When and How to Prune Raspberries
I am growing red raspberries for the first time. I have received conflicting advice on when and how to prune. Can you please help?
The type of raspberry determines what and when you prune. Summer-bearing raspberries produce fruit on two year old canes. Cut the bearing canes back to the ground after the summer harvest. In late winter thin the planting to 4 to 5 or 6 canes per foot of row. Do as little tip pruning as possible, no more than 1/4 the height, to maximize production. Fall bearing, also known as ever-bearing raspberries produce fruit in fall form first year growth. These same canes will produce another crop of berries the following summer. Prune out the bearing canes after the summer harvest. Fall or winter pruning can be done on everbearing raspberries. Prune all the canes back to ground level. This eliminates the summer crop but results in a bigger and earlier fall harvest.
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