Thornless Boysenberry

Growing

Because this hybrid lacks the prickly stems of its ancestors, you can enjoy much easier harvesting and pruning without the risk of scratches. When establishing your new plants, ensure the soil remains well-drained and maintains a pH between 5.5 and 7.5. Since these canes tend to be less upright than raspberry vines, you can use a trellis or simple supports to train the limbs, which helps improve fruit quality and makes the berries more visible for picking.

Maintaining plant health requires diligent sanitation, especially regarding disease prevention. To combat brown rot fungus, you must collect and destroy any mummified fruit left hanging on the canes or lying on the ground after the harvest or in the spring before buds open. Because berries of varying maturity can appear on a single plant, check the canes periodically and pick fruit as it matures to prevent over-ripening.

Once the berries reach a uniform color and are ready to use, harvest them carefully. Unlike some other fruits, these do not improve with further ripening once detached from the vine, so they must be picked at peak ripeness. For long-term use, you can freeze or dry the fruit, but always store them unwashed to help them last longer.