Other than that, these can be pruned and maintained in a similar fashion to the typical raspberry plants mentioned above. In addition, as these primocanes become floricanes in their second year, they will fruit again, this time on the lower part of their canes the following summer. Primocane-bearing raspberry plants are unique in that they tend to bear fruit on the tips of their one-year-old canes, which ripens in fall in milder climates. Pruning Primocane-Bearing Raspberry PlantsĪlso called “everbearing” or “fall-bearing” raspberries. You should prune them back to ground level in order for the one-year-old canes to thrive and become strong and fruitful second-year canes the next growing season. After fruitset and harvest in the summer, these canes will die back. These plants have the more typical fruiting habit, bearing one fruit crop on the lower part of their two-year-old canes (called floricanes). Pruning Floricane-Bearing Raspberry PlantsĪlso known as “summer-bearing” raspberries. These lateral branches should be pruned so that they are kept at about 10 inches long. Tipping the canes stops the vertical growth and results in more vigorous side branching, where the fruit develops.

When new shoots are 3 feet tall, prune off the tips.

As your raspberry plants mature, it is recommended that you cut back the small, thin canes to leave only about 8 to 10 of the strongest ones.īlack raspberry plants have a slightly different growth habit, so pruning is slightly different as a result.

Completely prune back and remove all skinny, dead, damaged, diseased or otherwise weak canes.

This will discourage overgrowth and shading and will improve fruit production and quality.

Prune young canes back until they are around 4 to 5 feet tall.

Once your raspberry plants have put on enough growth (which may not be until after their first year with you), aim to prune in the early spring, just as new growth emerges.

Black raspberries are a little different, and pruning advice for those is located in the next section. This information is geared toward typical red, gold, and purple varieties of raspberries. Consider staking or trellis-training your raspberry plants to keep them more upright.

That said, regardless of growth habit, some pruning should be done every spring to keep raspberry plants from becoming tangled and to improve their ability to bear. The best approach is to understand the bearing nature of the varieties you’re growing so you know how to prune when the time comes. Pruning may vary depending on the raspberry varieties you plant.

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