Should raspberries & boysenberries be pruned in early summer?

Question

I have a boysenberry plant and a black-raspberry plant that are growing vigorously on a trellis. However, there are a couple of shoots (about a meter long now) that are growing away from the trellis and there isn't enough space on it for me to wait till they're long and bend it back there. Should I just prune these shoots so that they don't suck nutrients from the rest of the plant or, like trees, will summer pruning be detrimental to their growth?

I live in socal where it's just early summer right now. The plants haven't flowered yet (this is also their first year, so I don't know if they're on a grow one year, bloom next year cycle)

Answer 1

For boysenberry, it sounds like summer is the correct time to prune. However, the link I gave specifically says to not prune the first year after it's planted in order to let it have the most growth. I suspect that if there is no way to train them to behave for reasons of space, it's better to prune now than not, though.

For black raspberry, it sounds like it's the two-year-old growth that will bear fruit. Since you just planted them, there's no way that they will flower no matter what you do or do not do. As such, I think you're likely fine with pruning the bits which are causing problems.

Additionally, black raspberry is apparently very enthusiastic a grower, and it sounds like you may want to prune far more than you might otherwise expect, once it starts bearing fruit. This talks about autumn pruning, and this video shows you how to prune in late winter/early spring. This talks more in depth about growth and pruning and such.