Raspberry bushes require annual pruning to manage their growth and maximize the amount and quality of fruit they produce. The timing of this process is entirely dependent on the type of raspberry you are growing. Pruning eliminates old, spent wood, improves air circulation to prevent disease, and directs the plant’s energy into producing new, strong fruiting canes. This practice is necessary because the individual canes of a raspberry plant are biennial, meaning they only live for two years, even though the root system is perennial.
Differentiating Between Raspberry Types
The fundamental distinction in raspberry care lies between summer-bearing and fall-bearing varieties, based on the cane’s fruiting cycle. Summer-bearing raspberries produce fruit on second-year canes, which are known as floricanes. These varieties typically offer one large harvest concentrated in the middle of summer, usually in July and August.
Fall-bearing raspberries, often called everbearing varieties, fruit on first-year canes, called primocanes, in the late summer or fall. If these primocanes are left standing over winter, they will produce a second, smaller crop lower down the cane the following summer, at which point the cane becomes a floricane. The easiest way to identify this type is if your patch produces a crop in the autumn.
Pruning Schedule for Summer-Bearing Canes
The correct time to prune summer-bearing raspberries is immediately after the harvest is complete, typically in late summer or early fall. The canes that have finished fruiting, the floricanes, are now spent and will not produce fruit again. These canes can be identified by their darker, woodier appearance and the presence of old fruit stems.
The method involves cutting every spent floricane down to ground level, removing it entirely from the patch. This step is important for sanitation, as the dead wood can harbor diseases and pests over the winter months. By removing these older canes, you allow the new, green primocanes to receive more sunlight and air circulation, promoting their strength for the following year’s summer harvest.
Pruning Schedule for Fall-Bearing Canes
Fall-bearing raspberries present two distinct pruning options, allowing growers to choose between a single, large crop or a double crop. The simplest approach, known as the annual cut, is to cut all canes down to the ground in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. This sacrifices the potential summer crop but results in a single, more concentrated, and larger yield on the new primocanes in the fall. This method simplifies pruning and removes all wood that could potentially carry disease into the next season.
The second option, the double-crop method, is designed to harvest fruit twice a year. After the fall harvest, only remove the top portion of the primocane that produced the autumn fruit, leaving the rest of the cane to overwinter. This remaining portion, now a floricane, will produce a summer crop the following year on its lower buds. Once this summer crop is complete, the entire two-year-old floricane must be cut down to the ground, while new primocanes are left to produce the fall crop.
General Pruning Techniques and Cane Management
To maintain a healthy and productive raspberry patch, thin the remaining healthy, new canes once the main pruning is complete. Thinning prevents overcrowding by removing the weaker canes and leaving only the strongest ones. Aim for approximately six to eight canes per foot of row. This spacing improves light penetration and air flow, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases like cane blight.
Throughout the growing season, immediately remove any canes that appear thin, weak, or visibly diseased, regardless of the time of year. This sanitation practice prevents the spread of pathogens to healthy plants. For very tall canes, tipping (snipping off the top few inches) encourages side branching and keeps the fruit accessible. Always use sharp, clean pruning shears or loppers, and disinfect tools between plants to minimize disease transmission.