The suckering nature of raspberry plants means that if left unpruned they become very congested, produce small fruits, and outgrow their allocated space. Once you have picked all the crop from summer-fruiting raspberries, loganberries and tayberries, you should prune out the old stems. Then after harvest, remove all dead canes and those smaller than ½ inches in diameter. Cut back the lateral branches of black varieties to 12 inches and purple types to about 18 inches. Annual pruning keeps the plants vigorous and productive, so you get the best return from your plants for the space. The next step is shortening the remaining canes. Sign up for our newsletter. For two crops, prune as you would summer-bearing, then again after the fall harvest, pruning to the ground. Black Friday and Cyber Monday shed deals 2020: Rowlinson, Mercia and more, Black Friday and Cyber Monday garden tool deals 2020: Ryobi, Webb, DeWit and more. Step 1. The canes that are past their prime are rough and woody in appearance. Raspberry plants grow in two different types: fall-fruiting (which bear fruit on both primocanes and floricanes) and summer-fruiting (which only bear fruit on floricanes). Simply cut all their canes to the ground in winter, to allow new canes to grow come spring. Only leave one plant every four to six inches. Tip prune new shoots in early spring 3-4 inches to encourage branching. How and when to prune raspberries depends on the type you are growing. When you are pruning summer fruiting raspberries’ first year canes, remove the smallest and weakest ones first. Since raspberries grow only foliage the first season (year) and flowers and fruit the next (second year), removing dead canes can make it easier to obtain a maximum yield and berry size. The terms ‘primocane’ and ‘floricane’ refer to two different types of canes that the raspberry bramble produces. Tip prune any that may have suffered cold damage. So how do you prune raspberry bushes and when? Here, Monty explains how to prune summer raspberry cans after they have fruited: For full advice on growing raspberries, check out our raspberries grow guide. How to Prune Autumn-Fruiting Raspberry Canes Save 30 per cent on Sunday tickets* for BBC Gardeners' World Live 2021. At this point, there will be some new, young growth. In addition, when you prune raspberry plants, it helps increase fruit production. Leave 10-12 of the healthiest canes, about ¼ inches in diameter, with 6-inch spacing. PRUNING SUMMER-BEARING RED RASPBERRIES In the spring when pruning raspberries, remove all the weak, diseased, and damaged canes at ground level. Tip prune any that may have suffered cold damage. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Once you have picked all the crop from summer-fruiting raspberries, loganberries and tayberries, you should prune out the old stems. Find out how to prune summer-fruiting raspberries, below. Remove fruiting canes after harvest. Summer-bearing – Remove all weak canes to the ground in early spring. Fall-bearing – These can be pruned for either one crop or two. *Valid on standard one-day tickets only, transaction fee applies. Remember that the top of the shoot has the most fruit buds… Leave 10-12 of the healthiest canes, about ¼ inches in diameter, with 6-inch spacing. Cut these just harvested canes down to the ground. It should be easy to spot these old stems, as they will be brown in colour and still carry the remains of the fruit stalks. Tie this in at 4-inch intervals to replace the old. Highly-scented, it was launched to a frenzy of interest at the Chelsea Flower Show 2005. Following summer harvest, prune off the old fruiting canes to the ground. Cut all of the fruited canes down to ground level in late autumn. There will be no summer crop, only one in fall using this method. Pruning Black Raspberry Bushes: How To Prune Black Raspberries, Everbearing Strawberry Plants: Tips On Growing Everbearing Strawberries, Cold Climate Raspberry Shrubs – Tips On Growing Raspberries In Zone 3, Prickly Kale Leaves – Does Kale Have Thorns, Corn Husk Wreath Ideas: How To Make A Corn Husk Wreath, DIY Air Plant Wreaths: Wreath Making With Air Plants, Why Are My Seedlings Leggy? If only one crop is desired, there’s no need to prune in summer. (These are brown or grayish in colour, and harder … However, in order to get the most from your crops, it’s important to practice annual pruning raspberry pruning. Prune raspberry bushes in late winter or early spring. Once your summer-fruiting raspberries have finished cropping, it’s time to cut out the stems that bore fruit this year. Following summer harvest, prune off the old fruiting canes to the ground. Pruning raspberry bushes improves their overall health and vigor. Again, pruning techniques depend on variety. What about autumn-fruiting raspberries? Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! With the arrival of the winter season many of us are spending more time indoors, so why not brighten up your home and purify the air with a range of wonderful and architecturally interesting indoor plants. Understand the two basic types of raspberries. Finally, tie them in to horizontal wire supports. Autumn-fruiting raspberries produce canes that flower and fruit in the same year. Summer-bearing – Remove all weak canes to the ground in early spring. Cut back one-crop, summer-bearing raspberry canes as soon as the harvest is over. Red raspberries produce suckers at the base of previous season’s growth while black (and purple) form on new growth. Note: Yellow varieties are also available and their pruning is the same as for the red types. Work your way along the row, cutting out all the fruited stems right down at the base. New canes have green stems, while the … Rare and highly sought after, Hyacinth 'Midnight Mystic'® is the first and original black hyacinth. With both types of red raspberries, the canes die shortly after they are done bearing fruit. After the old, fruit-bearing canes have been cut back, train the new canes to a post or to one or two horizontal wires. Take care not to damage the bright green new stems. Remaining canes should be spaced about 6 inches apart. Top these canes again 3-4 inches in summer. Ideally the new stems should now be spaced about 20cm apart. Annual pruning keeps the plants vigorous and productive, so you get the best return from your plants for the space. Red Raspberry Bush Pruning. Do not prune back new canes that have emerged during the summer. Growing raspberries is a great way to enjoy your own tasty fruits year after year. Autumn-fruiting raspberries produce canes that flower and fruit in the same year. Harvesting raspberries. From the team at Gardeners' World Magazine. Simply cut all their canes to the ground in winter, to allow new canes to grow come spring. Leave the healthiest and strongest canes. Identify the floricanes that have fruited this year. Also, the fruited stems will gradually become weaker each year and eventually die. Be inspired by stunning show gardens, and the beautiful floral marquee, plus live talks and more. Keep summer raspberries cropping by pruning the canes – we show you when and how. Instead, cut all canes to the ground in spring. This encourages new stems to grow from the base, which will carry fruit next summer. When your plants have grown taller, loop the new top growth over and tie this in too. The following spring, prune out weak canes, leaving only four to five of the healthiest and largest. Let’s find out. What Causes Leggy Seedlings And How To Prevent It, Learn More About Using St. Augustine Grass For Your Lawn, Trimming Smoke Trees – How And When To Prune A Smoke Tree, Caring For Foxtail Palms: How To Grow Foxtail Palms, Thanksgiving Tradition: Turning Homegrown Pumpkins Into Pie, Growing Thanksgiving Dinner – Must Have Turkey Side Dishes, Interesting Uses For Pecans: What To Do With Pecans, The Bountiful Garden: Bringing The Garden To Thanksgiving. Hence the name everbearing, a row or patch (in my case) of raspberries when properly pruned will produce an early summer crop (June/July) and then a later fall crop (August/September/October). The early summer crop will always be much smaller but you will usually have a continuous harvest from late June to the first hard frost. Next, go back along the row and thin out any of the new stems that are overcrowded or weak, and remove any growing too far away from the row.