

This time of year is ideal for pruning your soft fruit bushes to ensure a good crop of fruit and reduce the chance of disease. Before you start, make sure you have a good, sharp pair of secateurs otherwise you won’t get a clean cut and could encourage disease. If your secateurs are a bit old and worn out, why not treat yourself to a new pair? Also, make sure you choose a dry day – preferably with a bit of a breeze to encourage the newly cut stems to heal.

Make sure your fruit cage is in good condition and the net has no rips which could allow in birds or other pests. Also, make sure your side netting is still securely pegged down as some birds will try to creep underneath. Replacement fruit cage netting, spare parts and ground pegs are available.


Pruning Blackcurrants

Each year you will need to remove about a third of the oldest stems – these will look darker and woody. Also, remove any stems that are weak or damaged. Try to create an open structure to the bush as this will encourage airflow and help prevent disease. When pruning Blackcurrants, make sure you cut stems back to just above a strong looking bud to encourage new growth.


Pruning Redcurrants/Whitecurrants

You will need to trim out any stems that are more than 3 years old, plus any stems that are weak or damaged. Try to encourage your red/whitecurrant bush into a goblet shape as this will allow in air and light to the centre of the bush to give more vigorous growth. Also, try to keep surrounding plants trimmed back to encourage light and air flow.


Pruning Gooseberries

Similar to redcurrants, these also fruit on stems that are 3 years old – so cut out any stems that are older. Also, remove any stems that are weak looking or damaged. As with redcurrants, try to create a goblet shape to your bush to allow in light and air.


Pruning Raspberries

First, find out which type of raspberry canes you have. Some will fruit in the summer and some in the autumn. For autumn fruiting varieties just cut all the canes back to ground level in the winter. Summer fruiting varieties will fruit on canes that are a year old, so cut out any which fruited in the last year. Also remove any that are damaged or diseased.

Raspberries will send out suckers under the ground to grow new canes so they can rapidly get out of control. You can easily dig out these suckers and new canes without damaging your existing canes.


Pruning strawberries

Although not strictly pruning, now is a good time to get strawberries under control. They will often send out runners that will grow into new plants. Cut these off to conserve the plant’s energy (unless you want to use them to grow new plants)