Why Do My Boysenberries Have Some Secondary Limbs With Briars…
Saundra Asked
Why do my boysenberries have some secondary limbs with briars and others with none?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hello, Saundra: I apologize for the delayed response. I had to do some research on your question; just to be certain we are on the same page, I assume the briars you refer to are thorns and the secondary limbs are new growth. So, here are the facts: Boysenberries are a hybrid fruit found by chance in California. Nurserymen have since selected and released named varieties of this bramble fruit. There are thornless varieties, but boysenberries can sport readily. In the horticulture world, this means an individual plant can have different characteristics from branch to branch. For your boysenberry, this means some canes on the same plant can produce variations in terms of fruit size, shape, time of harvest, and even thorniness of the canes. Removing these thorny canes will result in reduced fruit, but if it is important to you not to have any thorns then this would be your only option. Thanks for your patience.
