Traveler Blackberry in drought—no berries—old brown canes cut off—what now?

Question

As my first attachment shows, I cut off the old part of this shrub, which only produced a very few scrawny berries this year. I was advised to prune that part off. But should I cut it it all the way down to the trunk? The Traveler blackberry must be different from the old ones we had before they died out. They gave tons of berries (every other year would be an “off” time for them) and we could wait until spring to cut off the dead canes. That seemed fine for them. But this shrub has had 2 sections, the tall side that stands about 6’ in height but has never borne berries, and the other part that spread outward but did produce a few berries. This Drought we are currently dealing with in S. Indiana has everything shriveled, not just the berry shrub. So disappointing. — The second picture shows blossoms on the 6’ part of the shrub. Should I expect any fruit anymore this season, even if it’s only a handful?

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Answer 1

If you have applied all other care to no avail, then the last explanation will be a disease. Unfortunately, blackberries have many diseases, and most of them do not show symptoms except for lack of production.

This article will explain in more detail: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/blackberries/blackberries-not-fruiting.htm